Individual Page

Person Info

• Name: John TODD
• Sex: M
• Birth: 27 Mar 1750 in Trappe, Montgomery Co, Pennsylvania ^b
• Death: 19 Aug 1782 in Blue Licks, Kentucky ^d


Parents:

• Father:
  
• David TODD Birth: 3 Apr 1723 in Co Armagh, Ireland Death: 8 Feb 1785 in Lexington, Fayette Co, Kentucky
Mother:

• Hannah OWEN Birth: 25 Oct 1725 Death: May 1805 in Lexington, Fayette Co, Kentucky

Family:
Marriage:

• Jane HAWKINS on 1780 at Virginia .^m1
  
• Jane HAWKINS

Children:

1. Mary TODD

Bibliography

Sources for birth and parent Information

date:

[Ref: Helm TODD p83, Johnson TODD]

1750 [Ref: Chamberlain TODD p35],

place:

[Ref: Helm TODD p83],

parents:

[Ref: Chamberlain TODD p35, Helm TODD p83, Johnson TODD]

Sources for death Information

date:

[Ref: Helm TODD p83]

1782 [Ref: Chamberlain TODD p35],

place:

[Ref: Chamberlain TODD p35, Helm TODD p83]

Sources with Information about marriage to Jane HAWKINS

date:

[Ref: Helm TODD p84, Johnson TODD],

place:

[Ref: Helm TODD p84],

child:

[Ref: Helm TODD p84]

Research Notes:
John Todd was educated in the school of his uncle, the Rev. John Todd, in Louisa county, VA, and studied law with General Andrew Lewis, under whom he served as adjutant-general in the expedition against the Indians that resulted in the battle of Point Pleasant, in 1774. In 1775, he went to Kentucky, then a wilderness. On the north side of Barrren river, about three miles from Bowling Green, a group of beech trees is still standing on which were cut the names of thirteen members of an exploring party from Harrod's Station, now Harrodsburg. One of these names is that of J. Todd, with the date of June 13, 1775. Another tree is inscribed, "J. Todd, June 17, 1775." In 1776 he settled at Lexington, where he served as judge of the first court in Kentucky county. With Richard Calloway he was chosen a burgess in the Virginia Legislature, April 19, 1777, and he was appointed county lieutenant and colonel of militia for Fayette county upon its creation. After the conquest of the Illinois, by Gen. George Rogers Clarke, in 1778, in which he participated, Colonel Todd was appointed by Gov. Patrick Henry, Dec. 28, 1778, county lieutenant of the county of Illinois, and he arrived at Kaskaskia from Vincennes early in May, 1779. He thus virtually became the first govenor of the Illinois territory. He was instructed to use every effort to win the friendship of the French; to conciliate the Indians as far as possible, and to punish all violations of their property, especially of their lands; and to give assistance to General Clarke in his projected expedition against Detroit. Todd's administration though brief was vigorous. He organized the militia and directed the election of judges and court officers. Licenses to trade were granted. Being a shrewd man he provided against an inrush of a horde of Virginia and Kentucky speculators, who would seize upon the best land on the river bottoms, by a decree that each settler should take up his land in the shape of the narrow French farms that strethed back from the water front, no claim to exceed the number of acres in one of these French farms. His financial policy, however, was a failure because it was based on Continental money, and this rendered it difficult to get the creoles to furnish supplies. Finally, Todd was compelled to resort to impresment to feed the troops, paying at the regulation prices one-third in paper money and two-thirds in peltries. Colonel Todd's "Record Book" contains the history of his rule as the first Civil Governor of Ilinois. The MS of the "Record" is in the possession of the Chicago Historical Society, and there is an account of it in the Fergus Hist. Series.
In 1780 Todd was again elected a member of the Virginia Legislature, and he afterward made one or two flying visits to Illinois, but took little active part in the affairs of the country, leaving their control to his deputy or lieutenant commandant. In the Virginia Legislature he secured the passage of acts that resulted in the founding of Translyvania University, and he introduced a bill for negro emancipation. At the time of the Indian attack on Bryan's Station in 1782, Col. Todd, as County Lieutenant of Fayette county, by virtue of his commission in the Virginia line, was next to General Clarke, the ranking officer of the Kentucky forces, and as Colonel Commandant he led the centre at the battle of Blue Licks. The defeat was precipitated by the headlong disobedience of Major McGarry. While Todd, by voice and example was doing all in his power to keep his men firm, he was shot through the body and mortally wounded. The blood gushed from his mouth; his strength failed him; he leaned forward and fell from the saddle. According to some accounts his horse carried him to the river and he fell into its current. With Todd's death the battle became a rout. Todd was the only officer in the fray that carried a sword, which he had borrowed from Boone. The blade was short and roughly made of good steel. The hilt was buckhorn and the guard was of iron, one eighth of an inch thick. This sword was lost in Licking river. When recovered it was identified by Mrs. Todd as the one that her husband borrowed from Daniel Boone. Colonel Todd was a man of generous impulses and of high and noble character. He was once before defeated by the Indians at the Licking, while conveying a quantity of powder to Clarke from Limestone Ridge, in 1777. With him was a party of nine men, four of whom were killed. Todd county was named in his honor, in 1819. [Ref: Helm TODD p83-84]



Pedigree of John TODD
                            /-----John Or James TODD
                   /-----John TODD
                  |         \-----Isabelle PARKER
          /-----Robert TODD
         |         \-----Isabelle BODLEY
 /-----David TODD
|         \-----Ann SMITH
John TODD
 \-----Hannah OWEN



Descendants of John TODD

2nd generation