History

Samuel Sturgeon, a native of the north of Ireland, was born about 1680. He migrated to America with his family in 1730 and located in Paxtang Township in Pennsylvania. He died about 1750.

There is evidence of eight sons:  Samuel, Jeremiah, Thomas, Peter, Henry, William, Robert, and John.

A good resource on the early history of the Sturgeons is:

A Genealogical History of the Sturgeons of North America
by Claudius T. McCoy (1926)

In June 1969 descendants of the Sturgeon and the Elder families met in reunion at Eastwood, Kentucky.  These families were original settlers of eastern Jefferson County and western Shelby County in Kentucky.  This reunion was organized by Edith Wood, teacher and historian from Middletown, Kentucky, who was descended from Sturgeons and Elders.  Her cousin, Marvin Sturgeon, served as master of ceremonies.  A committee composed of Edith Wood, Ruth Gillespie, Ivan Lancaster, and Marvin Sturgeon called a meeting in September 1974 at The Old Stone Inn, Simpsonville, Kentucky, to organize an ongoing Sturgeon and Allied Families Association.  For many years reunions were held in the Louisville, KY area.  In observance of the U. S. Bicentennial, the 1976 reunion met at Paxton Presbyterian Church in Paxtang, Pennsylvania, where Samuel Sturgeon first settled.  As membership widened, the annual reunion has been held at places of particular significance to family ancestors.

The most recent reunion sites and themes were:

2024   Louisville, Kentucky—CANCELLED

2023  Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois  “The Sturgeons meet the Lincolns………..again”  Mary Todd Lincoln as portrayed by Pam Brown

Abraham Lincoln (Captain) 1744-1786 from Wikipedia

2022 Shelbyville, Shelby Co., Kentucky  “91 to 1 Odds Still Derby Record for Roscoe Goose and Donerail”  Roscoe Goose as portrayed by Eddie Price, Long Run Cemetery

Kentucky Humanities presents Eddie Price as Roscoe Tarleton Goose, Kentucky Derby Winner

2021 Nashville, Brown Co., Indiana  “Back Home Again in Indiana”  History of Brown County, Indiana, Diana McDonald Biddle, State appointed Brown County Historian and Brown County Genealogist.  The Sturgeons of Schooner Valley, Rhonda Dunn, Chief Archivist of the Brown County Historical Society

The Sturgeons of Schooner Valley
 
2020 Nashville, Brown Co., Indiana  Cancelled due to coronavirus.

2019 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania   “Back to the Beginning’  Paxton Presbyterian Church and cemetery.  An appearance by John Harris, founder of Harrisburg.  Trek to Westminister Cemetery in Mifflintown to view graves of Margaret and Thomas Sturgeon, Sr.

2018 Louisville, Kentucky    Dedication Ceremony:  War of 1812  Marker at grave of Pvt. Thomas Sturgeon, Jr. in Long Run Cemetery, Eastwood, Jefferson Co., Kentucky,  “Kentuckians in the War of 1812”, Mrs. Ruth Korzenborn, President State of Kentucky N. S. U. S. D. 1812

Dedication Ceremony Program

 

 

 

 

 

Home