LaRue family
A family of French Huguenot descent whose American branches became associated with pioneering settlement in Virginia and Kentucky and later migration across the United States.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The LaRue family is a historically documented American family network descended from French Huguenot migrants and associated especially with the settlement of Virginia and Kentucky during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The family is not a commercial brand or incorporated enterprise; the name refers to interconnected branches and descendants whose activities included farming, landholding, public service, military service, migration, and participation in local and national history. Family traditions trace the American line to Abraham LeRoux, a French Huguenot who reportedly arrived in North America with his family around 1680 during the large-scale movement of Protestants out of France. The precise French origins of Abraham have not been conclusively established. Later genealogical research has proposed a route through the Lalloeu area of France and Mannheim in Germany before migration to America, but the evidentiary record and the spelling of the family name vary. Forms recorded over time include LaRue, Larue, Larrew, Larew, LeRoux, LaRoux, Laro, Laroe, Lerue, Lerew, and shortened forms such as Rue and Roux. Abraham LeRoux settled in New Jersey, where he died in 1712. His son Peter had three sons—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—from whom major Virginia and Kentucky branches developed. Isaac LaRue Sr. acquired land in the Shenandoah Valley in 1743, along Long Marsh Run in what is now Clarke County, Virginia. He subsequently accumulated additional acreage and established a substantial family presence. Three surviving houses associated with his descendants—Claremont, Bloomfield, and Villa LaRue—are now recognized as historic properties within the Long Marsh Run Rural Historic District near Berryville. George Washington, whose family lived nearby, surveyed Isaac's first tract after its purchase. Isaac also had a documented association with Squire Boone, brother of Daniel Boone. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, members of the family moved westward into Kentucky. Descendants settled in the area that later became LaRue County, named in part for the family's local prominence and associated with pioneer John LaRue. The family also became connected to the early life of Abraham Lincoln. Several LaRue or allied-family members were believed to have been present at Lincoln's birth in 1809, and the Hodgen branch operated a mill and household near Lincoln's birthplace. Family accounts state that Sarah LaRue Hodgen helped teach the young Lincoln basic reading, while her son John Hodgen was among his childhood acquaintances. The American Civil War divided the extended family. Some members had held enslaved people before the war, while other branches supported the Union. Descendants served on both sides, including Benjamin Hardin Helm, a Confederate brigadier general and Lincoln's brother-in-law, and Union-aligned relatives who held military or political positions. Helm's death at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 deeply affected Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. Later generations dispersed widely through the United States, including to Michigan, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, California, Texas, and Oregon. Hugh McElroy LaRue became associated with the founding generation of Sacramento, California, working as a farmer and horse breeder and serving in public and civic roles including Sacramento County sheriff, member of the California Assembly, railroad commissioner, and president of the Sacramento Society of California Pioneers. The broader list of descendants includes politicians, soldiers, artists, musicians, athletes, business executives, and individuals connected to the Watergate investigation. Because the family has no single corporate structure, ownership, headquarters, product portfolio, or unified present-day operating activity can be assigned to it.
History
The family tradition begins with Abraham LeRoux, a French Huguenot migrant who is said to have reached America with his family around 1680. Genealogists have not established a definitive French place of origin for him, although later research connected the family story with Lalloeu in France and Mannheim in Germany. The surname changed repeatedly across generations and records, producing forms such as LaRue, Larue, Larrew, Larew, LeRoux, LaRoux, Lerue, Lerew, and abbreviated variants. Abraham settled in New Jersey and died there in 1712. His son Peter became the ancestor of three important lines through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Isaac LaRue Sr. moved into the Shenandoah Valley and in 1743 purchased 250 acres along Long Marsh Run in present-day Clarke County, Virginia. His landholdings grew over time. He first lived in a log cabin and later built Claremont, a substantial limestone house completed in 1778. His sons and descendants created nearby properties, including Jacob LaRue's Bloomfield, completed in 1775, and Jabez LaRue's Villa LaRue, built in the 1790s. These houses remain associated with the Long Marsh Run Rural Historic District. Isaac's local network included George Washington, who surveyed his land, and Squire Boone. The family expanded into Kentucky in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Jacob LaRue sold Bloomfield to his brother James and established a new home near the settlement that became Hodgenville. The region later gave its name to LaRue County. The family was closely connected with the community around Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Mary Brooks LaRue Enlow, Margaret LaRue Walters, and Rebecca Hodgen Keith were traditionally identified as present around Lincoln's birth in 1809. Robert and Sarah LaRue Hodgen owned a nearby mill and residence, and accounts by Lincoln's childhood acquaintances placed the young Lincoln in their household and at the mill. Sarah Hodgen was remembered as one of the people who helped him learn basic reading. The Civil War exposed political and personal divisions within the extended family. Some LaRue relatives were connected with the Union, while others served the Confederacy. Benjamin Hardin Helm, son of Kentucky governor John LaRue Helm, became a Confederate brigadier general and commanded the First Kentucky Brigade, known as the Orphan Brigade. He was killed at Chickamauga in 1863. Helm's marriage to Emilie Todd made him Abraham Lincoln's brother-in-law, and his death was a source of private mourning for the Lincolns. Other family members served as officers or soldiers for the Union, and one Union-aligned relative was reportedly close to promotion to colonel before entering Congress. After the Civil War, LaRue descendants continued moving west and establishing new branches. Hugh McElroy LaRue became a notable pioneer of Sacramento, California, where he combined agricultural work with public service. He served as sheriff of Sacramento County, a state assemblyman, a railroad commissioner, a director of the State Agricultural Association, and a leader of the Sacramento Society of California Pioneers. Other descendants became associated with politics, diplomacy, music, voice acting, professional basketball, American football, business administration, and the Watergate scandal. Genealogical research continued into the modern period through published family histories and online family-tree projects. The family therefore represents a dispersed historical lineage rather than a single institution with a continuous central administration.
- 1998
Descendant research gathering documented
[1]A large gathering of LaRue descendants was photographed during continuing genealogical research into the family.
- 1863
Benjamin Hardin Helm killed at Chickamauga
[1]The Confederate brigadier general and Lincoln's brother-in-law was mortally wounded while leading the First Kentucky Brigade.
- 1809
LaRue relatives connected with Lincoln's birth community
[1]Several LaRue and allied-family members were traditionally reported to have been present around Abraham Lincoln's birth near Hodgenville, Kentucky.
- 1800
Jacob LaRue moves toward Kentucky
[1]Jacob LaRue sold Bloomfield and built a new home near Hodgenville, contributing to the family's westward expansion.
- 1790
Villa LaRue established
[1]Jabez LaRue built Villa LaRue to the east of the family's other Shenandoah Valley homes.
- 1778
Claremont completed
[1]Isaac LaRue's two-story limestone house, Claremont, was completed near Long Marsh Run.
- 1775
Bloomfield completed
[1]Jacob LaRue completed Bloomfield near the family properties in the Shenandoah Valley.
- 1743
Isaac LaRue acquires Shenandoah Valley land
[1]Isaac LaRue Sr. purchased 250 acres along Long Marsh Run in present-day Clarke County, Virginia, establishing an important family settlement.
- 1712
Death of Abraham LeRoux in New Jersey
[1]The immigrant ancestor died in New Jersey, leaving a son, Peter, whose descendants formed major Virginia and Kentucky branches.
- 1680
Reported arrival of the immigrant ancestor
[1]Abraham LeRoux, identified in family histories as the immigrant ancestor, reportedly arrived in America with his family during the migration of French Huguenots.
Sources1 sources
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