Isaac Nicholson Sr.
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Isaac Nicholson Sr. (abt. 1757 - bef. 1837)

Isaac Nicholson Sr.
Born about [location unknown]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
[spouse(s) unknown]
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , and
Died before before about age 80 in Monroe, Tennessee, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 30 Aug 2015
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Contents

Biography

Biography (by G. Pinson)

Isaac's estimated birth year was about 1757, but no one knows the exact year, let alone the exact date. His birth was most likely in North Carolina, although it could have been in Virginia or South Carolina. Despite a few silly and illogical claims, no one knows his parentage, or even the identity of any siblings. [1]

We believe this Isaac Nicholson was likely the one in the 1790 census for Chatham County, North Carolina, because that Isaac's household matched well with the one in 1800 Pendleton District, South Carolina and because there was no Isaac Nicholson in the 1800 Chatham census. [2] [3] [4] If this theory is correct, it strikes another blow against the unsupported story that Isaac was Cherokee, because Chatham was far removed from Cherokee lands.

We first find Isaac in Pendleton District, South Carolina in July 1793 when he witnesses a deed, then in 1794 when he witnesses another. [5]

When the Revolutionary War ended, war in the region between the Americans and Cherokee persisted for decades after. South Carolina built a string of blockhouses (small forts) along the border as warning stations against Cherokee raids. Apparently one of those was located at Conoross Station, which was staffed, circa 1795-97, by Sergeant Isaac Nicholson and five privates, per two payroll records. [6][7] Whether the Sergeant was Isaac, or his son of the same name, is unknown. Seneca Town, a Cherokee Village, had once existed at the mouth of Conoross Creek and a battle was fought there in 1776 between Patriot forces and the Cherokees who were aligned with the British. Besides appearing in the 1800 Pendleton census, we have two records showing that Isaac Nicholson sold two parcels of land on Conoross Creek on 25 January 1803. He sells 331 acres on Conoross Creek in the part of Pendleton District that would later become Oconee County. We don't know how he obtained this land, but per the deed reference, it had been granted to Jesse Nevill in March 1797. On the same day, he sells another 33.5 acres [8] He likely left Pendleton District shortly after selling the land.

Neither Isaac, nor his sons, nor his son-in law Benjamin Holcomb, appeared in the 1810 Pendleton census. [9] We don't know when they left the district, but do know that by 31 October 1808, Isaac was in the Cherokee nation of southeastern Tennessee where he had contracted to build a mill and he was shown in various records of Return Meigs, the Cherokee Indian agent, between 1809 and 1815 there. Note that Isaac was hired to build a mill, not to run one. This meant he had the highly technical skills of a millwright, which were not easily obtained, but rather guarded and only passed on to apprentices and sons.

The Calhoun Treaty in 1819 led to the creation of the Hiawassee district, located in the area the Nicholsons resided. White settlers were allowed to lawfully settle in the district, while 640 acres each was reserved for Cherokee signatories of the treaty.

In November 1819, Monroe and McMinn were created as adjacent counties in the area in which Isaac and his issue were living. The 1820 general censuses for these two counties don't exist, but a few other records do. Lynn Sheppa discovered and undated petition of Monroe County residents, estimated to be from 1820, that included the signatures of "Wm., Nickelson, Amos, Nicholson, James and Nickeson, Benjamin." Nancy Flesch discovered a 15 July 1822 Tennessee State Petition that read: “Hiwassee District occupants before land sales by lease from Gov. McMinn, made improvements which increased value of Land and were not treated fairly in the sales. . . .” Among those signatures were "Amis Nickelson", "Wm. Nicklon", Benj Nickson, and "James Nicolkilson". Amos, William and James Nicholson were all found near Isaac in the 1830 Monroe County, Tennessee census and all are, for various reasons, are considered sons. We think those grossly misspelled surnames were probably meant to be Nicholson (or a close variant). And Isaac did have a son named Benjamin, based on an 1820 letter from Benjamin Nicholson to Return Meigs in regards to a mill built by “my father.”

On 21 September 1825, Aron Roach sold Isaac Nicholson, 10 acres bordering parcels owned by James Nicholson and Joseph Boyd. It's not known whether the purchaser was Isaac or his son Isaac Jr. Later Roach would sell Ares Goad lands on Sink Hole Creek adjoining Joseph Boyd & Isaac Nicholson. James Nicholson's daughter Eliza Jane married Hiram Goad circa 1825.

The 1830 U.S. Census for Monroe County, Tennessee showed Isaac and his wife both in their 70's, with a male, likely a grandson, aged 10-15. On the same page (159) is William Nicholson, aged 20-29, who may have been his son, or grandson. On page 154, were households headed by Isaac's sons Amos and Isaac Jr. Son James is listed on page 150. A distant outlier (page 104) was Thomas Nicholson, relationship, if any, unknown. [10]

It's unknown when Isaac passed away, but it must have been before 10 October 1837. On that date, his son-in-law and executor of his estate, deeded his property on Sink Hole Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee. [11] Although the deed referred to Isaac's will, said will appears to have been lost to time. However, a few deeds related to the property have given additional proof of some of his children's identity.

Notes to Researchers

  • Records indicate that Isaac and family had moved from Pendleton District South Carolina into the Cherokee Nation lands of Southeast Tennessee before the 1810 U.S. census. So, he and his sons missed that census. The 1820 U.S. census for Monroe County, Tennessee was also lost. So, their was a 30 year gap between Isaac's enumeration in the 1800 and 1830 censuses. An 1820 fire destroyed some Monroe County Records and when the courthouse was burned in the Civil War, more records were lost. There are no marriage records from 1819 to 1837, nor probate records from 1819 to 1835. [12] Fortunately, we have some deeds which deal with Isaac's estate, but his will which we know existed is lost.
  • More sources and time line events to add. G. Pinson 25 November 2023.

Proof of Parentage (G. Pinson (Pinson-796))

There is no evidence known proving the identity of Isaac's parents, nor his wife's. There was a claim, without any factual basis, that Isaac was the son of John and Elizabeth (Andrews) Nicholson of Sussex County, Virginia. While there is no evidence supporting the claim, there is substantial evidence derailing the notion.

Proof of Spouse(s)

A very old claim, extending back into the last century, is that Isaac Nicholson Sr. married a Cherokee woman named Betsy Walkingstick. In recent years, her name has been appended with an alleged Cherokee name. To my knowledge, there is no evidence supporting this claim.

The only genealogically valid document that purported to identify Isaac Nicholson Sr's wife, that I'm aware of, had a major flaw casting doubt on it's claim. In her 1907 Eastern Cherokee application #10622 (see discussion about ECAs below), Elizabeth Watts, who claimed to be the daughter of Eliza Jane (Nicholson) Goad, named her maternal grandparents as "Isaac Nickolson" and "Lucrecy Dover". However, Watts' mother, Eliza Jane (Nicholson) Goad, is generally accepted as the daughter of James Nicholson and not Jame's father Isaac Nicholson Sr. This is based on various evidence including a September 1843 deed for land "belonging to the estate of James Nicholson deceased which interest descended from Hiram Gourd and his wife Eliza..." [13] So, it appears Watts was confusing her great grandfather, Isaac Nicholson, with her grandfather James Nicholson whose wife was named Lucretia, or Lucresy. In which case, she was probably naming Isaac Nicholson's daughter-in-law, not his wife.

Another granddaughter, Elizabeth (Nicholson) Tyler identified her father, William Nicholson, as born about 1805 in Monroe County Tennessee and that he was the son of Isaac Nicholson, "a full blooded" Cherokee. She stated that Isaac's wife, her grandmother was a white woman.

The Polk County Tennessee biography of a grandson, Isaac Nicholson III, stated "Isaac Nicholson was born in Monroe County, Tenn., November 30, 1830, the son of Isaac and Rebecca (Penry) Nicholson. Both were of English descent, and natives of South Carolina...."[14] So, if Isaac III's father was of English descent, it implies both paternal grandparents (Isaac Nicholson Sr and wife) were too. And issue of Isaac Nicholson III's brother Thomas, made it quite clear in their four ECAs that their Cherokee blood did not come from the Nicholsons but rather from Thomas' Wright son-in-laws side. Meanwhile issue of Isaac III's brother Jonathan claimed that their Cherokee blood came from Isaac Nicholson II's wife's side, not from Isaac Nicholson Sr's wife.

Another possibility exists. Isaac may have married more than once. One scenario: After his first wife, and mother of his children, died and he moved into Cherokee territory in, or near, what became Monroe County, Tennessee, he may have married a Cherokee woman. But we have no proof of that.

In summation, no one has any proof who Isaac's main wife (if he had more than one) and mother of his children was, but whoever she was she was probably of European heritage.

List and Proof of Children

(GP note on 8/12/21: List of children and proof of their parentage to be added later.)

The Guion Miller Roll. Eastern Cherokee Applications (ECA's)

In 1905, the U.S. Court of Claims decided in favor of the Eastern Cherokees and instructed the Secretary of the Interior to identify the tribe members entitled to participate in the distribution of more than $1 million dollars. The award was based on claims due on treaties in 1835, 1836 and 1845. To be eligible, a person had to fill out a lengthy questionnaire proving they, or their ancestors, were official members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe at the time of the treaties.

The number of eligible Eastern Cherokee at the time probably numbered under a few thousand and the value of a dollar in 1905 is estimated to be about $31 in 2021 value. The average cost of an acre of land in 1905 was estimated at $20. A person whose application was accepted could reap a nice reward in pre 1910 dollars. Word spread and and an estimated 90,000 plus applied including minor children added to their parents applications. I have reviewed ECAs with application numbers over 43,000.

G. Pinson and Nancy Flesch have together read about twenty applications from issue of Isaac Nicholson Sr. and all were rejected, as were most applications. Rejection did not mean that claims of Cherokee heritage were untrue, but instead that there was no proof that the applicant, or their ancestor, had ever been an active member of the Eastern Cherokee nation, prior to a treaty in 1851. To ascertain this, the application examiners reviewed prior Cherokee Rolls and other documents as well as statements from the applicants.

Reviewed applications from issue of Isaac Nicholson Sr. all come from descendants of three of his children: Isaac Nicholson Jr, Sarah (Nicholson) Holcomb, William Nicholson and Eliza Jane (Nicholson) Goad. Isaac JR's descendant's applications are subdivided into 1) Gilmer County Ga descendant's of his son Thomas and 2) Towns County Ga descendant's of his children Johnathan and Rebecca Jane (Nicholson) Shook. Each of the groups had multiple applicants who were communicating with each other, as proven by statements in their files, but there was no indication they were communicating with any member of any other group. The different groups had different claims regarding their alleged Cherokee descent, but within each group itself the claims were quite uniform. Some claimed Isaac was of Cherokee ancestry, to varying extent and others claimed his wife was partially, or totally, Cherokee. But a great many claimed their Cherokee ancestry came from other lines that married into Isaacs line and some specifically stated that the Nicholson's were white. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Timeline (entered by G. Pinson)

  • 1757: Isaac Nicholson was born about this year. Place unknown
  • 1776: Revolutionary War: An Isaac Nicholson in the North Carolina line. Not believed to be the same person.
  • 1776-1782: Revolutionary War: Isaac claimed to be a South Carolina soldier by a grandchild. No evidence supporting the claim
  • 1790: Federal Census for Chatham Co., NC - Isaac Nicholason (sic) 1 male over 16, 3 males 0-16 and 3 females. Was this him?
  • 1793, 23 July: Isaac Nikelson (sic) witnessed a deed, Andrew Roe to Isaac West, the land was on 23 Mile Creek. Book B page 15 Pendleton Dist., SC
  • 1794: Isaac Nicholson witnessed a deed in Pendleton District S.C. for land bordering Andrew Roe. Interestingly, Roe would be named in deeds in 1787 and 1805 in Pendleton District with William Nicholson (c 1765-1820).[26]
  • 1793: Isaac Nikleson (sic) witnesses a deed in Pendleton District (Roe to West) for land on 23 mile Creek.
  • 1795: Pay role for Sgt Isaac Nicholson for duty done by himself and five privates at Conoross Station from 11 Oct 1795 to 26 March 1776 (2)
  • circa 1796: Sergeant Isaac Nicholson and five privates serving at Conoross Station in Pendleton District S.C. This was either Isaac, or his son of the same name.
  • 1800: Federal Census for Chatham Co., NC: No Nicholsons.
  • 1800: Federal Census for Pendleton District S.C.: Isaac “Nickleson“ & wife 26-45, 3 males 10-16, 2 males & 2 females 0-10. 15 houses away is son-in-law Benjamin Holcomb, Stats match well with 1790 Chatham N.C. census.
  • 1803, 25 January: Isaac Nicholson sold parcels of 33.5 and 331 acres on both sides of Conoross Creek. This was probably Isaac Sr. and not his son Isaac Jr.
  • 1808, 31 October: Isaac contracts to build a mill for the Cherokee Nation in Southeast Tennessee (Monroe County area). See appended document.
  • 1809, 10 September: Return Meigs paid Isaac Nicholson $260.00 “for building a mill for the Cherokee Nation. [27]
  • 1810: Federal Census for Pendleton District S.C. Isaac and issue not enumerated.
  • Circa 1810: An unknown son of Isaac, possibly Benjamin, marries Rachel Clearwaters of Pendleton District, S.C. They move to Tennessee by 1813 where son Joshua is born
  • Circa 1814: Sons James and Amos serve in War of 1812 under Capt. Jeptha Norton of Pendleton District, South Carolina.
  • 1814: Cherokee Agency records money owed Benjamin Nicholson by Return Meigs Cherokee agent. (Record discovered by N. Flesch. Citation needed)
  • 1817: U. S. Federal Government Cherokee land between Hiwassee, Little Tennessee and Big Tennessee Rivers. Land included future Monroe County.
  • 1818, 24 Nov.: Isaac paid $2 for a "spinning wheel for a Cherokee”. [28]
  • 1819, Nov.: Monroe Co. Tennessee created from Cherokee Indian Lands.
  • 1820 Benjamin Nicholson refers to “my father’s mill” in Cherokee Agency records of Return Meigs. (Record discovered by N. Flesch. Citation needed)
  • 1820: Federal Census for Monroe Co Tennessee "lost". Also, marriage & Probate records 1819-1837 destroyed.
  • 1825, 21 Sept: Monroe Co TN deed Aron Roach to Isaac Nicholson. Land on Joseph Boyd's and James Nicholson's lines.
  • 1830: Monroe County Tenn Census: Isaac & wife both in their 70's (born 1750's).

Sources

  1. ↑ Unpublished research of Nancy Flesch, Gary Pinson et. al. with citations of original documents including notes on censi, Eastern Cherokee Applications, deeds and other documents from Pendleton District S.C., Monroe County, Tennessee and elsewhere.
  2. ↑ 1790 United States Census for Chatham County, North Carolina. Isaac Nicholason household.
  3. ↑ 1800 United States Census for Chatham County, North Carolina. No Nicholsons.
  4. ↑ 1800 United States Census for Pendleton District, South Carolina. Isaac Nicholson household.
  5. ↑ ? We believe this was found in Pendleton District, S.C. Deeds1790-1806. Compiled by Betty Willie. Southern Historical Press, P.O. Box 738, Easley South Carolina, 29640.
  6. ↑ "Acts and Resolutions on the General Assembly of State of SC, from Dec. 1795-Dec 1797" p. 103, No. 40. Isaac Nicholson's (sergeant) pay role, for duty done by himself and five privates at Coneross Station, from 11th Oct 1795 to 26 Mar 1796.
  7. ↑ Incomplete Reference: Doll , 188.81 (typed as received nf) "Deduct over-charge on sergeant Nicholson's pay, k say 26 cts. 3 miles per day, instead of 1 s. 6d. as is charged. amount of over-charge 2.37.186.7". Note: This was apparently passed on to the late Nancy Flesch by someone who didn't take a complete reference. It involved a payroll adjustment for Sergeant Isaac Nicholson of Coneross Station in Pendleton District, South Carolina (now Oconee County).
  8. ↑ Pendleton District, S.C. Deeds1790-1806. Compiled by Betty Willie. Southern Historical Press, P.O. Box 738, Easley South Carolina, 29640.
  9. ↑ 1810 United States Census for Pendleton District, South Carolina. Isaac Nicholson is not enumerated. Nor are any of his known, or suspected, children.
  10. ↑ 1830 United States Census for Monroe County, Tennessee.
  11. ↑ Deed dated 10 October 1837 from "Benjamin Holcome,to Eli Newland...by power invested in said Benjamin Holcome by the last Will of said Isaac Nicolson..."
  12. ↑ Monroe County, Tennessee Genealogy. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/enMonroe_County,_Tennessee_Genealogy.
  13. ↑ 1843 19 September 1843 Monroe County Tennessee deed from James Nicholson to Joseph Boyd recorded 2 Oct 1847 Book N p. 590. Note: notation by reference "(N 600)".
  14. ↑ Biography of Isaac Nicholson III. POLK COUNTY HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. THE GOODSPEED PUBLISHING CO. Chicago and Nashville: 1887. Transcriptions of this source may be accessed at several places online including: https://www.tngenweb.org/polk/gdsp.htm
  15. ↑ Guion Miller Roll, 1906 - 1911. "Eastern Cherokee Court of Claims". Descriptive webpage and online name index located at https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/rolls/guion-miller-rolls
  16. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #10622 for Elizabeth (Goad) Watts. United States National Archives. 14 pages. A Microfilmed copy of this file may be read at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/56505338
  17. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #10622 for Elizabeth (Nicholson) Tyler. United States National Archives. 15 pages. A Microfilmed copy of this file may be read at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/56431351
  18. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #7122 for Martha Davis. United States National Archives.
  19. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #7256 for Laura Massey. United States National Archives.
  20. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #36524 for Elisabeth Eller. United States National Archives.
  21. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #3682 for Martha (Shook) Baker. United States National Archives. Application may be read at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/56418670
  22. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #37199 for Francis D. Nicholson. United States National Archives.
  23. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) #37515 for Elisha F. Nicholson. United States National Archives.
  24. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) # 41748 for Lucinda J. Nicholson. United States National Archives. Application may be read at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/56877480
  25. ↑ Eastern Cherokee Application (ECA) # 14936 for James H. Nicholson. United States National Archives.
  26. ↑ Pendleton District, S.C. Deeds1790-1806. Compiled by Betty Willie. Southern Historical Press, P.O. Box 738, Easley South Carolina, 29640.
  27. ↑ Receipt from Return J. Meigs, Indian agent for the Cherokee Nation, correspondence records.
  28. ↑ Ledger from Return J. Meigs, Indian agent for the Cherokee Nation, correspondence records.

See Also:

Note: This is a memorial, not a genealogically valid record. It has no photograph of a gravestone or other evidence supporting any claims. However, for the most part everything on it is verifiable with valid sources although the birth and death years are estimates only and the birth state is in question. However the site is worth visiting to read the Creator's ( Jennifer F. Shank) scathing dismissal of the myth that Isaac Nicholson's wife was Betsy Walkingstick.

Acknowledgements

Much of the material in the above timeline was developed by Nancy Flesch with assistance by Lynn Shepherd.





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Images: 5
Isaac Nicholson Image 2
Isaac Nicholson Image 2
Isaac Nicholson Image 3
Isaac Nicholson Image 3
Isaac Nicholson Image 4
Isaac Nicholson Image 4
Contract for Isaac Nicholson to build a mill for the Cherokee people of southeastern Tennessee.
Contract for Isaac Nicholson to build a mill for the Cherokee people of southeastern Tennessee.
Record of Isaac nicholson's payment for providing a spinning wheel to a Cherokee.
Record of Isaac nicholson's payment for providing a spinning wheel to a Cherokee.


Comments: 7

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Gary Pinson
Nicholson-9222 and Nicholson-3425 appear to represent the same person because: Nicholson 3425 and Nicholson-9222 are the same person and excepting document jpgs appended to 9222, I've provided most of the sources and data for the two profiles and the profiles are virtually identical.
posted by Gary Pinson
Babcock-8628 Kent Babcock
Kudos to you Gary for your work in creating this profile! I am still attempting to get a handle on how WikiTree works with duplicate profiles and merges. I have thus already commented on Isaac Nicholson (3425) and the Walkingstick wife linked to 3425 (Walkingstick_Silver-4). The latter post was 3 months ago and the former last evening. This morning I stumbled on this profile (Nicholson-9222) for which I wanted to express my appreciation.

I have two documents that I think might pertain to this Isaac Nicholson that I would like to share and have others weigh in on. The documents are Records of the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee in 1808 and 1809 pertaining to Isaac constructing a mill. As I have commented on his profile in my Ancestry tree — I do not know if the documents from the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee regarding the construction of a mill pertain to this Isaac Nicholson or his son Isaac or to another Isaac Nicholson altogether. However, there is a likelihood that it may be Isaac Sr. I would appreciate others’ thoughts.

posted on Nicholson-9222 (merged) by Kent Babcock
edited by Kent Babcock
Gary Pinson
Kent

Thanks for the comment. I didn't create this profile. I found it abandoned, adopted it and starting adding data to it, then got busy elsewhere and forgot about it. Thanks for the tipoff on Nicholson-3425, which is indeed a duplicate and in fact, I've previously added data to it. As you see above under "Notes for Researchers", I thought there was probably another profile out there for Isaac Sr. We need to merge them, but I think I'll put it off until June so I can add more data and finish the ECA section pre merge.

My recently deceased research associate, Nancy Flesch, read all the Monrovian and Indian agency records she could find for the area that included Monroe County, Tennessee (formed 1819 from Roane County). I remember she found a record about a mill constructed by the Nicholsons, but I thought it was 6 to 8 years after the records you mention. I went back to my records and found where Nancy wrote: "...Isaac Nicholson appears on records kept by Indian Agent Col. Return Meigs, several times between 1808 when he contracted to build a mill and 1815. In 1820 a Benjamin Nicholson writes Meigs in regards to a mill built by “my father.”" I'd lost track of this information, because it was placed out of chronological order with what we had on Isaac.

This is significant, because we know that Isaac Sr. left Pendleton District, South Carolina, with his children, prior to the 1810 census. But, most of the Tennessee records we have for the family start after 1815 and there was no 1820 census for Monroe County, TN. We know the records were for Isaac Sr of this profile, because: 1) his son Isaac Jr. didn't have a son Benjamin and any sons he had were too young to be recorded commenting on their father's mill in 1815 and 2) The only other adult Isaac Nicholson in the region at the time was about 20 years old in 1809 and per the 1810 census was in his father William (c1765-1820) Nicholson's Pendleton District household in 1810 and there in 1815 per a record of the Ratliff Boone estate. And he definitely didn't have a son who would have been recorded commenting on his father's mill in 1815.

My guess is your records came from the Correspondence files for the Cherokee Agency for 1808-10? We definitely want to have a specific citation for where the records were found and more details on the records. Meanwhile, I'm adding these events to the timeline citing both sources as "Record of Isaac Nicholson mill construction in unspecified records of the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee found separately by Nancy Flesch and Kent Babcock. Citation to be improved."

BTW: Constructing a grist mill was no simple matter and demanded advanced engineering knowledge. This knowledge MAY have been passed down to Isaac and be a clue to his parentage, which currently is unknown.

posted on Nicholson-9222 (merged) by Gary Pinson
Babcock-8628 Kent Babcock
Gary et al — Outstanding job with this profile! Isaac Jr and Sr are my 3rd and 4th great grandfather respectively. (I do not think Isaac Jr who married Rebecca Penry is such an enigma). I have attempted to find someone in the matrilineal line leading to the purported Cherokee 4th great grandmother who might mitochondrial DNA test but have not found such a person (if the matrilineal line is even still extant of which I am not certain). From an ethnicity estimate (autosomal DNA) standpoint, having viewed countless ethnicity estimate profiles of descendant’s of Isaac and Walkingstick, the evidence of Native American heritage does not exist.

The 1830 US Federal Census has offered some of the best insights to date. I also have two documents that do lend credence to an association between Isaac (Sr?) and with land to which the Cherokees had been relegated. I do not know if the documents from the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee regarding the construction of a mill pertain to this (3245) Isaac Nicholson or his son Isaac or to another Isaac Nicholson altogether. However, I would be most willing to share these documents to gather others’ thoughts. Please let me know if there is any interest.

posted by Kent Babcock
Gary Pinson
Anyone that believes they can prove descent from Isaac Nicholson Sr. should do what you've done Kent. Seek out other descendants with reliable pedigrees amongst your autosomal DNA matches. Then check their deep ancestry to see if there is any sign that they have Amerind ancestry, while keeping in mind that any hint of that ancestry could come from many branches of their descent, not just those of Nicholson and his wife. If even a few, with credible pedigrees (proof of descent) show no hints of Amerind ancestry it throws the whole story into doubt.

But collecting data on credible descendants of Isaac Nicholson Sr serves separate purposes. Investigating their autosomal DNA matches might reveal links with people descended from other Nicholson household heads in Pendleton District during the period 1785-1810. Because of intimate interactions with some of their issue in far removed places decades later, we theorized back in the 1990's that Isaac Sr and some of the other Nicholson there might have been brothers. If you prove a sibling of any of your ancestors, proof of parentage (barring a non paternal event) falls onto your ancestor too.

Also, you might discover another child of Isaac Nicholson Sr from such a match. I have evidence which indicates a son died in the 1829-30 period, before the 1830 census. Since he would have been in Monroe County in 1820, where no 1820 census exists, we don't have his name, only a widow whose children were born in Tennessee and lived in Pendleton District in the 1800-1810 period. That and other evidence pointed to her being a daughter in law of Isaac Nicholson Sr. Her husband may have been the Benjamin Nicholson who in 1815 spoke of the mill built by his father in the Monroe area, a few years after several records indicating Isaac Nicholson had been contracted to build a mill there. Of course, you know about those records Kent, because you and the late Nancy Flesch both, independently, discovered them.

posted by Gary Pinson
Gary Pinson
What first source proof do you possess that proves Isaac Nicholson married the spouse indicated? What proof other than possessing the same last name and co residing in Pendleton District S.C. do you have proving his siblings?

Why would you presume that Isaac is the son of John Nicholson and Elizabeth Andrews, when he was born nearly 6 years before their marriage? Furthermore, their other children were proven by birth and baptismal records in Surry, later Sussex, County Virginia, but there is absolutely no record tying Isaac to them. Therefore, the assumption he could be there son is implausible at best.

Why do you presume Isaac was born in Pendleton District S.C., because he lived there for a decade or two as an adult? Can't you see that this conflicts with your claims that he was the son of John and Elizabeth (Andrews) Nicholson, who resided in Surry Co. Va at the time of his birth?

Where do you come up with the precise date of 3 Oct 1757, when people who have diligently researched the man for decades merely use the year 1757 as an approximation of his birth year?

This information all needs to be removed from this page as it is misleading decendents who are new to genealogy, or highly gullible.

BTW: Your alleged sources don't seem to link anywhere other than back to your page other than the last which goes to a private tree at ancestry.com. Someone's private tree is not a valid source. A valid information source would be the 1830 U.S. census for Monroe County Tennessee, for instance.

posted by Gary Pinson
edited by Gary Pinson
Smith-62120 Ellen Smith
Nicholson-5074 and Nicholson-3425 appear to represent the same person because: Same birth, same father, same wife. Differences that look like discrepancies may simply be due to estimated dates and transcription errors.
posted by Ellen Smith

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