Guess or Gist, Part 1; #5

CHAPTER 4 THE GIST’S

A. Guess/Gist, Finally!

It literally took us years to find Harriet Guess/Gist’s parents. I literally looked to every Gist/Guess/Guest and other variations of spelling – and was able to prove they were NOT my Harriet’s line. This took years and I must have spent well over 100 hours proving these were the wrong ancestors. I spent oh, so much time getting nowhere. We knew we came from Lawrence County, Alabama. For years we thought we descended from Thomas Gist and Nancy Roney. We eventually proved that was not the case. I had thought we had checked every Gist in the area and we descended from none of them. Then there was a website -- http://www.luftex.com/lawrence_co_al_notes.htm . The author of this website was looking for a Rachel McNutt who married Edmond Nichols. This person says:

I need help finding the parents of Rachel McNUTT, who married Edmund NICHOLS about 1826 in Lawrence Co, Al. These are my ggg-grandparents. To begin, I will try to clear up some confusion over two different Rachel McNUTT's in the mix. My Rachel was a McNUTT by birth, [1809]. The other was Rachel HAVINS, b. 1797 to James HAVINS & wife Sarah MILLER. Rachel HAVENS married 1st to a GUEST [spelling may be incorrect]. Little is known about the 1st marriage or how it ended. Next she married Thomas TOLBERT on 12-07-1820. [TOLBERT had 1st mar. Cynthia HAVINS, Rachel's older sister. That marriage apparently ended with the early death of Cynthia.] Thomas TOLBERT died in 1821, leaving Rachel a widow. She married for the 3rd time to Emanuel McNUTT on Dec 31, 1822. I’m only speculating, but I believe my Rachel McNutt NICHOLS was either a sister or a close cousin to Emanuel McNUTT. Please contact me if you have any information, remarks, or questions.

James HAVINS was born about 1770 in Virginia. He was Primitive Baptist between 1770 and 1822. He was listed on the tax rolls in 1800 in Jefferson CO, TN. He appeared on the census in 1820 in ,Lawrence CO, AL. He died in Jan 1822 in Lawrence CO, AL. He was buried in Jan 1822 in Pinhook, Lawrence CO, AL. He was married to Sarah MILLER (daughter of Thomas MILLER and Sarah GAMBOL) on May 4, 1790 in Greene CO, TN. Sarah MILLER was born between 1770 and 1772 in Pittsburgh, PA. She died after 1850 in Newton CO, MO. She was buried after 1850 in Newton CO, MO. James HAVINS and Sarah MILLER had the following children:

Mary Henderson HAVINS.

Thomas HAVINS

Cynthia HAVINS b. abt 1795, Jefferson CO, TN. Mar. Thomas TOLBERT after 1815.

Rachel HAVINS b. about 1797.

Charlotte HAVINS

John HAVINS b. abt 1803 in Jefferson CO, TN.

Louvina HAVINS

Ann HAVINS

Lawrence County, Alabama Marriages, 1818-1822

Thomas TALBOT (Tolbert), m. Rachel GUISS (Guest) on DEC 07, 1820

Emanuel McNUTT m. Rachel TALBOT (Tolbert) on DEC 31, 1822

Henry McNUTT m. Anna McNAMEE on 22 SEP 1818

John McNUTT m. Silphy McNAMEE no date

William McNUTT m. Betsy IRWIN on 25 NOV 1818

Richard GEST m. Jane McKINNEY on 13 SEP 1821

Thomas GEST m. Nancy RANEY on 06 NOV 1818

James HAVINS m. Sarah MILLER 04 May 1790 Greene Co., TN USA

A record of the marriage of Thomas Talbot to Rachel Guess does exist.

The 1830 census Lawrence Co., Al has Emanuel McNutt 00201, 110201 ó Emanuel is between 20-30 and Rachel his wife is between 30-40. There are 2 girls between 15-20 years old, and 2 boys between 10-15. The point is these children are too old to have been the children of Emanuel, they were Rachel’s by a previous marriage. They are Gist’s, not McNutt’s. On the 1840 census of Shelby County, Tn we have Emanuel McNutt, 010001, 0020101. Emanuel is between 30-40, and his wife Rachel 40-50. Of the four Gist children, only one is at home, a female 20-30. Since in 1830 she was between 15-20, she would be between 25-30. The other female between 25-30 is not at home and the 2 males between 20-25 are also not at home. They either died or had moved away from home, perhaps to start their own families.

So Harriet’s mother and step father had moved to Shelby County, Tennessee by 1840 – THAT’S WHY my great-great-grandparents married in Shelby County, Tennessee in 1841! After 20 years of wondering – finally . . .

How Do We Know That Rachel Was a Daughter of James Havens? [25]

Rachel Havens’ first husband was a Gist. He died or disappeared by 1820. They had 4 children per 1830 census. Marriage record says the following –

State of Alabama, Lawrence County

Know to all men by these present, that we Thomas Talbot and James Havins are held and firmly bound unto the Governor of said state for the time being, and his successors in office, in the penal sum of 200 dollars, for the due payment whereof we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly, severally, and firmly by these presents, sealed with our seals this seventh day of December 1820.

The condition of the above obligations is such that whereas the above bound Thomas Talbot has this day prayed a license from the clerk of the County Court of said county, to be married to Rachel Guess of said county. Now if there is no lawful cause to obstruct this marriage, then the above obligation to be void, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue.

Thomas Tolbert, James Havins

Thomas Tolbert/Talbot died within a year. When he died, the following document was created:

To authorize the Administrator and Administratrix of Thomas Tolbert, to sell and convey certain real estate.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Alabama, in General Assembly convened, That James Havens and Rachel Tolbert, administrator and administratrix of the estate of Thomas Tolbert, deceased, be, and they are hereby authorized to sell the certificate of the south east quarter of section number twenty three, in township number seven, of range number seven, west, in the district of land sold at Huntsville, belonging to the estate of said Thomas Tolbert, deceased, on such terms as they may deem most advantageous; taking bond with sufficient security, for the true and faithful payment of the consideration.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said administrator and administratrix, are hereby authorized and empowered on the sale of said land, to make, or cause to be made to the purchaser or purchasers (as the case may be,) of the same, a conveyance of such title as the said deceased had or was entitled to, which conveyance shall be equally valid and binding, as if the same had been made by the said decedent in his lifetime.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That said administrator and administratrix shall, before the sale of said land, hereinbefore authorized to be sold, enter into bond with sufficient security, payable to the Judge of the County Court, in which said land is situated, for the disposition of the money arising from the sale of said land, agreeably to the existing laws, regulating the distribution of the personal effects of deceased persons.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, that the administrator and administratrix of Thomas Tolbert, aforesaid, shall give at least thirty days notice, by publishing the time and place of sale of the above described land, in the Florence Gazette or Alabama Republican, and at the Court House door in the town of Moulton and three other public places in said county. (Approved, Nov. 27, 1821.)

McNutt’s, Joiner’s, and Gist’s and Brown’s in Shelby County, Tennessee

David Brown and Harriet Guess/Gist’s marriage license says –

Be it known by these presents, that we, David B. Brown and J. E. Randolph, of the county of Shelby in the state of Tennessee, are held and firmly bound unto the governor of said state, for the time being, in the sum of twelve hundred and fifty dollars, to be paid to his excellency, his successors in office, or assigns, to which payment, well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, and each and every of us and them jointly and severally, firmly by these presents, Witness our hands and seals, this 25th day of August, 1841.

The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas David B. Brown hath this day prayed and obtained license to marry Harriet Guess. Now if the said Harriet Guess be an actual resident of the county aforesaid, and there shall not hereafter appear any lawful cause why the said David B. Brown and Harriet Guess should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony as husband and wife, then this obligation be void and of no effect; otherwise to remain in full force and virtue. David (his “x” mark) B. Brown; J. E. Randolph.

Now we know why David Brown and Harriet Guess/Gist were married in Shelby County, Tennessee. Harriet’s mother and step-father had moved there. They are my great-great-grandparents.

So who was Thomas McNutt in the 1850 and 1860 census records living with/near David and Harriet (Guess/Gist) Brown? He was Harriet’s half-brother!

Marriage records in Shelby County, Tn have two marriages for Thomas Joiner. The first says: Sept. 6, 1837 Tho. S. E. Joiner Mary Fuller executed Sept. 15th, 1837

And the last:

Oct. 11, 1842 Thomas S. E. Joiner Cynthia McNutt

Thomas Joiner married Cynthia McNutt in Shelby County, Tennessee. There were no other McNutt’s on the 1840 census of Shelby County, other that Emanuel. This explains who Nancy I. Joiner was on their census record (recorded as Nancy I Brown). She was their daughter, meaning she was Harriet’s niece. This explains two of the three orphans who David and Harriet raised. More on the Joiner’s later.

The Family of James Gist

James Gist married Elizabeth Frazier 14 Oct 1848 in Shelby County, TN. There is no record of the marriage in Shelby County. In Elizabeth’s application for a Union Civil War widow’s pension in 1869, she stated they were married 14 Oct 1848 in Shelby County, TN, and there was no public record of the marriage that she could find. In those same pension papers (I purchased a copy). It said he had dark complexion and was born in Lawrence County, Alabama.

James Gist and Elizabeth Frazier moved west after they married, and can found in Dade County, MO for the 1850 and 1860 censuses.

Following James S. Gist

The first place James Gist can be found in a record is the 1850 census. James apparently moved west shortly after he married in 1848, and can be found in Dade County, MO for the 1850 census.

1850 Dade County, MO census, Dist. 25, page 303, household 595

James S. GIST 27 AL

wife Elizabeth 20 TN

dau Margret 03 AR

dau Francis 01 MO

This is James “S.” (or “T.” ?) Gist and wife Elizabeth Frazier, who married in Shelby County, TN in 1848. The oldest daughter Margret was born in AR indicating that James may have gone to AR first, before continuing on to MO. Or, perhaps Margret was born in AR while the family was moving west. This family was also in Dade County, MO for the 1860 census. David and Harriet [Gist] Brown are first found in Lawrence County, Arkansas in 1848. Maybe Harriet’s brother married and went to Arkansas with them, later moving on to Missouri.

1860 Dade County, MO census, Lewis Creek, page 007, household #40

James E. GUEST 41 AL Com Laborer

wife Elizabeth 25 AL Seamstress

dau Margret 12 AR

son William A. 08 MO

son Edward D. 06 MO

dau Elizabeth 04 MO

dau Mary 02 MO

This is James “S.” (or “T.” ?) Gist and wife Elizabeth Frazier, who married in Shelby County, TN in 1848. James Gist joined the Union Army in 1862 and was discharged as an invalid in 1863. James Gist died in 1865 of complications from a condition he contracted while serving in the Union Army. The vast majority of the information for James Gist comes from his Civil War Pension File, which contains detailed information about James Gist, his wife and children.

The Civil War Pension file of James S. Gist

James Gist died in 1865 of complications of Coxalgia - a condition he contracted while serving in the Union Army, the Missouri 29th, in 1862. Elizabeth Gist applied for, and was granted, a Widow’s Pension in 1869. The Civil War Pension file for James S. Gist contains 26 pages, primarily affidavits and certificates to verify the following: The service of James Gist; that he was healthy before entering the service; that his illness was service related; his marriage; his death; the names and dates of birth of each of his five children.

Quoting from James' wife's pension application (above):

James S. Gist, born about 1819 in Lawrence County, AL. Married Elizabeth Frazier 14 Oct 1848 in Memphis, Shelby County, TN. No record of the marriage in Shelby County.

Five children:

1. William H. Gist b. 25 Oct 1851

2. Elizabeth B. Gist b. 10 Apr 1856

3. Mary H. Gist b. 26 Apr 1858

4 James Gist b. 14 Sep 1862

5. Sidney Luellen b. 02 Oct 1865

Although no photo of him exists, his army papers (above) also say: Entered the service 15 Aug 1862 from Sims Creek, MO, (Co. D. MO 29th Inf. Regt.), age 43, 5'11" tall, dark complexion, dark eyes and black hair. Discharged July 1863 as an invalid. Reason for discharge: “Coxalgia - producing permanent lameness. Caused by exposure in the field - Has been in hospital six months. He is unfit for military duty or invalid corps.” James Gist died from Coxalgia two years later, 10 Sep 1865. The widow Elizabeth Gist applied for a pension in 1869.

Note: Coxalgia is the medical term for an injured or painful hip joint. Also note he was born in Lawrence County, Alabama. He married in Shelby County, Tennessee. Note it says he was of dark complexion, with dark eyes and hair.

His discharge papers say as of July 1863 say he is 43 years old. Thus he was born between July 1820 and July 1819.

Also here is a tin-type photo of his sister Harriet --

After James’ death in 1865, Elizabeth and her children can be found in Camden County, MO for the 1870 and 1880 censuses. Elizabeth died 19 Jan 1911. I have been unable to find Elizabeth in either the 1900 or 1910 census.

1870 Camden County, MO census, Osage Twp, page 512, household #13

Elizabeth GIST 36 AL

son William A. 18 MO

dau Elizabeth B. 12 MO

dau Mary H. 09 MO

son James 07 MO

dau Lydia L. 04 MO (Sidney Louellen)

Elizabeth Gist the widow of James S. Gist (who died in 1865), photographed with eldest daughters, Elizabeth and Mary.

I believe this is a photo of James Jr., and the same two young sisters as above. This material was sent to me by a descendant of this family and I no longer know how to get in touch with them. Unfortunately, I didn't write it down.

1880 Camden County, MO census, Osage Twp, page 149D

Elizabeth GIST 46 AL (widow)

son James 17 MO

dau Louella 11 MO (Sidney Louellen)

Elizabeth Gist is the widow of James S. Gist, who died in 1865.

The link with Lawrence County, Alabama and Shelby County, Tennessee makes me think he is Harriet’s brother. He was born according to the 1850 census about 1823, and Rachel had married Emanuel McNutt by then. However in the 1860 census he states he is 41 years of age, meaning he was born about 1819, which is in the short period of time Rachel would have been married to a Gist (abt 1812-1820). Since there are NO Gist/Guess/Guest’s on the 1840 or 1850 census for Shelby County, Tennessee -- I think we have enough evidence to infer that this James Gist was Harriet’s brother. Interesting, for he served in the Union Army, in the 29th Missouri. Harriet’s husband, my great-great-grandpa, David Brown, was in the 8th Arkansas, Confederate. This means Harriet’s brother died September 10, 1865, and her husband died May 1, 1865, one for the Union, the other in the service of the Confederacy. One in Missouri, the other in Arkansas. It must have been a hard time for the family. They probably attended each other’s weddings.

Recent evidence has come up that one of the four children of Rachel’s that I thought was a Gist may have been a Talbot. That might mean we only have one missing Gist sibling, but we still have missing McNutt half brothers and sisters to Harriet..

B. James Havens and David Smith [25]

I sent off for old papers about David Smith who had moved to Missouri, and these papers were at a small university there. They Xeroxed me copies and I am trying to transcribe them. I will later explain about the Smith’s, Gist’s, Havens, and others on the “Guess/Gist side of the family. David Smith married Charlotte Havens, sister to my Rachel Havens. Rachel was Harriet’s mother). Charlotte and Rachel’s father had died leaving Sarah [Miller] Havens a widow. While both were living in Lawrence County, Alabama, the following was part of the package I was sent --

. . . Two quarter sections of land subject to the dower of Sarah Havens, widow of said deceased, upon the following /audit? [can’t make it out] to wit one half at a ?[audit maybe?] of 3 months, and the other half at a ?audit? Until the 25th December 1826 they having entered into bond in the sum of fourteen hundred dollars with William McNutt and John Brown as their security. A copy. Test John Gallagher. clk.

The above was recorded shortly after the death of James Havens, Harriet’s maternal grandfather. He died in 1822.

We have shown that Sarah’s daughter Rachel, married Emanuel McNutt in 1822. Was William his father? And Rachel’s daughter by an earlier marriage, Harriet, married David Brown in 1841. David was the son of John Brown. Long before finding this connection between these Brown’s and Haven’s and Smith’s and McNutt’s -- THIS was the “John Brown” that I have always believed was the father of our David. With these family connections now known, I am certain of it.

Words on a plaque in Bankhead National Forest in Southern Lawrence County, Alabama

This area was the home to Indians, settlers, people of mixed ancestry and their descendants. Local bluff shelters contain evidence of occupation from Paleo Indian (10,000 BC) through the Mississippian Period (1540 AD). Chief Tuscaloosa (Black Warrior), mentioned by Desoto (1540), was a noted Creek Indian leader. A 1733 map identified the southern drainage from these mountains as the Tuscaloosa River. The first known written occurrence of "Warrior Mountains" was made by rifle maker John Bull (1777-1840), who engraved one of his rifles "David Smith, Warrior Mountains - 1829" According to family tradition. James Havens (Smith's father-in-law) said, "bury me by my Indian friends on the side of the Warrior Mountain where the magnolia blooms in the spring” (possibly Indian Tomb Hollow). James E. Saunders’ 1899 book refers to the southern highlands of Lawrence County as the Warrior Mountains. On 15 Jun 1936, Pres. Roosevelt changed the name to the Black Warrior Forest, and on 17 Jun 1942, Congress changed the name to William B. Bankhead National Forest. The Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area, Sipsey Wilderness (1975) and Sipsey Wild and Scenic Rivers are found here.

David Smith (mentioned above) married Charlotte Havens, sister to our Rachel. Both Charlotte and Rachel were daughters of James Havens, mentioned above. The following was found about them, written by David’s son, who was also James grandson. And it mentions MY line of Gist’s, as well.

PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI; Early and Recent History and Genealogical Records of Many of the Representative Citizens[27]

BYJONATHAN FAIRBANKS AND CLYDE EDWIN TUCK; VOLUME II, ILLUSTRATED, 1915 , A. W. BOWEN & COMPANY INDIANAPOLIS, GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI., p 1280-1283

JOHN RANDOLPH SMITH. M. D.

. . .Doctor Smith was never named by his parents, being known only by a "nickname" until he was eight years of age when he selected his own name. He comes from an excellent old American family. Robert Smith, his grandfather, was born in England, and he served in the Revolutionary war becoming captain of a company in the Fourth North Carolina regiment. He was a gallant officer and took part in many engagements, including the battle of King's .Mountain. After the war he was a merchant and ship builder of note, owning several vessels which operated between North Carolina ports and the West Indies. Nathaniel Geist, the doctor's great-grandfather, first married Mary Howard, of Baltimore, Maryland, and later Dinah Volker, of Holland. His daughter, Mary Geist, by his first wife, married Robert Smith, our subject's grandfather. Nathaniel Geist served with George Washington in the war with England against France, and he was captured in 1773 at Braddock's famous defeat by the Cherokee Indians, who held him four years. During his captivity he married an Indian maiden and they reared a family. One of their sons [Vance’s note: notice it says one of their sons? Did they have several?], George Geist, was a man of exceptional prowess and ability and the Indians called him Chief Sequoyah, and he was for some time chief of the Cherokee tribe. He has been held in great reverence by the succeeding generation of Cherokees in view of the fact that he originated the Cherokee alphabet.

David Smith, father of our subject, was born in North Carolina. He lived in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky before coming to Missouri in 1836.He was a great cattleman, raising large numbers in the above mentioned states, and in the early days before there were any railroads in the South, he practiced driving immense herds of cattle to Baltimore, Maryland, where he marketed them. Many claim that he originated the familiar term "cowboy." He was left an orphan in infancy, his father and mother both dying at that period of his life. All his life he was a dealer in livestock and was one of the most widely known cattle and horse dealers in his day and generation in the localities where he resided. He was one of the first to import blooded horses, and he raised thoroughbreds for a number of years. [Vance’s note: Notice David’s mother was a Gist also. Remember these relationships later when the discuss Aaron Gist who was hung as a horse thief in 1801. David Smith was a horse dealer whose first cousin was Aaron Gist, earlier hung as a horse thief -- makes me wonder . . . there but for the grace of God . . . Notice the author too, has confused stories of one Nathaniel Gist for another. Remember there were three contemporary Nathaniel Gist’s. Two were father and son, the father marrying the Howard girl, the son the Volker. The third was with Washington at Braddock’s defeat. The Cherokee were their allies in this battle, not their foes, so parts of the above narrative are in error.]

He lived to a ripe old age, spending his last years on his large stock farm in Newton County, this state. His family consisted of the following children: Benjamin F. died in infancy: Sarah A. married Thomas Walker; Mary, who is now eighty-two years of age and has never married, is living at the old homestead. "Kent Park," Newton county, Missouri: Dr. John R. of this sketch; Charlotte E. married James W. Roseberry, now deceased; their son Charles II. Roseberry owns and conducts a large deer farm at "Kent Park," Newton County, and is a member of the Society for the Preservation of Wild Animals of the United States Government. Thomas H. Benton Smith died in 186- while in the service of the Confederacy, having been with General Rains' brigade at Ft. Smith, Arkansas, at the time of his death. [Vance’s note: another relative at Fort Smith, Ark.]

Dr. John R. Smith owns a gun which was made to order for his father in 1829, by John Bull, a gunsmith of Warrior Mountain, Alabama. It is a fine specimen of guncraft of those days, is mounted with silver and has a gold powder pan and bushings. The stock is of curly maple and the barrel of a very soft iron. It is a remarkably accurate shouting piece and it was designed as a "target" gun for the pioneers. The mounting has several inscriptions on the silver plating. The doctor values this heirloom very highly . . .

I have left out much of the story about David’s son, the one about whom this article was written.

As with many similar accounts, there is some truth and some that is not. For Instance, the Nathaniel Gist who married “Dinah” is NOT the same Nathaniel Gist who was with George Washington at Braddock’s Defeat in the French and Indian War of the 1750s and early 60s. They were first cousin’s. The Nathaniel Gist who married Mary Howard was the father of the Nathaniel Gist whom he says married Dinah Volker. The Nathaniel Gist who married “Dinah” was killed at Kings Mountain. This article also claims Robert Smith, David’s father, also served at Kings Mountain.

From "Warrior Mountains Indian Heritage" by Ricky "Butch" Walker, p 276, we have a confirmation of the previous article mentioning a rifle in the possession of David Smith. Mr. Walker says --

"John Bull, In 1829, a frontiersman and famous rifle maker by the name of John Bull engraved 2 of his masterpieces from the Warrior Mountains. According to information provided by Mr. Dan Wallace, the exceptional rifle is inscribed on a silver platelet in the stock, "John Bull for David Smith, Warrior Mountain . . .

"According to Old land records of Lawrence County, Alabama by Margaret Cowart, David Smith entered 79.92 acres of land . . . near Indian Tomb Hollow on September 18, 1818 and 79.92 acres on September 28, 1818 . . . He married Charlotte Ann Havens, who was the daughter of James Havens. According to Havens family legend . . . James Havens was buried next to his Indian friends on the side of Warrior Mountains. . ."

One last thing about David Smith. There was an 1828 land transaction in Lawrence County, Alabama whereby David Smith was assignee of Ruth Gist, with Ruth being assignee of Saml. G. Acklin. David Smith purchased 79.92 acres of land, nearly half a quarter section of land, with a section being a square mile, or 640 acres. I do not know who Ruth Gist as this is the only place I have ever seen her name. But it does confirm there was a Gist in Lawrence County, Alabama who knew David Smith. Remember the document above that said his mother was Mary Gist, daughter of Nathaniel Gist by what it calls his first wife, but that first wife was actually the wife of Nathaniel’s father, also named Nathaniel. But some of what it says is just wrong. What parts can we trust?

From my research, I know I descend from the same James Havens, and that David Smith’s mother was Mary [Gist] Smith, a sister or Aunt to my John Gist found in “Land of the Lake” (more about him later) of whom it said he also was some relation to Sequoyah. The article above said “one of the sons” of this Nathaniel was Sequoyah. Was John another, and was Mary a daughter? The above James Havens is the same man, who once he died, that John Brown and William McNutt were used as security in 1826 (more about this later, as well) to help his widow get by.

David Smith’s relatives say his mother was descended from Nathaniel Gist. Which Nathaniel? Let us consider the evidence. Where can we find this Nathaniel Gist? This is another of our breakthroughs, finally! It’s about time! I researched LITERALLY every Gist/Guess/Guest family in Alabama/Arkansas/Georgia/Tennessee/Virginia/North and South Carolina/Maryland/Oklahoma and Texas, ruling them out, one by one, a process that took many years, and was more frustrating than you can imagine. The article about the Smith’s said Robert Smith, David’s father, served in the 4th North Carolina during the Revolutionary War. That article said David Smith’s father was Robert Smith, lived in North Carolina. It also said Nathaniel Gist was the father of Sequoyah. However the Nathaniel that was killed at Kings Mountain was NOT the Nathaniel Gist whose father and grandfather knew George Washington. The Nathaniel Gist who knew Robert Smith, David’s father, was the Nathaniel who moved to Southwestern Virginia before being killed at Kings Mountain, during the Revolutionary War, in 1780.

Now that we have a particular Nathaniel Gist to research, let us see what we can find about him.

The Dorsey’s

These Gist’s are recorded [28] by the Dorsey’s. Every Gist genealogy researcher starts with the Dorsey’s book. They say the following about this family on pages 60-61:

Nathaniel Gist 4 (Nathaniel 3, Richard 2, Christopher 1). B. c, 1736, Baltimore County, Maryland; d, probably Oct 7, 1780 at the Battle of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. M. Dinah _____. Thought to be a daughter of Aaron Van Hook, who died intestate in Orange County, NC in 1760. His sons, Aaron and Lawrence Vanhook, lived in Washington County, Virginia in the 1780s with the Gist’s and Fulkerson’s. James Fulkerson married Mary Vanhook, sister of Dinah Vanhook. Benjamin Sharp, son-in-law of James and Mary Fulkerson, said that Nathaniel Gist, was uncle by marriage to his wife, Nathaniel Gist was a young boy when his family moved from Maryland to Virginia. He lived with his father beyond the Dan River in Rowan County, North Carolina, until it was necessary for the frontier families to move to a place of safety. Nathaniel and several of his brothers moved to Cumberland County, North Carolina (see maps pages 10 and 58).

The records show that he served on the jury in Cumberland County in January 1759, and again in October of this year, and also in 1761.On August 16m1763, when the court ordered that a road be laid out from John Martinlier’s Ford on Cape Fear River to Archibald McNeill’s on the Lower Little River in Cumberland County, Nathaniel Gist, Christopher Gist, and Joshua Gist all served on the jury to lay out the road. This same year Nathaniel Gist asked that his mark and brand be granted and recorded (Cumberland Co., NC Ct of Common Pleas, book A, p 21; Bk B, pp. 27, 35, State Dept. of Archives and History, Raleigh.

In 1769 Nathaniel Gist bought 100 acres of land from Robert Smith in Cumberland County. [Vance’s note: There it is! Robert Smith, father of David Smith, knew THIS PARTICULAR Nathaniel!] On April 18th 1770 he was granted 155 acres situated between Two Little Rivers, adjoining his own and John Smith’s and George Robert’s lines (Cumberland County, NC Deeds 3m p 442,NC land grant bk 20, p 647, Department of State, Raleigh). On February 13m 1778, Nathaniel Gist and Dinah, his wife, sold their grants of 155 acres and their tract of 100 acres between Two Little Rivers to Isaac Williams (Cumberland County, NC Deeds4, pp 461, 462).

From here Nathaniel Gist and his family and others went to the new lands that were being made available in Washington County, Virginia. Soon after they arrived the Revolutionary War started, and he and his brothers Richard Gist and Thomas Gist enlisted in Col. William Campbell’s Regiment of Washington County, Virginia. It is thought that Nathaniel was killed. The name of Nathaniel Gist appears on the monument of those killed during the encounter with the British forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain (L. P. Summers, History of Southwestern Virginia, pp. 859, 164) (record of the monument on the battlefield).

Children of Nathaniel and Dinah Gist (thought to have been their children)

i.] Nathaniel Gist 5. On October 14th, 1791, Nathaniel Gist by warrant entered 800 acres of land lying on the waters of Holstein River and on the top of White Mountain to have the naked place or old field in the center and running according to law by quantity . . . (Washington Co., Va. Record Entry and Surveys, No. 1, p 99). No records have been found of the sale of this land.

ii.] John Gist 5, may have gone to Tennessee.

iii.] Aaron Gist 5, may have gone to Tennessee.

iv.] George Gist 5, On March 28th, 1796, George Gist bought 50 acres in the Raccoon Valley on a branch of the North Fork of Holston River, from James Walsh. On August 9th, 1797, when living in Russell County, Virginia, he sold this land to William Gilson [Vance’s note: Gibson?] (Washington County, Va Deeds 2, pp21, 88).

Probably others. [Vance’s note: according to the Smith’s, they also had a daughter named Mary.]

Cumberland County, North Carolina

According to the Dorsey Book on the Maryland Gist families our Nathaniel was in Cumberland County, North Carolina. Is there a Robert Smith there? Well let’s see what we can find out [29].

First, how do we negotiate the Smith account of Dinah being a “Volker” while the Dorsey’s said she was a Vanhook? Well, the Dorsey’s said:

“Nathaniel Gist 4 (Nathaniel 3, Richard 2, Christopher 1). B. c, 1736, Baltimore County, Maryland; d, probably Oct 7, 1780 at the Battle of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. M. Dinah _____. Thought to be a daughter of Aaron Van Hook, who died intestate in Orange County, NC in 1760. His sons, Aaron and Lawrence Vanhook, lived in Washington County, Virginia in the 1780s with the Gist’s and Fulkerson’s. James Fulkerson married Mary Vanhook, sister of Dinah Vanhook. Benjamin Sharp, son-in-law of James and Mary Fulkerson, said that Nathaniel Gist, was uncle by marriage to his wife

. . .”

BUT – his wife was a Fulkerson on one side and a Vanhook on the other. So Nathaniel’s wife might have been a Fulkerson or a Vanhook, either one, according to Sharp’s statement. Both these families were Dutch from New York, whose families had been in New York since the days it was known as New Amsterdam. Also I had a conversation by email with a Fulkerson descendant/researcher and they weren’t surprised at all, that we found the name Volker. I found out that the original family name WAS Volker and they knew it! Somewhere down the line “son” was added and it was also Anglicized to become Fulkerson. They said this was a very common practice for that culture in those times.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jecain/smit033.htm

Cumberland NC Deed Book 3-442 28 Nov 1767 ROBERT SMITH of Cumberland to Nathaniel Gist of Cumberland, 50 pds, parcel of land lying in Cumberland Co. between the two Little Rivers. s/ ROBERT SMITH. w/ HUGH SMITH, Adam Killan, John Williamson.

Shows Robert Smith, father of David Smith, sold land to Nathaniel Gist. Remember David’s son said David’s mother was Mary Gist, a daughter of Nathaniel. The one that bought land from Robert Smith was Nathaniel Gist (Jr.) b 1736, the one that was killed at Kings Mountain in 1780. His father was also named Nathaniel Gist (Sr.) b 1707.

Cumberland NC Deed Book 4-155 28 Sep 1769 ROBERT SMITH of Cumberland to Adam Killen to Cumberland for 10 pds, 100a in Cumberland Co. between the two Little Rivers and known by the name of "Rattlesnake Hill". said tract of land was granted to DAVID SMITH by patent dated 03 Oct 1755. The said ROBERT SMITH is lawfully and rightfully the owner of said 100a being entitled to the same by the Last Will and Testament of DAVID SMITH, decd. s/ ROBERT SMITH w/ Thomas Killen, Gerard Craig.

Apparently Robert Smith’s father was also named David Smith, the same name as his son.

Cumberland NC Deed Book 6-428 19 Jan 1778 ROBERT SMITH, Power of Attorney, to wife MARY SMITH. s/ ROBERT SMITH. w/ William Sproul.

Confirms the Smith (from Missouri) report that Robert’s wife was named Mary. The Smith’s of Missouri say Mary was a Gist, a daughter of Nathaniel. Even the Dorsey’s never found this record, but when they listed his children, after listing four, they said “probably more”.

Cumberland NC Deed Book 18-277 22 Mar 1799 ROBERT SMITH for "love and affection to son DAVID SMITH" s/ ROBERT SMITH. w/ ?????? MacNeele, ?????? MacNeele.

This confirms that Robert Smith had a son named David, confirming the Smith family story about the origins of their family in America.

So -- there WAS a Robert Smith with a wife named Mary and a son named David – this fits exactly what the Smiths of Missouri later say. Nathaniel Gist knew these Smiths well, as he bought land from them. His daughter could very well have married one of them.

Washington County, Virginia

The Dorsey’s say these Gist’s went to Washington County, Virginia in the early 1770s. What can we discover about this?

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/indian/28.html

We the Commissioners, etc...do certify that John Dickerson, heir-at-law to Humphrey Dickerson, who was assignee of Joseph Blackmore, who was assignee of Nathaniel Gist is entitled to 310 acres of land lying in Washington county on the north side of Clynch River in Cassell's Woods, to include his improvement. Surveyed the 28th day of May, 1774. [Vance’s note: when discussing the Melungeons, recall Jarvis words, where he said the whites “with the friendly Indians” built Fort Blackmore. OUR Nathaniel Gist – not the famous Nathaniel Gist, but his first cousin -- KNEW Joseph Blackmore. Again, interesting.]

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/indian/79.html

At the above link we have “The above writer is referring to the children of Joseph Blackmore, for Captain John Blackmore, builder of Blackmore’s Fort, had in the year 1779, left for the area for settlement on the Cumberland in Tennessee. Joseph Blackmore was a brother of Captain John, and owned the adjoining farm to the old Fort tract to the south and down Clinch River.” Joseph and John Blackmore were brothers, and John Built Fort Blackmore, famous in the history of the Melungeons as having been built by the “friendly Indians” who seem to have been relatives of the Catawba, NOT the Cherokee. Those Catawba keep popping up, even here with respect to Nathaniel Gist. It makes me wonder when the Cherokee themselves say his paternal grandpa was White implying his father was half Indian. What if his father was half Catawba, not Cherokee? Well that changes things a bit . . . We will probably never know.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/landgrants/washcosurvbk.html

Page 149 - Richard Moor...390ac...Commissioners Certificate...on the waters of Beaver Creek, north branch of Holston River...Beginning on the north side of the big ridge...corner to Cornelius Carmacks land he now lives on...corner to Carmack & Nathaniel Gist...June 6, 1782 - Richard Moore...390 ac on a branch of Beaver Creek, surveyed on January 12, 1775, includes improvements, actual settlement made in 1774...August 17, 1781

Page 151 - Nathaniel Gist...200 ac...Preemption Warrant #1972...on the waters of Beaver Creek, north branch of Holstein River...Beginning corner to Cornelius Carmacks land he now lives on...corner to Richard Moors land he now lives on...June 5, 1782

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/census/1802tx.html

1802 Russell County Virginia Personal Property Tax List

Note: All households have one tithable unless otherwise noted.

Gess, Nathaniel

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/court/ruscolobk2.html

P374 - Abrell Meed vs Jesse, Caleb & William Friley, NB, Jury: Richard Long, George McCoy, Austin Bush, Robert Willson, George Gess, Thomas Stapleton, John Deskins, Joseph Tate, Richard Davis, Richard Collier, Bartin Smoot & William Gibson, Jesse Friley found guilty, Caleb & William found not guilty

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/landgrants/ruscosurvbk2.html

Talks of Guest’s River, Guest’s Fork, and Guest Mountain

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/families/burk.html

Mentions a George Gest/Guest Sr. (1707) and Jr. (1747) in a will or wills

1801 Russell County Virginia Personal Property Tax List

Guest, Nathaniel - 1

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/landgrants/ruscosurvbk.html

361 - March 20, 1799 - Samuel Ewing - 150 ac - part Treasury Warrant 2083 dated December 23, 1796 - on the waters of Clinch River in Castles Woods - by a path corner to David Calhoun and Richard Long - corner to William Robinson - by a path – on the bank of Clinch River corner to Robinson’s corner to Stephen Gest’s.

There were still Gist’s in the region after the death of Nathaniel in 1780. Brother Richard had also settled there and he too, was killed at Kings Mountain. Kings Mountain is found right next to the Catawba lands on the North/South Carolina border. Both Richard and Nathaniel had sons named Nathaniel. Also of note only amongst these Gist’s do we see the given name “George”.

King’s Mountain

We have heard that Nathaniel was killed at Kings Mountain. So I need to discuss this battle, just a little. Recall the Dorsey’s quoted Summers, saying:

From here Nathaniel Gist and his family and others went to the new lands that were being made available in Washington County, Virginia. Soon after they arrived the Revolutionary War started, and he and his brothers Richard Gist and Thomas Gist enlisted in Col. William Campbell’s Regiment of Washington County, Virginia. It is thought that Nathaniel was killed. The name of Nathaniel Gist appears on the monument of those killed during the encounter with the British forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain (L. P. Summers, History of Southwestern Virginia, pp. 859, 164) (record of the monument on the battlefield).

So what happened at this battle? I have read many articles about all the Nathaniel Gist’s that there were. Especially confusing are the discussions about the Nathaniel who descended from Christopher, and his first cousin who descended from Nathaniel Sr. The son of Christopher knew George Washington, personally. The Nathaniel, son of Nathaniel, was killed at Kings Mountain, in 1780, and had moved to Southwestern Virginia shortly before the start of the Revolutionary War started, earlier in the 1770s. So many start talking about one of these Nathaniel’s,, and up writing about the other one. Benjamin Sharp also lived near our Gist’s in Old Washington County, in Southwestern Virginia.

However he was around the other Nathaniel when he switched sides, as he started the war as a Tory and switched to the side of the Revolutionaries in 1777. Sharp, like many writers, confuses the two Nathaniel Gist’s who were first cousins of one another. From a Letter of Benjamin Sharp, in “American Pioneer”, 237, dated Warren County, Missouri, March 3, 1843, we take the following, which gives some light upon the history of the Gist's:

“In the year 1776, he (Col Nathaniel Gist) was the British Superintendent of the Southern Indians, and he was then in the Cherokee Nation. And when Col. Christian carried his expedition into the Indian country, he surrendered himself to him, and although the inhabitants were so exasperated at him that almost everyone that mentioned his name would threaten his life, yet Christian conveyed him through the frontier settlements unmolested; and he went on to head-quarters of General Washington, where, I suppose, their former friendship was revived. He became a zealous Whig and obtained through the General's influence as was supposed, a colonel's commission in the Continental Army, and served with reputation during the war. He afterwards settled in Kentucky, where he died not many years ago.

I well recollect of the friends of General Jackson boasting that a luxuriant young hickory had sprung out of his grave, in honor of old hickory face, the hero of New Orleans.

One of his uncles, also a Col. Nathaniel Gist was uncle to my wife by marriage; and his younger brother Richard Gist, lived a close neighbor to my father in 1780, and went on the expedition to Kings Mountain, and fell there, within 25 or 30 steps of the British lines, of which I am yet a living witness.”

One thing I have learned is that in old age, we sometimes recall the past incorrectly, not intentionally trying to deceive, but as a result of life’s experiences. The Dorsey’s also read this, saw Nathaniel (the one killed at Kings Mountain) and then assumed the wife of Nathaniel was a Fulkerson, aka Volker, or a Vanhook, as Benjamin’s wife was a Vanhook on one side, and a Fulkerson on the other. The Nathaniel at King’s Mountain was an Ensign by rank, not a Colonel. Sharp says that he saw Nathaniel’s brother, Richard, killed at Kings Mountain with his own eyes. Well, since he knew the other Nathaniel had survived the war, did he confuse Richard with Nathaniel? Nathaniel’s name was on the list of the dead, and his name is inscribed on a plaque at the battle site. We might never know the exact truth. The Nathaniel Gist at Kings Mountain was NOT the Nathaniel Gist Sharp was speaking about, whom he called “the Colonel”. They were first cousins and had the same name.

The bottom plaque at the battlesite, lists the dead at Kings Mountain. The third name from the top in the middle collumn is “Nathaniel Gist”. You can just make it out. His commander was the first name on the upper plaque – Colonel William Campbell, of Washington County, Virginia.

C. DNA Testing Results

DNA testing is a powerful tool and can be used to confirm or reject long held family stories and census records. Here are excerpts of a copy of an email I was sent about the Gist’s my family are related to:

An analysis of the test results for those of Group 1 of the FTDNA Gist/Gest/Gues(s)(t)

Y-DNA Project.

Y-DNA test lab

http:www.familytreedna.com

As of Mar 2011, the Gist/Gest/Gues(s)(t) Y-DNA Project has 60 members, 6 of whom are in Group 1. A complete list of all the Project Y-DNA test results can be found online at:

www.familytreedna.com/public/gistgestguessguest

The oldest known ancestors of those represented in Group 1:

1. Major Thomas GIST, born estimated 1765 in Union District, SC. Lived in Knox County, TN in 1797. Helped establish the town of Smithland in Livingston County, KY in 1798. Sheriff of Livingston County, KY when he died in early 1807.

2. Christopher GIST, born about 1804 in TN, married to Mary McNutt [in Lawrence County, Alabama]

3. Aaron and Nancy GIST, born about 1807 and 1815 respectively in KY. Aaron Gist and Nancy were probably the parents of the following three men:

4. Thomas O. GIST, born about 1830 in KY. Married Sarah Gist, daughter of Christopher Gist, about 1858.

5. James Harvey GIST, born Feb 1836 in Wayne County, KY per Civil War records. [Vance’s note: his son wrote one of those dust bowl era papers for IPP]

6. Elijah GIST, born about 1837 in KY. Elijah, 23 and unmarried in 1860, with 45 year old Nancy GIST (his mother?) living in the household with him for the 1860 census.

7. Nathaniel Gist, born 1707, son of Richard Gist and Zipporah Murray of the Maryland Gist families.

There are other Guest’s in Lawrence County, Alabama – Moses, Martin and others associated with them – we apparently are not related to that bunch. Number 7 is Nathaniel Gist, b. 1707. This is the father of OUR Nathaniel. These families are VERY closely related to my family, per genealogical records. Notice number 2, Christopher’s wife was a McNutt and he too can be found in Lawrence/Winston/Walker County area of Northern Alabama very close to some Brown’s. I too have Brown’s and a McNutt married my g-g-g-grandma, the same generation as Christopher. Some think Emanuel McNutt and Mary McNutt (Christopher’s wife) were brother and sister. Notice also one of these people, through a paper trail, goes back to Nathaniel Gist b. 1707. This Nathaniel had a son named Nathaniel who was killed at Kings Mountain, the same person the descendants of David Smith wrote about. I have talked to descendants of many of these people, and have yet to find any who didn’t also have a family story of having an Indian ancestor somewhere down the road. And many of these people had never heard of each other, their families having lost contact for generations.

Here is a bar graph of an autosomal DNA test I took in 2005. It came back almost completely Caucasian (EU), but we did have a little American Indian (NA) and a little sub-Sahara African (AF) autosomal DNA as well. These tests are still being perfected. This test suggested about 1/32nd American Indian and about 1/16th sub-Sahara African, and the rest (29/32) Caucasian. There is a margin of error of about 1/16th either way, but you can’t get zero or less percent of DNA that was present.

D. Gist Station and Gist Station’s Camp

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/other/forts.html

There was a place called “Gist’s Station” in what is now Wise County, in southwestern Virginia. But in the past it was part of Washington County. The author of the article below didn’t know any Gist’s ever lived in the area – but ours did!

GUEST STATION

Of all the frontier stations along the Clinch this one presents the greatest enigma. The location is between Big and Little Tom’s Creek, on Guest River at the present site of Coeburn, Wise Co., VA.

Outside of deed references which mention this station frequently no other direct reference has been found pertaining to it, and no militia correspondence or pensions applications make mention of it. Charles B. Coale, in "Wilburn Waters" tells of the Indians going to this station in 1777, after their capture of Jane Whittaker and Polly Alley, and finding it well defended make no attack upon it. Coale gives no authority for this statement and search for it has proven fruitless. Who built the station and for what purpose is unknown. There are several opinions, but opinions unless backed by factual data should never become a part of written history. This writer does categorically deny that it has any relation with Christopher Gist as has been written, since Gist did not travel through the present bounds of Wise County.

Elder Morgan T. Lipps, who settled on Tom’s Creek in the spring of 1838, states in his diary: That the old settlers showed him some of the logs of the old fort and chimney rocks still lying upon the ground when he arrived there in 1838. Even if Christopher Gist did visit this spot in 1750, he could never, with the help of a small Negro boy, have built a structure whose remains would have lasted 88 years after his departure.

That some sort of fortification existed at Coeburn is unquestioned, since from the earliest times the place was called Guesses Station, and retained that name until the coming of the railroads when the name was changed.

When I read this I said to myself – Christopher’s nephew – MY Nathaniel WAS THERE! I think it was OUR family that founded this fort. Wise County was a part of old Washington County. I really need to look at the description of the location of the Gist’s lands, and compare it to the location of Guest’s Station. But our Gist’s were the only Gist’s to ever live there!

Gist’s Station’s Camp

Don Sticher, Gist researcher but not directly related to my branch of the Gist’s who claims Indian blood, found the following and forwarded it to me --

Early Times in Clinton County (Kentucky), Jack Ferguson, 1986, Page 8

Sometime in early 1775 Benjamin Price and a small company retraced the Maniker party’s path and established a camp in the “Great Meadows,” an open grassland near the present Mill Springs. Because in a few years after the opening of the nineteenth century there was considerable litigation involving land grants in that area, requiring the depositions of witnesses, quite a large amount of information involving land grants in this area has been preserved concerning Price’s settlement(15). One of those who gave their testimony was an erst-while companion of Price - Nathaniel Buchanan (16). He testified that sometime in 1775, he, Price and some others launched a canoe into the Cumberland above the mouth of “Meadow Creek” - later known as “Lick Branch” - and crossed the river to the south side. Because Price was in charge of the company of hunters the place was ever afterwards known as Price’s Landing. An old Indian trace led from the Landing to what later became known as the “Great Meadows” or “Price’s Meadows,” an open grassy glade or valley free of trees which extended in a northeasterly direction from where Price later established his camp. Initially the hunters camped in a large salt petre cave near the meadows. Buchanan testified that he marked out a new trace from the salt petre cave to Price’s Landing, which was a more direct route, intersecting the old trace some distance above the river cliff. He asserted that his party used the new trace from February until the following July. Apparently they then erected a log house near the meadows - Buchanan testified that he assisted in building “this cabin” - apparently, as far as the records indicate, the first settler’s dwelling erected in this part of the Cumberland valley. According to Buchanan, no one else was hunting in “these woods” at that time, but later Michael Stoner, a man name Green, and some others came to them at the “Great meadow.”

Several miles upriver from Price’s camp a hunter named Gist, possibly Nathaniel, had a hunting camp called Gist’s Station Camp, in Pulaski County, on the southern side of the river nearly opposite the mouth of Pitman Creek. A trace led from Price’s camp to Gist’s Station Camp, which was generally used by Buchanan’s companions - “It was our crossing place when we came to or returned from Price’s Meadows.”

John McClure testified that he and some others wanted to trap along the Cumberland in the fall of 1783. They were told that they could find Price’s landing by the noise made by the fall of the creek near its mouth. They followed Buchanan’s trace from the landing to the salt petre cave where they camped about seven or more months.

After a cabin was erected at Price’s Station, the camp was enlarged and a blockhouse built, in 1777 - “the year of the bloody sevens”- when all of Kentucky was aflame with Indian hostilities, only Price’s Station, Harrodsburg, and Fort Boonesboro survived.

So there was a hunting camp called “Guest’s Station’s Camp” dating back to 1775 at least. This would be a hunting camp associated with Guest’s Station, which was run by our Gist’s! If our Gist’s were hunters, they were traders as well I suspect. On the Cherokee Nation’s own website it says Sequoyah’s mother was a trader. If our Nathaniel Gist was a hunter and trader, and spent time in the Cherokee hunting grounds in North Tennessee and Southern Kentucky in the 1770s, he very well might have come across Cherokee hunting parties. Please refer to Appendix 5 for Buchannan’s reference to “Gist’s Station’s Camp”.

A. John and Aaron Gist, Jason Cloud and John Brown

The Dorsey’s said John and Aaron Gist might have gone to Tennessee. We found John and Aaron in “Land of the Lake” by Dr. Ridenour, in Tennessee, on pages 7 and 8.

By Dr. G. L. Ridenour, LaFollette, TN, 1941, excerpt taken from Pages 7 and 8

ELK, DEER, BUFFALO PERISH IN COLD

The winter of 1779-1780 was very cold. So many elk, deer and buffalo gathered in the shelter around the meadows and cane-brakes along the creek between Pine mountain and Walnut mountain that the food for these large animals was soon exhausted, and scores of the them perished in severe continued cold. Hunters and Indians alike avoided the beautiful valley in the spring and early summer of 1780 on account of the stench from the dead game. The name Stinking Creek has persisted for the scenic stream until the present.

In the summer of 1785 several parties of surveyors were running the metes and bounds of North Carolina land grants of the south side of Clinch River. At the same time the surveyors could not resist crossing the stream to select the choice locations for land grants with reference to Henderson and Company’s Great Survey. Thomas Hutchins, a brother-in-law and a Deputy Surveyor under Stockley Donelson during the fall and winter of 1785-86, surveyed tracts on both sides the river.

Brooks and a number of woodsmen in company that year surveyed land “Including a Large Buffalo lick.” This party gave the name of Reed’s Creek to one of the streams. George Brooks, a brother of Castleton Brooks, a Long Hunter who settled in Hickory Cove and had been killed by the Indians in 1776 or 1777 at his cabin, and Andrew Reed were skilled woodsmen and famous hunters and were often directing parties of woodsmen for the protection of the surveyors.

One 340 acre tract of land calls for a location on both sides Beaver dam Creek “including William Sharp’s improvement at Reed’s corner along a conditional line between William Sharp and John Brady on a cross fence down a small branch, thence along the fence twenty-nine poles striking the creek at a bent so up said creek to Miller’s line where John Guest (Gist) now lives.”

This John Gist was the son of an Indian trader and a Cherokee woman. He was kinsman of Sikwayi, or Sequoya, whose English name was George Gist, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet of syllables. Years later Aaron Guest of Kentucky acknowledge the receipt of his part of “the estate of my father Aaron Guest, Deceased, where Jason Cloud and John Guest (Gist) were executors.”

Notice the time frame above was about 1785 when the land was first being surveyed. I can’t but help but recall Aunt Lorena’s letter – she told me that she was told by her mother (Lona [Richey] Hawkins 1883-1963, my grandma) that her, Aunt Lorena’s great-grandma (Harriet) was either Sequoyah’s niece or great niece. If the John Gist mentioned above WERE to have been Sequoyah’s brother or half-brother – AND if John was Harriet’s grandpa – then it would make Harriet out to be Sequoyah’s great niece, and that is what grandma told Aunt Lorena, according to her letter.

The following is from "Land of the Lake" by Dr. G. L. Ridenhour, which was printed by Campbell County Historical Society. In the Preface his daughter, Crea Ridenhour says "Much detailed research and time went into the writing, and the information included in the book was painstaking historically correct. . . . much that he knew died with him." Crea Ridenhour, Nov. 11, 1991.

The Trial and Hanging of Aaron Gist

Both the Dorsey’s and Ridenhour mention John and Aaron Gist. They appear to be father and son, although the Dorsey’s portray them as brothers. John is hardly mentioned in any historical document, but Aaron, the unfortunate one, was hung as a horse thief. What? Well, yes that’s true. This Aaron Gist was either a son of Nathaniel or a son of John, who was a son of Nathaniel, the man killed at Kings Mountain in 1780. DNA records and genealogical records say our ancestor descended from this Nathaniel as well. Dr. Ridenhour said Aaron’s probable father (John) was part Indian and was related to Sequoyah, perhaps an unknown brother, and my aunt wrote me saying our great-great-grandma was a niece or great niece of Sequoyah. There is a record of Sequoyah apparently visited a descendant of the well-known Nathaniel Gist saying that he was looking for his White relatives. But what if he descended from “the other” Nathaniel Gist, the Nathaniel who died at the battle of Kings Mountain? Maybe the reason Nathaniel never visited his Cherokee family was because he was dead.

But back to the hanging of Aaron Gist. As for being one of the few men hung it seems, in that era, you’d think more would have been written about him. Below is an account of what we have found.

Grainger County, Tennessee Court Minutes, Vol. 1, 1796-1802

Abstracted from LDS Film #968587, Grainger County Court Minutes 1796-1823

Page 167 -- 18 Feb 1801 - “Ordered that John Ward Deputy Sheriff of the County of Grainger be allowed the sum of seven Dollars for the conveyance of Aron Guest (sic) to the goal (jail) of the District of Hamilton & that Jeremiah Vardamon and Seamon Cockrill be allowed the sum of Two Dollars and Twenty five cents each for their services each.”

Superior Court Minutes, 1793-1809, Knox County, Tennessee Historical Records Survey

LDS Film # 24725, (Film of 1939 WPA transcribed records)

Page 255 -- Tuesday, 6th of October 1801 - State vs Aaron Gist

Horse Stealing, pleads not guilty. A jury sworn (to wit) -- Andrew McCampbell, Ebenezer Byran, Oliver Alexander, David Stuart, Robert Patterson, James Cozby, George McNutt, Joshua Gist, William Coleman, Arthur Crozier, John Sterling, Moses Looney.

Do say they find the Defendant Aaron Guest guilty of the Felony and Horse Stealing in manner and form as charged in the bill of Indictment.

Court adjourned till tomorrow morning 9 O Clock

Page 257 -- Friday Morning, 9th of October 1801 - State vs Aaron Guiss Court met according to adjournment, present all judges

Horse Stealing, Verdict Guilty. Aaron Guiss being led to the bar and asked if anything he had to say why the sentence of the Law should not be passed against him. Saith nothing - Sentence therefore was passed that he should be Hanged by the neck until Dead, and that the Sheriff of Knox County shall put this sentence in Execution at the public gallows in Knox County on Wednesday the 14th October instant between the Hours of 12 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Anderson County, Tennessee Court Minutes 1801-1809, WPA transcript 1936

Page 7 -- 8 Mar 1802 - The last will and testament of Aaron Guest was proved in open court by Hugh Montgomery Esquire, one of the subscribing witnesses thereto & ordered to be recorded.

Page 22 -- 14 Jun 1802 - Ordered that Jason Cloud & John Guest be qualified as executors of the Last Will & Testament of Aaron Guest deceased they having given bond and security accordingly to law.[VH1]

Page 36 -- 14 Sep 1802 - Jason Clouds exhibits an Inventory of the Estate of Aaron Guess deceased which is ordered to be recorded.

Page 55 -- 14 Mar 1803: William Hancock Deputy Sheriff made oath in open court that the taxes returned on due by the following persons could not be collected they having removed out of the county (viz) John Guess, Owen Willis, Jonathan Rains, for the year 1802. Page 56 -- 14 Mar 1803 - Ordered by the court that Jason Cloud of the Executors of the last will and testament of Aaron Guess deceased have leave to sell the property belonging to said Estate agreeable to the tenor of the will.

Aaron Gist’s trial started on the 6th of October, 1801 and he was sentenced to be hung on the 9th of October, 1801. Aaron’s father, John Gist, of whom it was said was “some relation to Sequoyah”, left the county in 1802. There is no further mention of him in any documentation whatsoever. Where did he go? What became of his family? Before John Gist left the county, both he and Jason Cloud were executors of the estate of poor Aaron. But his father, John -- leaves the county, and only Jason is made executor and has leave to sell the deceased Aaron’s belongings.

[VH1]

Possible Conclusion I have always thought our Guess/Gist ancestors would take us back to Sequoyah. But research has also taken us back to where the Cheraw had once lived in the 1750s. Nathaniel Gist had also lived in the area. He moved up to what was then Washington County, Va (in Wise County, today). He knew the Blackmore brothers who built Fort Blackmore. I remember Lewis Jarvis words, when he said that fort was built by Whites and the friendly Indians.Those friendly Indians were the Saponi. The Saponi and Cheraw are two bands of the same people. Even a generation later, a man recorded one of my Nathaniel's descendants as being Indian. I recall Aunt Lorena's letter saying grandma had told her Sequoyah was an uncle or great uncle to my great-great-grandma, Harriet (Guess) Brown (1817-1882). Was this because OUR Nathaniel was Sequoyah's uncle? Descendants of the "other" Nathaniel were saying theirs was Sequoyah's father when my grandma was alive. Is this why grandma said he was Harriet's uncle/great-uncle rather than her grandfather? Were we descendants of a Cherokee or a Catawban native ancestor, through our Guess/Gist's? There are more questions than answers.