Johann Christian Fuchs UE (abt. 1760 - 1827)

Born about 1760 in Leipzig, Kurfürstentum Sachsen, Heiliges Römisches Reich [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 1827 at about age 67 in New Brunswick

Johann Fuchs UE served with King's Royal Regiment of New York during the American Revolution.

Biography

Was a saddle-maker in Linbury, Germany. According to Fox family legend, he was drawing water from his well, when he was hit on the head, placed under British guard and shipped with numerous others to fight in the Hessian Army during the Revolution, in Pennsylvania Records show that he was a United Empire Loyalist who fought with the King's American Regiment, in the British Legion (Carleton's). The Regiment was disbanded at the end of the Revolution and he was granted Lot 5 in the present Canterbury Parish. About 1783, he and his newly acquired wife Mary,(widow of John Porter) poled up the St. John River to rich but rocky land above the Shogamoc, in Southampton. On 8 January, signed a Memorial requesting the land that had been drawn for the widow's husband, John Porter, be granted to him. Several of his children were baptized at Woodstock, Carleton County,.

Owned first grist mill in Southampton and was plagued by thieving customers. Their voluminous pockets were ideal for holding stolen grain, taken while Christian was otherwise occupied. Christian's life in the army had not taught him kindness, therefore he decided to conceal several fox-traps in his grain bins. There were cries of anguish from men who "just happened" to let their hands fall into the grain bins.

He also owned sawmills and was Captain of a militia in Fredericton, where he was well-to-do. With his company of militia he massacred a number of Indians near Hartland after they had raided a white settlement above Fredericton. The Indians had burned the settler's homes and kidnapped a white girl. The girl Agnes was found bound in one of the Indian's tents and the scene that followed was quite dramatic when her lover, Winfield, found her and loosened her bonds.

Event

Event:

Type: Arrival

Date: 1783

Place: Canada

Event: Taken from no. 8905, Staedtler. Troops from Ansbach-Bayreuth (now Bavaria) fought in the American Revolution. This names birthplaces of a few of these "unofficial" immigrants and places where others deserted and settled in Canada and the United States.

Type: Arrival

Date: 1777

Place: America

Note

Note: John Christian Fox was born in Leipzig Germany in 1760. And was working as a saddle maker in Limburg, Germany when he was shanghaied for the British army. At the time of the rebellion in the New England colonies. Around 1775 England hired approximately 30,000 German mercenaries of which 17,000 were Hessian, to fight in the colonies. King George III of England, and the Duke of Hesse (a small dukedom in Germany) had a game of cards, and the Duke lost and had no money to settle the account. So he paid in men. The Duke allowed King George to send in a press gang and shanghai a large number of men.

One morning while fetching a pail of water, John was hit in the back of the head and when he came to, found himself in a barracks with many other shanghaied men guarded by British soldiers. They were then shipped to the American colonies, where they along with other German mercenaries became the Hessian army. Britain used against the colonists in the American revolution. After they lost the colonies in America, they were given free land in Canada along with the loyalists. As a way to keep a hold on the colonies. And established the United Empire Loyalists. John Christian Fox was a private in the army and was a United Empire Loyalist, who fought in the American Regiment.

The Fox's in New Brunswick were known to have come from Pennsylvania. John married Mary Porter, widow of John Porter of His Majesty's Regiment of Queen's Rangers. It was around 1783, that John and Mary polled a raft up the St John river and with a few provisions landed above the Shogomoc stream. John was the first Fox to settle the stream on the south side of the St John river in 1787 on lot #5 granted to him from the King's American Regiment, Parish of Canterbury, registered 27th of August,1787. (ref: RG10,RS.686 Vol-B, Grant #00121, 1787 Tristian Hillman et A1)

Their first dwelling was a frame covered with bark from spruce trees, and made weather proof with a mixture of mud and moss. They never wasted anything. When the cut the trees to make their log home, some were used for fences, fuel, and some were used to make furniture, tools, and utensils. For light they used a tin lantern with a candle.

Their first crops were planted among the tree stumps. They grew buckwheat, indian corn, oats. And for veggies beans, potatoes, corn, turnip and pumpkin. For meat, fish was their main source. Along with moose, deer, wild duck, and the occasional bear. They got nuts from butternut, hazel, and beach trees. And for berries there were gooseneck, wild cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and cranberries. In the spring they made wooden spouts and tapped the maples for shugar. As well they collected fiddle heads and dandelion greens to eat as greens.

The Fox family owned a grist mill, carding mill. John started the carding mill in 1810. All mills were built at Falls (Fox) brook. John and Mary had 5 boys, and 2 girls. They were: Christian John Fox, b.1787, George Fox, b.1789, Ann Fox, b.1792, Peter Grant Fox, b.23 aug 1794, Charlotte Fox, b.27 jan 1797, Titus Way Fox, b.2 june 1799, and John Christian Fox, b.1800 .

Research notes

This profile was formerly linked to the following "parents":

Marriage

Husband: Johann Christian Fuchs

Wife: Anna Maria Zeun

Child: Johann Christian Fuchs

Marriage:

Date: 13 Jan 1744

Place: Obersaida, Grohartmannsdorf, Preussen^[1]

Since there is no prove at all that these are the right parents of this Johann Christian Fuchs, both were removed. This family had no connections to Leipzig, the claimed place of birth for this guy here. They had indeed a son called Johann Christian, but he died probably in childhood. No other data in this biography gives any hint that he had connections to the "ore mountains", the region Obersaida is part of.

It is far more likely that his birth is to be found in or near Leipzig.

Notes

There is no record (so far) of a John Fox on the British Legion (a.k.a., Tarleton's Dragoons, 5th American Regiment) muster rolls. There is a Thomas Fox, but he settled first at Port Mouton, and then New Dublin, NS.

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S33

• NB Land Grant 1787
• https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/RS686/Details.aspx?culture=en-CA&Key=39168

• The Nackawic Bend, 200 Years of History, (1784-1984)" by Lawson, Farnsworth, Hartley ISBN 0-9691885-0-1

American Loyalists Claims, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, Ref. Area 973

Birth of Charlotte Fox noted by the Rev. Dibblee, in his Journal, on 2 January 1797 in Woodstock, Carleton county, NB. Father was Christian and Mary Fox. Baptized on March 19, 1797.

• Source: S217 Repository: #REPO1 Title: Canadian Genealogy Index, 1600s-1900s Author: Genealogical Research Library, Ontario, Canada Publication: Name: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.Original data - Compiled from various fa
• Repository: REPO1 Name: Ancestry.com
• Source: S24 Repository: #REPO1 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: Ancestry Family Trees Data: Text: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/46507735/family
• Source: S33 Repository: #REPO1 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry mem Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.