Jacob Gum II was a fourth-generation American.  His great-grandfather, Roger Gum, was at Lewes, Delaware by 1678.  His son, John Gum, remained at Delaware as Jacob Gum and his son, Jacob Gum II (born January 2, 1740) relocated west in 1742 to Augusta County (present-day Rockingham County), Virginia, where they acquired 250 acres along Linville Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River.  Jacob Gum married Lydia Dever in 1760.¹   

They settled on a portion of a 7,000 acre grant to William Linvell received prior to 1739.   This became a thriving community located along the Great Wagon Road. 

In 1778, Jacob Gum and his brother-in-law, Owen Dever joined an ever-growing tide of migration to the attractive wilderness of Kentucky, then a part of Virginia.  This virgin territory was explored by and promoted by Daniel Boone and supported by Captain Benjamin Logan. 

Militia service in Kentucky for Jacob Gum was first recorded November 30, 1778, at Green County Kentucky.³

Both Jacob Gum and Owen Dever are included on the roster of Captain Benjamin Logan’s militia at Logan’s Station in 1779.⁴

Private Jacob Gum was listed on the rolls under Captain Mikel Humble with service from July 16 to August 21, 1780.⁵

In the company of Daniel Boone, the Humble company joined a force of 1,050 led by General George Rogers Clark, who crossed the Ohio River in response to raids by the Shawnee into Kentucky.⁶  He participated in the Battle of Piqua, near present day Springfield, Ohio, August 8, 1780.  This was to be the only major engagement fought in Ohio during the Revolutionary War.⁷

In 1779 Jacob Gum and his brother-in-law Owen Dever had obtained 800 acres on Green River under the “Virginia Occupancy Law” setting up an improver’s cabin on the tract, lived there, thus complying with the requirements of the law.⁸

Interactions of Jacob Gum and his descendants with the Lincolns continued for another two generations.  “June 7, 1780:  Abraham Linkhorn (Lincoln) entered 800 acres made upon Treasury Warrants about six miles below Green River Lick, including an improvement made by Jacob Gum and Owen Dever.”¹⁰  

Thus, these former neighbors in Virginia were now again “associated” at Kentucky as Captain Abraham Lincoln purchased land from Jacob Gum and Owen Dever who relocated to new properties at Nolin Creek.

Jacob Gum and his family lived and prospered along the Green River with a number of recorded land transactions including property on Nolin’s Creek.  Thomas Lincoln, father of Abraham, also relocated to a site on the North Fork of Nolin’s Creek.  The birthplace of the future President is within this same compact region.  Jacob’s will was recorded at Will Book one, page one, Green County, in 1798, the year of his death.

Jacob Gum and Lydia Dever Gum had six children.  Five additional children were born by his second wife, Margaret McComis.   Jesse Gum and his family settled at Clary’s Grove, near the growing town of New Salem, situated on the Sangamon River, and two miles from the town of Petersburg.