Family tradition is that Jacob dropped the "Van" and to this day hisbr anch is known only as Gundy. For purposes of identification here,they w ill stay Van Gundy.
Descendants said "his decisions were made with a goose quill pen andhi s notes are now a curiosity."
He taught each child to speak Dutch, his native tongue.
Residences & events in Jacob's life:
4/25/1779 Lebanon, PA. One story tells that Jacob ran away toLebanon w here he joined the army at age 13 to fight the AmericanRevolution. He s erved under Sebastian Wolf and Quartermaster GenRobert Patton. He was o n the march to North River, New Winsor,Newburg, Fishkill, Monford, all i n New York. Occasionally his jobwas teamster, hauling provisions from M orristown, NJ, to the troopsat New Windsor and other places in NY. Fam ily tales are that Jacobcrawled through enemy lines to supply Washingt on's men at ValleyForge.
Mary Dea Carter and Lowell M Volkel said:
"Jacob was nine years old when news came of Lexington and Concord. Hisf ather soon left home to fight for his infant homeland. In 1779, thethi rteen-year-old Jacob ran away to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where hejoined t he colonial army. As a team driver, he served at NorthRivers, New Wind sor, and New Burg, and hauled provisions fromMorristown, New Jersey to t roops in New York.
Family tales tell that Jacob crawled through enemy lines to supplyWash ington's men at Valley Forge. Volunteering for a secondenlistment in 1 781, Gundy served under Captain Wentilwaver, MajorHipsman, and Colonel C arpenter.
After discharge, Jacob returned to Lancaster County, where he marriedK atherine Maury about 1786. The family moved to Dauphin County, thenRos s County, in Ohio."
12/1780 He was discharged from service.
1781 He reinlisted and served another 30 days under Capt Wentilwaver( or Wendel Weaver), and Col Carpenter or Zimmerman, being dischargedat C rooked Billet.
The National Society of the Daughters of the American RevolutionVolume 1 17
page 4
Miss Jennie Christman.
DAR ID Number: 116009
Born in Williamsport, Ind.
Descendant of Jacob Gundy and of Joseph Gundy, as follows:
1. Isaac Christman (1823-1912) m. 1843 Elizabeth Gundy (1823-82).
2. Joseph Gundy (1786-1864) m. 1821 Sally Davidson (1803-57).
3. Jacob Gundy m. 1786 Katherine Maury.
4. Joseph Gundy m. Martha —–.
Jacob Gundy (1765-1845) served as private under Captains Sebastian[p. 4] Wolf and Wendel Weaver, Colonels Carpenter and Zimmerman,Pennsylvan ia Line. He was born in Lancaster County, Pa.; died inIllinois.
Joseph Gundy (1732-1808) served as private, Pennsylvania Line. He wasb orn and died in
Pennsylvania.
Also No. 99693.
1786 Johnstown, Lebanon Co, PA, was his residence when a daughter wasb orn and also was the location of their church.
Dauphin Co, PA
1798 Pickaway Co, OH where son Jacob was born.
1803 Columbus, Franklin Co, OH. Son William was said to be bornthere t hat year.
1805 Ross Co, OH, was his address when the oldest daughter marriedthe re.
1814 Pleasant Twp, Franklin Co, OH. His name appeared in the list ofe arly settlers there. The township "was so named because of thepleasan t prospect to the pioneer farmers when they came into thisportion of t he Scioto valley." The family settled on a farm nearHarrisburg, SW of C olumbus, in a settlement of Dutch cabbage growers.He was Justice of th e Peace and held various other offices for manyyears.
From the History of Franklin Co, OH is the list of Justices of thePeac e:
1821. Jacob Gundy, in place of Dyer.
1824. Jacob Gundy, reelected
1827. Jacob Gundy, reëlected
1830. William Walker, in place of Gundy.
It was there his wife died and was buried along with some of thechildr en and grandchildren.
1822 & 1828 He was still in the same county when 3 of his childrenmar ried. While he served as Justice of the Peace there and performedwedd ings, he never married his own children.
1830 Pleasant Twp, Franklin Co, OH. The census taker found Jacob'sfa mily there and recorded 1 male under age 5, 1 at 10-15, 1 was20-30, Ja cob at 60-70, and 1 female at 20-30. Katherine had died 2years prior. N ext door was daughter Mary and Morris Yates, 2 doorsdown the other dir ection was daughter Anna and Thomas Bivens. In thesame township was a nother daughter Betty and Abraham Woods.
From Past and Present of Vermilion County, IL:
"...natives of Ohio, and on the maternal side the ancestry can betrace d back to Jacob Gundy, the great grandfather, who was a soldierof the R evolutionary war. Emigrating westward, he became a residentof Vermili on county at an early date, settling upon the north forknear the old t own of Myersville."
9/1830 Myersville, Newell Twp, Vermilion Co, IL. In true pioneerings pirit, he moved west with sons, William and Thomas and daughter,Betty W oods, following son, Joseph, who had already migrated. Son,Jacob, woul d follow later.
6/7/1832 He applied for a pension from his Civil War service.
10/3/1832 Vermilion Co, IL, was still his residence when he wasallowe d a pension on his service record, a sum of $43.33 per year.He receiv ed the pension with the help of sister, Catherine, whosigned a deposit ion verifying his service.
His pension file contains:
Jacob Gundy
Certificate #29671
Issued January 26, 1835
Rate $43.33 per annum
Commenced March 4, 1831
Act of Jun 7, 1832
Illinois Agency
He received $173.33 for back pay on the pension.
1834 Danville, Vermilion Co, IL.
1840 Jacob was probably the 70-80 year old male living with son Jacobi n Vermilion Co, IL.
6/1/1840 Jacob Gundy, 73, was named in the IL census of Rev War andMi litary pensioners. Son Joseph Gundy was head of the house.
His biography in local history (with paragraphs added) said:
"Jacob Gundy, the father of the family of that name, who have beenprom inent for half a century in the history of Ross and of VermilionCounty , had been a soldier in the revolutionary war, and had movedearly from P ennsylvania to Chillicothe, Ohio, where he lived on afarm until he fol lowed his son Joseph here in 1830. Joseph hadimmigrated here with the D avisons. William and Thomas and Mrs. AbramWoods came with their fathe r. Jacob, Jr., came here a few yearsafterward, and soon after went to M issouri.
Mr. Gundy, Sen., was a widower, and made his home around with hischild ren; he died at a good old age, in 1842, (actually 1845) and wasburied a t the Gundy burial ground near Myersville.
They made their first settlement near the South line of Ross township,n ear where Joseph lived. Joseph came here to find a new country,where l and would be cheap, and as soon as he got across the stateline he expe cted to find things as he wanted. He took up the firstland he could f ind, subject to"squatter sovereignty," or entry. Hecarried on farming v ery successfully, and acquired nine hundred acresof land; raised stock l argely, bought and fed, but did not adopt themore hazardous and specul ative undertakings; he sold his stock todrovers. He often sold to the F unks, to Williamson on Sugar Creek, toOhio men and to others from Penn sylvania.
He had two children when he came here and ten were born to them here,f our of whom are now dead. Of the eight living children all but onelive i n the county: Mrs. Isaac Chrisman, in Ross; Mrs. Dr. Henton, inDanvill e; Mrs. John Davison and Mrs. Milton Lee, at Rossville; Andrewwas a la rge and successful farmer and engaged in mercantile pursuits,was large ly interest in public affairs, was a member of thelegislature in 1875, a nd proved by his long acquaintance with thewants of the people and the b readth of his general intelligence auseful and safe legislator.
After the failure of Hon. John C. Short, Mr. Gundy and some othersunde rtook to stand in the breach and save the important coal interestwhich M r. Short held, but the continued depression of trade and thelarge shri nkage of values was more than they could stand, andfinancial failure f ollowed. There was little reason to doubt thatthe immense coal fields c ontrolled and owned by the Exhange bank,would eventually pay all the d ebts of that concern, but thedepression of the coal trade so reduced t he profit that they ceasedto be a source of revenue.
Mr. Gundy is now engaged in farming near Bismarck. Francis and Josephh ave been engaged in farming and in trade. Thomas Gundy was killedby l ightning in 1855; he was fixing a fence when the stormapproached, and s tarted to go across the field to the house when thesad accident occurr ed.
Joseph Gundy, Sen., died at Myersville in 1865, closing a useful andsu ccessful life. William Gundy, the other brother, who came with hisfath er in 1830, married and raised a family of seven children, whoare now s cattered, the sons living in Missouri. He and his wife diedin 1851. M rs. Abram Woods, after her husband's death went with herfive children t o Missouri, Thomas Gundy, who now lived at Rossville,has been a prosp erous farmer and how had practically retired fromhard work. He owns t he Abram Woods farm, a farm near Alvin, one atGilbert Station, and thr ee small farms east of Bismark. He has beenremarkably prosperous in a ll respects. He has, however, neveraspired to official position, thou gh he has been occasionally pressedinto township office. He has seen t his county grow from a wildernessto a fruitful field."
From Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Illinois is the following:
"JACOB GUNDY was born in Pennsylvania October 13, 1759. He enlistedApr il, 1779, in Pennsylvania Militia, under Captain Sebastian Wolfand Qua rtermaster General Robert Patton, in Lancaster County; servingas a tea mster for two months, and again for one month. After the warhe removed t o Ohio, and from there came to Vermilion County in 1830,with his son J oseph. He died in 1842 and is buried in the Gundyburying ground near B ismark." ("Illinois Revolutionary War VeteranBurials", 1917) (Birth a nd dates differ from those posted fromfamily records)
Abraham Lincoln was involved in a dispute between some of Jacob'sdesce ndants but who it was is unknown:
Monday, May 5, 1851.
Danville, IL.
Vermilion Circuit Court begins its session. Young v. Littler,continue d at last two terms, is abated by reason of plaintiff'sdeath. Lincoln i s attorney for defendant. Gundy v. Gundy, in which healso represents d efendant, is continued. Record.
Thursday, October 23, 1851.
Danville, IL. Browse Month
In Gundy v. Gundy, complainant having filed amended bill since lastte rm, when case was continued, parties agree that defendant's answerto o riginal bill stand as to amended bill so far as it applies.Murphy is a ttorney for complainant, Lincoln and Sconce representdefendant. Record .
Danville, IL His name appears on a statue ereced in 1915 by the DARin m emory of soldiers of the war for indepenence who are buried inVermilio n County.
Jacob verified his birth date and place as Lancaster Co, PA in hispens ion application letter.
Some family members have 1842 as his death year, probably due to thefo llowing:
Illinois Revolutionary War Veteran Burials
Name: Jacob Gundy
was born in Pennsylvania Oct. 13, 1759. He enlisted April, 1779, inPen nsylvania militia, under Capt. Sebastian Wolf and QuartermasterGeneral R obert Patton, in Lancaster county, serving as a teamster fortwo months , and again for one month. After the war he removed toOhio, and from t here came to Vermilion county in 1830, with his sonJoseph. He died in 1 842, and is buried in the Gundy burying groundnear Bismark. He was pen sioned.
From Franklin Co, OH deeds:
Joseph Gundy and Sarah, formerly of Franklin Co, now of Danville;Willi am Gundy and Kessiah; Elizabeth Wood, widow of Abraham Wood,dec'd; lat e Elizabeth Gundy, children and heirs of Jacob Gundy sellland to Micha le L. Sullivant of Franklin for $100.
All but Kessiah signed their names, she Xed instead.
Apparently relatives expected Jacob to be buried beside Katherine asth ere is an empty base with her stone.
