THE LA ROCHE FAMILY HISTORY. In the year 1733 two brothers landed in America from the shores of England. Their names were John La Roche and Isaac La Roche. John La Roche was appointed by King James to assist in planning and laying off the present city of Savannah, and one of the sixteen tithings of the city according to the original plan was named in compliment to him by Gen. Oglethorpe La Roche Tithing. Some few years later on John La Roche returned to England and took up his abode in the royal family as privy counsellor to the king. Isaac La Roche decided to adopt America as his home and married Elizabeth Drummond, a lady of beauty and rare mental culture who had immigrated to America from Scotland a few years previous to her marriage. Elizabeth and her brother, Dr. Archibald Drummond, were the only surviving members of the Drummond family who had left their highland home for the New World.

Shortly after the marriage of Elizabeth her brother, Dr. Archibald Drummond, went to the West Indies and finally settled at or near Kingston, Jamaica, where he accumulated a large fortune. He never married and at his death bequeathed his large property by will to his sister, Elizabeth La Roche. The latter entrusted the recovery of this legacy to General Flournoy, of Augusta, Georgia, who from some cause failed to press the suit to a successful termination.

To Isaac La Roche and his wife, Elizabeth, were born one son, who was also named Isaac, and two daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth; after the birth of the third child their father died and their mother married again. Isaac on reaching the years of manhood married Eliza Oliver, who was the daughter of John Oliver of Augusta, Georgia. Her father was a graduate of Oxford College, England, and after coming over and settling in America he uniformed and equipped a military company at his own expense, to serve in defense of their country against the British. He was quite wealthy and while a resident of Augusta, Georgia, was a co-partner with General Fash in a large mercantile business in Charleston, South Carolina. From this late marriage were born the following children: Sarah E. La Roche, James A. La Roche, Oliver A. La Roche, Isaac D. La Roche, Adrian V. La Roche, Lawrence and John La Roche. Soon after the birth of John, the father died and their mother married Doctor Beaudry, to whom one child, a girl, was born. Isaac La Roche, the father of the children named above, three of whom are yet living, died about the year 1822. One of his sisters married a Mr. Votee, this one was Sarah; Elizabeth married a Mr. Craft.

James Oliver, grandfather of the children of Isaac La Roche and Elizabeth La Roche, née Oliver, married Sarah McKay, who being left an orphan in early childhood, was reared by her uncle, Randolph Spalding, near St. Mary's, Georgia.

The brothers and sisters children of Isaac D. La Roche were: Alice, deceased, was the wife of Edgar Williams; Ruth, deceased, was the wife of R. R. Richards; Amy Aimee, wife of Wm. E. Dunwody [of Macon GA]; Nellie, wife of Prof. Felix Lising; Ida, wife of L. L. Hunt; Isaac, mentioned below; Robert D.; Walter P.; Eva, wife of Gilbert W. Allen.

Scan of this page with additional notes: GO HERE

Additional Comments: WILLIAM HARDEN, 
A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA, 
VOLUMES I, II (ILLUSTRATED), THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, CHICAGO AND NEW YORK (1913)



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Chatham County GaArchives Biographies.....La Roche, Issac unknown - 1822
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