Our earliest Jackson Ancestor:
HUGH JACKSON
(1709-1782)

Family Tradition identifies Hugh Jackson as our earliest known ancestor. It’s believed that he immigrated from his home in Fermanagh County, (now Northern) Ireland sometime before 1760.¹ In 1758, his name appears on a petition to the Maryland Assembly from a few citizens of All Saints Parish, Frederick County, Maryland. Hugh and Robert Jackson affixed their signatures to the document along with James and John Henthorn.² Robert is believed to be the son of Hugh, and was also married to James Henthorn’s daughter, Mary.³

Hugh Jackson owned land in Sharpsburg, Frederick (later Washington) County. He died and was buried on his own farm in 1782. In his will, he left farm to his youngest son, David. Most of the other children, including our direct ancestor, Robert, had moved into southern Pennsylvania. According to Henthorn, they were all mentioned in Hugh’s will, and identified as his children.⁴

FOOTNOTES

 ^1. Many people have been involved in the research about this Jackson family, but, as yet, no one has found definitive proof of Hugh’s origins. According to Albert G. McDonald, a family bible owned by the Secrest family puts Robert’s birth in Ireland in 1733. This puts Hugh, his father, there as well. How long his Jackson family had lived in Ireland or where they came from before settling on Irish shores is still unknown.  See Richard E. Henthorn, “ Extracted from Descendants of Hugh and Mary Jackson, Sr. and Related Families Craft, Dunaway, Fuller, Henthorn and McCleary; online transcription, Freepages.Rootsweb.Ancestry.com (http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~henthorn/extractions/jackson.htm : 31 Jan 13);  Albert G. MacDonald, “Descendants of Hugh and Mary Jackson, Sr. and Related Families Craft, Dunaway, Fuller, Henthorn and McCleary,” n.p., n.d.; FHL microfilm 0874260, Item 4.  See also Sarah Cunningham Long Sinclair,  Nat’l #: 145922     Ancestor #: A061023; online database, Descendant Database Search, Daughters of the American Revolution, (http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_descendants/?action=list&MyPrimary_Seqn=638215&MyLineageCount=1 : last accessed 31 Jan 13).

² All Saints Parish, Frederick County, Maryland, “A Bill for Dividing All Saints Parish…” in the Maryland State Papers (Black Books) 1703-1769, Series S987; published in the Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly: October 23, 1758 to May 6, 1761; Archives of Maryland, 215+ volumes, (Baltimore and Annapolis, Md., 1883-), 56: 501-503; digital image, Maryland State Archives. Archives of Maryland On-Line (http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000056/html/index.html : last accessed 30 Jan 2013). This series is ongoing and available on line at http://archivesofmaryland.net  where volumes, collectively or individually, can be searched electronically.

³ Richard E. Henthron, “Extractions from the Descendants of Hugh and Mary Jackson, Sr.”

⁴ ibid, Henthorn.