Landon Family Research Quarterly
Volume VI Issue 3 - July 1997
(Note that this is only part of issue 3. Complete issues from the most recent two years are not on-line to encourage people to join the Landon family research group.)
THE PROBLEM OF THE MULTIPLE SAME-NAME LANDONS
By Barbara Lynn Goosmann Roach
From the July 1997 issue of the Landon Family Research Quarterly.
This article was requested on the multiple James Landons in the earliest days of the colonies, presenting hard evidence about them and other multiple same-name Landons. I have attempted to deal with pertinent discussion and only those people necessary to the discussion. Since there is no confusion over David 1, he is not included in this article. Since James Landons are the most difficult problem, I have put every James in bold type.
In the process, I e-mailed this information to many people and got their input. Betty Brassington sent what I thought was an article to add on, but it turned out to be a printing of her Brother's Keeper program with all the information Dave Skinner had found or had been given by LFR members. Betty also typed in anything she found or that was sent to her into that program. Everyone deserves a pat on the back for sharing so much time-consuming research.
For new readers, JOL stands for the initials of the author of THE LANDON/BOARDMAN GENEALOGY, James Orville Landon, and it was published in 1928. JOL's book contains old letters and all the information he collected over many years. It can be very confusing because he included many differing opinions and information is sometimes scattered for the earliest men. However, it is still the best source we have. I once referred to the book as being weedy and made Dave Skinner really laugh. We are still trying to organize the Landon garden, and this is yet another attempt.
JAMES LANDON1
md. Elizabeth ----, Immigrant (JOL p. 14 & 15)
James1 died Oct 12, 1692 and left a will dated 13 Feb 1691-2. The will is printed in JOL, p. 15-16, probated Suffolk. He left to his wife Elizabeth (among other things) property in Swanzy and Lyn, MA. (Swansey and Lynn). He had five children who could easily become confused with the children of other early Landons. Extreme care will have to be exercised in the Bristol Co, MA area to assure that the ages of the named men found there are discovered, the date of the record must be found, and then solid linkage will have to be produced.
Judy Jacobson did find a Daniel in this area. Being really cautious, we have to check that date to be certain which generation Daniel was there. Judy found a Daniel sold land in Taunton, Bristol Co., MA on 27 Jan 1686/7 to Nathaniel Paine. She believes this Daniel to be Daniel 1. The date is 3-4 years before Daniel 1's possible arrest.
James1 does not specifically state the names of his children in his will which makes things even more difficult. Did he have a son Daniel as Al Mink believes? Or Henry? Or James? If the land sale was by a son Daniel, his age would be about 48 when he married Dorothy Holdredge and he was deceased some time before he would have been about 84, as she remarried in 1746/7.
James 1's will is often confused with that of James2 md. Mary Vail's will which lists a son James Jr3. This will does not. Also, some state this man had a son James Jr. who was the man who md. Mary Vail, using that incorrect will for a source for the son James Jr. This man did not live in Litchfield or Southold.
DANIEL LANDON1
This man is often confused with other generation Daniels. Solid evidence exists that he lived in Bristol, RI. THE VITAL RECORDS OF BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND 1636-1850, VOL 5, Washington Co., c. 1894 Narragansett Pub. Co. Births, 1-240 states the following children were born to him and his wife Anna ---: "LANDON- Mercy of Danl & Anna June 2, 1682. Martha of Danl & Anna Feb 4, 1683/4. James of Danl & Anna Mar 29, 1685." JOL p. 14 states that Mercy was b. June 22 and a 4th child was born to them: Elizabeth was born Sept 24, 1686 in Bristol, RI. Elizabeth's birthdate comes from from vital records. JOL adds a note that there appear to be 3 children born before these and to see the following page. I found nothing there in JOL to substantiate that claim. Betty Brassington did find they had 7 children on a Bristol, RI census by their Church of Christ in 1689.(LFR Jan 93, p12, NEHGR Oct 1880, p404)
Because the vital records are taken from church records means that they often cannot be found. That confuses some people, but the records do exist in Bristol, RI. Judy found that a Daniel and a Joseph were on the 1689 Bristol, Plymouth Colony census also in 1689. Betty did a wonderful article on the children of Daniel 1, LFR Jan 93, pgs 11-14 , listing also Ann, Lydia and perhaps Daniel as children. Mercy is often a nickname for Mary.
Daniel 1 and Anna's recorded time and place of death and graves are missing which would tend to make one wonder where they went and what happened to them. It doesn't, however, mean that their place of death won't be discovered.
Daniel 1 may have been arrested on 4 October 1689 and tried for piracy, but he was not hung or executed for the crime. The Daniel who was tried was freed with a pardon after a fine was paid of 20 marks. Whether he took an alias at that time or whether one or more of his children took refuge with relatives cannot be proven. The man tried may not be a Landon at all.
Jean Wallace points out that Betty Brassington (LFR,Vol II,No.1, p.11) stated that "if Daniel escaped, it is sensible to guess that he moved his family far away from where his trial took place. Indeed, anyone who "broke prison" would be obliged to make a quick move elsewhere it would seem..." Evidence shows that Daniel did not break prison at the point of a gun or make a crafty escape, however, a conspiracy to free these men did exist.
Apparently the jailer who recorded their release as a prison break was mighty upset that these men were freed with a pardon by the very men who were so high up and probably involved somehow in provisioning their pirate ship. The jailer was the King's man, and he must have felt freeing these guilty colonists ought to be illegal...as a King's man would. Also, I suspect that Wait Still Winthrop, being used to power on the grandest of scales, was pretty high handed when he got them out of prison. Everyone was armed in those days.
There is no sure evidence that Daniel 1 or his son James 2 ever lived in Litchfield or Southold. The record which does exist in Litchfield states a Daniel came to Litchfield who was a 3rd generation Daniel, not Daniel 1.
NATHAN LANDON1
Also known as Nathaniel. Nathan was b.c. 1664 and md. Hannah Bishop. If he came to America with his father, and if his father was the John who died in America who was noted in court records in Great Britain, he may have come to America in 1676 at the age of 12 not 15 (see Jan 97 issue of LFR). There were two John Landons in the Colonies at that time.
The 2nd Census of Southold, LI, NY in 1698 called James2 who was living in Nathan's home, Nathan's "second son" (JOL p. 17). Nathan1 and Hannah had the following children: Elizabeth2, Nathan Jr 2, James2 and Samuel2. Since James2 was alive in 1698 at the time of the census, we can then know he was born before 1698. (From JOL p. 18).
James2 married Mary Vail and was the second son of Nathan 1, NYGBR, VOL XXVII, pgs. 24-7 by Lucy Dubois Akerly, a Landon descendant, (JOL p. 19). However, she confuses the date of his marriage by 10 years. These two records coupled with the fact that there is no grave for Nathan 1's James2 or a death record, may prove that James2 did not die in infancy.
Another record in JOL on p.19 is confused also in reference to an implied Landon marriage of James2: "Liber E in MSS, the Landon Bible and Salem Records all call her Hannah." Looking back at the original source might help solve this. I believe this is a reference to Salem, Mass. This was from THE NEW YORK GEN & BIO RECORD, Vol XXVIII, Pages 24-27 by Lucy Dubois Akerly. Akerly is a Landon descendant, and her statement may be referring to the marriage of Nathan 1 to Hannah Bishop and not to a James at all. Someone needs to get this record and take a look at it. The record also could be confused with Eliza's marriage, discussed in Nathan Jr 2, which might in fact be Hannah's marriage.
JOL p. 21 states Nathan 1's children were Nathan and Samuel, and his grandsons were Jared and Henry.
From Dave Skinner's data base:
Nathan 1 born about 1664 {Tombstones at Southold, LI Cemetery}, Herefordshire, England,{NY G & B, Vol 39, page 130 and JOLp8} married about 1692-95, Southhold, LI, Hannah Bishop?, born about 1671, died 26-Jan-1701, Southhold, LI, {The Salmon Records, Southold, LI, NY G & B Record, Vol 47 & 48 and tombstones at Southold, LI Cemetery} buried age 30. Nathan 1 died 9-Mar-1717/18, Southhold, LI?, {The Salmon Records, Southold, LI, NY G & B Record, Vol 47 & 48 also N Y G & B Record Vol 39, page 130 and tombstones at Southold, LI Cemetery} age 54.
From NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, Vol 39, page 130 -- Nathan 1 and Hannah Landon had Children Nathan, Samuel, Elizabeth, and doubtless James and Hannah who m. John Vail. Elizabeth married Samuel Griffin. From NY G & B Record, Vol 28, page 24 -- Nathan 1 born 1664, Herefordshire, Eng, sailed from Liverpool to Boston, age 15, came to Southold, m Hannah 1692- 1695.
Also - NEW ENGLAND FAMILIES, GEN. & MEM., by William Richard Cutter, 1914) Nathan 1 witnessed will of John Paine of Southold, 3 Feb 1706/7. JOL, p. 302, seems to indicate the names of the sons came from Nathan 1's will. [Not all wills are probated. This will may remain in the possession of a descendant who isn't researching. Ed.] Page 302 also says that information about the family is found in SOUTHOLD TOWN RECORDS, Vol 11, pages 83, 84.
Tombstones found in the Southold Churchyard are printed in NEHGR, 1899, Vol LIII, Pages 170, 171. It was also reprinted in LFR, Oct 1995. There were tombstones for Nathan 1 and Hannah giving their deathdates and ages when they died showing their birthyear. There are tombstones for Samuel 2 and Bethia Landon giving the same information. There are also tombstones for members of the family of Samuel 2 and Bethiah. There is a tombstone for Mary Landon with her deathdate, the ages were also given but are no longer readable. This is obviously the wife of James 2, who married Mary Vail. He is probably buried here as well but no tombstone has survived.
Here is a guess (BJB): When Hannah died (said to have died in childbirth), in 1701, Nathan 1 was then 37 years old. He had children aged less than ten years. It seems most likely he would have married again to provide a mother for his young children -- but there is no record of such a marriage. Nathan 1 lived on for 17 years after Hannah's death.
Hannah: From NY G & B Record, Vol 39, page 130 -- Hannah, wife of Nathan Landon 1, was according to tradition at Guilford, CT, dau. of Stephen Bishop (John1), and his wife Tabitha, dau. of Widow Parnel Wilkinson of Bermuda. The name Parnel was in frequent use in the Bishop family, and among Hannah's descendants. Children:
i Nathan Landon, Jr. 2, born 14-Sep-1696.
ii James Landon
iii Hannah Landon (also JOL p.304)
iv Samuel Landon born 20-May-1699 (also JOL p. 22)
v Elizabeth Landon born 12-Jun-1700, Southold, Long Island, NY, {NY G & B Record Vol 39, page 130, JOL p.304} died 28-Apr-1707/08, Southhold, Long Island.{The Salmon Records, Southold, LI, NY G & B Record, Vol 47 & 48} Please also see notes on Eliza, daughter of Nathan Jr 2.
Nathan Landon Jr. 2
From Dave Skinner's data base:
Nathan Jr 2, born 14-Sep-1696, Southold, Long Island, NY,{NY G & B Record Vol 39, p 130 and JOL p 304} married 19-Sep-1723, in Southold, LI, NY,{The Salmon Records, Southold, LI and NY G & B Record, Vol 49} Southold, LI, NY, Prudence Osmon who died 18-Apr-1768, Southold, LI, NY. Nathan died 28-Sep-1750, Southold, LI, NY,{ The Salmon Records, Southold, LI, NY G & B Record Vol 47 & 48} buried age 54.
Akerly states he had a daughter Eliza 3 below.
Eliza/Elizabeth/Hannah...2 or 3
This girl is really difficult to sort, enough so that I have put her separately. JOL listed her as the child of Nathan 1 (p304). I believe this is because of her birthdate which may be bogus. If you will note below, Nathan 1's daughter was born 12 June 1700, and Eliza was born 12 June 1710, both as stated only by family with no proof. There's something odd about that. However, if you will note, Nathan 1's daughter Elizabeth died. That leaves, by process of elimination, three theories: Either she is Daniel 1's daughter, Daniel l's daughter died, or her birthdate is incorrect and she was born after 1723. The reader should note she had a son who died in the Revolutionary War. If a Hannah, then she may be Nathan 1's. It seems likely that her dates were incorrectly remembered by family.
From Dave Skinner's data base:
Eliza Landon, born 12-Jun-1710, Southold, Long Island, NY,{NY G & B Record, Vol 28, p24 and JOL p 304} married 3-Aug-1732, in Southold, Long Island, NY,{The Salmon Records, Southold, LI and NY G & B Record, Vol 49} Southold, Long Island, NY, Samuel Griffing, born 25-Sep-1710,{Families of Early Guilford CT, by Alvan Talcott, 1890 p. 520} (son of Robert Griffing and Lydia Kirtland ) died 1789.
Lucy Dubois Akerly says Eliza is the dau of Nathan Jr 2 and that Samuel Griffin and Eliza had 13 children, including Peter Griffin who died on the prison ship HMS Old Jersey. [One of the prison ships was nicknamed "Ole Hell" but all were terrible. 25,000 Americans died without food or medication while held in their holds. After death they were thrown overboard with chains and ballast rocks to sink their bodies. "Ole Hell" was anchored off Mrytle Beach. According to DAR records in the early 1900's, bones were washing up there which were gathered and buried. Ed.]
Some confusion results from the NY G & B Record notation in Vol 64, page 327, indicating that HANNAH Landon was married to Samuel Griffin. Families of Early Guilford, by Alvan Talcott, includes a Griffing family genealogy which shows Eliza Landon as the wife of Samuel Griffing.
Here is a guess (BJB): If Nathan 1 did indeed marry again after the death of Hannah [Nathan 1's wife Hannah died in 1701, and no record exists for another marriage. Ed.], could this Eliza Landon be the child of this second marriage? The daughter of the first marriage named Eliza/Elizabeth, [may have] died young. If Nathan 1 married again, it may well be that he named a child of that marriage Eliza also.
Eliza's stated birthdate, 12 June 1710, seems to rule out the possibility that she was a child of Nathan Jr 2, since he was not married until 1723. [Or Nathan Jr 2 had a first wife... but no record exists of another marriage. JOL may have decided to place this marriage under Nathan 1's Eliza because the marriage might have been that of her sister Hannah, or he wasn't sure which Elizabeth/Eliza died, Daniel 1's or Nathan 1's. Dave Skinner places her as Nathan Jr 2's because of her son's age and Ackerly's statement. Probably the June 12 birthdate was given to two women in error, and the year is in error. Her marriage date could be off, and /or she could have been born after 1723. All dates need to be verified there is so much conflict. Ed.]
James Landon2 md. Mary Vail
The father of James2 md. Mary Vail is in dispute and is usually believed to be Nathan 1 or Daniel 1.
A GENEALOGICAL REGISTER OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN OF LITCHFIELD, CONN., by George C. Woodruff 1845, 1900, Hartford Press at Clayton Genealogical Library, Houston, TX states that, "Four brothers came from Southhold, Long Island viz.: James, Daniel, David, and John." Incredible confusion has resulted because of that statement. Generations and age must be looked at to find out which generation the author could be discussing. He is discussing James3 who married Sarah Bishop and his brothers. He then lists all of the 3rd generation children known to be James2 and Mary Vail's children who came to Litchfield, and he gives all the town records. Also, JOL gives a full list of the children of James2 and Mary Vail based on those town records as: Mary, b Nov 26, 1707; Joseph b. Dec 18, 1708; James Jr. b. Aug 5, 1711; Daniel b. Jan 7, 1713-14; Rachel b. Oct 12, 1716; David b. July 5, 1718; John b. July 21, 1720; and Lydia b. 1722, which includes the four brothers above. Litchfield records include the following:
James 2 md. Mary (Brown) Wilmot #2. She was "the wife of Alexander Wilmet of Southampton, LI, was a daughter of Francis Brown. Alexander Wilmet's wife's name was Mary and she married second June 12, 1723, James Landon of Southold, LI," per Savage. JOL p. 19 and 22.
The marriage date to Mary Vail varies by 10 years between May 1707 and 1717 throughout the 1st chapter of JOL. Birth records of the couple state they had a 1st child together named Mary b. Nov 26 1707 [p.22, JOL], confirming the marriage date of 1707 with the birth following in 7 months, both of which are in town records.
From Dave Skinner's data base:
James 2 is called "doubtless" the son of Nathan 1 and Hannah by NYGBR, Vol 30, page 130. However, the author of JOL disbelieves this enough to put Nathan 1 and his descendants in a separate section at the end of the book. [Leaving James 2 separately listed. Ed.] James 2 married Mary Vail whose tombstone has survived at the Southold Churchyard with date of death, 22 Aug 1722, with her age given but not readable at the present time.
It seems that many other researchers must have agreed with JOL since James [who md. Mary Vail, Ed.] is usually given as the originator of the line and his parents are not given. [His parentage is a difficult decision for many. Dave Skinner took a poll and the results were mixed whether Nathan 1 was his father or his uncle. Ed.]
James Landon3
Son of James2 md. Mary Vail according to Litchfield records.
He "removed to Salisbury with John[3]; (and) md. Sarah Bishop." Confusion can easily happen as many people still wonder if James2 md. Mary Vail or Sarah Bishop. That would be confusing two separate generations! James3 md. Sarah Bishop. He had the following children: "Sarah; James[4]; Asa, b. Jul 27, 1736; Ezekiel, b. Aug 31, 1738; Thomas, b. Sep 10, 1740 (NOTE: This man is not the Thomas Sr who fought in the Revolutionary War, nor is he the Thomas4 son of David3. More on that in the next issue. This man is not the ancestor of Senator Nancy Kassebaum-Baker or the Editor.); Rachel b. Oct 11, 1741, Ambrose, b. Sep 9, 1744 who was the father of John R. Landon[5] [John R's children are listed in town records and if requested I will print them]; Lois b. Jul 11, 1746; Samuel; Luther; Nabby; and Nancy."
Daniel Landon3
Son of James2 md. Mary Vail according to Litchfield records.
In the NYG&B RECORD Vol 39, p.62, Daniel is stated to have had a first wife ---- Fiske (from Dave Skinner). "Daniel[3] md. Martha Youngs, May 22, 1736," according to Litchfield records. His children by Martha are listed in the town records as: "Daniel b. Feb 11, 1737, md. Chole Smith; Abner b. Mar 10 1739/40, md. Eunice Gibbs; Molly b. Apr 6, 1743, md. Sylvanus Bishop; John b. May 14, 1747 md. Abigail Bissell; Seth b. Dec 18,1749, md. Anna Beach; Nathan b. June 8, 1752, md. Sally Smith; Oliver b. Mar 12, 1755, md. Aner Watkins; and Joseph b. Feb 3, 1758, d. Aug 24, 1755."
Many people confuse this Daniel3 with Daniel 1 and Daniel 2 or 3 who md. Dorothy Holdredge. Several of our subscribers believe this Daniel to be the Daniel who md. Dorothy Holdredge. After considerable work from other angles of the theory, I found that it was impossible. This Daniel could not have married Dorothy Holdredge on Nov 5, 1718 as this Daniel was born Jan 7, 1713-14 and would have been 4 years of age. Please see his birth record above in the list of children born to James2 and Mary Vail.
David Landon3
Son of James2 md. Mary Vail according to Litchfield records.
"David[3] md. Mary Osborn from East Hampton, Long Island." His children are listed in the town records as: "Mary b. Nov 22, 1739, md. Archelus Buell; David b. Oct 13, 1741 [md. Chloe Buell per Judy Jacobson]; Benjamin b. Mar 8, 1744; Thomas b. Jan 14, 1745/6 [md. Experience Johnson, JOL p. 137]; Nathan b. Aug 7, 1748; Reuben [b. 28 May 1758 md. Mary Wray, JOL p. 137]; and Ebenezer." [David 3 md #2] "Thankful Dickinson from Hatfield, MA and had children: Thankful b. Aug 30, 1756, md. Benj. Gibbs and Jonathan Wright; and Ebenzer b. Dec 10, 1760 [md. Permelia Clemons and d. 23 Aug 1854, JOL p. 137]." Ebenezer is the Rev. War Veteran whose obit was in LFR Vol VI, Issue 1, Jan 1997 as noted by Jean Wallace.
***** Further records in this book list the births to Daniel4, Abner4, Nathan4, and Seth4 who were the children of Daniel3. Births are listed for David Jr4, Benjamin4, Thomas4, and Ebenezer4 who were the children of David3. The children of Remembrance Landon5 (Abner4,Daniel 3) are also listed. If requested, I will print any of these.
Conclusions:
Because James2 was said to be the second son of Nathan 1, the age of his brothers was brought into question. Nathan Jr 2 was said to be born 14 Sep 1696 [p. 19, JOL]. Samuel 2 was said to be born 20 May 1699 [p.21, JOL] after the census of 1698. James2, a second son of Nathan 1, born as early as possible given the date constraints, would be 10-11 years of age at the time of his marriage if he was born in 1697. JOL states graciously that he would have to have been under 15. Mary's age has disappeared from her gravestone, making it impossible to prove her age.
After seeing the list of birthdates for their chidren and the possible birthdate for James2 (Nathan 1), numerous arguments have sprung up about who this man was, taking violent exception to James2 being Nathan 1's because of his age at the time of the marriage. Although certainly underage children did marry, one wonders in the case of a child so very young and only 10 or 11 even if Mary was pregnant at the time.
Some doubt exists that James 2 is Nathan 1's son simply because of the age problem with James2. One of theories circulating states that Nathan Jr 2 had to be born first because he was a namesake of his father. In many cases a namesake of the father will be a later son and not the first. One line out of William and Experience Cooke Landon has 4th born namesakes in 2 generations. Just because Nathan Jr 2 is a namesake isn't a really valid reason to make Nathan Jr 2 the firstborn. It's certainly no reason to state that Nathan Jr 2 is not Nathan 1's son or that James2 isn't. Please note the important fact: Although Lucy Akerly listed Nathan Jr 2 as the firstborn, his birth order cannot be proven.
Also, through some strange coincidence, Daniel 1 and his son James2 disappear at the same time. No record of Daniel 1's grave or death can be found, nor his wife Anna's. It is natural to propose many theories, some good and some not so good to explain the disappearance. Most are very tricky.
Since the early 1900's the family has explained Daniel 1's son James2 was believed to be living with Nathan 1, his probable uncle. With the discovery of the piracy trial records, that tradition became possible but not provable. Because of possible scandal, Nathan 1 could have claimed him as his son.
The captain in charge of the American privateer ship was given a commission in the royal navy in England. It is hard to assume scandal when one can't find it destroying the life of even the captain responsible. Of course this captain had the support of many wealthy people, including nobility, to help him. I have to agree with Betty that Daniel probably got the heck out of Dodge, which was Boston in this case.
Because of possible scandal, if we assume there was worry over scandal, an outrageous thought occurs: Daniel 1 could have adopted his middle name or another name to hide his identity, perhaps being Nathan 1 himself. All the arguments and theories with incorrect facts have obscured ideas which would normally occur to people researching. The similarity between the names is striking as Nathaniels and Daniels are often confused with each other and misspelled. There might have been no scandal at all, just confusion. Anna, Daniel's wife, could be Nathan 1's wife Hannah...the same woman. Nathan 1 may have had a first wife. The names Anna and Hannah are also confused on many an occasion and nicknamed Ann. Not only a child James was born to both couples, but there was also a child Elizabeth (and perhaps Ann/Hannah) in common to both couples. Which brings us around to a larger problem in an attempt to disprove that Daniel 1 and Nathan 1 are the same man:
THE PROBLEM OF ELIZABETH/ELIZAS
The three existing birthdates of Elizabeths differ, forcing examination of what happened to each Elizabeth: Daniel 1's daughter Elizabeth was born September 24, 1686, Bristol, RI records. Nathan 1's daughter was born June 12, 1700, which see. Nathan Jr 2's daughter Elizabeth/Eliza was born June 12, 1710, which see. The second two dates come from the NY G & B Record, in different volumes, from family and cannot be proven. At this point, one can't help but notice that the month and day dates are the same for the second two Elizabeths, which is really odd and probably incorrectly stated by family. Because of that, we cannot use Elizabeth to prove or disprove Nathan 1 and Daniel 1 are the same person. Since there is only one birthdate and one death date provable in hard evidence, it could be she is one Elizabeth who died Apr 28, 1707/8 according to The Salmon Records. At the present time, no one knows what happened to Daniel 1's daughter Elizabeth. We cannot be certain which Eliza/Elizabeth died, although she is said to be Nathan 1's. Are those two Elizabeths the same girl? The girl Elizabeth who married may be Nathan Jr 2's child and her birth and/or marriage dates are unsure.
We could get really carried away with coincidence and wonder if Nathan Jr 2 was in fact yet another Nathaniel/Daniel and was the Daniel who md. Dorothy Holdredge. According to record, Nathan Jr 2 md. Patience Osmon in 1723. Since a marriage license was issued for Obadiah Ayers to "Dorothy LANDOL, widow" (NJ Gen Soc p 75) Feb 12, 1746/7, Dorothy was probably Daniel's widow Dorothy Holdredge. Since Dorothy and Daniel were married in 1718, we have a conflict of dates showing that probably he had only one wife and she wasn't Patience who md in 1723. Coupled with the fact that Samuel Landon was one of the executors of Obadiah Ayers estate (Dorothy's #2 husband), we can be sure Nathan Jr 2 is not the same man as the Daniel who md. Dorothy Holdredge. Samuel Landon was Obadiah's stepson, and the son of Dorothy and Daniel.
Dave Skinner has long maintained that the Daniel who md. Dorothy Holdredge might very well be descended from Nathan 1. He points out that if the Daniel who married Dorothy was the firstborn, then James2 who md. Mary Vail would not have to be younger than Nathan 2.
It can only be left up to the reader's discretion who fathered James2 md. Mary Vail. The main disagreement against Nathan 1 fathering James2 is with his calculated age at the time of the marriage which probably is incorrect. All the records, however, point to Nathan 1 as his father. After doing all this research, I have found myself siding more solidly with the records and not the disagreements.
What I would like to see and have strived for in this article, is an end to the deletion of facts from arguments concerning James2. Someone needed to take a hard look at everything written in one place to find all the facts, an impossible task without all LFR's members helping. We need to be sincere in our striving for the truth in these same-name situations especially. We also need to be sure of dates and generations. Any comments and corrections will be appreciated
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