Oldtown in Greenup County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs
1769–1847
— 1,000 Feet West —
Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 29, 2018
1. Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs Marker
Inscription.
Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs. 1769–1847. The first white child born of American parents west of the Allegheny Mountains, Mrs. Lucy Virgin Downs, was a resident of Oldtown, Greenup County, from 1807 until her death in 1847. She was the daughter of Jeremiah and Lucy Virgin, born September 17, 1769, in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania, near Uniontown, which was then called Beesontown. In 1790, with her parents and brother, Brice, she came to Limestone, now Maysville, Kentucky. In 1792 she and her brother moved to Cincinnati. She was married there to John Downs September 20, 1800, under a marriage license issued by General Arthur St. Clair as Governor of the Northwest Territory. In June, 1845, at a family gathering, she related that General George Washington visited her father and neighbor in 1773, when he was surveying a tract in Pennsylvania that was afterwards called Washington Bottoms. Many of her descendants are still living in this part of Kentucky. , This marker was erected under the terms of the will of the late Jennie Scott Osenton, great-granddaughter of Lucy Virgin Downs.
The first white child born of American parents west of the Allegheny Mountains—Mrs. Lucy Virgin Downs—was a resident of Oldtown, Greenup County, from 1807 until her death in 1847. She was the daughter of Jeremiah and Lucy Virgin, born September 17, 1769, in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania, near Uniontown, which was then called Beesontown. In 1790, with her parents and brother, Brice, she came to Limestone, now Maysville, Kentucky. In 1792 she and her brother moved to Cincinnati. She was married there to John Downs September 20, 1800, under a marriage license issued by General Arthur St. Clair as Governor of the Northwest Territory. In June, 1845, at a family gathering, she related that General George Washington visited her father and neighbor in 1773, when he was surveying a tract in Pennsylvania that was afterwards called Washington Bottoms. Many of her descendants are still living in this part of Kentucky.
This marker was erected under the terms of the will of the late Jennie Scott Osenton, great-granddaughter of Lucy Virgin Downs.
Erected 1963 by the Kentucky Historical Highway Program. (Marker Number 574.)
Location. 38° 26.44′ N, 82° 53.89′ W. Marker is in Oldtown, Kentucky, in Greenup County. Marker is at the intersection of Kentucky Route 1 and Laurel Road, on the left when traveling north on State Route 1. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenup KY 41144, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs and Laurel Furnace Markers
Photographed By Craig Doda, January 7, 2021
3. Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs
Up Laurel Furnace Road next to the gazebo on the Oldtown Church in the Graveyard.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,170 times since then and 131 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 14, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on January 9, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.
