Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: Nancy (Morgan) Patterson's Inheritance

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Nancy (Morgan) Patterson's Inheritance

Once I realized that Solomon Nevill Sr. had been divorced from his first wife Susannah Walton and that he had married Mrs. Nancy Patterson in Carroll County, Tennessee in 1840, it was time to find out more about Nancy Patterson. To pinpoint who she was, I used the shared family tree in Family Search and focused on the most distinct name in Patterson family - Walter A. Patterson. I searched for a Walter A. Patterson with a sister Mary S. Patterson and a mother named Nancy and a connection to Carroll County, Tennessee. That's when Nancy Morgan and husband Chesley Page Patterson bubbled to the surface. Their marriage in Orange County, North Carolina - the same county where Solomon C. Nevill had married Susannah Walton - led me to think that I had identified the correct Nancy. Further examination of the family tree for Chesley and Nancy Patterson revealed that they had a son-in-law named Christopher Barbee. I recalled that Barbees were intermarried with Nevills. Sure enough, Solomon Nevill Sr's sister Elizabeth Nevill was married to Francis Barbee, and Christopher Barbee was their son, so Solomon Nevill's nephew married Nancy (Morgan) Patterson's daughter. Solomon Nevill Sr. and wife Susannah had surely known Chesley P. and Nancy Patterson while they were all living in Orange County, North Carolina.

Both couples married in Orange County, North Carolina in 1795. The Nevills had removed to Montgomery County, Tennessee by 1816. The widow Nancy Patterson did not remove to Carroll County, Tennessee until the mid to late 1830s. The Nevills and extended family members who were left behind in Orange County would have known where Solomon and his family settled in Tennessee. It's not hard to imagine that the Pattersons stopped by to visit the Nevills on their way to Carroll County. Nancy Patterson was probably always aware of where the Nevills lived in Tennessee. It would be interesting to know at what point Solomon and Nancy's relationship grew to more than a friendship. Before the Nevill divorce? After the Nevill divorce?

Records in Orange County, North Carolina solidify the notion that the Nancy Patterson who married Solomon Nevill Sr. in Carroll County, Tennessee is the same Nancy Morgan who married Chesley P. Patterson in Orange County, North Carolina.

In 1797, just two years after Nancy Morgan married Chesley P. Patterson, her father Hardy Morgan died in Orange County, North Carolina. Thirty years later, in 1827, Nancy Patterson joined with her siblings to request a partition of the slaves in Hardy Morgan's estate. This signals that Hardy Morgan's wife had died while still widow and the children were able to make a final settlement of the estate.

The division was made in 1828. Nancy Patterson's portion included Hulda, Margaret, Hudson, George, Rubin, and Denny.

Old Hulday, Margaret, Hudson, and George were all included in the deed of gift that Solomon Nevill Sr. made to his wife Nancy's children: Walter A. Patterson and Mary S. Patterson in 1840.

In 1833, Nancy Patterson of Orange County, North Carolina entered into a bond with William Trice for $1,000 to ensure that when Walter A. Patterson and Mary S. Patterson came of age they would warranty their interest in their father Chesley P. Patterson's estate [Deed Bk 25, p. 506]. As part of the bond agreement, Nancy sold slaves to her son, Chesley M. Patterson, and son-in-law, Christopher Barbee. Those slaves were Huldy, Hannah, Margaret, Hudson, Emily, Isham, and Huldy, a child. If Walter and Mary followed through with the warranty, then the bond was null and void. Walter and Mary Patterson evidently fulfilled their part of the agreement because these are the same slaves that Solomon Nevill Sr. named in the 1840 deed of gift that he drew up for them.

On 10 November 1846 in Madison County, Tennessee, Solomon Nevill Sr. sold his life interest in the slaves, who were gifted to Mary S. Patterson, to her husband Henry W. Mooring for $300. Those slaves were Margaret and her two children - Haywood and Alfred - and old Huldy. This indicates that by 10 November 1846, Solomon was the sole survivor and Nancy (Morgan) Patterson Nevill was deceased. Since they were living in Madison County, Tennessee, I would guess that she died in Madison County, Tennessee and was buried there.

Susannah (Walton) Nevill Surprises Her Descendants

Solomon Nevill Sr's Last Years

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.