Jackson township

The Farmer Who Gave It Away

Did you know? Africa's 1883 county history, in its chapter on Jackson Township, says Joseph Oburn came from Delaware about 1770 and served in the McAlevy company in the Revolution. It calls him a very righteous man, and extremely generous.

The history relates that in 1777 he raised a large crop of wheat in a year when that grain had failed in many localities and commanded so large a price that it was eagerly sought after, and many buyers came to his house. One morning a man reputed to be rich rode up and asked if he had any wheat. Plenty of it, Oburn said, and asked whether the man had the money to pay for it. Certainly, the man said. Oburn noted that he had a horse to carry it and bags to put it in, and the buyer answered that he had everything. Then Oburn told him: "you can go to Big Valley for your wheat; mine is for people who have no money to pay, and no horses to carry it off."

It is said that he absolutely gave away his large crop to such as could not afford to buy wheat or go to other localities to procure it.

Checked and confirmed. CONFIRMED 2026-10-30 against the sources listed: every factual sentence was tied to a verbatim passage and a script confirmed each passage is in its source. Where sources disagreed on a number, the number was left out.

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