Submitted by Descendant: Paula Townsend MARCZYNSKI
John (Jack) Townsend, son of John and Keziah Hays Townsend of South Carolina, moved to Lowndes County, Georgia in Dec 1825 along with his brothers Jesse, Allen, and David. Jack was commissioned 1st Lieut. of the Militia in the 662nd Militia District 9 Aug 1827 and served until 27 May 1830. He was still living there until 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery in which he drew land.
A few years later he moved into Madison County, Florida with his family. Florida land records show he purchased several parcels of land there in 1838. He is shown on the 1840 census in Madison County, Florida.
Jack drowned in the Suwannee River in 1847 and his body was found and buried on the banks. For many years, the family marked the area with a wooden fence, but the exact location is only approximately known today. There is a granite memorial erected to him in Townsend Cemetery in Gilchrist County, Florida. The cemetery is located not far from the area where Jack is buried.
John (Jack) Townsend was first established as a Florida Pioneer in 2002