Baptized Johann Georg Biedefish on April 25, 1790, George Petefish was born on March 17, 1790. He was born into the German community around the town of Shenandoah, Rockingham Co., Virginia. His parents were John Peterfish/Biedefish and mother Anna Maria, or Mary Petefish (maiden name uncertain), who donated the land for St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church south of the town, where George was baptized. His grandparents (immigrant ancestor) Johann Conrad and Catherine (Roth) Biedefish were members of the community at the time of George's birth.
John Peterfish, his father, died when George was 14, leaving him with a horse, 125 pounds in money, and an additional sum adequate to pay for six months of schooling, believed to have been in the German language.
Except for one short period of his life, George was a farmer. He is known to have farmed properties in Warren County, Ohio (1814-1830), Morgan County, Illinois (1830-1845), Cass County, Illinois (from 1845, the same farm as in Morgan, but the county boundary was moved). He also owned town lots in London, Mills Co., Iowa, and other land in IL and/or Iowa.
The aforementioned "short period" (1813-1814) was during his service as an American soldier in the War of 1812. George served two terms, the first as a substitute for his brother Jacob, from July 1, 1813 until Sept. 28. This first term was as a private in Capt. Robert Magill's Company of the 58th Regt. of Virginia, Militia of Rockingham County. His second term of military service was from March 1 through June 15, 1814, with Capt. Joseph Mauzy's company of Virginia riflemen, organized at Norfolk.
George married three times:
- First to Mary "Polly" Aughe, daughter of Harmon Aughe on Aug. 28, 1815. Polly bore three children; Jesse (1818), Harmon (1820) and Mary Jane (1823). She appears to have died at the birth of Mary Jane (Dec, 1823). Her gravesite in Ohio is not yet known.
- Second to Margaret Ream, in Montgomery Co. Ohio on Feb. 5, 1824. Margaret bore the couple nine children: John R. (1825), Eliza Ann (1826), David H. (1828), Dianah (1830), Jabez 1832), Emanuel (1834), George William (1836), James Morris (1837) and Aaron Wesley (1841). Margaret Ream Petefish died in 1844.
- Third to Mrs Sarah (Pence) Roberts, on Aug. 4, 1847. Sarah was a widow with three daughters. Apparently she and George had one child together, a daughter who died at birth.
George Petefish died on May 25, 1868. He was originally buried next to his wife Margaret in the Ream family cemetery on "the farm" (his or his father-in-law John Ream's?) in Morgan County. Their bodies were later transferred to the Arcadia Cemetery where in 1930 a new monument was erected showing his death year (incorrectly) as 1887.
For further anecdotes and information, please see George's biography in the “Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Morgan County” Munsell Publishing Co, 1906." available on-line, or Ruth L. Lepper's wonderful "History and Genealogy of the The Petefish Family in America" (1979).
John Peterfish, his father, died when George was 14, leaving him with a horse, 125 pounds in money, and an additional sum adequate to pay for six months of schooling, believed to have been in the German language.
Except for one short period of his life, George was a farmer. He is known to have farmed properties in Warren County, Ohio (1814-1830), Morgan County, Illinois (1830-1845), Cass County, Illinois (from 1845, the same farm as in Morgan, but the county boundary was moved). He also owned town lots in London, Mills Co., Iowa, and other land in IL and/or Iowa.
The aforementioned "short period" (1813-1814) was during his service as an American soldier in the War of 1812. George served two terms, the first as a substitute for his brother Jacob, from July 1, 1813 until Sept. 28. This first term was as a private in Capt. Robert Magill's Company of the 58th Regt. of Virginia, Militia of Rockingham County. His second term of military service was from March 1 through June 15, 1814, with Capt. Joseph Mauzy's company of Virginia riflemen, organized at Norfolk.
George married three times:
- First to Mary "Polly" Aughe, daughter of Harmon Aughe on Aug. 28, 1815. Polly bore three children; Jesse (1818), Harmon (1820) and Mary Jane (1823). She appears to have died at the birth of Mary Jane (Dec, 1823). Her gravesite in Ohio is not yet known.
- Second to Margaret Ream, in Montgomery Co. Ohio on Feb. 5, 1824. Margaret bore the couple nine children: John R. (1825), Eliza Ann (1826), David H. (1828), Dianah (1830), Jabez 1832), Emanuel (1834), George William (1836), James Morris (1837) and Aaron Wesley (1841). Margaret Ream Petefish died in 1844.
- Third to Mrs Sarah (Pence) Roberts, on Aug. 4, 1847. Sarah was a widow with three daughters. Apparently she and George had one child together, a daughter who died at birth.
George Petefish died on May 25, 1868. He was originally buried next to his wife Margaret in the Ream family cemetery on "the farm" (his or his father-in-law John Ream's?) in Morgan County. Their bodies were later transferred to the Arcadia Cemetery where in 1930 a new monument was erected showing his death year (incorrectly) as 1887.
For further anecdotes and information, please see George's biography in the “Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Morgan County” Munsell Publishing Co, 1906." available on-line, or Ruth L. Lepper's wonderful "History and Genealogy of the The Petefish Family in America" (1979).
Baptized Johann Georg Biedefish on April 25, 1790, George Petefish was born on March 17, 1790. He was born into the German community around the town of Shenandoah, Rockingham Co., Virginia. His parents were John Peterfish/Biedefish and mother Anna Maria, or Mary Petefish (maiden name uncertain), who donated the land for St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church south of the town, where George was baptized. His grandparents (immigrant ancestor) Johann Conrad and Catherine (Roth) Biedefish were members of the community at the time of George's birth.
John Peterfish, his father, died when George was 14, leaving him with a horse, 125 pounds in money, and an additional sum adequate to pay for six months of schooling, believed to have been in the German language.
Except for one short period of his life, George was a farmer. He is known to have farmed properties in Warren County, Ohio (1814-1830), Morgan County, Illinois (1830-1845), Cass County, Illinois (from 1845, the same farm as in Morgan, but the county boundary was moved). He also owned town lots in London, Mills Co., Iowa, and other land in IL and/or Iowa.
The aforementioned "short period" (1813-1814) was during his service as an American soldier in the War of 1812. George served two terms, the first as a substitute for his brother Jacob, from July 1, 1813 until Sept. 28. This first term was as a private in Capt. Robert Magill's Company of the 58th Regt. of Virginia, Militia of Rockingham County. His second term of military service was from March 1 through June 15, 1814, with Capt. Joseph Mauzy's company of Virginia riflemen, organized at Norfolk.
George married three times:
- First to Mary "Polly" Aughe, daughter of Harmon Aughe on Aug. 28, 1815. Polly bore three children; Jesse (1818), Harmon (1820) and Mary Jane (1823). She appears to have died at the birth of Mary Jane (Dec, 1823). Her gravesite in Ohio is not yet known.
- Second to Margaret Ream, in Montgomery Co. Ohio on Feb. 5, 1824. Margaret bore the couple nine children: John R. (1825), Eliza Ann (1826), David H. (1828), Dianah (1830), Jabez 1832), Emanuel (1834), George William (1836), James Morris (1837) and Aaron Wesley (1841). Margaret Ream Petefish died in 1844.
- Third to Mrs Sarah (Pence) Roberts, on Aug. 4, 1847. Sarah was a widow with three daughters. Apparently she and George had one child together, a daughter who died at birth.
George Petefish died on May 25, 1868. He was originally buried next to his wife Margaret in the Ream family cemetery on "the farm" (his or his father-in-law John Ream's?) in Morgan County. Their bodies were later transferred to the Arcadia Cemetery where in 1930 a new monument was erected showing his death year (incorrectly) as 1887.
For further anecdotes and information, please see George's biography in the “Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Morgan County” Munsell Publishing Co, 1906." available on-line, or Ruth L. Lepper's wonderful "History and Genealogy of the The Petefish Family in America" (1979).
John Peterfish, his father, died when George was 14, leaving him with a horse, 125 pounds in money, and an additional sum adequate to pay for six months of schooling, believed to have been in the German language.
Except for one short period of his life, George was a farmer. He is known to have farmed properties in Warren County, Ohio (1814-1830), Morgan County, Illinois (1830-1845), Cass County, Illinois (from 1845, the same farm as in Morgan, but the county boundary was moved). He also owned town lots in London, Mills Co., Iowa, and other land in IL and/or Iowa.
The aforementioned "short period" (1813-1814) was during his service as an American soldier in the War of 1812. George served two terms, the first as a substitute for his brother Jacob, from July 1, 1813 until Sept. 28. This first term was as a private in Capt. Robert Magill's Company of the 58th Regt. of Virginia, Militia of Rockingham County. His second term of military service was from March 1 through June 15, 1814, with Capt. Joseph Mauzy's company of Virginia riflemen, organized at Norfolk.
George married three times:
- First to Mary "Polly" Aughe, daughter of Harmon Aughe on Aug. 28, 1815. Polly bore three children; Jesse (1818), Harmon (1820) and Mary Jane (1823). She appears to have died at the birth of Mary Jane (Dec, 1823). Her gravesite in Ohio is not yet known.
- Second to Margaret Ream, in Montgomery Co. Ohio on Feb. 5, 1824. Margaret bore the couple nine children: John R. (1825), Eliza Ann (1826), David H. (1828), Dianah (1830), Jabez 1832), Emanuel (1834), George William (1836), James Morris (1837) and Aaron Wesley (1841). Margaret Ream Petefish died in 1844.
- Third to Mrs Sarah (Pence) Roberts, on Aug. 4, 1847. Sarah was a widow with three daughters. Apparently she and George had one child together, a daughter who died at birth.
George Petefish died on May 25, 1868. He was originally buried next to his wife Margaret in the Ream family cemetery on "the farm" (his or his father-in-law John Ream's?) in Morgan County. Their bodies were later transferred to the Arcadia Cemetery where in 1930 a new monument was erected showing his death year (incorrectly) as 1887.
For further anecdotes and information, please see George's biography in the “Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Morgan County” Munsell Publishing Co, 1906." available on-line, or Ruth L. Lepper's wonderful "History and Genealogy of the The Petefish Family in America" (1979).
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