Jesse Foltz (1862-1958)
Minnie May Gibson (1873-1950)
paternal great-granduncle/great-grandaunt
*Updated 7 April 2026
What motivated large families to pack their belongings in wagons, travel hundreds of miles or more over often rough terrain, accompanied by various animals and livestock? For some, it was a chance to acquire more land through homesteading or bounty land from military service. For others, it was to join family members whose adventurous spirits had already led them westward.
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| Jesse Foltz |
On August 26, 1931, Jesse Foltz wrote a letter to his
niece, [Dorothy] Alice Foltz Patterson, daughter of
his brother, Emmet. In it, he described the family’s
move from Mad River Township in Champaign
County, Ohio to Sims Township in Grant County,
Indiana in 1882.
Jesse talked
about the towns along his route:
Thackery, the starting place, Saint
Paris, Piqua, and
Union City, all in Ohio. He also mentioned the Indiana
towns of Cumberland (Matthews), Jonesboro, Rose-
burg, and finally Swayzee.
Jesse's letter is in italics with the original spelling
and punctuation.
 |
| The route from Mad River Twp, Champaign County, OH to Sims Twp, Grant County, IN. |
* * *
– REASONS FOR THE MOVE –
Jesse's father, Nathaniel, became interested in moving to Indiana after hearing good things from people who had settled there. Also, he wanted land for his sons that adjoined or was close to his. At age 20 and the eldest of seven sons, Jesse was charged with finding a farm in Indiana that would be suitable for the family.
There was several reasons for us moving to Indiana in the early 80's. There was a colony moved from Ohio
to Indiana. Among them was Rube and Willis
Zirkle, two Gentis families and a Rust or two and a few others. Whenever they
came back to Ohio they would report Indiana much superior in fertility to Ohio
which created a western fever which never left them until they moved.
Another reason was a dozen boys coming on
that needed a job of work at home.
The
home place in Ohio was only 60 acres and no other land joining it could be
bought. Then Uncle has two boys and he wants land for them.
And, another thing in the fall of 1881 Jacob
Apple came to Indiana and bought 80 acres 1 mile north and 1 mile west of
Swayzee. Then mother and father said we
will go to Indiana as soon as we can get a farm there.
Jacob Apple was married to Jesse's older sister Jennetta, age 24.
– A GRANDMOTHER PROTESTS –
Jesse's grandmother, Christina Hoffman Foltz, age 82, was not shy about expressing her displeasure with the move to Indiana. I laughed a little when I first read this—she didn't hold back on how she felt about the situation.
I know in the spring of 1882 I was to go for myself so Jacob
wanted me to drive the team through to Indiana. But Grandmother told me Indiana was a swamp, that there was no drainage,
that water had to evaporate, that it was full of the third-day ague and in the
fall full of Typhoid fever, that I would go out there and get sick and spend
all I had and would have to be brought back. I told her that I would beg my living and walk back.
Left: Map of the Great Black Swamp. (Shores & Islands Ohio)
Since the Foltz family lived in southwestern Champaign County, they were about 80 miles from the southern edge of the swamp. Jesse's route to Swayzee, Indiana would take him at least 50 miles south of it. Grandma Foltz didn't need to worry.
 |
| Credit: PBS Western Reserve |
– A SCOUTING TRIP –
On the 13th day of March 1882 I left for St. Parris. The next day at 6 o'clock Will Apple and Dave
Knull and I started for Indiana with Jakes team and my horse with a saddle and
bridle on it. On the 16th we wanted to
get to the Marion Pike at New Cumberland, but it was so dark and I was walking
ahead of the team picking out the best place to drive. I slipped in a rut over
boot top deep and got my feet wet. We got to Will Apples on the 17th in the
afternoon.
Jacob Apple's married brother, Will, age 22, had also purchased land in Indiana.
New Cumberland, also called Cumberland, was founded in 1833. It was renamed Matthews in 1895 after the current governor at that time. The Cumberland Covered Bridge was built there in 1877 and is still standing, in spite of floating a half-mile down the river during a flood in 1913. (See the Historical Marker Database for details.)
Marion Pike must have also been renamed at some point. It is probably present-day Wheeling Pike, which follows the route Jesse would have taken, passing through Matthews before heading northwest toward Jonesboro and Gas City. From there, Jesse would be well south of Grandma Foltz's dreaded swamp.
Jake and I was to look for a place for them. They wanted a 160
acre farm. We picked out three farms for them and wrote them. One place was NW Quarter Sec. 16, Franklin
Twp; another was 1/2 NE Grand 1/2 NW Quarter sec. Sims Twp; another was what
was to become the home place SE 120 SW of sec. 12, Sims Twp.
They wrote back for the description of the
place and an estimate of the oak timber. On Sunday Dave Knull and I counted it as having over 25 trees that would measure 3 feet and over at the
stump; 25 trees 2 feet and over and 30 trees 18 inches or over. I sent this
report back home and in a few days got an answer that they would be out to see
the place as soon as they got the corn planted.
Corn was usually planted from late April to mid-May. So, Nathaniel and Sarah likely went to Indiana by late May or early June.
When they came, I took them in a 2 horse wagon to several places.
They decided on the home place in sec. 13. They went back to Ohio for the summer. Then Grandmother was very much displeased with what they had done and
said that they would move out west and she would never see them again
and she had no way of traveling but with kit, the old gray mare and a
carriage.
– MAKING THE MOVE & WHO'S WHO IN THE FOLTZ FAMILY –
Nathaniel made his second trip to Indiana in September. He needed to sow wheat on their new farm during the September to early October window.
In September, Father and Oscar and Elmer came out with two loads
of goods and to sow wheat and make some arrangements with Mrs. Mark to move in
September. When the wheat was sowed,
they drove back to make the sale to move. I went back to drive the milk cows
for them. The sale was on Monday.
Nathaniel
and Sarah had
14 children over the first 29 years of their 1855 marriage—two of them died
young. Ezra, their first child, was born in 1856 and died at age five. Their third child,
Emma, was born in 1860 and died at age four. Their last child, Virgia
Christine, was born in Indiana in December 1884. Nathaniel would turn 54 the following March, and Sarah would be 49 in May.
Jesse and his parents made their final trip to Indiana before the end of September with nine of his siblings—Oscar, 18, Minnie, 17,
Rose, 14, Cyrus, 12, Elmer, 10, Emmet, 8, Forest Clifford, 6, Alfred, 4, and Irene Anna, 2. Jennetta would travel with her husband at a later time.
We were going to start for Indiana on
Wednesday but so many people came in to help us off that we did not get started
that day. On Thursday morning it was the
same. The house was full but mother said
if they got started, Cyrus and I would take the 6 head of cows and we were to go 1 mile or so and 1/2 mile east of St. Parris and wait
for the wagons. We got there ahead of
them. They came in about an hour. There we ate our first lunch at the Apple
schoolhouse.
We started again and drove west of Picqua for the first night. Saturday we at sundown was 2 miles NW of New Cumberland and the hash [slang for food] box was empty. It was filled at Union City last. We could not get anything at New Cumberland so we decided to drive to Jonesboro, Indiana for more hash and stay overnight.
We got to Jonesboro at 6:30
all hungry and tired. Daddy and others
went in a store to get food for supper and breakfast. Anna hollered and called at the top of her
voice. The old hound was tied under Oscar's wagon and he bellowed and made
everything attractive for the loafing population which turned out in force to
see what was taking place and to ask all kinds of questions imaginary as to who
we were and where we were going and ready to give all kinds of advice.
One man told us to go 1 mile N and 1/2 mile W on the Kokomo Road and stay overnight as the stock was about worn out. We went to the school-house as he said. There we let everything rest while we ate lunch. Then we decided to go home 10 more miles. Cyrus was all in so he got on the wagon. That left me with the cattle.
The wagon drove on and was soon out of
sight. The cattle were foot worn and
tired which made them hard to get along. The wagon got home at 1:00. I
drove the cattle W to Roseburg Road, then N to Roseburg, then W home. When I got 1/2 mile W, I was all in as I had
to heel every cow or they would lay down for me. When I got to the woods I decided we would
take an hours rest. That was 1:30 but I
forgot and went to sleep setting in a fence corner.
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| Location of the Foltz farm between Swayzee and Marion, Indiana. |
When I woke up daylight was peeping over the
eastern horizon. I soon had the cows on
the move again. I did not get home again
until 7:30. I ate my breakfast, shaved,
cleaned up, ready for the night, then I laid down for a rest. But, they did not call me and I overslept
again, never waked until after dark. I
had an appoint-ment with a girl at Swayzee. All I could do was go to sleep again and forget it and square myself
with her for next Saturday evening.
Jesse married Mary Ann Haines (1862-1919) on January 12, 1884, about a year after the move to Indiana. It’s possible she was the girl he mentioned in his letter.
* * *
– SOURCES –
Larry Hurley posted Jesse's letter on Ancestry.com on August 1, 2004. The original file was on www.rootsweb.com [HI24454]. His citations were listed as follows:
Birth: Book; Author: John Casper Branner; Title: Casper Branner of Virginias
and his
Descendants; Published: Stanford, CA 1913: Location found by Dave Van
Doren:
Allen Co, IN Library, Ft Wayne; Media: Photocopy.
Birth: Census; Title: U.S. Census; Place: Champaign Co, OH; Media: personal
abstract by Dave Van Doren.
Marriage: Book; Author: Jacob W. Harpine; Title: Philip Harpine and Catherine
and Descendants; Publisher: McClure Printing Co, Staunton, VA, 1852; Location
found by Dave Van Doren: Allen Co, IN Public Library, Ft. Wayne, IN.
– DIG A LITTLE DEEPER –
– Read about the life of the Great Black Swamp in Rust Belt Magazine and how it still
impacts northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie.
– Go to the Historical Marker Database to learn how the Cumberland Bridge in Grant
County, Indiana was swept away in a flood and moved back to its original location.
* * *
Howell-Richards Family History - June 2021 (updated April 2026)
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