Who are the Fancher's?
On this section of the
Fancher Family Homepage you can see pictures of ancestors on my father's side of
the family, The Fanchers.
There are photographs of
the Osage valley in Northwest Arkansas, where many Fanchers have lived and died.
Each photograph can be
viewed in a larger format, if you "click" on the individual photo. The
pictures are the property of Terry N. and J.K. Fancher.
My thanks go to my father
J.K. Fancher, Jr. for providing much of the narrative that follows. The
information has also come from Richard Fancher (1700-1764) of Morris County,
New Jersey.
The Fancher family is of
English descent (as indicated by recent DNA samples from Terryl Nolan Fancher). They can be traced to the American Colonies as early as 1643.
Richard was the first of
nine generations that includes myself, Terryl Nolan Fancher.
Richard had eight children,
Captain Richard, Martha, William, Benjamin, Abigail, David, Amy, and William
(again).
David (second generation)
was born about 1738 and married Hannah (?) and is shown to be living in Sussex
County, NJ before 1763. They had three children: Richard, Isaac, and James.
Richard (third generation)
was born in 1756 and died May 21, 1829 and is buried in Overton County, TN. Two
names have come forward for his wife, so it is possible he was married more than
once. In Paul Buford Fancher's book Richard Fancher - 1700-1764 of Morris
County, New Jersey it is stated on page 36, "There is some question as
to who he married. Two different names are offered as his wife, Sarah Journegin
(Jarnigan), born in Spotsylvania County in 1765 and died in Osage, Arkansas,
October 5, 1839, being blind, or Patsy Gray, daughter of Gray Bynum and Margaret
Hampton of North Carolina." Journegin has sometimes been called the
grandmother of Carroll County.
Richard also served in the
Revolution in Captain Thomas Berry's Company, Colonel Abraham Bowman's Eighth
Regiment of Virginia. Known children (six) born in Stokes County, NC were: Issac,
James, Grey Bynum, Alexander, Thomas Hampton and Patsy.
It is hard to find
photographs earlier than the 1850's. Our first two shots are of my great, great,
great, grandparents, James and Elizabeth Carlock Fancher. James was born January
26, 1790 in Stokes County, NC and died June 8, 1866 in Osage, AR. He is buried
in the Fancher-Seitz cemetery. Elizabeth Carlock Fancher was born March 18, 1800
and died June 8, 1891. She is buried beside him. They were married on January 8,
1816 in Rock Springs, TN. They moved to Carroll County, AR in 1838. He served in
the War of 1812 and served a tour of duty against the Creek Indians in 1814. He
served as a representative in the Arkansas legislature in 1842. He lost most of
his property during the Civil War. He had eleven children, the first nine were
born in Overton County, TN and the last two in Carroll County, AR: Asenath,
Claborn, Arminta, Martha Jane, Hampton Bynum, Sarah Amanda, Thomas Washington,
Margaret Catherine, Henrietta, James Polk, and George Dallas.
Pictured below is the Osage
valley in Northwest Arkansas. Near the center of the picture, and slightly to
the right of center, there are three structures. The barn on the left is
relatively old probably dating to the 1930's. In the center, almost obscured by
trees, is another barn. To the right is a smaller granary building. This is part
of the land that was passed down from generation to generation. It was
originally constructed by Thomas Washington Fancher. The original house, barn,
and 600 rails were burned by the Union Army near the end of the Civil War. The
center barn is the site of what used to be known as the "Uncle Joe Fancher"
homestead. It stood until the early 1960's when a fast moving lightning storm
moved through the area. Lightning struck a nearby tree and ignited the house,
which then burned. The newer barn was constructed on the site of the old house.
It was at this house that a number of Fancher Family reunions were held in the
late 1940's and into the early 1960's. There is a second picture, which is of
the "Uncle Joe Fancher" homestead, taken during the 1956 Fancher
Family reunion.
Additional pictures show
the area around the "Uncle Joe Fancher" homestead. The newer barn in
the center, is roughly where the old homestead stood. There is also a black and
white shot of the old house, a closeup of the house, and a newspaper clipping of
the 1949 family reunion.
Pictured here is the
tombstone of James Fancher and his wife Elizabeth Carlock Fancher. As mentioned,
it is located in the Fancher-Seitz Cemetery.
Here is the gate that goes
into the Fancher-Seitz Cemetery.
An effort has been mounted
to help with the upkeep and preservation of the Fancher-Seitz cemetery. Funds
are being raised. The funds are exclusively for the maintenance and improvement
of the OLD FANCHER CEMETERY (aka The Fancher - Seitz Cemetery.) All monies are
on deposit in the state of Arkansas for the exclusive use of expenses related to
the repair, upkeep, and improvements to the Old Fancher Cemetery. Any and all
donations are appreciated. Family members who contribute are asked to include a
family genealogy (descendency) sheet with their donations, so they may be added
to the family data base if they wish. Anyone who does contribute, may then have
the privilege of accessing that information anytime they choose. Management and
Administration of the fund has all been done on a pro bono basis with no expense
offset by those donations. The addresses for donations are: Fancher Family
Memorial Fund, c/o Lynn-Marie Fancher, 4064 SE Vernie Court, Milwaukie, Oregon
97222 or Fancher Family Memorial Fund c/o Tom C. Morris III, 508 W. Central,
Bentonville, Arkansas 72712. For more information send an email to: Lynn-Marie
Fancher
Thomas Washington (fifth
generation) was born January 24, 1833 in Overton County, TN and died August 31,
1892 at Osage, AR. He came to Arkansas (Osage Valley) with his father James in
1838. He was a Lieutenant in Howell's Battery, Confederate Army, in the Civil
War. He was married on June 8, 1857 to Elizabeth Sneed (born at Osage, AR
November 13, 1839 and died December 20, 1916.) They had ten children: James,
William H., Mattie J., Mary Dee, Polk, Charles Rossen, Wilkins Kenner, Bessie,
Joseph Johnson, and Jesse Frank. Here is a picture of Thomas Washington and
Elizabeth Sneed Fancher.
Here is the base of a newer
tombstone for Thomas Washington Fancher and Elizabeth Sneed Fancher. The newer
stone is to commemorate his Civil War Service.
Pictured is the gate to the
Fancher Cemetery (across the road from the Uncle Joe Fancher homestead), and a
row of descendents of Thomas Washington Fancher and Elizabeth Sneed Fancher.
James (sixth generation)
was born May 18, 1858 at Osage, AR and died October 1, 1929 at Connor, AR. He
was married December 27, 1880 to Mary Ella Smith (born August 17, 1860 and died
December 14, 1932). They had eleven children: George Crump, Joseph Smith, Thomas
Poyner, Ingie Dee, Bessie Susan, James Poteet, Birdie Gertrude, Booker Dinsmore,
William Jennings Bryan, John Kenner, and Mary Edith. Shown below is a picture of
James and Mary Ella Smith Fancher.
Here is the tombstone for
James and Mary Ella Smith Fancher. It is inside the Fancher Cemetery in Osage,
and is in the row of tombstones shown above.
John Kenner (seventh
generation) was born September 27, 1899 and died April 14, 1968. Married first
on May 20, 1923 to Mary Hoppins (born February 2, 1902 and died November 29,
19470. They had three children: J.K. (Jr), Remmel Conrad, and Stillman Russell.
Married second time (February 11, 1956) to a fellow family researcher and
distant cousin Daisy Florence Fanshier (note different spelling) McGaughey,
Bartlesville, OK. There were divorced on October 23, 1961. Married third time in
early 1966 to Thelma Nowlin. They were divorced a few weeks later on April 25,
1966. John Kenner was a farmer, a merchant, and a postmaster. He was a key
organizer and leader of the Richard Fancher Society beginning in 1949. It was
through his efforts that the Mountain Meadows Massacre monument was placed in
the Boone County Court Park in 1955. He and Juanita Brooks (a Mormon speaker at
the monument dedication) began to work to establish interest in salvaging the
old monument at Mountain Meadows in Utah. A new monument was ultimately
dedicated in September, 1990. John Kenner closed the country store at Connor, AR
in 1961 and moved to Harrison. He traveled extensively. He was an avid reader
and spent many hours of retirement time in the Boone County library. He died
from a heart attack on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1968 and was buried in the Rule
Cemetery, Carroll County, AR. Below is a picture of Mary Hoppins Fancher and
John Kenner Fancher.
Here is the former home of
John Kenner and Mary Hoppins Fancher at Connor, Arkansas.
Here is the tombstone for
John Kenner and Mary Hoppins Fancher in the Rule Cemetery.
And here is photograph of my parents J.K. Fancher Jr. and Genevieve Bailey Fancher
(deceased).
Take the link
to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which my first cousin, four times
removed, Captain Alexander Fancher was the wagon master of.
Back
to Fancher Family Homepage
This page last updated 10/16/2008
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