Person:George Foust (2)

By the 1820's, George Foust and his older brothers had all migrated from their home in the Shenandoah Valley, to southwest Ohio. Ohio and Indiana had become states in 1803 and 1816. The last Indian uprisings were put down in 1811 and 1813, and new settlers were streaming into this area which had been the Northwest Territory. Most were from the state of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

    George and one brother settled in Montgomery county, while another brother and a cousin located in adjacent Preble county. (Present day Dayton is in Montgomery county, and Preble is immediately to the west, reaching to the Indiana state line). All were farmers. Little is recorded of their stay in Ohio, but for whatever reason, the brothers moved on to Rush county, Indiana during the mid 1830's, where they apparently spent the rest of their lives. George married Susanna Catherine Vance, who was also a Virginia. Five of their seven sons were born in Ohio, the other two in Indiana.
    Framing in Indiana differed somewhat from that in the south. The richness of the soil and climatic conditions were ideally suited to growing grain, which in turn, fostered the raising of livestock, particularly hogs. Markets where the stock could be sold where starting to develop in the growing towns of Cincinnati and Indianapolis, to which drovers could herd animals overland to the slaughterhouses. Some meat and grain could be shipped by flatboat to towns along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, but the larger eastern seaboard markets were still out of reach.
    Despite the grueling labor of creating farms out of forests, the farmers found time to mix socializing with neighbors along with the work. Barn and house raisings were occasions for community gatherings after which foot races, shooting and log splitting contests might be held. The men also staged husking competitions and the women enjoyed quilting bees. The children played games which are still popular today such as hopscotch, hide & seek, London bridge, leapfrog and blindman's buff. Singing was popular and dancing took place if a fiddler lived in the area. Weddings especially, were an occasion for neighbors to congregate for feasting and celebration.
    Several sons of the three brothers who came north together, apparently served with the Union forces during the Civil war, but there is no clear record of who or where. Considering the fact that they still had many relatives in the south, their participation in that rending conflict illustrates the "brother against brother" aspect of it. Among the many grisly facets of the war, is one little known practice in which fallen combatants were preyed upon by profiteers. Tooth pullers descended like vultures on the battlefields to extract the teeth of dead soldiers, which then were sold to dentists to be made into false teeth. Barrels of these teeth were shipped to Europe where they were much in demand.

From A Family History by Don Foust, 1997.

1. ↑ from Mary Randall, 12/2005. Indiana Marriages Through 1850.
2. ↑ from Mary Randall, 12/2005. Indiana Marriages Through 1850.