Did Britian have a son named Nelson N. Duke (b.1779)?

Question

I'm on familysearch and I was trying to verify the lineage. Someone wrote that Nelson N. Duke was the son of Britian but had two legal guardians named John Cook and Johnathan Knight. You can see it in the collaborate page. Do you know anything about this? Thanks!

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/collaborate/LZLP-8XT

Best,

David

Answer 1

There is a Nelson listed in Brittain's will, according to the Duke-Symes book. The next couple of pages mention a Nelson who was a minor orphan of Brittain. I am not sure about the accuracy of that book, but that seems to be where the notes on FamilySearch came from. Here are the pages where Nelson is mentioned:

• Page 163
• Page 164
• Page 165
• Page 166

There is a Brittain descendant (through Dabney) in the Duke Y-DNA study group, so we know he came from John Duke of Isle of Wight. I'm a co-administrator in the group, and we've tried to contact him to upgrade for more detailed testing, but he has been unresponsive. I am not aware of any Nelson descendants in the group, but If there is a male still carrying Nelson's Y-DNA, that could help prove the connection to Brittain.