About This Project
by Victor Highbaugh
(great-grandson of Fletcher and Mariah Highbaugh)
Growing up in a single-parent household with my mother, my interaction with my paternal relatives was quite limited. I was only slightly acquainted with my father’s four brothers and a handful of cousins. I have no recollection of ever meeting his sister, my paternal grandparents, or any of his siblings.
However, since I began this project, I have unearthed a treasure trove of information about my great-grandfather, Fletcher Highbaugh, and his children (much of this information is documented in the Fletcher Highbaugh Family Tree on Ancestry.com). Both Fletcher and Mariah Highbaugh were enslaved individuals and spent the majority of their lives near Green and LaRue Counties in Kentucky. They had 19 children: Riley, Nancy, Elizabeth (Betty), Rebecca (Becky), Eliza, Burwell, Ben, William, Thornton, James, Jordon, Keziah (Kate), Susan (Sudie), David, Mattie, Joseph, Malissa, Amanda (Mandy), and Melvina (Mellie). The daughters of Fletcher and Mariah married into the Squires, Barnett, Skaggs, Warren, Ward, and Meredith families.
Remarkably, I have had the opportunity to either meet or correspond with many descendants—great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and even great-great-great-grandchildren—of Jordon, Eliza, Amanda, Nancy, William, Burwell, Joseph, Bettie, Sudie, Rebecca, and Riley Highbaugh. These individuals are spread across various locations in the United States, including Seattle, WA; Dayton, OH; Vallejo, CA; Killeen, TX; Atlanta, GA; Bowling Green, KY; Danville, KY; Fredericksburg, MD; Detroit, MI; Denver, CO; and Indianapolis, IN.
Much of the foundational information for this project was generously provided by my late uncle, Wheeler Highbaugh, and my cousin, Mary Ethel Wills. Their documentation included the names of eighteen of Fletcher’s children and numerous grandchildren, serving as a springboard for the discoveries shared here. I am deeply thankful for their commitment to preserving our family’s history and would like to take this opportunity to honor their invaluable contributions.
About Our Past Reunions
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About Our Last(2023) Reunion
The 2023 family reunion was an extraordinary multi-generational event that brought together the descendants of at least six of Fletcher's nineteen children. In attendance were the great-grandchildren of Amanda Highbaugh Meredith, the great-great-grandchildren of William Highbaugh, the great-great-grandchildren of Eliza Highbaugh Warren, the great-great-great-grandchildren of Jordan Highbaugh, the great-great-grandchildren of Joseph Highbaugh, and the great-great-great-grandchildren of Nancy Highbaugh Squires. This remarkable representation from various branches of the family is a significant milestone and a historic achievement for the Highbaugh family reunions.