All Things Cherokee

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Nightingale Land

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I am looking for more information on Nightingale Land wife of John Land. John Land served in the revolutionary war. They lived in Madison County, Kentucky. We know that my ancestor William Henry Land is the grandson of John and Nightingale. We also know that DNA testing shows that my grandfather has a small percentage of Native American ancestry. We don’t know who the parents of William Henry are. Curious to know if Nightengale is my link to my Native American ancestry. Looking for any info, including to parents of William Henry, incase that’s where my Native American ancestry is. Rumors that James and Sally Land are William Henry’s parents have been rejected by a DAR application.

Comments

  1. Small percentages on DNA (admixture) tests have to be taken with a grain of salt, as they can often be representing statistical noise or false results as well. Y-DNA or mtDNA results can be definitive for straight paternal or maternal lineages, but the so-called admixture tests (autosomal) are not completely accurate. Of course, DNA testing companies don’t highlight this, and many folks are excited to see any exotic results, so the margins of error, or false results, tend to get ignored. In any event, any echo of distant ancestry becomes harder to trace the further back you go. Yet, the process is still the same. You have to establish connections between each generation and build your record-supported tree.

    As far as a Cherokee connection, it would seem highly unlikely. John Land’s pension application and the efforts to obtain payment due his widow (Nightingale) give a lot of information. Such as:

    http://revwarapps.org/r6112.pdf

    “On July 8, 1851 in Garrard County Kentucky, John J. Land, 52, filed an application for the pension due his mother as the widow of John Land, a revolutionary war pensioner; he states that he is the son and administrator of John Land deceased and of Nightingale Land, deceased, the wife of said John Land; he states that his mother’s maiden name was Nightingale Land [sic]; that his parents were married in Pendleton County Virginia some time in the year 1787; that his father died in Madison County Kentucky September 22nd 1846; that his mother Nightingale Land died in Decatur County Indiana on the 17th day of November 1849; that his mother never drew the pension due her as the widow of his father…”

    A son stated that his mother’s maiden name was Land, which would indicate that they were related, or he misunderstood the question and didn’t actually know his mother’s maiden name. Cousin marriage was quite common at that time, particularly in this Land family cluster, so this is not an unlikely scenario. Also, this couple was married in Pendleton County, Virginia (now WV) in 1787. John had mentioned elsewhere that he had lived in Orange County, Virginia. These two locations were nowhere near any Cherokee settlements. Northern hunting grounds that extended up into what is now western Virginia were ceded very early in American history. Pendleton is in an area that was settled by Anglos in the 1740s. Nightingale’s place of birth was listed as Virginia, although her parent’s identities are not confirmed. A VA place of birth at that time period would not indicate a Cherokee origin for this ancestress.

    They show up in standard White records and Nightingale is found specifically is numerous records. No mention of her being and Indian is made. She also had no apparent connection with the Cherokee people, or any tribe, during her lifetime. The time and place seems off here. However, as with all genealogy, it is a matter of digging, and trying to find information that confirms parentage and gets you back further, step by step. Good luck!

    • Thanks! That helps ruling out Nightingale, there is also a theory out there where nightingale was the wife of John’s brother and it was a second marriage. There seems to be a lot of theories surrounding them.

      My grandfather did the Familytree DNA. He started off with the y-dna and then my parents paid to continue with the mtDNA. My parents and myself did the autosomal through ancestrydna, and even though it’s more user friendly, my grandfathers is more detailed. Of course because ours is the autosomal my mom and I don’t pick up Native American.

      My mom started with her research on John Land first for the DAR, but we could never get passed William Henry’s parents. Applying for the DAR means collecting birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates,bible records, and adoption records to prove ancestry. Mom’s was denied bc there wasn’t enough proof on William Henry’s parents, even though John mentions that his grandson William Henry is living with him in his pension. After traveling to Kentucky, my mom started wondering about Nightingale, and if she was Native American. I can’t remember why.

      I don’t think I’m quite ready to say my grandfather showing a small percentage of Native American was mistake quite yet, but I’m ready to say it wasn’t Nightingale.

      My mom, had to find another line to get into the DAR, so she’s done some extensive research on all of my grandfather’s lines. So I do think if there is an Native American ancestor it’s in the Land line.

      Unfortunately I think it’s part of the William Henry Land mystery. Which may never be solved. My mom said that her grandfather told her that his father’s father was an Arab. I found on another site saying descriptions such as this were a way to hide knowledge of interracial relationships between Native Americans, and whites.

      I’ve been researching Madison county, Ky. And maps of where Native American tribes lived, I think I’ve narrowed it down to two possible tribes?? Chickasaw or Cherokee. I have also been researching the area mentioned in John’s pension application to figure out what is possible. I have been also trying to find a plat map of the area to see if that explains anything, but I haven’t been successful.

      I don’t know why I wasn’t searching nightingale’s birth location, now that I think of it. I guess I figured that since John was a POW, he really could have met anyone anywhere as he was escaping. But as I was doing more research I found that the Cherokee’s were allies of Britain during the war so I doubt they would have connected if they were against each other.

      I think the main problem with my research has been that William Henry was born in 1809, and all records of Native American’s don’t seem to be recorded on any of the rolls until mid century.

      William Henry would have been my grandfathers, great grandfather, so he would have only gotten 6.5% from William Henry. And half of that from the generation before that. So it would be hit or miss or a small trace anyway since it’s so far back. I wish it was as easy as saying it was Nightingale.

      Thanks for your help! It really did rule out one person in my mind!

      • I am also descended from John and Nightengale through their son Moses. We traced them through land ownership to Pendelton District (Abbeville), So. Carolina where they bought and sold land in the 1790s. That is Cherokee territory. I, too, have heard rumors of Indian ancestry but assumed it was through my great grandmother. I had DNA testing done through National Geographic and I really do not understand the results.

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