Jerome Smallwood Vize (1820 - 1891)

Born 25 Nov 1820 in Washington County Kentucky, USA

Husband of Nancy Elam (Maddox) Vize — married 7 Jul 1852 in Union County, KY

Descendants

Died 23 Apr 1891 at age 70 in Uniontown Union County Kentucky, USA

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Biography

Jerome was born in 1820. The Vize Brothers, Jerome and Ben Vize, helped with wagons and teams to build the first Catholic Church in Union County at St. Vincent. The bricks were made there and the timbers, sills, etc were made from the surrounding forest. Before this Church was built, religious services were few and far between. This was before the Civil War. Father Durbin, the first Catholic priest in Western KY, was a Circuit Rider and periodically came to the Vize home on Casey Creek and always spent the night or nights there. He rode horseback over many miles in KY to tend his flock. When the Nuns first came to Union County to start a Convent at St. Vincent, they came by horseback from Louisville and stayed at the Vize house on Casey Creek. As far back as tradition goes in the Vize family, they have always been Catholic.

Jerome first acquired a 200 acre tract near Uniontown, KY. Later on, he bought another farm between St. Vincent and Morganfield where his family lived. He added to his holdings by adding two or three more farms. In addition to these ventures he and Vest Pike started the first bank in Union County. Uncle Jerome, as he was called by the rest of the family, was quite a trader and with it all he became one of the wealthiest men of the county.

He passed away in 1891 [Source: essay written by James Leroy Vize, grandson of Benjamin Vize] -Karen Neeley Thomas ... .^[1]

In 1880 Jerome S. Vize aged 64, a farmer, lived with Nannie E. aged 55, and son John W. aged 26, daughter Loulie aged 22, son Henry aged 18, daughter Kate aged 14, son Benj. aged 12, and a border, Mary aged 39 ^[2]

Sources

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=102428716

1. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7716114
2. ↑ 1880 United States Census of Morganfield township, Union County, Kentucky, page 18, dwelling #148/family #159