My LaRue line is descended from James LaRue and Elizabeth Jordan. I first find James with his Land Patent in Guernsey County, Ohio, locating his land in Section 8 Township 1 Range 1. The Patent is finalized in 1811 which means he should have applied for in in 1806. (Prior to 1810 this area was Belmont County.)
Since his son Laban was the first of his children born in Ohio, and his tombstone says he was born in 1807, I am going to date the family arrival in Guernsey County around the 1806-1807 time frame. The Patent records James as "of Belmont County, Ohio" which is what the specific area was prior to 1810. The area where James had his Patent broke off from Belmont County to create the newer Guernsey County at that date.
I found the first of the Estate and Probate papers for James on a microfilm of court records for Guernsey County, where in a Special Session dated November 1825, Elizabeth declined administration and her two eldest sons, William and John were appointed as Administrators. The lack of an executor means that there was no will filed or recognized. Consequently an administrator had to be named. Since the Regular Court Session was held in September and this special session was called for this particular business, I am going to assume that James died between the September and the November Session dates, therefore between Sep 28th and November 28th, 1825.
It could also mean that he died even earlier, but this is the first that they heard of his death. Whatever the circumstances, we have not found the succeeding papers for the estate settlement and since he had minor children, guardianship for them should also be in the court records not to mention the dispersal of his property to his widow and heirs. We simply have to find them. He owned his land. It stays with the family until 1891 when it is sold to Hans Weaver. And, the gravel road that borders where this land exists is still called LaRue Road.
James was said to have been buried in Leatherwood Cemetery, and although I visited that cemetery, there is no tombstone for him visible and earlier researchers had stated that they did not have knowledge of where it was located. The stones that still exist and much of the cemetery, though mowed, is in poor shape. The monuments are many of them cracked, tipped, sunk or fallen over.
As for James wife, Elizabeth nee Jordan, we have so far no known documentation that guarantees that Jordan was her maiden name. I have not seen anything that actually verifies that her name was Jordan.
She is buried in the Salem Baptist Church Cemetery in Guernsey County, Ohio in a row with numerous of her children. Her tombstone simply calls her Elizabeth, wife of James LaRue.
I will continue to look for old newspaper articles that may shed a clue on her relatives. And a continued search for the probate for James is imperative. I will hope to order more through my local FHC this spring and summer, unless some other researcher has found the records and is willing to collaborate.
