Person:John Ford (43)

Remarkably little is known of John Ford and Ann Woodyard. We know from Pendleton County (KY) Order Book (1819-1823) that he filed a bond with the March Term 1820 of the Court to keep a tavern at his dwelling house in the County for a period of one year. In addition, he is listed in a 15 Dec 1819 entry in the Stray Register of Pendleton County, KY. From this data and the tax rolls for Pendleton County, Kentucky, we know that John Ford settled in that county sometime around 1818 or 1819. An earlier person named John Ford had already settled in Pendleton County. However, this John Ford was not related to the John Ford treated in this volume. This John Ford owned 3,000 acres of land along Eagle Creek in what would become Grant County, Kentucky in 1820. The John Ford treated in this volume owned relatively little land and spent his life from his settlement in 1818/1819 until his death in 1832 around the Turner Ridge area of Pendleton County, Kentucky

A great deal of valuable information regarding John Ford's settlement in Pendleton County is to be found in the case of Elisha Ford, Sr. vs. Elisha Ford, Jr. in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office in Falmouth, Kentucky. According to the case, John Ford had purchased a 50-acre tract of land on Turner Ridge from James Williams who supposedly had a warrant for the land. Later, John Ford purchased an additional 45 acres of land and consolidated it with the former 50 acres, thus making a total of 95 acres. Upon his death, his widow, Ann Woodyard Ford, whose name is not mentioned directly in the case, lived on the land for several years before she died. After her death, Elisha Ford, Senior, his eldest son, took over title to the property having bought out the remaining heirs with the exception of Nancy who called herself "Ann Posey". She had married Larkin Smith and is referred to in the case as "Ann Posey Smith".

On 27 March 1865, Elisha Ford, Senior departed Pendleton County, KY for Logan County, Ohio. Before his departure, he sold the land to Elisha Ford, Junior, the son of William and Mary (Ford) Ford. It is from this sale that the civil suit arose. It appears from the case that Nancy (Ford) Smith, alias "Ann Posey Smith", had never resolved her legal right to her share of her father's land before Elisha Ford, Senior sold the property. She sued for her portion as a legal heir to John Ford by suing Elisha Ford, Junior. After numerous years in court, the case was decided in favor of "Ann Posey Smith." The circuit court appointed C.A. Wandelohr as Master Commissioner who went upon the property, determined the boundaries, and divided off 10 acres of the 50 acres to Mrs. Smith. The land was divided off and the report of the partition reported to the court on 18 April 1870.

One of the main problem points with the case was that John Ford had never obtained a written deed from James Williams. In addition, John Ford's estate was never subjected to probate and thus, Elisha Ford, Senior never obtained a proper deed to the property either. The first written deed is from the sale of the land in 1865 from Elisha Ford, Sr. to Elisha Ford, Jr.

Many of the depositions and the testimony in the case give invaluable information regarding John Ford and his family. In a deposition given by John Ford's nephew, William Ford states that John Ford died in about the year 1833. In addition, he states Knew him well. He was an uncle of mine. He states that John Ford had cleared about 15 acres of the property and had planted forty-five or forty-six apple and plun trees on the property in addition to having erected a log house. It may be well to note that during a 1991 conversation with Kenneth Walthers, current resident on the old Ford farm, Mr. Walthers stated that there was an area of the farm which had numerous old apple trees which he had some years previously cleared away. Mr. E.E. Barton, Falmouth’s eminent genealogist and attorney, mentions in his papers that the Rosenstiel house in which Mr. Walthers currently resides was built around an old log house that, most likely, is the old John Ford log house.

1. ↑ Nagle, Eric C. and Larry L. Ford Society. The Genealogy of the Descendants of William Ford (1722-1821). (Huber Heights, Ohio; revised 2006)
   pg. 14.
2. ↑ Nagle, Eric C. and Larry L. Ford Society. The Genealogy of the Descendants of William Ford (1722-1821). (Huber Heights, Ohio; revised 2006)
   ppg. 8, 14.
3. ↑ Nagle, Eric C. and Larry L. Ford Society. The Genealogy of the Descendants of William Ford (1722-1821). (Huber Heights, Ohio; revised 2006)
   pg. 14.
4. ↑ Nagle, Eric C. and Larry L. Ford Society. The Genealogy of the Descendants of William Ford (1722-1821). (Huber Heights, Ohio; revised 2006)
   pg. 14.
5. ↑ Nagle, Eric C. and Larry L. Ford Society. The Genealogy of the Descendants of William Ford (1722-1821). (Huber Heights, Ohio; revised 2006)
   pg. 14.
6. ↑ Nagle, Eric C. and Larry L. Ford Society. The Genealogy of the Descendants of William Ford (1722-1821). (Huber Heights, Ohio; revised 2006)
   pg. 14.