The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
John Curd, Jr. (John2, Edward1), was born on April 14, 1726 in Henrico County, Virginia, one of eight children born to John Curd, Sr. and Elizabeth Ann Price. He married Lucy Brent on April 7, 1858. She was born on November 25, 1735, the daughter of James Brent and Catherine Newton. They had 11 children, all born in Goochland County, Virginia: James Price (1759-1822), John Brent (1760-1838), Elizabeth (1762-1787), Nancy “Nannie” (1764-1800), Catherine Brent (1766-1820), Newton (1767-1822), Mary (1769-1833), Price 1771-1814), Daniel Boone (1773-1843), Woodford (1775-1823), and Merryman (1780-1841).
By the time of the Revolutionary War, two other John Curds lived in Goochland County and are frequently confused. One was John Curd, Jr.’s son, Maj. John Brent Curd, and the other his 1st cousin, Capt. John Curd, son of Edward Curd and Mary Morris. All three saw service in the fight for independence. John Curd, Jr. was a member of the Lincoln County militia and was in Capt. John Martin’s company under the command of Col. Stephen Trigg from April 21 until May 23, 1781. Next, he served in Capt. Samuel Scott’s company, February 22 to March, 1782, and later the same year, October 22 to November 22, in Capt. John Smith’s company, both companies under the command of Col. Benjamin Logan. Also in November of 1782, he participated in Gen. George Rogers Clark’s raid on the Shawnee tribe in Ohio, retaliation for its part in the Battle of Blue Licks where Col. Stephen Trigg was killed.
Beginning in 1780, John Curd, Jr. began to apply for land grants in Kentucky County, Virginia. The Virginia legislature had just opened the frontier county for settlement, and it was further subdivided into three counties: Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln. John, his sons and the sons of his brother Joseph applied for land grants in the new counties.
It is uncertain as to the exact date John arrived in Kentucky, or if his family initially came with him. He was a personal friend of Virginia Governor Henry and often acted as his emissary on the frontier. He undoubtedly knew Daniel Boone as well, who he hired to survey his land. In 1784, he assisted Francis Clark and John Dunham in launching the first Methodist church in Kentucky and helped in the construction of its first house of worship in Danville. Ultimately, Curd focused on obtaining land grants near the confluence of the Kentucky and Dick (Dix) Rivers. He petitioned the legislature in 1786 to establish a ferry, town and tobacco inspection facility on his land. His tobacco inspection warehouse was crucial to the cultivation of this major crop. Law required tobacco to be inspected in exchange for a certificate that could then be used as currency or to pay taxes. Following statehood, the legislature also allowed beef and pork inspection at Curd’s facility.
John Curd, Jr. died about 1797 in Mercer County, Kentucky and his house still stands north of High Bridge in Jessamine County (a Kentucky historical plaque marks the site).
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Additional Information:
Researchers have found three men named John Curd in Goochland County, VA. Only one, who married Lucy Brent, appears to have moved west to Lincoln Co., KY (then part of VA)