Hugh Fouch b. 1618 was the immigrant ancestor of this family, coming to America aboard a ship named Thomas in 1635. Another Hugh Fouch b. 1696 who lived in Loudoun County, Virginia appears in many records and on numerous family trees. Many people connect these two men saying they are father and son, or just that they are probably related. In my book, The Fouch Brothers: following their migration through nine states, I propose another Hugh between these two men.
Only two records have been located to prove the existence of Hugh Fouch, son of the immigrant. We’ll label him Hugh2 to distinguish between the two men. The will of Richard Nash in 1680 gives to Hugh Foucke, Jr., 150 acres of land on the Elk River in Maryland.[1] Even though the term Jr. doesn’t always mean a son of the so named individual, it does indicate another person by that name existed in the area. Since Hugh Fouch the immigrant was the only person with a surname of Fouch in Cecil County, it is a reasonable conclusion that Hugh, Jr. was his son.
In 1724 Thomas Terry, a son-in-law of Hugh the immigrant, filed a petition to resurvey land and stated in this document that the land was willed to him by Hugh Fouch who inherited it from his father Hugh Fouch. The third generation of Fouchs also supports this hypothesis. Daughters of Hugh the immigrant married and their children were born within the same time frame as Hugh b. 1696, making him more likely to be a cousin to their children than an Uncle. Also, Hugh the immigrant would have been 78 years old when Hugh3 was born in 1696. While it is possible for him to be the father, it is not probable.
Thus the family tree should look like this:
Hugh Fouch b. 1696, son of
Hugh Fouch (birth not known), son of
Hugh Fouch (the immigrant) b. 1618
[1] Maryland, (No county given) Prerogative Court Wills, 1680, Liber 2A, p. 58; online image, Maryland State Archives, (http://guide.mdsa.gov.net) Series S538-3.
Lynn Scott Genealogist 