Robert Shields: A Family Tradition Re‑Examined

Another figure in my 250th‑anniversary project on Revolutionary War–era ancestors is my 6th great‑grandfather, Robert Shields—a man whose life is remembered by his descendants but sparsely documented in surviving records.

Robert was born in Virginia, likely in Augusta County. His tombstone gives his birthdate as November 9, 1749, while the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) lists it as circa 1738–1740. SmokyKin, a large genealogical site focused on early Sevier County settlers, repeats the November 9, 1749 date and places his birth in what is now Harrisonburg, Rockingham County. With no surviving birth or death record, the exact year remains uncertain.

Around 1761, Robert married Nancy Stockton, daughter of Richard and Agnes Stockton. Together they raised 11 children—1 daughter and 10 sons—born in the Shenandoah Valley in what was then Augusta County and later became Rockingham County: Janet (or Jennet), Thomas, Richard, David, William, John, James, Robert, Joseph, Benjamin, and Jesse. Although some online trees include an infant son named Ezekiel, said to have been born and died in 1778, no records support his existence, and researchers do not count him among the documented children of Robert and Nancy. Their sons are often referred to as the “the Ten Brothers.”

Robert’s tombstone states that he served as a private in “Francis Lang’s Company” during the Revolutionary War, a detail that immediately raised questions. Because Robert died in 1802, long before the pension laws of 1818 and 1832 that generated the service records we rely on today, he left no pension file, no sworn testimony, and no official record of his service. The only surviving federal documentation comes from a 1976 application submitted by his 2nd great‑granddaughter, Francis Dennis Mize, requesting a government‑issued veteran’s marker. Her application states that Robert enlisted in 1777 and was discharged in 1783, relying heavily on a likely long‑remembered association between Robert and a soldier named Francis Lang.

Photo used with permission of Paul J. Lambert
(Find A Grave member 46544256)

Because the VA required proof before issuing a military headstone, Robert’s service had to be verified to federal standards. His modern marker therefore reflects not only family memory but also formal recognition of his Revolutionary War service nearly two centuries after his death. The following two images are the original 1976 application that secured that acknowledgment.

Veterans Administration application submitted by
Robert’s 2nd great granddaughter in 1976

Yet family memory is not always correct. When I searched Fold3, a subscription site for digitized military records, I found no service file for Robert—not surprising for a man who died before pension laws existed. But when I turned to the man whose name appears on Robert’s tombstone, I discovered something unexpected: Francis Lang never commanded a company at all.

Lang enlisted as a private on July 18, 1780, in Charles County, Maryland, serving first under Capt. Charles Smith in the regiment commanded by Col. Smith of the Maryland Line. As the Maryland Line reorganized, he continued—still a private—under Capt. Bluff in the regiment of Col. Ford, remaining in service until his discharge by public proclamation in November 1783 at Nottingham in Prince George’s County. During those years, he fought in major southern battles including Guilford Courthouse, Camden, the Siege of Ninety Six, and Eutaw Springs.

So why does Robert’s tombstone reference “Francis Lang’s Company”? The most reasonable explanation is that the inscription reflects family memory of an association, not a documented chain of command. Robert may have known Lang, served near him, or spoken of him often—but no surviving record links Robert to Lang’s unit or to any specific regiment. The inscription preserves a tradition, not evidence.

To understand what Robert’s service might have looked like—if he served at all—it helps to look at the units active in the regions where he lived. This context is useful, but it is not proof of his participation.

Men from Augusta and Rockingham counties often joined the 8th Virginia (“The German Regiment”), the 12th Virginia, or local militia battalions. Others enlisted in Maryland units, especially those living near the border. Soldiers from these regions fought at Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, Ninety Six, Eutaw Springs, and eventually Yorktown. If Robert served, he might have encountered some of these campaigns—but no document ties him to any of them.

Cross‑border enlistment was common: Rockingham County was only 30–50 miles from Maryland, and Augusta County only 50–75 miles. A Virginia‑born man serving in a Maryland unit was far from unusual. Still, without a muster roll, pay record, or pension file, none of these scenarios can be confirmed. They remain possibilities only—historical context, not evidence.

After the war—likely in the 1780s or early 1790s—Robert joined the wave of Shenandoah Valley families migrating into East Tennessee. He settled in what became Sevier County, where he and his sons built Shields Fort, a small frontier stockade near present‑day Pigeon Forge and Shields Mountain. According to the biography of his eldest son, John Shields—later a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition—the family lived in the fort for years as protection during periods of conflict. Many settlers abandoned the area due to attacks, but Robert and his family remained.

Robert died in Sevier County on January 18, 1802, long before pension laws could have documented his service. Nancy died in 1805, also too early to qualify for the widows’ pension acts. Both rest at Middle Creek Cemetery in Sevierville.

But he left a family who remembered him, a fort he helped build on the Tennessee frontier, and a legacy strong enough that his descendants fought to have him recognized as a veteran nearly two centuries later. As we mark 250 years since the Revolution, remembering Robert feels like a way of honoring all the ordinary soldiers whose stories were never fully written down—men who served, endured, and helped shape the country we live in today.

A descendant claims that Robert served in the Revolutionary War, but no primary records confirm it. The only known claim comes from a 1976 government marker application submitted by that person. Until a military record is found, his service must be considered unproven. The DAR now classifies Robert’s Revolutionary War service as unproven, noting that earlier applications relied on evidence—likely family tradition—that no longer meets modern standards. The DAR’s own notation confirms this, stating that his previously accepted service is no longer considered valid and that future applicants must provide new, verifiable proof.

Robert as recorded in the DAR index, including a notation that
“Future Applicants Must Prove Correct Service”

DAR explanation for the notation

Robert does not appear in Eckenrode’s 1912 List of the Revolutionary Soldiers of Virginia, a key statewide compilation based on surviving military records. I also checked the National Archives, the Internet Archive, the Digital Public Library of America, the University of Virginia Library, and the Library of Virginia websites and did not find Robert listed in any military records, further indicating that no contemporary documentation of his service has been found.

Although some online trees refer to a “Capt. Francis Long,” no militia records from Augusta or Rockingham counties list a man by that name as an officer; the only documented Long captains of the era were John and Benjamin Long of Rockingham County.

So, when I began this sketch, I expected to be able to name an ancestor who served with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, but it appears that now I cannot. No Revolutionary War battles were fought in the area that later became Sevier County. When Robert settled there in the 1780s, the war in the South was essentially over, but the region remained a tense frontier. Settlers along the French Broad and Little Pigeon Rivers faced periodic conflict with Cherokee groups and relied on small forts and local militia for protection. These were post‑war frontier skirmishes rather than Revolutionary War engagements, and they were never recorded as Continental service.

In the end, Robert’s story reminds me that not every Revolutionary‑era life left a clear paper trail, yet each one—documented or not—helped shape the world the Revolution made.

References

• Charles Smith (?-1788), Archives of Maryland, Biographical Series, MSA SC 3520-16774; https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/016700/016774/html/16774bio.html?utm_source=copilot.com. 
• Eckenrode, H. J. (Hamilton James), List of the revolutionary soldiers of Virginia. Special report of the Department of Archives and History for 1912, Virginia State Library. Archives Division; https://archive.org/details/listofrevolution00virg/page/274/mode/2up. 
• Edwards, Olga Jones, ‎Izora Waters Frizzell, Connection in East Tennessee, p. 244, 2001.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18788/john-shields: accessed January 14, 2026), memorial page for CPT John Shields (1769–Dec 1809), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18788, citing Little Flock Baptist Cemetery, Elizabeth, Harrison County, Indiana, USA; maintained by AJ (contributor 1003).
• Francis Lang, US, Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800–1900.
• John Shields (explorer); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Shields_%28explorer%29?utm_source=copilot.com. 
• Nancy Stockton, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560–1900.
• Robert Shields, DAR Genealogical Research Databases; https://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A103711. 
• Robert Shields, SmokyKin; https://www.smokykin.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I9099&tree=Smokykin. 
• Robert Shields, U.S., Headstone Applications, 1925–1963.
• Shields, John Arthur, The Shields Family, 1917.

Jerry, servant of Jesse Craddock, received for fellowship

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

Shiloh Church Minutes

Shiloh 23rd of April 1843. 

Church met in conference for the benefit of the coloured Brethren. Bro. Wm. Sanders, moderator. Opened a door for the reception of members when Jerry, servant Jesse Craddock came forward and related as we believe and experience by experience of grace and was received into the fellowship of the Church. No reference. Calls for business, none presented. Conference adjourned.

Doctor R. Malone. Ch. Clk.

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Religious Records 1839–1859, image 50, FamilySearch.

Gertrude Bell and Lucy Mell Lankford

Gertrude Bell and Lucy Mell Lankford were twin sisters born prematurely on February 9, 1941, to William Mell Lankford and Dorothy “Agnes” Key in Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia. Both infants lived only eight hours before passing away that same day. Their death certificates list the cause simply as “premature birth.” They were the only children born to William and Agnes. Gertrude and Lucy are my 3rd cousins 2× removed; our nearest common ancestors are Charles L. Lankford and his wife, Miss Moore, my 4th great‑grandparents.

Lucy’s death certificate was numbered 4773 and Gertrude’s 4774. Certificate numbers typically reflect the order in which the paperwork was filed, not the order of death, so the numbering does not necessarily indicate which twin died first. 

Photo used with permission, Patty Shreve,
Find A Grave member 47563794

Tragically, the family’s loss did not end there. Eighteen days after the death of her daughters, Agnes died at her home in Eatonton from puerperal septicemia, a severe postpartum infection that remained life threatening even in the early 1940s. She was only 19 years old.

All three—Gertrude, Lucy, and Agnes—were laid to rest together at Pine Grove Cemetery in Eatonton. William, a native of Greene County, Georgia, was just 32 years old when he lost his wife and both of their infant daughters.

The family published a notice in the Eatonton Messenger thanking friends and relatives for their kindness during Agnes’ illness and death, though no mention was made of the twins. The newspaper notice also reveals that Agnes was known by the nickname “Lennie,” a small detail preserved amid a heartbreaking chapter in this family’s history.

References

• Card of Thanks (p. 5) and Kinderhook (p. 7), Eatonton Messenger, Eatonton, Georgia, March 6, 1941.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77891156/gertrude_bell-lankford: accessed January 17, 2026), memorial page for Gertrude Bell Lankford (8 Feb 1941–9 Feb 1941), Find a Grave Memorial ID 77891156, citing Pine Grove Cemetery, Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Patty Shreve (contributor 47563794).
• Gertrude Bell Lankford, Certificate of Death no. 4774, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941.
• Lucy Bell Lankford, Certificate of Death no. 4773, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941.
• Mrs. Lennie Lankford, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia, March 2, 1941.
• Mrs. W. M. Lankford, Certificate of Death no. 9985, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941. 

Cyrus sold to David Taylor

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

Georgia, Greene County, 15th March 1808

Vancluse

Received of David Taylor seven hundred dollars in full for one negro Mulato man slave by the name of Cyrus (a carpenter by trade), which said negro slave I warrant and defend against all claims and claimants whatsoever.

Wm. [unreadable]

Witness presents
Hinchy Winn
Payton Baker

20th Febry 1810 J. Bethune, Clk.

Georgia, Clarke County. Came personally before me Hinchey Winn after being duly sworn, saith that he saw or heard the within Bill of Sales legally acknowledged for the within purposes and that he likewise saw Payton Baker subscribe his name as a witness. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 9th of February 1810.

Absalom Ramey J.P.
Hinchey Winn

Notes:

• The word “Vancluse” appears in the record as written, but no place by that name is documented in Greene County at the time. It may reflect a local plantation or neighborhood name, or simply a clerk’s uncertain spelling.
• The seller’s surname is hard to decipher. Copilot suggests it reads “Plaza,” though I am not fully convinced. I’ve included an enlarged image so you can judge the handwriting for yourself.

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Land Records 1785–1787, Tax Records 1793, 1796–1797, 1788–1790, image 214, FamilySearch. 

Looking for a Patriot, Found Anthony Scott Instead

As I continued my 250th‑anniversary project on Revolutionary War–era ancestors, I expected my next subject to be another patriot. Instead, a chance search led me to Anthony Scott—a man I hadn’t even known existed two days earlier. He wasn’t a soldier but discovering him turned out to be far more meaningful to me than finding another veteran.

My plan had been to look for records related to Moses Holland, my 5th great‑grandfather, who is said to have served as a drummer during the war. When that search turned up nothing, I shifted to Leroy Thomas Holland, Moses’ great‑grandson and my 2nd great‑grandfather. Leroy served during the Civil War, not the Revolution, so I didn’t expect to find anything relevant—but you never know. And that small detour is what sent me down the rabbit hole.

I was already searching Anderson County, South Carolina records, so entered Leroy’s name. A document listing Leroy, his wife Amanda, and a “Lankford Scott” immediately caught my attention. Amanda’s maiden name was Scott, and I remembered finding men with the middle name “Langford” when trying to identify her parents. Given that my own maiden name is Lankford, that detail had stuck with me.

Results from FamilySearch full text search

The link led to an 1852 estate proceeding for Mitchell B. Scott, which confirmed the family connection. In settling Mitchell’s estate, the court listed his heirs‑at‑law: his surviving brothers—Joseph, William H., Carter, and Jefferson A. Scott—and the children of siblings who had died before him. Among these was “Amanda Holland, wife of Leroy Holland, Anderson District,” named in place of her father, Toliver L. Scott. Her siblings—Eliza Bolt, A. Ellen Holland, Lankford Scott, Mary F. Turner, and Rosannah Mahaffy—appear with her as Toliver’s surviving children, each inheriting his share. The record also includes the children of Mitchell’s sister Mary Scott Hamby. For Amanda, this document provides formal legal proof of her lineage and firmly places her within the Scott family of Anderson and Spartanburg.

South Carolina estate-distribution record for Mitchell B. Scott
(Amanda’s uncle)

Back in 2021, I had tentatively identified Amanda’s parents as Taliaferro Langford Scott and Melvina E. Parker, but I had never been able to confirm it. Four and a half years later, as I followed one clue after another—estate files, guardianship records, land descriptions—the name Cornelius A. Scott surfaced. Then another name. And another. Suddenly, I wasn’t looking for a Revolutionary War soldier anymore. I was staring at the outline of an entire Scott lineage stretching back through two men named Taliaferro “Toliver” Langford Scott (father and son), through Cornelius A. Scott, through Samuel Scott, and finally to a man I had never expected to find: Anthony Scott of Culpeper County, Virginia, born around 1690.

The image below is the Scott line reconstructed from the records, showing the path from Anthony Scott in early‑1700s Virginia down to Amanda Scott Holland.

What began as a routine record check became a multi‑generational reconstruction—a chain of fathers, sons, land deeds, and migrations that connected my Amanda Scott of Anderson County, South Carolina (and later Whitfield County, Georgia) to a man living on the Virginia frontier in the early 1700s. I didn’t just confirm Amanda’s parents. I uncovered the identity of my 7th great‑grandfather, a man whose existence I hadn’t even suspected when I sat down to research that day.

It all started with a simple question: Did Revolutionary War service records exist in the FamilySearch archive for Moses Holland? Once I pivoted to searching for Scotts, the records led me through Anderson and Spartanburg in South Carolina and eventually to Culpeper County, Virginia. A series of estate documents from Anderson District kept pointing to Cornelius A. Scott. At first, he was just a name—someone involved in land transactions, someone whose children appeared alongside Toliver’s in legal filings. But the more I read, the clearer it became: Cornelius wasn’t a neighbor or a witness. He was family.

And then came the breakthrough. Buried in a chain of deeds and probate references was the unmistakable clue: Cornelius A. Scott wasn’t just connected to Toliver Sr.—he was Toliver’s father. That one realization opened the door to an entirely new generation. And once Cornelius appeared, the records began to unfold—land transfers in Culpeper County, boundary descriptions that matched across decades, and a pattern of inheritance that pointed unmistakably to Anthony Scott.

This little detour reminded me how unpredictable genealogy can be. A simple search for a drummer boy led me through estate files, land records, and finally to an ancestor I hadn’t even known to look for. Anthony Scott wasn’t the patriot I set out to find but discovering him added a whole new chapter to my family’s story.

I'll share more on Anthony Scott in April, but meanwhile, if you haven’t explored the Full Text-Search feature on FamilySearch, I highly recommend it. It’s very powerful. 

References

• Anderson County, South Carolina, Court Records 1800–1869, image 84, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Probate Records 1828–1878, image 477, FamilySearch.
• Deed Book D, 1762-1765, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper. Deed Books 1762–1765, image 350, FamilySearch.
• Deed Book GG, 1813-1817, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper. Deed Books 1813–1817, images 303–304, FamilySearch.
• Deed Book K, 1779-1781, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper. Deed Books 1779–1781, image 68, FamilySearch.
• Deed Book L, 1781-1783, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper. Deed Books 1781–1783, image 144, FamilySearch.
• Personal Property Tax Book, 1782-1789, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper. Personal Property Tax Records 1782–1789, image 60, FamilySearch. 

Constable’s Sale of Abram, Sold to Charles Burk

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

Georgia, Greene County, Saturday 11th June 1808

Received of Mr. Charles Burk, seventy-six dollars in full payment for a negro man named Abram which said negro man levied on as the suits of W. A. Gibboney, William Greer, and others rising out of a Justices Court and advertised agreeable to law put upon the highest bidder at public auction when the said Charles Burk became the highest and best bidder at the price or sum of seventy-six dollars as stated above the receipt and whereof I do hereby acknowledge and will warrant and defend the aforesaid negro against the claim or claims of all person or persons whatsoever unto the said Charles Burk as far as I am bound by law in my official situation as constable and no farther as witness my hand and seal the day and year first above written

Test.
John Bethune JP Wm. Cone Cons. (Seal)

Recorded this 20th Febry 1870 
John B. Hume, Clk.

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Land Records 1785–1787, Tax Records 1793, 1796–1797, 1788–1790, image 214, FamilySearch.

Nathan Lankford: Patriotism Beyond the Battlefield

With the 250th anniversary of American independence on the horizon, I decided to explore the Revolutionary War period through the lives of the men and women in my own family tree. I began with my 5th great‑grandfather, Nathan Lankford—a man long assumed to have been a soldier. What I discovered instead was a story of civic duty, community leadership, and patriotic service that unfolded not on the battlefield, but in everyday work.

Born in 1764 in either Mecklenburg or Rutherford County, North Carolina, Nathan is connected to me through his daughter—my 4th great‑grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Lankford. Although he never enlisted, he is recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for his Patriotic Service to the cause. His contribution is documented through two Revolutionary War pay vouchers issued by the State of North Carolina, official records showing he was compensated for services rendered. While the vouchers don’t specify the exact nature of his support, they indicate that he aided the Patriot effort, likely by furnishing supplies or labor. This kind of civil service was essential to sustaining the war, and Nathan’s inclusion in the DAR database affirms his role in the struggle for independence, even if he never wore a uniform.

Nathan as shown in the DAR Index

Nathan is sometimes described in online trees as having fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780) at age 16 and later helping build the first White House (construction began in 1792), but I find no evidence to support either claim. His name does not appear on the Kings Mountain lists I’ve seen, he left no pension application documenting combat service, and his verified Revolutionary War involvement consists only of North Carolina pay vouchers for patriotic service in 1782. Given that he was born in 1764, he would have been too young for most early‑war military service but old enough by the final years of the conflict to contribute in non‑combat or local support roles, which aligns with the type of service reflected in his voucher. These stories are best treated as unproven family lore.

In June 1782, Nathan was formally compensated by the State of North Carolina for his contributions to the Revolutionary War effort. A pay voucher issued in the Salisbury District records that he was allowed 17 pounds, 10 shillings, and 5 pence in specie (gold or silver) for a public claim—an official acknowledgment by the Board of Auditors that he had either furnished supplies, performed services, or otherwise supported the Patriot cause. A second voucher, issued on September 6, 1782, allowed him one pound specie for another public claim. Although neither document specifies the nature of his contribution, both confirm that Nathan was actively involved in the war’s final year and recognized by the state for his role.

Pay voucher (June 1782)

 

Pay voucher (September 1782)

Around 1790, Nathan married Meron (or Marion) Caldwell, daughter of Curtis Caldwell and Sarah W. Fondren, in Rutherford County. Together they had 11 children that I can document: John, Curtis C., Robert S., Elizabeth, Meron, Mary, Sarah “Sally,” Sibby, Rhoda, Martha, and Minor S. Lankford.

Nathan appears in Rutherford County records as early as April 1794, when the court appointed him overseer of the public road from John Cummins’ place on White Oak to the Block House. Road overseers were typically established householders entrusted with maintaining important transportation routes, so this appointment indicates that Nathan was settled in the area, likely owned or occupied land along the road, and was actively participating in local civic duties. In July 1795, he served as a juror tasked with laying out a new public road, further demonstrating his involvement in community affairs.

By 1800, Nathan was living in the Morgan District of Rutherford County with his wife, seven children under 16, and one enslaved person. His census entry places him in the 26–44 age bracket. The presence of multiple young children and an enslaved laborer suggest a growing farm and a household firmly rooted in the community known as Skywicker.

Nathan’s status as a landowner is well documented. In January 1802, the court appointed him—identified as a freeholder—to help set aside a year’s support for Rebekah Earle, widow of John Earle. This role was reserved for trusted, established men. Between 1804 and 1805, Nathan purchased at least 255 acres in Rutherford County: 100 acres from the administrators of John Earle’s estate on Skyuka and 155 acres from the estate of James Logan on the Long Branch of the Pacolet River. The Logan deed was witnessed by Charles Lankford, highlighting early ties between the Lankford and Logan families—connections that later deepened when Nathan’s daughter Sarah married James Logan Jr. Both deeds were formally proved in court in October 1809.

Despite claims found online, there is no evidence that Nathan Lankford of Rutherford County served in the War of 1812. A reference card does exist for a man of the same name in Pearson’s 7th Regiment, but the full pension file shows that soldier was a different individual—one who lived in Polk County, married Mary Brock in 1862, and died in 1873. Rutherford County’s Nathan died in early 1826 and was married to Meron, not Mary Brock. Based on naming patterns and family proximity, the Polk County Nathan was likely a younger relative, possibly a first cousin (son of Robert Lankford and Sybil Taylor), but the two men should not be mistaken for one another.

Nathan’s daughter Sarah “Sally” married James Logan in Rutherford County on December 2, 1813. In 1816, his son John received a 50‑acre land grant adjoining Nathan’s property on Skyuka. Nathan’s 1825 will later bequeathed John the tract “below the mill,” matching the location of the 1816 grant. On December 15, 1816, Nathan signed the £500 marriage bond for his daughter Sibby, who married Leeroy Caruth. In October 1817, he was appointed constable, entering into a £500 bond and taking the oath of office—a position reflecting trust and responsibility.

Nathan’s 1820 census entry lists 11 individuals in his household: 8 free white persons and 3 enslaved people. He and an adult woman—presumably Meron—were both over 45. The household included several children and young adults, and five individuals were engaged in agriculture, indicating a working farm. Nearby lived Robert Lankford, John Lankford, and Nathan Hobbs (husband of Nathan’s daughter Mary), showing the family’s close geographic clustering.

In April 1822, Nathan appeared in court to prove a deed from Isaac Cloud Sr. to Jonathan Williams. Isaac Cloud was married to Nathan’s aunt, Sarah “Sally” Lankford. Between 1824 and 1825, court executions against Braxton Lankford repeatedly described his 200‑acre tract as adjoining the lands of Robert Lankford, Nathan Lankford, and Watson Collins, confirming Nathan’s property boundaries and his proximity to other Lankford relatives. One case involved a debt originally owed to Nathan, showing his financial dealings within the family.

On December 28, 1825, Nathan wrote his will, describing himself as “sick and afflicted in body” but of sound mind. He provided generously for his wife Meron, granting her the use of all land and personal property during her lifetime or widowhood so she could support herself and the unmarried children still at home. After her death or remarriage, he directed that John receive the Skyuka tract below the mill; Curtis inherit the Long Branch “Piece Place;” and Robert, still underage, receive the home tract under John’s guardianship. He also made provisions for his daughters, including livestock and the future increase of enslaved people, or monetary compensation if no increase occurred. The remainder of the estate was to be sold and divided among his children and the heirs of any who had predeceased him. Nathan named Meron and John as executors, excusing John from commissions.

Just weeks before his death, on January 9, 1826, Nathan completed a final land purchase from George Williams: 100 acres on the North Pacolet River and both sides of Skyuka Creek. Although the deed was not recorded until 1835, the transaction itself occurred during Nathan’s lifetime. Nathan died sometime between January 9, 1826, when he executed the Williams deed, and February 13, 1826, when the deed was proved in court. His son John submitted the estate inventory in April 1826, marking the close of Nathan’s long and active life in Rutherford County.

References

• Births, Delayed Births, Divorces, Marriage Bonds, Licenses, Certificates, Registers, Cohabitations, and Grave Removals: Rutherford County, North Carolina, Birth Records 1779–1868, Divorce Records 1779–1868, Delayed Birth Records 1779–1868, Grave Registers 1779–1868, Licenses 1779–1868, Marriage Bonds 1779–1868, image 94, FamilySearch.
• Nathan Langford, Daughters of the American Revolution, Ancestor Search; https://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A068974. 
• Nathan Lankford, North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers, 1779–1782.
• Nathan Lankford, North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665–1998.
• North Carolina, Military Records 1779–1792, image 503, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford Co. File No. 3009, Capt. John Lankford, NC Land Grant Images and Data; https://www.nclandgrants.com/grant/?mars=12.14.108.3013&qid=1233707&rn=1. 
• Rutherford County Land Grant File No. 3009, Capt. John Lankford, NC Land Grant Images and Data; https://www.nclandgrants.com/frame/?fdr=547&frm=1050&mars=12.14.108.3013. 
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Marriage Bonds 1810–1859, image 98, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Court Minutes 1786–1789, 1789–1793, 1779–1786, 1781–1786, 1794–1798, images 700 and 754, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Court Minutes 1799–1802, 1803–1806, 1813–1817, 1806–1810, 1810–1813, images 142, 491, and 810, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Court Minutes 1825–1830, 1818–1819, 1821–1825, 1820–1821, 1831–1837, images 268, 398, 440, and 444, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Deeds 1807–1816, image 417, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Deeds 1835–1840, image 31, FamilySearch.
• Rutherford County, North Carolina, Wills 1782–1868, images 367–368, FamilySearch.
• U.S. Federal Census, Morgan, Rutherford, North Carolina, 1800.
• U.S. Federal Census, Rutherford County, North Carolina, 1820.