David & Judith Thornburgh Faulkner ~ Benefactors of Miami Monthly Meeting

David Faulkner (b. June 26, 1749 in Warrington, York, Pennsylvania ~
d. January 30, 1821 in Paintersville, Greene, Ohio)

Judith Thornburgh Faulkner (b. October 3, 1760 in Frederick Co., Virginia ~
d. April 23, 1843 in Greene Co., Ohio

They were married on March 4, 1778 in Frederick Co., Virginia at Middle Creek Meeting. They had nine children:

Martha Faulkner b: June 23, 1780 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Jane Faulkner b: Abt. 1781 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Jesse Faulkner b: April 24, 1785 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Phebe Faulkner b: Abt. 1787 in Frederick Co., Virginia

Thomas Faulkner b: Abt. 1790 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Mary Faulkner b: Abt. 1792 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Judith Faulkner b: Abt. 1795 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Solomon Faulkner b: March 26, 1799 in Frederick Co., Virginia
Rachel Faulkner b: June 2, 1809 in Waynesville, Warren Co., Ohio

Friends at Waynesville were unable to get title to their land for a meetinghouse and the first graveyard on Quaker Hill until 1808 when a patent for 208 acres was granted to David Faulkner. The deed is at the Warren County Courthouse in Lebanon, Deed Book #4, pp. 33-35. According to Judge Keys, “Heighway and Bane made sales by title bond of town lots and lands, but no title was confirmed here until January 1807 and then for some unknown reason, 208 acres (including the most of the old town plat), was patented to David Faulkner. Faulkner, in 1807, made title to a large number of lots here to different persons” (“Early Waynesville: As Described by Judge John W. Keys”, a series of articles published in the Miami-Gazette and the Western Star.

Perhaps David Faulkner eventually gained the title to this land due to John Cleve Symmes defaulting on his payments for the land. John Cleve Symmes purchased the land on credit and failed to make payments according to the terms of the contract and that failure produced considerable confusion with those who had purchased the land without title. David Faulkner and Judith Faulkner were two of the early members of Miami Monthly Meeting in Waynesville, Ohio. David and Judith were later associated with Center Monthly Meeting in Clinton County (The Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. V. (Ohio) [Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994], p. 469.

It is reported in The History of Clinton County, Ohio (Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1882), p. 491 that David Faulkner was the early proprietor of the land upon which Wilmington now stands. He never lived on that land. His son, Thomas, settled down in the northeast part of Wilmington. David Faulkner owned considerable land in Clinton County, 2,050 acres along Anderson Creek, a branch of Caesars Creek. The land patents can be found on the Bureau of Land Management database online (Ohio Land Records), Accession/Serial Number OH1900_.414, Doc. #3990 and Accession/Serial Number OH1900_.413, Doc. #3990. Both are dated August 8th, 1801.

David and Judith's home was in southern Greene County near Paintersville, approximately 15 miles northeast of Waynesville. It was closer for them to attend Center Monthly Meeting after it was established.