'Thomas POUND, a son of John and Sarah (MARTIN) POUND, was born in Middlesex Co., N.J. July 28, 1767, died February 2, 1848, and is buried at the Second Prairie Creek Cemetery, Vigo Co., Indiana. He moved to Maryland with his parents and shortly after his marriage migrated from near Cumberland, that State, to Nelson Co., Kentucky, by way of the Ohio River on a flat boat, arriving there in April 1786. He lived in Nelson County for a few years and then moved to the adjoining county of Shelby, now Spencer County, near Elk Creek, and in 1801 to Butler Co., Ohio on the Miami Bottoms, and in November 1816, to Vigo Co., Indiana, near Prairie Creek, where he resided until his death. He was married in Maryland in 1786 to Sarah KESTER, daughter of William and Elizabeth (LACOCK) KESTER, who was born June 24, 1767, and died February 2, 1848, a few hours before her husband passed away, both being buried in the same grave. Thomas was short and of dark complexion, while his wife was rather tall and fair, her hair being golden.

Elizabeth KESTER, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (LACOCK) Kester, was probably born in New Jersey, about 1763, died in 1840 and is buried in the Second Prairie Creek Cemetery, in Vigo Co., Indiana. After her marriage she "Settled under the Laurel Hills on George's Creek" southwest of Cumberland, Maryland, and 1786 moved to Kentucky, by way of the Ohio River, on a flat boat, arriving in Louisville in April of that year. She lived first in Nelson County, Kentucky, then moved to Jefferson County in 1789, to Spencer County in 1791, to Butler Co. Ohio, in 1801, to Knox County, near Vicennes, Indiana, in 1808, and to Vigo County, near Prairie Creek, Indiana, in 1814, where she remained until her death. She was known for her skills as a "Doctor Woman" and nurse.

'The following sketch, kindly furnished by Mr. Marvin B. CRIST, is as dictated to him in 1863 by his grandfather, Joseph LISTON, son of Edmund and Elizabeth (KESTER) LISTON:

"Edmund LISTON and family immigrated from Maryland to Kentucky in 1786. They traveled overland to Pittsburg, Pennsylvamia, where they "took water" on a flat boat in company with another boat belonging to two brothers by the name of COX, who were immigrating to the same locality. There were ten men in the party, five to each boat.

"During the voyage down river Edmund LISTON concluded to go ashore and procure game, and a negro called Gabe (who was with the company in addition to the white men) and the two COXES rowed him ashore. Indian signs were so plain that it was evident the woods were full of them and Edmund returned to the boat. COX and his brother, however, called on Gabe to see them over and they insisted he complied. As they neared shore the Indians fired, killing Joseph COX, the older of the two, and wounding Benjamin COX by a shot through the shoulder. William CHENOETH, who accompanied them, jumped out of the canoe and dived as far as he could, while Gabe wheeled the canoe and made for the boat, and Benjamin COX, who in falling out of the conoe caught by it's side, was using his endeavors to aid Gabe by kicking and paddling to get out of the reach of the Indian guns. Those in the boat were using their utmost to persuade Gabe to lie down in the canoe as COX seemed able to guide it at the same time keep it between himself and the Indians, but the negro did not heed and was soon shot dead by the Indians. CHENOETH was seen to raise his head behind some willows, but soon disappeared, he again made a dive, and every time his appeared the water would foam around it, caused by the bullets from the indian's guns. So desperate was his struggle that he gave out, COX having overtaken him with the canoe in time, crippled as he was. Thomas POUND, who was one of the members on the boat, made a well directed shot, killing one of the Indians, which caused them to cease shooting. This occurred just below Limestone Creek above Cincinnati, where the boats soon landed, and which then consisted only of a fort and a few log huts. John Cleves SYMMES, afterwards William Henry HARRISON'S father-in-law, lived there at that time and was founder of the settlement.

"The party pushed on down river to where Louisville now stands, arriving on the foruth day of April, 1786, to find only a few log cabins. Edmund LISTON started the next day to Nelson Co. and obtained pack horses and moved his family near his father, within four miles of Bardstown at a fort called Fort Rogers. Here they lived, buying land and having it taken away by what was said to be an older title. In 1789 they moved to Jefferson County, where they remained two years, and then moved to Spencer Co. and bought land. In 1801 they sold out and moved to Butler County, Ohio."

'This party of five probably consisted of William KESTER, his two sons, Paul and William, and two sons-in-law, Edmund LISTON and Thomas POUND, and their families - John KESTER, son of William, at that time but sixteen years old, probably not being counted as one of the five.

'Prior to moving to Vigo County, Indiana, the family of Edmund LISTON, who married Elizabeth KESTER, resided in Knox Co., near the fort at Vincennes, Indiana. They lived in a cabin and tilled the fields nearby, but stayed in the fort at night. The Indians were numerous in the vicinity and, as history shows, were at times friendly, at others of a warlike mood. Some of the Indians were in the habit of visiting the LISTON home and practicing archery with the boys. The daughters at home then were Delilah and Elizabeth, and to the latter, a beautiful girl, one of the younger Indians took a fancy and would often aim his bow and arrow at the girl purposely to scare her. But no one among the LISTON family was at the time aware of his attachment. One day a squaw called on the LISTONS and said her son (meaning the young Indian above mentioned) was "sick at heart" and wanted the girl "Lizzie" LISTON for his squaw. Her request being promptly refused she went away, but on the following day two Indians came and walked straightway into the cabin and threw some silver money on the table and seizing Lizzie LISTON ran off with her between them as fast as they could. The screams of the girl and also her sister were heard by a brother who was in a field cultivating corn about one-half mile away, and he threw off the "hame string" from his horse and made chase after the Indians, and soon overtaking them released his sister. On their return to the cabin they found the silver money the Indians had left was gone.----As told by Nancy Ann (REED) HUNT.

'Margaret H. LISTON, wife of John POUND, "Has often told some of the thrilling experiences she had with the Indians. Among other things she related that her husband had a deep hole under the floor large enough for her and the five children to get into when they heard the Indians coming. She would raise the plank in the floor and after all the children got in she would follow and the frightened chicks would crouch quiet as the grave, when the Indians would enter the cabin and take what they wanted and go away. She also related that when the corn was tall enough they would escape into the cornfield. On one occasion one of the little boys was forgotten and left in the house. The mother realized the awful fact and when she crept back in the forlorn hope of saving the child's life and got to where she could see, to her horror she beheld the boy laughing and chatting and turning the grindstone for an Indian to grind his tomahawk. She looked on in mute horror, but the Indian finally left and did the boy no harm." - page 993, Vigo County History'.

John Hunt's, "THE POUND AND KESTER FAMILIES" - 1904
Submitted by Ken Reed - ken@verdenet.com
Descendant

'"My grandfather was married three times. His first wife's name I do not recollect. By her he had one son, whose name was Paul. His second wife was a widow FERGUSON, her maiden name being Elizabeth LACOCK. By her he had two sons, William and John, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah. His third wife was a widow STILGAR, who had been married twice before, her first husband's name being POUND.

"Grandfather and family came from Virginia to Kentucky during the first settlement of the State. They came down the Ohio River on a flatboat and while floating on the river were fired on by Indians. Landing at the falls of the Ohio they were escorted by a company of men to Coxes Station, near Bardstown, in Nelson Co., where there was a fort. At this time the Indians made frequent incursions to that neighborhood, stealing horses and sometimes murdering the citizens. On one occasion a company of sixteen men was raised and started in the morning as soon as it was light enough to track the Indians through the wild pea vine and followed them all day and when it was so dark they could follow them no longer they encamped. Hearing a horse neigh in the distance they divided the company, surrounded the Indians, fired into them and killed two of them, but lost one of their own number, the captain of the company.

"Grandfather lived in Nelson County for years and then he and his sons bought a tract of land on Elk Creek, formerly in Shelby, now in Spencer Co. This land they bought of Mr. SHEPARD without surveying it and it was supposed to contain five hundred acres, but since measured six hundred acres. It cost one hundred dollars and a horse.

"Some time after moving to Elk Creek, Grandfather's second wife took ill and kept her bed for about seven years before she died. A while after her death the old gentleman married my Grandmother, my mother's mother. When they were married he was eighty and she seventy-five and each of them died at the age of eighty-seven.

"My father, John KESTER, was born in Virginia March 23, 1770, and died September 14, 1839. He was married in Nelson County, Kentucky October 5, 1791, to Sarah POUND. They lived in Nelson County a few years, where they had two children, Daniel and Rebecca, and then moved to Elk Creek and settled in the woods. Father was called to go on an Indian campaign commanded by General WAYNE, and after the war he cleared a farm and lived on the same for forty years. He had to go for salt to the salt works, near Shepardsville about twenty miles away, and pack it home in sacks on a pack saddle. He owned a great many sugar trees on his land, from which he made sugar every year, some seasons making as high as three thousand pounds. While living here they had eight more children, three sons and five daughters, Nancy, Elizabeth, Joel H., John P., William F., Sarah and Mariem. Father sold his farm in March 1838, to Dr. James J. HEADY and went to Indiana and died in 1839.

"The maiden name of my mother's mother was Sarah MARTIN. She was married three times. Her first husband was POUND, her second STILGAR, and the third was my grandfather William KESTER. My Mother was born in Maryland October 4, 1773. She came down the Ohio River on a flatboat and landed at a place called Limestone (now Maysville). From there they were escorted by a company of men to Bryan's Station, near Lexington, and from there moved to Coxes Station. Here she raised cotton, carded it by hand cards, spun and wove it and made her wedding dress of it and afterwards loaned it to others to be married in.

"My great grandfather came over the ocean with William PENN. He was one of the chain carriers when the State of Pennsylvania was surveyed and for his services was given two tracts of land of five hundred acres each, on one of which the city of Philadelphia now stands. The old gentleman died soon afterwards, leaving one son by the name of William KESTER-- my grandfather, who, being quite young when his father died, knew nothing of this land until he was quite an old man; and so this great fortune was lost to the KESTER heirs, the limitation laws cutting them out."

'The above statement is doubtless substantially true, but is incorrect in some respects. Instead of William Ferguson KESTER'S great grandfather, it was his great great grandfather who came over the ocean. And he did not come with William PENN, but did come with his father and mother and two brothers, probably on PENN'S invitation and solicitation as many others did about that time who emigrated from Germany to America. That these are the facts is shown by the dates of emigration and births and deaths of William KESTER'S ancestors. Paul KUSTER (William's great grandfather) and wife Gertrude and three sons, Arnold, Johannes and Hermanus KUSTER, emigrated to America about 1685, and Paul KUSTER died in 1707, and Johannes (William's grandfather died in 1708, about twenty-five years before William KESTER was born.

'That William KESTER was "quite young" when his father died is doubtless correct. It is not only a family tradition that after his father's death William was "taken away by some kind-hearted Quakers" presumably to live with them, but it is also known that his younger brother John and sister Rebecca were apparently living during their childhood with their uncle Hermanus KESTER and family in the vicinity of Kingwood, New Jersey, and records show that William came to Kingwood in 1756 and was received into the Monthly Meeting of Friends when he was about twenty-three years of age, and it is probable that then for the first time he learned from his uncle Hermanus and family about the landed estate which belonged to his grandfather. That he should know nothing about it before that time was quite natural, because not only did his father die when William was "quite young" but his grandfather also died when William's father Paul was quite young-- in fact when he was probably but about two years of age.

'The ancestor who is said to have done the surveying and received land as pay for his services was unquestionably William KESTER'S grandfather Johannes KOSTER or KUSTER. This is not only shown by records but is substantiated by family tradition in several families. The author has often heard his mother, Nancy Ann (REED) HUNT, say that she learned her mother Rebecca POUND, and grandmother, Sarah KESTER, that the land was in the name of Johannes and that the name of KESTER was spelled on the records in several different ways and many others of her cousins and kinsmen have written that the land was in the name of John or Johannes and that the name of the "First KESTER" was Johannes KOSTER, etc., and Chalkey J. HAMBLETON, of Chicago, Illinois, now deceased, a descendant of Hermanus KESTER, uncle of William KESTER above named, said he often heard his grandmother, Rachael (KESTER) HAMBLETON, tell about an estate in land in or near Philadelphia to which all the KESTERS were entitled, but never secured for some reason or other. And to these statements is added the "handed down" family history among the descendants of William KESTER'S brother, John KESTER. A great granddaughter of this John KESTER, Mrs. Cynthia Dora (KESTER) WEBSTER, of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, writes that "the sketch written by William Ferguson KESTER agrees very much with what father and uncle Elijah KESTER (my father's brother) told us about a large tract of land which was given to our early ancestor in payment for his services to William PENN for surveying.

'My father often said that he had been told that William PENN granted to our KESTER ancestor, for his services in surveying a large tract of land, a whole township in Eastern Pennsylvania. Father and uncle said they always understood Johannes KOSTER (KUSTER) was that ancestor and as the land was then a wilderness our forefather did not pay much attention to it or value it as he should, land being very cheap, and people (called squatters) settled on the land and in the course of time, according to law, they had lived on it long enough to have a right to own it, and that was how it is said the KESTERS or KESTER heirs were deprived of their estate. Father also said he had been told that the land lay about Plymouth and White Marsh and around that neighborhood. Uncle Elijah said marble had been found years ago on some of the land, and marble quarried out, so that the the land was more valuable than our forefathers had any idea of. Both father and uncle said that they were told that their grandfather, John KESTER (who married Hannah WEBSTER), might have gotten the land back if he had gone to law about it, but that he did not care to do so.

'In addition it may be said that the records show that Johannes KOSTER owned land in Skipjack, near Philadelphia, in 1704. And that shortly after his death his widow, Elizabeth, and son and heir, Johannes KOSTER, conveyed by deed, dated August 3, 1709, land in Springfeild, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to one Daniel FALKNER (see Deed Book E, 5th Vol., p.329 of Phila. Rec.) and as the said son and heir was a minor of but sixteen years of age at that time and none of the other heirs joined in the deed, they being still younger, and as Daniel FALKNER is charged in the history of Philadelpjia to have made conveyances of land in Germantown without authority, it would appear that he probably gained an undue advantage of the widow and heirs of Johannes KOSTER in the above transaction.

'It is said that Paul KESTER and Thomas POUND, who married Sarah KESTER, went on horseback to Philadelphia to investigate the matter of the estate and found records as reported but that the estate was barred. And again about the year 1847 many of the KESTER heirs in Vigo Co., Indiana, sent Joel H. KESTER (Grandson of William) and Colonel Richard THOMPSON as attorney to Philadelphia to examine the records and report. They did so and it is said they found the land in the name of Johannes KUSTER or KOSTER, spelled in several different ways and Colonel THOMPSON reported that there would be no trouble to prove the heirship but that the limitation laws of Pennsylvania had barred whatever rights may have once existed in the KESTER heirs.

'This matter has been explained somewhat in detail to answer many of the enquiries heretofore made and also with the belief that it is a valuable part of our family history. In summary it may be said that William KESTERS'S grandfather, Johannes KUSTER or KOSTER, did own considerable land in or near Philadelphia; that it is probably true that this land, or a greater portion of it, rightfully would have gone to his descendants, but that others acquired possession and the Limitation laws of Pennsylvania have probably barred all claims of William KESTER'S descendants.'

John Hunt's, "THE POUND AND KESTER FAMILIES" - 1904
Submitted by Ken Reed - ken@verdenet.com
Descendant

Parents - Frederick Boyer POUND, son of John and Polly (BOYER) POUND, was born near Malott, Kentucky April 7, 1817, died February 3, 1887, and is buried at Malott, Kentucky. In October 1838, [Frederick] built a house 1 1/2 miles East of his father's and resided there until his death. He married, October 7, 1838, Elizabeth Catherine TAYLOR, daughter of James F. and Anna (FOREMAN) TAYLOR, born at Waterford, Kentucky, January 27, 1820.

Emily WEIR later married James YEAGER.

John Hunt's, "THE POUND AND KESTER FAMILIES" - 1904
Submitted by Janice Thomas - Lotztho@aol.com

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