Johannes Conrad (abt. 1720 - bef. 1760)

Born about 1720 in Germany [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 1760 before about age 40 in Tennessee

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Biography

Many trees for this family are based on the information in Starr's "History of the Cherokee Indians," but it appears Starr's information was wrong. Information from the Moravian Journals seems to be more accurate since the information came directly from his son, Gunrod. The Moravians made numerous references to this family, mentioning a visit from Rattling Gourd as early as 1802 ^[1]

In March of 1810 is the following entry: "We had Indian visitors.... Among others there was a half-German Cherokee here [referring to Gunrod Conrad] .... His father, whose name was John Gunrod, according to his pronounciation (presumably Johannes Conrad), is supposed to have been a rather well-to-do Indian trader and was killed by Indians in a war when he (this man) was only 3-4 years old. " ^[2]

Based on another entry in the Moravian Journals which mentions a very sick Gunrod as staying with Charles Hicks, a close relative, researcher James Hicks believes that Johannes Conrad and his Cherokee wife had a second child, a daughter named Nan-ye-hi who married white trader Nathan Hicks.

Research Notes

Starr may have combined two families into one, writing that a woman named Jennie Taylor, a widow with a son named Charles Fox Taylor, married "a Hollander named Conrad and emigrated to America." Starr also lists the son of this couple as "Hamilton" and his wife as "Onai." ^[3] Since the Moravians make clear that Gunrod Conrad was the son of a trader named Johann Conrad and a Cherokee woman, this is clearly inaccurate - he was not named "Hamilton" and he was not a white man.

The origins of British soldier Charles Taylor are unknown; he first appears in records as an Ensign in an American unit of the British Army in 1754. ^[4] It's possible that Charles Taylor had children by a Cherokee woman named Jennie who was the widow of Johann Conrad. It is also possible that Charles Taylor came to America with his mother who was named Jennie and had no connection at all to Johann Conrad's widow. The estimated birthdates of about 1750 for Gunrod and 1756-60 for Charles Taylor's sons make the first scenario possible, although not necessarily plausible. None of the descendants of Charles Taylor made reference to either the Rattlingourd/Conrad family or the Hicks family as relatives, so there may be no connection at all between them.

Sources

1. ↑ Crews & Starbuck, eds. Records of the Moravians Among the Cherokees. Cherokee Heritage Press, Tahlequah, OK. Vol. 1, p 353.
2. ↑ Moravians, Vol. 3 pp 1375-76
3. ↑ Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma Yesterday Publications edition, Tulsa, OK. 1979. p 475
4. ↑ Clark, Murtie J. Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999.