Nathan Breed (abt. 1744 - abt. 1825)

Born about 1744 in Groton, Connecticut [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Harlan) Breed — married 15 Apr 1778 in Craven Co,SC

Descendants

Died about 28 Oct 1825 at about age 81 in Barren County, Kentucky, USA [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kathy King [send private message] and Tabatha Sims [send private message]

Biography

Nathan Breed was a son of Priscilla (Avery) Breed (1715-1786) and Joseph Breed Sr. (1708-abt.1786). His birth date and location are not certain. If he was born in 1744 per the only reference that seems to provide a date frame ^[1], then the location of his birth would have been Groton, Connecticut. Most certainly both the date and the location of his birth as listed on his grave memorial page do not mutually pertain: Find A Grave: Memorial #220741331.

His birth family left Stonington and nearby Groton in the mid-1740s, becoming key components of the Separatist (Baptist) diaspora among the middle and southeastern colonies. Joseph Breed and his fellow missionaries spread the gospel and founded churches as they traveled from place to place. They were traced in southern New York State, Pennsylvania, Winchester (Frederick County), Virginia, where they had daughter Hannah. Their later children were born in "Chatham" [present day Randolph] County, North Carolina, and Fair Forest [present day Union County], South Carolina.

Note: An earlier version of this profile stated that "Lieut. Nathan Breed served in the Wood County, Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War." That statement is very likely an error. The only evidence presented to date is that Nathan Breed was a private (as was his brother-in-law Obediah Howard) in Col. Thomas Brandon's Regiment of South Carolina Patriot Regulators who operated throughout the back country of the Carolinas. Nathan Breed probably took part in some key battles and skirmishes, including the pivotal conflict at King's Mountain [requires further investigation]. Very likely Nathan Breed served throughout the war, and probably was discharged thereafter to pursue civilian life.

He married 15 Apr 1778 Mary (uncertain surname, possibly Harlan or Howard) in South Carolina.

Uncertainty regarding Mary, the wife of Nathan Breed(e)

Considerable confusion exists regarding the surname and ancestry of Mary, the wife of Nathan Breed. The Old King William Homes and Families (1897) anthology published her surname as 'Howard' (see attached excerpted image). To date, this is the only evident basis for presuming that her name was Howard. If it is accurate then her identity and ancestry remain a mystery, and should be investigated further.

The Harlan Family (1914) reference source published the following: Mary Harlan (Aaron(5), Aaron*), b. 1748, in Kennet Twp., Chester Co., Pa.; d. it is supposed in Monroe Co., Ky. She removed when a child, 1753. from Chester Co., Pa., to Cumberland Co., N. C, and from there into Union District, S. C, where she m. Nathan Breede, a farmer and son of Joseph and Catherine of that District. About the year 1796 they cm. to and settled in (now) Monroe Co., Kentucky, near the present town of Tompkinsville, where they d. and near there were bur.^[2]. If this is accurate then her identity is profiled as Mary (Harlan) Breed (1748-1831), who is currently attached as Nathan's spouse. Whereas this passage seems to clarify that Mary's surname at birth was Harlan, the problematic term "and Catherine" (above, bold) implies that the parents of Nathan Breed(e) were Joseph Breed (1738-bef.1807) and Catherine (Lee) Breed (abt.1740-), not Joseph Breed Sr. (1708-abt.1778) and Priscilla (Avery) Breed (1715-abt.1786). Setting aside the possibility that the name Catherine may have been a typographical error (possibly should be Priscilla), in terms of chronology and geography of residence, neither sets of parents would be implausible. It is relevant, though, that none of the currently identified children of Joseph Breed and Catherine (Lee) were named Nathan. Again, further investigation based on credible sourcing should be pursued.

In any case, children of Nathan Breed and Mary included:

1. Sarah (Breed) Harrison (1779-1818); married James Harrison
2. Leonard Breed (1782-)
3. Phoebe (Breed) Chism (1784-1835); married James Chism (or Chesholm)
4. Priscilla (Breed) Chism (1787-1851); married William Chism (or Chesholm)
5. Mary "Polly" (Breed) Chism (1789-1851); married Michael Chism (or Chesholm)
6. Elizabeth (Breed) Thomas (1801-1825); married Tolliver (or Tolbert) Thomas who was killed by a horse

This family moved along with several siblings and Separatist (Baptist) missionary associates, and settled in Barren County, or nearby Monroe County, Kentucky. A clue as to when this mission took place is found in the following excerpt from the William Chism & Priscilla (Breed) Chism Bible record, referring to the fourth child of this family: Priscilla Breed was bornd December 5th 1787 in East Tennessee. This passage indicates that the family had departed from South Carolina before or during 1787, as they would have passed through eastern Tennessee in order to reach Kentucky. The journey would have been very difficult, as they had to move through wilderness to pass through the Blue Ridge (Appalachian) mountain range, then traverse deep river valleys in both Tennessee and Kentucky, in order to reach their destination. The entire journey may have taken many months, or even years.

Nathan Breed died probably 28 Oct 1825 in Barren County, Kentucky. A memorial stone is in Old Mulkey Church Cemetery, Tompkinsville, Monroe County, Kentucky, USA: Find A Grave: Memorial #220741331 [Note: This stone, like many others in this cemetery, is not a grave marker. It is simply an "honorary" stele placed there in the 1920s & '30s by the local DAR in an attempt to memorialize people who contributed to settlement of the general region of south central Kentucky. It is not certain whether Mary, the wife of Nathan Breed, or even Nathan himself, were actually interred at this cemetery.]

Sources

1. ↑ Alabama Department of Archives and History. Public Information Subject Files—Surname files, 1901-1984 available via microfilm in reference, SG002624-2652 and 13361-13362, containing the materials added from 1984-2005. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61266/41904_539956-01190?pid=230760&treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=GYR1074&_phstart=successSource#?imageId=41904_539956-01190 Alabama, Surname Files Expanded, 1702–1981] [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
2. ↑ Alpheus H. Harlan, “History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family and particularly the Descendants of George and Michael Harlan Who settled in Chester County, Pa., 1687”, 1914, Reprinted Fifth Printing, 1998 for the Harlan Family by Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD; pp. 38, 92, no. 193: https://archive.org/stream/historygenealogy00harl#page/38/mode/1up; https://archive.org/stream/historygenealogy00harl#page/92/mode/2up

• Breed Family Association #16 (March, 1963), Charles B. Newhall et.al.; pp. 7, 21, no. 56: https://archive.org/details/BreedFamilyAssociationVol161963OCR/page/n64

• History and genealogy of the Harlan family, and particularly of the descendants of George and Michael Harlan, who settled in Chester County, Pa., 1687 by Harlan, Alpheus H. (Alpheus Hibben); p. 92-93: https://archive.org/stream/historygenealogy00harl#page/92/mode/2up

Acknowledgements

WikiTree profile Breed-156 created through the import of mom_2012-08-01.ged on Aug 2, 2012 by John Stroud.

Merged with Breed-301 created by Kathy Stewart through the import of francescbreed.ged on Jan 27, 2014

https://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-446462131/sims?rootIndivudalID=1500125&familyTreeID=1#!profile-1500262-info