Our Early Short Family History As collected by Ellis G. Short [email protected] Revised; 6/6/2014

Introduction

Please note; this document was written for an internet connection as it has hyperlinks that lead to other information. If viewed in printed form things like click *here* for more information will make no sense. The purpose of these first few pages is to bring you up to date, meaning this printing will not match that of an earlier revision date. The changes could be here in the introduction or in the history content. The changes could be big or small. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recent accomplishments; This month I visited the home of Andrew Jackson in Nashville TN to learn that he lived there in a log home (his first home) at the time of Isaac Short’s volunteer service for the War of 1812. Jackson’s property, known as THE HERMITAGE, is about 27 miles from where Isaac Short lived in 1812. Troops gathered in Jackson’s area and floated down the Cumberland River toward New Orleans. The Cumberland is just a few miles from Jackson’s home. They weren’t used once they got there and were sent home after a few weeks. Jackson marched them home on foot and this did not set well with him! He went back a 2nd time and won the big battle just to learn later that the war had been officially over at the time of the fighting, news traveled slow back then. I don’t believe our Isaac Short was a part of that 2nd effort. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ok…a few years ago I joined the Short DNA Project and they grouped me with people that were for the most part descendants of Cornelius Short born 1700. I’m sure the project coordinator thought I was somehow part of his family since he had so many descendants being married three times. Yes, I am a solid match to his descendants but I have found no evidence that I’m in Cornelius’s direct line. A better possibility might be his brother Henry as the DNA Y-Chromosome match would hold true. It stays the same from father to son, brother to brother. In other words, I would match my male Short cousins from a different line.

My DNA matches are shown on this website. I am S-52 of LINEAGE VI. There’s another match not shown in this lineage by the name of Richard Wright Clark. He was the son of John Short who divorced Richard’s mother in the state of Washington the same year Richard was born, 1899. He was adopted by her new husband by the last name Clark. John Short was born 1881 in Illinois. I believe his parents were from middle Kentucky.

10 The fore mentioned Cornelius Short has been researched extensively but you have to look really hard to find anything on his older brother Henry. Information that was found in Josephine Short Lynch’s book Short: An Early Virginia Family starting on Pg 121 stated that Henry lived in Patrick County VA. That location is shown by balloon (C) on the map below.

Henry is also mention in the book: The History of Pittsylvania County Virginia by Maude Carter Clement. I highly recommend this book for anyone studying our family. It states that Henry had sons Henry and James and their location is coming up.

Something to keep in mind before I go further; A simple 25 year per generation time table almost perfectly gets us back to Henry born 1698; 1670 William Short, the reported father of Cornelius and Henry Short, (accuracy unknown) 1698, Gen1, Henry Short 1725’s, Gen2 from Henry gave us sons Henry Jr and James 1750’s, Gen3 gave us sons of the sons, grandsons of Henry born 1698 1775’s, Gen4 gave us the great grandsons of Henry born 1698 1800’s, Gen5---because of possible generation time overlaps going back a hundred years, I would say Gen5 was actually born between 1790 and 1800.

It’s reported in Lynch’s book that Henry’s son Henry died in Henry County 1788 which is shown by location (C) and son James went to Washington County which is location (E). When or where James died is unknown. Both sons I have labeled Gen2.

10 On the 1790 North Carolina census there was a James Short just down the Mayo River (a Dan River tributary) just a few miles from Henry Short Sr’s earlier VA home in the Mayo Settlement. This was in Stokes County. I say earlier home because it’s almost certain that Henry Sr born 1698 was gone by 1790. The James in Stokes is shown by (D). On the 1790 census he had young children so he was probably not the same age as the original sons of Henry as they would have been born in the 1720s. James of Stokes had two boys’ under16 and three females not including his wife. James of Stokes (D) could have been the grandson of Henry Sr and the son of Henry’s son James or Henry Jr. I suppose it is also possible that this James located just a few miles from the earlier home of Henry isn’t related at all but at this point I will assume he is and call him Gen3.

Also at that time in Stokes Co NC was Freeman Overby and Nathanial Austin. Overby is a family name of ours so it got my attention. This person may or may not be related to our Mary Polly Overby but I’m always looking for family names and there was this one close by. The name Nathanial Austin can be found here in Stokes and later in Grainger Co TN with a James Short. Same James, I’m not sure. Nathanial will be significant as you read on.

10 Let’s move over to James Short of Washington County VA of location (E), the mentioned son of the Henry Sr. A 1782 Virginia Personal Property Tax List of Captain Fulkison's Precinct shows that a James Short did live there. The age was not listed. He had five horses and five heads of cattle listed on the taxable tithes. The location and time period suggested he might have been the son of Henry’s son James so I will call him Gen3.

Also on record in Washington County was a Drury Short born 1799 (possible son of the just mentioned James Short). Drury joined the Militia in that same county in 1819. He served under Major Twiggs. He was 6 foot tall, brown hair, blue eyes, and fair completed. Later Drury shows up on a Militia tax list in Washington County TN which is just east of Grainger Co James, location (F).His 1799 birth year would make him Gen 4 or 5. That would make his father born around 1757ish and old enough to be on a tax record in 1782. That would not be true if born in the 1770s. (Note: The name Drury was used by our Isaac Short in naming a son so there may be some significance here unless our Drury was named after Isaac Short’s father-in-law, Drury Overby. Naming tradition says that was the case. Now for the Grainger County TN James Short shown at (F). Based on the age of a known child Sarah Short, James would be born in the mid 1750s but some researchers have him at 1752. Either would have him as Gen3 from Henry Short. Sarah may not have been the first child born but I had to start somewhere.

I spent a lot of time researching James in Grainger because his descendants seem to connect to us later in time over in Sumner County. It’s explained as you read on. I could not cleanly connect him to Henry Short who my DNA aligns with but when you study the map you’ll see that his location in Grainger is very close to Henry Sr’s descendant in Washington Co VA. I need more time to determine if (D), (E) and (F) are the same person, just related or not related at all.

There are good reasons for thinking that he was related to Henry Short but the most powerful is that the same people found in his location in Grainger can also be found in the area of Henry Short at an earlier point in time. To name a couple, William Bean (and family) and Tidence Lane. This was a huge find because it suggested that they all moved together, a group of friends! As you read on you will see how I connect to James Short of Grainger Co TN, location (F).

10 Enter William Bean…

James of Grainger (E) is on record of being in the area of Bean (in TN) before 1782. Depending on his actual age, he may have been part of Capt. Bean’s group that is described in the books Notable Southern Families and History of Southwest Virginia. Remember Bean’s group lived in that same unsettled area of S/W Virginia at one point in time. This group eventually settled a little further south where Boones Creek meets the Watauga River. This was in 1769. This is Washington County by the way! Perhaps James born in the 1750s was too young for the earliest entry into TN on his own; perhaps he was with his father.

Bean’s location became known as the Watauga Settlement and there is a HUGE story around that. It later became known as the Washington District, and then Tennessee. Great stuff there, Kings Mountain, etc. Possible ancestor involvement…..I have a theory of how James Short fits in!

Capt Bean had a brother George and a son George. One or the other settled in the area that became Bean Station TN. He was the founder. Bean Station is west of Boones Creek. Records aren’t always clear on the Bean family since they used the same names over and over but it’s believed that son George went over to settle Beans Station. Capt William Bean eventually moved there. The records of Grainger Co TN show for a fact that a James Short and William Bean were side by side neighbors in the general area of German Creek, north of the Holston River.

This would be a good time to mention that James Short of Grainger served under Capt George Bean. Son or brother to William is not known.

James Short, the neighbor of William Bean, is most likely our GGGG’Grandfather. My few years of Short family research is telling me it will never be proven absolutely by records or by DNA testing. Records don’t exist anymore (if they ever did) and DNA testing might be going back too many generations to be accurate. I’ll go ever further; I don’t think it’s in the Short DNA to even think about DNA testing. Myself excluded of coarse but I believe I got that from another side of my family….but not my mother because she too has little interest.

I recently tested with AncestryDNA (family testing) and I have a match that claims to be in direct line with the Sarah Short daughter of James Short, neighbor of William Bean. I did not match her on any other family. If she is our Isaac

10 Short’s sister like I believe she would be my 3rd Great Grand Aunt.

Long story short….this is what I believe.

I believe we are related to Cornelius Short born 1700 but we do not descend from him. I believe we came from his brother Henry born 1698. I believe Henry’s son James moved to southwest Virginia as stated by Lynch and was not researched by her team which explains why I can’t connect to the families who claim Cornelius.

I believe James Short of Grainger somehow connects to the Henry Short born 1698 through the James that moved to S/W Virginia or the one in Stokes County NC (son or Grandson). I believe our James was part of the Bean movement that later settled a few miles south in the area that became the Watauga, the Washington District and eventually the state of Tennessee. I believe he was our first Tennessee resident.

I can connect to the people who descend from James Short from his 1st marriage. I believe she was named Mary (last name unknown). I believe she died between 1790 and 1796. Our Isaac who was born 1790 may have been the last child from Mary. In case you were wondering, she had a son named James and so did our Isaac.

James married Nancy Moses in 1796. James died 1798 and did not leave a will. Nancy petitioned the court in 1801 for her share of the land. I don’t know if she stayed there but I believe the children of James moved on beginning with Joshua since he can be found with the Beans in 1799 in the big (really big at the time) Sumner Co where they both signed a petition to form Wilson Co TN from Sumner Co. An orphan Isaac Short was bonded out for an apprentice program in 1804 in neighboring Smith Co and it might have been our Isaac Short.

Joshua Short’s sister Sarah married John C Copeland in March of 1798 in Grainger Co. I believe Sarah and John were in the same area as Joshua for a while before moving to lower middle TN. Perhaps they all moved together including the Beans. It is a fact the Beans were in Lincoln Co TN which straddles Bedford Co. John and Sarah Copeland can be found in Bedford. They were there for a while before moving to our Sumner Co where they had a child in 1812.

Brother Joshua Short and Rebeccah Abbott was married in Sumner Co and John

10 Copeland was the bondsman. They all were in Sumner for a while before Montgomery Co TN where John Copeland and Zadock Barnard became the administrator of Joshua Short’s estate. Isaac Short and the Barnards were close so this formed a very important union of the Short, Barnard, and Copeland families indicating they were not only close and but probably related.

The Copelands and many other families from Sumner Co eventually ended up in IL but Isaac Short stayed in Sumner and started our family as we know it today.

The next son of Sarah Short Copeland was named Isaac Short Copeland born 1814 and yes our Isaac’s third daughter was named Sarah. She was born in 1819. The first two daughters were named after his mother and mother-in-law.

Notes to the above;

If our Isaac Short born 1790 descended from Henry Short of 1698, he would be from a really late born son of Gen3 or a really early son of Gen4. A late birth relative to the father’s age was common if the father remarried a person younger than his 1st wife. That happened often. Sometimes an ancestor might be the last one born of a group, not the first, which would throw the 25 year calculation off.

Stokes Co (D) is next to Rockingham County NC (G), this could come in handy later. The Barnard family came from Rockingham according to their researchers. Our Isaac knew them well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everything from here out backs up my theories. I tried to arrange it into an ease to read format but could not. This writing started out as random research notes. It was later cleaned up a bit in an effort to tell a story but unfortunately it is still repetitive and confusing to most. I am not a writer so that’s the way it is when you try to do something you cannot do. I apologize in advance…

10

My GGG'Grandfather Isaac Short of Sumner Co TN

The Frustration

Family research can be frustrating to say the least. Many efforts stop at the county courthouse that was burned down during the Revolutionary War or we learn that the records we need were misplaced. We may turn to family association with other families that are into genealogy hoping they have better records than us. We send emails hoping they will reply but they seldom do. We look for family surnames in our area that also appeared in other areas, places we all might have lived previously. Family might members may volunteer to help but the smart ones don't because of the time, money and frustration involved. Never the less Cousin Nancy and Cousin Kathy did help. As did my niece Anita who has done a wonderful job of collecting family history from the past up to current date.

We learn as much as we can but at the end of the day we may have to make decisions based on things we learned along the way. This writing does not focus on Isaac's family leading up to today as that has been done by others.

We didn't know anything about Isaac before his 1813 marriage other than he was born 1790 in the area that became Tennessee. This was determined by the 1850 census when Isaac listed TENN as his birthplace. After a while a professional researcher was hired to study Isaac and his possible father. Fredric Saunders did a very professional job and I would recommend his services to others. I had other help along the way from a believed Short cousin and a Barnard cousin, that being Anna and Lorna (last names withheld). Lorna truly wanted to solve this mystery as much as me since we are related by DNA. As it turned out Anne was not related to me by DNA but that didn’t affect her enthusiasm. Both are good enough to charge for their services but were of no cost to me. They were a researcher’s blessing! And we can't forget the work done by the Sumner Co Tn Archives Dept and its

10 contributors. If you wish to contact any of these people please let me know.

All of my research including that hired will be made available to anyone who thinks they are related to Isaac Short.

Below are details that relate to Isaac Short of Sumner Co TN beginning with his enlistment in the War of 1812.This is his first recorded history.

Isaac Short and the War of 1812

The info below was found on the internet. I believe it is correct with the addition that Capt. Hall was promoted to Colonel and replaced by Capt Bradley. At that time Bradley served under Hall. A person by the name Isaac Short is on record serving both. I think Isaac's service ended in April of 1813 as mentioned below. He was married in July of the same year. The First Regiment was made up of volunteers from many counties in middle TN, Sumner being one. I'm assuming the Isaac mentioned is ours although it did not specifically say Isaac Short of Sumner Co but the records are not that specific with any of the volunteers.

The 1st Tennessee Volunteer Infantry began with a short start on December 10, 1812 when the 1stTennessee Volunteer Infantry was mustered in under the command of Colonel William Hall and General Andrew Jackson in Nashville, TN. The regiment began with 620 men. The men were comprised from the areas of Sumner, Davidson, Giles, Lincoln, Montgomery, Overton, Rutherford, Smith, and Wilson Counties. The Captains being William Alexander, Abraham Bledsoe, William Carroll, Harry L. Douglass, James Hamilton, John Kennedy, Brice Martin, John Moore, Travis Nash, Henry M. Newlin, John Wallace. Each company was assigned a fife and drummer. There were two rifle companies (Captains Bledsoe and Kennedy) which had buglers instead of the fife and drummer. After a short period of training the regiment was sent on an expedition to Natchez, MS in January 1813.

They traveled on a flotilla down the Cumberland, Ohio, and Mississippi River to Natchez, MS a riverside port town. They arrived in Mid-February and camped around the town for several weeks. In March, the Secretary of War at the time informed Andrew Jackson that his services were no longer needed. So, Jackson decided to march the expeditionary forces back to Tennessee, reaching it in April 1813. On the way to Tennessee, Jackson’s attitude and drive to get to where he was going earned him the nickname “Old Hickory.” Jackson disbanded the

10 regiment the same month in Columbia, TN. The 1stTennessee ended its first war after only five months. Many of the men enlisted in other regiments to fight in the Creek Wars in latter 1813, but they would be in other units than the 1st Tennessee.

From an online source we find more on the name "Old Hickory"

Jackson offered his services, but President Madison’s administration hesitated to call on him because of his reputation for rashness and his friendship with Aaron Burr. Finally, in December 1812, Madison commissioned Jackson Major General of U.S. Volunteers and ordered him to lead 1,500 troops south to Natchez and eventually to defend New Orleans. Jackson led his troops to Natchez, but in March the War Department, believing the threat to New Orleans abated, ordered the immediate dismissal of Jackson’s force and made no offer to compensate the troops or provide for their return to Tennessee. Outraged, Jackson decided that he would march his force home intact through hostile Indian lands even if he had to pay the expense himself. Jackson successfully led his poorly provisioned army back to Tennessee sharing in all the hardships his troops faced and encouraging them by his example. His troops compared Jackson’s toughness to that of the hickory tree and nicknamed him “Old Hickory.”

11 Isaac’s 1813 marriage

This is a copy of Isaac Short and Mary Polly Overby’s Sumner County marriage certificate. It reads July 22nd 1813 and it is recorded in the Sumner Co Archives Dept and Book of Sumner County Marriages. July 22nd 1813 was a Wednesday so I suspect the wedding took place soon afterwards. Jacob Barnard was the bondsman.

As the stories go, a Mary Polly Short married Zadock Barnard in 1801 in the area that became Memphis; Jacob Barnard married Rutha Short in 1805. Jerusia (or Jessia) Short married Jacob Barnard in August of 1813. This is the same year and

12 same location of Isaac's marriage. James and Jerusia are in the Sumner Co marriage records. The Shorts and Barnards were close at that time. More on the Barnards later.

The image above was taken from the book Sumner County Marriages. Isaac and Mary Polly’s names are towards the top.

13

The faint print in the picture above says that *when Isaac Short (1790-1854) and his wife Mary Overby built this house on Buntin Rd near Portland (TN) the front of the house faced north. Later as the result of construction of (OLD) Highway 52 the

14 back of the house fronted the Highway*. The bottom picture faint print says it was later occupied by the Brewer Family who is shown in the previous picture. This photo is on file in Sumner Co Archives History Dept. This info came from Kenneth Brewer of Portland.

This is Isaac Short’s house today. It is owned by a Brewer family who lives next door to the west. I spoke with Mr. Brewer and he assured me that there was an old log home inside the modern shell. A visible part of the log home is in the attic. Another visible feature of the home might be the gable that runs east and west. Mr. Brewer said he was raised in the house but his father was born in the house. His father is the young man shown in the picture on the previous page. His grandfather is seated. He was married to a Short lady that died young. The young boy was raised by his sister who is standing in the picture.

Isaac and possible brother William appears on property records of Sumner Co in 1817. Earlier records were either misplaced or destroyed but I think they may have both owned land as early as 1813. The land location is described as *The

15 Barrens*. The name is given to an area that is naturally free of trees. This is not the case in the area around Isaac’s house but is true in much of the other area. Its especially true when you get up into Kentucky. Thanks to Cousin Nancy for this contribution!

This is the 1820 Sumner County census that shows Isaac having two males under age 10 (James and Drury), one male 26-45 (himself), three females under 10 (Amy, Mary and Sarah), one female age 10-16 (too old to be his daughter in 1820), two females age 26-45 (Mary and another unknown female). It also shows one person involved in agriculture and that would be Isaac. But who was the 10-16 female and the extra 26-45 female? Could it have been Isaac's stepmother and step sister? This will be explained later.

16

This is also the 1820 Sumner County census that shows possible brother William and Elizabeth Short. Isaac, William and Elizabeth were all in the 26-45 age group in the year 1820. I assume Elizabeth was married to a Short and widowed since she owned land. At 45 she would probably be too young to be the mother of 30 year old Isaac. I suspect she was the widow of a John Short the possible first child of James Short Sr. or the widow of James Jr. A similar wrong age situation is true with William Short as he too would be too young to be Isaac's father. William had a male child under 10, three females under 10 and one female under 16. Elizabeth had one male under 10, two males under 16 and one female under 16 and herself in the 26-45 range. I believe this is the same William and Elizabeth that was on the 1810 Grainger Co TN census.

17

From this 1850 Sumner County Federal Census we learn that Isaac Short was born in 1790. Please view the actual census closely to see his birth place as TENN. I’m assuming he knew where he was born. Technically this would have been North Carolina in 1790 but I’m sure he knew that. This shows his property was valued at $600. His wife Mary Polly was born in 1788. It shows other household members of 1850. The surprise here is the 31 year old Sally which is actually Sarah *Sally* Short. Records show that she married Jordan Snider in 1848. The last two names make no sense, we know that children Isaac and Mary to be much older in 1850. I suspect it only made sense to the census taker.

The Will of Isaac Short

TSL&A Microfilm - Roll #91 Probate Records (County or Chancery Court) Wills Vol. 1 - 5; July 1789 - July 1904 Transcribed by Jan J. Barnes ©2002 County Court Clerk's Office Will Book - Vol. III Aug 1842 - Aug 1870

18 Page 210 I Isaac Short do make and publish this my last will and Testament and hereby revoking and making void all other wills by me at any time made. First I direct that my funeral expenses and my debts be paid as soon after my death as possible out of my monies that I may dispossessed of as may first come into the hands of my Executors. Secondly I direct that my tract of land upon which I now reside containing one hundred Acres be sold on one and two years Credit and the balance of my property not otherwise appropriated sold on a credit of twelve months and the appropriated as herein after specified. First I give and bequeath to my daughter Anny Right forty two dollars she having been advanced fifty eight dollars. Secondly I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Austin eighty dollars she having been advanced twenty dollars. Thirdly I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Gilbert's heirs Isabel? Alexander and Mary Elizabeth Gilbert fifty dollars each. Fourthly the balance of the money that may be on hand I give and bequeath to my three single daughters Sarah, Susan, and Martha Ann Short to be equally divided among them. Fifthly to my three sons James, Drury, and Isaac Martin Short I have already advanced to them a to make them equal with the balance of my heirs, Sixthly I further give and bequeath to my three Single Daughters Sarah, Susan, and Martha Ann Short all my household and kitchen furniture to be equally divided among them and if there is not enough money on hand of the above to make my three single daughters one hundred dollars each, I desire that each one of the heirs except Mary Gilbert, shall pay them an amount out of their portion to make them one hundred dollars each, Lastly I do nominate and appoint my Son Drury Short my Executor in Witness whereof to this my will set my hand Seal this 29th day of July 1854. Test Isaac Short (Seal) Sylvanus and Joshua White

The Estate of Isaac Short 1856

TSL&A Microfilm, A-5183 Probate Records (County or Chancery Court) Estates (Loose Records) #1643

Transcribed by Jan Barnes ©2003 State of Tennessee Sumner County I John L. Bugg, Clerk of the County Court of said County have this day settled with Drury Short as Exr. of Isaac Short Dec'd and find him in a/c as

19 follows to wit. To amount of inventory and a/c of sales October 1854 $914.75

By Vouchers from No to 5 $81.58 By Court Cost 4.50 By Clerks fee for this settlement 2.50 By copying sale 1.00 $ 89.58 $875.17

All of which is respectfully submitted to the Court November 14, 1858. John L. Bugg Clerk. An Inventory & Account of sales of the personal property belonging to the estate of Isaac Short Dec'd.

T. S. Wright one lot of Sundrys .55 Joshua White Soreswingle tree cleves? 1.00 Joshua White two axes .65 Susan Short one axe .50 Joshua White one lot of Sundrys .35 Joshua White one cary plow & mattoe .80 Joshua White one frow? .60 James Anderson 2 hoes .40 E. Heermans 2 gofer plows .90 Thomas Austin 1 1/2 bushel .25 Isaac M. Short one cutting knife 1.35 Joshua White 1 syth blade .10 W. W. Meguire 1 pair Hames .55 Thos. Austin 1 Iron tooth Harrow .70 Joshua White 1 Barker plow 1.05 T. S. Wright 1 set shoemakers tools .70 W. C. Roney 1 Colter plow .20 Joshua White 1 plow & pot rack 3.00 James White 1 pair gears and Bridle 1.06 Isaac M. Short 1 bell .25 T. S. Wright 1 syth & cradle 1.80 Sarah Short 1 Hatter chain .10 Sarah Short 5 first choice hogs 10.00 Jackson Barry 5 second choice 2.75 J. E. McAdams 1 stack of oats 15.00 W. W. Sadler 1 stack of oats 12.90

20

Alexander Gilbert 7 Barrels of corn per bl. 3.35 Susan Short Remainder of corn 10.00 Joshua White 1 Roan mare 40.00 Thos. Austin 1 Bay mare 40.00 Allen Austin 1 Bridle .25 Wiley Groves 4 first choice sheep 4.40 Wiley Groves 5 2nd choice sheep 5.25 Wiley Groves 5 3rd choice sheep 4.75 Isaac Groves one steer 8.05 Isaac M. Short 1 tract of land 100.00 Cash on hand at death 72.00

Drury Short Admr. of Isaac Short deceased.

Where is Isaac Short buried? Good question, he is nowhere to be found! I spent three days looking for his grave. There are two Short Cemeteries in Sumner Co District 16. One is on the Old Rt 52 (College St) and one is in Scatterville behind the New Hope Baptist Church. This would NOT be the cemetery next to the church but down the road that is next to the church (Baptist Hill Rd). The road ends after a short ways and when it does go a little further on the stone/dirt/grass road. The cemetery is on the left at the top of the hill next to a big Oak tree.

I'm not sure that Isaac is in either cemetery because of his family's timeline. Isaac died in 1854, next would be Drury who died 16 years after Isaac, then would be Robert Crockett who died 60 years after Drury. The total years between Isaac and Robert Crockett’s death is 76 years. Did Isaac or Drury set aside land for family to be buried that far in the future, probably not. I would guess that Isaac is buried closer to his home which is about 1/3 mile down the road west from the Short Cemetery on Old Rt 52. Another possibility is the Barnard cemetery near Mitchelville. The best man at Isaac's wedding (James Barnard) is buried up there. Both families were a small group back then.

Barnards and Shorts

As mentioned earlier Isaac had a strong connection to the Barnard family that first appeared in Sumner Co TN around 1803. There were three Barnards that Mayberry researchers think were married to Short girls. That being Zadock, James and Jacob. One marriage is proven and that is James to Jerusia (or Jessia) Short. That marriage took place the same year of Isaac’s wedding in the same location, Sumner Co TN. It is listed in Sumner Co TN Marriages. This makes me think Isaac

21 and Jerusia (or Jessia) were related. Jacob Barnard was the bondsman at Isaac’s 1813 wedding. Jacob was married to Rutha Short. Not sure who she was.

Barnards can be found in East TN although Barnard researchers believe the Sumner Barnards came directly from Rockingham Co NC. None are found on the 1790 Rockingham Co NC census under that spelling but can be found under the name Barnet. Barnard researcher say it’s them. Barnet in Rockingham but Barnard in Sumner, it's things like this that drive you nuts! But my point is...at one time James Short, the Barnets (Barnards) and the Overby families may have lived in the same general area of NC since the counties are side by side. Yes, there was a James Short in Stokes Co NC in the late 1700s.

There is an internet posting that speaks of seven Barnard brothers that gathered in Bristol VA (which is the Bristol TN area) after the Revolutionary War and then split for different parts of the country to seek their fortune. The stories may or may not be true but three of the Barnard *brother names* ended up in Sumner Co TN. It’s not been proven by the Barnard family that they were part of the seven brothers or brothers at all. Other Barnard names found in the Sumner area at that time were John and Elisha (I have copies of the old records).

It's reported that Zadock and Polly Short were married in Memphis in 1801. That might have been a settled area but it was not a city named Memphis until years later. I believe they were all part of a group headed to middle TN from east TN. Perhaps they were to claim land that was given to old John Barnard. To better understand this possibility click here. The story goes that in 1783 a very old John Barnard (possible father to the seven brothers) was beheaded by Indians while clearing brush near Freeland's Station (also known as Denton's Lick). This is northwest of Nashville, Davidson Co.

Marriages of Sumner County, Tennessee, 1787-1838

By Edythe Johns Rucker Whitley The book says No Record For Years: 1797, 1798, 1799. Records lost for years: 1801, 1802, 1807

This is a list of Sumner Co TN marriages and Sumner Co ONLY. Names show are only those that include the Short, Barnard, and Mayberry families. The spelling is as taken from the book and was collected by the Lorna that was mentioned earlier. She can be contacted by emailing her at [email protected].

22 Jenny Short & Adam Milam, 5 Oct 1805, Drury Milan(m), BM

Susanna Bernard & James Mabry, 15 Aug 1808, William Atchinson, BM

Joseph (Joshua) Short & Rebeccah Abbott, 1 Sep 1808, John Copland (Copeland?) BM

Lucusia (Lucretia ?) Barnard & Nathan Atchison, 2 Jan 1809, John Chapman, BM

John McDowell & Dolly Flood, 26 Oct 1809, William Short, BM

Darcus Barnard & William Atchison, 2 Jan 1809, John Chapman, BM

Nancy Barnard & Willis Atkinson, 18 Dec 1810, James Jones, BM

Martha Short & Matthew C. Bowlen (Bowlan?), 24 April 1811, Greenberry Howard, BM

Isaac Short & Polly Overby, 22 July 1813, Jacob Barnard, BM

James Barnard & Jessia Short, 25 Aug 1813, Zadoch Barnard, BM

Zadeck Bernard & Hannah Kimbel, 29 Oct 1817 (Bernard is often used instead of Barnard)

Dorias Barnard & Robert Leonard, 1 May 1819, John Rice, Jacob Barnard BM

Sally Barnard & Archibald Overby, 14 Oct 1820, Isaac Short BM

Jenny Barnard & Moses Morris, 18 March 1821, Elisha Barnard BM

James Barnard & Betsey Hunter, 6 Sep 1822, John Hinton BM

David Bernard & Pheby Ferguson, 22 Feb 1823, Patrick Rains, Thos. Edwards BM (Bernard is often used instead of Barnard)

Jacob Bernard & Charlotte Bandy, 28 Sep 1824, Elisha Bernard, BM (Bernard is often used instead of Barnard)

Thomas Short & Betsey Anderson, 11 Dec 1825, Jonathan Davis, J.P

Polly Short & David Beson, 16 Oct 1828, William Clendenning, BM

William Adkinson & Malinda Parker, 27 Nov 1828, M. Short, BM

Thomas Short & Beatey Anderson, 11 Dec 1829, Peter Miers, BM

Betsy Short & Newberry Mann, 10 Feb 1829, W. Smith, J.P., Jeremiah Fisher, BM

23 Edmund Short & Patsy Bell, 26 Feb 1829, Robert Norvell, Elizabeth M. Clark, BM

Mary Barnard & James Rice, 7 Jan 1831, Randolph Mabry, BM

Jessia Short & James Barnard 7 Jan 1832, Samuel Cochran, J.P. & BM

Jeremiah Stewart & Matilda Bernard, 30 April 1832, William Maberry, BM (Bernard is often used instead of Barnard)

Elizabeth Barnard & William Mayberry, 17 Jan 1835

Thomas Barnard & Sally Williams, 9 Aug 1836, J.H. House. Benjamin Gribble, BM

Elisha Barnard & Polly Bradley, 25 April 1837

Sanford Barnard & Sarah Bradley, 25 May 1838, Randolph Maberry BM

Isaac Short’s father

In my opinion Isaac Short was the son of James Short who died 1798 in Grainger Co TN and that is based on the events listed below. There was no one thing alone that made it clear but the collection of all. This research is from myself, others and brought together here. It's believed to be true by them and me as well.

This is a random listing and not meant to be a timeline. Links to this information can be provided.

1) Isaac Short married Mary Polly Overby and the naming of their children should be considered as it appears to follow Scot/Irish naming tradition.

1st son James (after Isaac’s father) 2nd son Drury (after wife Mary's father) 3rd son Isaac Martin (after Isaac himself) 1st daughter Mary (after Isaac’s mother but Isaac's wife was also named Mary so it may have had a dual purpose?) 2nd daughter Amy (after wife Mary's mother) 3rd daughter Sarah (after wife Mary's oldest sister or possibly Isaac's oldest sister) 4th daughter Elizabeth (after wife Mary's sister) 5th daughter Susan (?) 6th daughter Martha (after possible sister to Isaac since there was a Martha Short that married in 1813 Sumner Co a month after Isaac)

24 2) It's believed by me that Isaac might have been an orphan and didn’t remember his mother but most likely knew her name. I say that since he was born around 1790. IF his father was the James Short of Grainger Co TN he remarried in 1796 to Nancy Moses. It’s believed by some that Nancy was 21 years old while James was around 41. Isaac's biological mother may have died between 1790 and 1796. Isaac could have been as young as five or six when his father remarried.

3) Something needs to be said about Isaac's middle name as It has been reported by our family as Isaac M Short. It's certain that his third born son of 1824 was Isaac Martin Short so that could have been Isaac's full name also. Why is this important? Naming tradition says you can show respect to a recently deceased family member by using their name as a middle name when naming your child. That might have been the case with our Isaac IF his full name was truly Isaac M Short. Naming Isaac could have been showing respect to a Martin Short of Warren Co NC. We know that Martin's son John was bound out in May of 1792 but we don't know specifically when father Martin died. I suspect our Isaac was born late in the year 1790 or early 1791. This isn't a perfect theory but it's one to think about.

I should also mention that orphan John was taken in by John Milam whose spouse was Elizabeth Short. Her sister Rebecca was married to Drury Milam and they moved to Sumner Co TN where another possible sister Jenny Short married Adam Milam in 1805. So how does this connect to James Short of Grainger Co TN? Martin Short may have been a brother to James since James once lived in a neighboring NC county.

4) This concerns (Mary) Sarah Short daughter of James in Grainger. Copeland researchers say Sarah was born 25 Dec 1778 and married John Copeland 3 Mar 1798 in Grainger Co TN. It’s believed by me that she named most of her sons after her brothers since they had the middle name SHORT (sometimes shown with the middle initial S) which I believe stands for Short. Her first born son had her father's full name, James Alexander Copeland. An exception could be son Alfred Copeland. That name may have come from the Copeland family. The name William Copeland was also used by them but that was from John Copeland's father. It appears that Sarah and John didn't follow Scot/Irish naming tradition since most of their family was named after Sarah's family. The important thing to remember is that one of their sons was named Isaac Short Copeland.

5) This deals with Thomas Jefferson Short and James Robert Short who were born 1805/1812. It's reported by many internet researchers that they (and/or their

25 parents) were from Grainger Co TN. We don't know the parents of James and Thomas but they did in fact marry into the Overby family of Sumner Co (my Isaac Short's nieces from wife Mary Overby's brother). Time wise they could be grandsons of the James Short who died 1798 in Grainger. James Robert and Thomas Jefferson Short moved to Greene Co IL along with other Shorts, Barnards, Mayberrys and Overbys from my Isaac Short's Sumner Co TN. According to descendants all of these families, they all knew each other and spent a few years in Sumner together before moving on to IL.

6) It is my belief that after the death of James Short in 1798, young Isaac may have been taken in by the older children of James, perhaps Joshua or Sarah. It is known that two other sons (William and James) entered apprentices 1799 in Grainger so it probably wasn’t them. It appears that these two were married in Grainger 1804/1805 so not everyone moved immediately after the death of James. It's also known that the 2nd wife of James (Nancy Moses) petitioned the court for her tract of land in 1801so she didn’t move immediately either.

7) Joshua Short, the believed brother of Sarah, appeared in the large Sumner Co along with Jesse and Robert Bean in 1799 and signed a petition to form Wilson Co TN (from Sumner). James Short Sr in Grainger had a close association with Jesse and Robert Bean. Jesse was a chain bearer in the laying off of one of his properties, they served on juries together and they served together under Capt. George Bean. It’s believed that Joshua Short went with the Beans when Jesse Bean lost his land in a lawsuit to Mathew English. This was after James Short died in 1798.

8) Joshua Short married Rebecca Abbott in Sumner Co TN 1808. His bondsman was Sarah Short’s husband John C Copeland. It’s not clear if the Copelands or Joshua lived in Sumner prior in 1808 but that’s where Joshua was married. It's known that Joshua, the Copelands and the Abbott family eventually moved to Massac Co IL which is near the Greene Co IL that was mentioned earlier. Rebecca's father was John Abbott and he lived in east TN before moving to Sumner. I almost forgot to mention that John and Sarah had child Joshua Short Copeland and he was born in Sumner 1812.

9) There were a large number of family surnames in Sumner that also appeared in Hawkins/Grainger at an earlier time. Too many to list here.

10) William Short and Elizabeth Short were on the 1810 census in Grainger and on the 1820 census in Sumner. Both were heads of households (with children)

26 implying Elizabeth was married to a Short and widowed. I believe her husband was John Short or James Short Jr. On the census report she was in the same age group as Isaac (which covered a 15 year span). John and James Jr could have been a brother/cousin to William, Isaac and Sarah but I’m thinking brother. My point is William Short and Elizabeth Short lived in Grainger 1810 and Sumner 1820. Isaac and William on at least one occasion signed documents together implying they might have been family.

11) The names James Short and Nathanial Austin were on the 1790 Stokes Co NC census at the same time they were in east TN. Relatively speaking the trail between Stokes and Grainger was approximately 200 miles. Stokes is next to Rockingham and was formed from Surry in 1789. It's believed by me that they had land in both NC and TN and traveled back and forth leaving the family behind until east TN was more settled. They may have been Longhunters or sometimes called, *over the mountain men*. Just by nature of these hunters they were away from home for a long period of time. To understand this more clearly please read the history of east TN for that time period and read the book *Over Mountain Men*. They may have had a home in two places for a while. You see that occasionally.

12) My Y-DNA and Family Finder matches have family that is believed to be from or once lived in Hawkins/Grainger Co TN.

11) Isaac Short had a close association with the Barnard family. Jacob Barnard was Isaac's bondsman. Two of his sisters (or cousins) married Barnards. One in particular was Zadock Barnard. Zadock and John Copeland (Sarah Short’s husband) were appointed administrators of the estate of Joshua Short in Montgomery Co TN. This incident formed a tie of the Copeland, Short and Barnard families.

27 James Alexander Short of Grainger Co TN History

The map above came from researcher Rick Saunder's efforts and it shows the area which James Short had two NC land grants. One was in Grainger County and to the left of Bean Station. That being somewhere in the land area north of the Holston River and below German Creek. The other would be north of the Holston River and below Poor Valley Creek in Hawkins Co this is about 5 miles east of Bean Station. That particular area is shown on this map as Short Mountain. We don't know when Short Mountain got its name but it is a safe bet it came from a Short living there or owning it. Both areas were Greene Co originally but Greene was split to form Hawkins and later Hawkins was split to form Grainger. A Tennessee County formation map can be found here. A more detailed current view map of this area can be seen on Google Maps. The land grant on or around Short Mountain involved Nathanial Austin and that will be explained later.

James Short probably earned one of the land grants since I have seen him as a Revolutionary War participant but it appears he purchased the Short Mountain location from Nathanial Austin.

Everyone in the life of James can be found on the Battle of King’s Mountain rooster but I have not found James Short. One internet posting even has James

28 listed as a Captain. It is known that not every volunteer from east TN made the journey down to King’s Mountain. Two units were left behind to protect the east TN settlements so James may have been in one of those units. Military titles were handed out freely at that time so James may have received the rank of Capt just for overseeing a group of men back home.

Neighbors of James Short

Neighbors of James Short were James Bunch, Brian Williams, Lewis Roberson, and Jesse and William Bean. Jesse Bean can be found on the 1799 petition to establish Wilson Co TN along with Joshua Short. Was Joshua older than Sarah? I say older because he was able to sign the petition in 1799. It seems that you would need to be at least 21 years of age to do that. I'm guessing Joshua was born 1779. Remember Sarah was born 1778.

After selling their land in Grainger Co Jesse and William Bean can be found in middle TN, Perhaps Joshua Short followed because of family association to the Beans. This could explain why there was an Isaac Short that entered an apprenticeship in neighboring Smith Co in 1804. Perhaps young Isaac was part of that group. Isaac would have then been 14 and old enough to start an apprentice program. This person trained in the trade of saddler and was bound to James Binion.

For your reference there is great Bean family history here.

Overbury, Overbay, Overbey, Overby

As we know Isaac Short married Mary Polly Overby. The name Overby has been spelled different ways, one of which was Overbay. There was an Overbay cemetery near the first property location of James Short but again we don't know when Overbay Cemetery was established. Details of the cemetery can be seen here.

Thomas Jefferson Short and James Robert Short

As mentioned earlier many internet Short researchers say that Thomas Jefferson Short and James Robert Short also came from Bean Station TN. If so they most likely were the grandsons of James coming from the sons that entered apprenticeships after James died in 1798. It’s likely they came from William Short and/or Elizabeth Short that appear on the 1820 Sumner Co TN census (previously shown on the 1810 Grainger Co TN census). Thomas J and James R married into

29 the same Overby family as my GGG'Grandfather Isaac Short. James Robert married Amy Overby 1833 and Thomas Jefferson married her sister Catherine Overby previously in 1823. Both Amy and Catherine would be daughters of Isaac Short's brother-in-law Nicholas Overby. Nicholas was a brother to Isaac's wife Mary Polly. Nicholas lived in Sumner Co TN as did Isaac and Mary Polly.

There has been thought that the first born son of Isaac Short ( named James) married his cousin Amy Overby but our Barnard cousin has proved that false. Proving this false bettered the case for the connection to the Shorts in Grainger Co. The census info below is from the 1856 Clayton Co., Iowa state census. The age of wife Amy corresponds to the person in Sumner Co (1812) but the age of James R does not correspond to the James son of Isaac as he was born 1815. Our Sumner Co TN family group record link shows his age and it came from the Sumner Co Archives Dept. I have that on request.

The 1856 Clayton Co Iowa state census reads....

James R Short 44 TN

Amy 44 TN

Mary S. 14 WI

Susan C 12

Amy 10

James E 8

Tennessee 7

Nicholas M 6 IA

Thomas J 4

Note child Thomas J.....he most likely was named after the brother (or cousin) of James R Short. Child Amy and Nicholas would be after Amy's Overby parents. James after his grandfather or after himself.

To prove my theory even more please look at the 1860 Sumner Co TN census here. It shows the three sons of Isaac Short; James, Drury and Isaac Martin and the

30 birth year is correct. Isaac's son James is living with his wife Sarah and one 15 year old female child. Also living with James is his sisters Sarah and Martha. This was after the death of Isaac Short in 1854 and the two girls were living with Isaac until that time. They can be found with Isaac on the 1850 Sumner census.

So how did this better our chance of being tied to James Short of Grainger Co TN? Families often married neighbors, church members or families that they knew from the previous generation. Often brothers and sisters of one family married brothers and sisters of another. It happened with the Shorts and Barnards, Shorts and Milams, Shorts, Overbys and later the Brewers. Then throw in a few Barnards to Overbys for good measure but my point is Thomas Jefferson and James Robert Short most likely knew the Overby family from Isaac's marriage to Mary Polly Overby. These next generation Short boys latched on to the next generation Overby girls and off they went to start a life as did the generation before.

Great Overby family research can be found here.

I recently found cemetery information concerning Greene Co IL and it can be found here, here and here. As we know a bunch of Sumner Co people went there in the late 1820s and early 1830s. I also learned that a Purnell Short lived there but I'm not sure if he is related. Some of the Shorts listed in the local cemeteries are from his family.

Tidence Lane

Below is a court document showing a judgment placed on Thomas Henderson guardian of the minor children of James Short. Tidence Lane was the first Baptist minister in the state of Tennessee. It's not clear why this judgment was made but a property belonging to James Short was sold to satisfy the judgment but I believe it was to benefit the remaining family. An effort to speed things up? The property sold was the one obtained from Mr. Austin.

I must mention this before I forget, my parents moved to Ohio when I was in grade school. It didn’t take them long to find a Baptist church in Bucyrus, Ohio and they made friends immediately with a Lane family that was from the county that Tidence lane settled in a few years after the death of James Short in 1798. I tried to contact the son of this Lane family to see if he had family history going back to this time period but I was not able to reach him. He is my age, his name is Conney Lane. I think his full name is Conney Ray Lane. Please find me Conney! 31

The Glasgow Land Fraud

This was an attempt by a few men to obtain as much as possible of the Tennessee land reserved by North Carolina to be granted to men who served in the North Carolina Regiments of the Continental Line during the Revolutionary war. This was discovered by Andrew Jackson and reported in 1797. Men in question included Stockley Donelson. Mr. Donelson's name was on a property grant belonging to James Short.

If you had been given a land grant a common occurrence was to sign off on the grant (giving or selling) to someone else. Then you would place the new owners name below your own name but apparently this person had to meet certain qualifications. Sometimes *signing over* was done many times. The property mentioned above was to Nathanial Austin originally then Thomas King who signed it over to James Short. This land grant was reviewed by the land fraud committee since it contained Donelson's name. The report said Mr. King had *no power* and the grant was given to James Short. I should mention Thomas King was suspect in the Glasgow Land Fraud scheme so that might have taken King out of the picture.

32 Research notes (with a little repetition thrown in)

1) I have been told that James Short may have lived in VA prior to serving in the Revolutionary War and then served for VA or NC. I was told either location could have earned him a NC land grant. Seems odd that a person could live in one state, serve in the military for their home state or a neighboring state and request a land grant for a particular location but perhaps it’s true. It may not matter since we found James Short and Nathanial Austin on the 1790 Stokes Co NC census.

2) James Short of east TN is mentioned in Goodspeed’s History of Hawkins County Tennessee as an early settler prior to 1783. The McClung Historical Society supplied me with a sizeable amount of information that verified that. He served under Capt Horner and Capt George Bean during the Revolutionary War. Many of his Capt Bean cohorts were later part of his life. One appointed him to the first Grand Jury of that east TN area. He served in that position many times. James was also part of a committee to study a road leading from Thomas Mitchell’s property in Grainger Co to the Cumberland Gap area. James seemed to be a positive contributor to the community he lived. Ambrose Yancey was the bondsman to his 1796 wedding. James Ore was the administrator of his estate when he died. Thomas Henderson was appointed guardian of his minor children.

3) Not proven but I believe the first marriage of James was to a Mary (unknown). It is known that this marriage produced (Mary) Sarah Short who was born on December 25th of 1778. I have seen her name as Mary Sarah but most just call her Sarah. It’s not certain if Sarah’s 1778 birth was in NC, VA or TN. That seems a little early for an east TN birth but perhaps it's true. At any rate I believe Sarah was the first born female to James possibly explaining Sarah’s possible first name of Mary.

4) IF our Isaac of 1790 was part of the James Short household there had to be others between him and Sarah, two would be William and James (Jr?). After the death of James, William and James (Jr?) entered apprenticeships in 1799. William trained in the field of tailor and James in the field of house carpentry. This was supplied by McClung as well as the names of the people they were bound to. I believe both finished their time by year 1805.

5) (Mary) Sarah Short is on the marriage records for Grainger Co and she married John C Copeland March 25th 1798. According to McClung records her father James died sometime between February and August of 1798. James Short

33 married Nancy Moses in September of 1796. Sarah (or brother Joshua) may have taken Isaac in after the death of their father since Isaac would have been 7 or 8 years old (depending on his birth date). I believe she would do that rather than leave him with his relatively new stepmother or send him into an apprenticeship at a young age.

6) According to McClung James Short died without a will so Nancy Moses Short had those problems to deal with and perhaps not able to support this readymade family much less family she might have had. In 1801 Nancy petitioned the Court for assistance and for a track of land to be laid off. Some of the property of James was sold to pay his debt but I believe Nancy ended up on a portion of the original 150 acre estate.

7) According to Copeland family history websites, Joshua Short Copeland was born 1812 in our Sumner Co TN. I believe Sarah and John Copeland were living in Sumner at the time of our Isaac’s 1813 wedding. However we must remember Jacob Barnard was Isaac’s bondsman, not John Copeland. John, Sarah, son Joshua and other family later moved to Massac Co IL. Great Copeland family history can be found here. John and Sarah's children are listed below.

Children of JOHN COPELAND and SARAH SHORT as reported by a Copeland family researcher. The name association was added by me:

1) JAMES A COPELAND, b. Abt. 1799, Bedford Co., TN; d. Abt. 1833, Massac Co., IL. (after Sarah's Father) 2) SARAH COPELAND, b. Abt. 1802, Bedford Co., TN. (after self and mother?) 3) SAMUEL S COPELAND, b. Abt. March 1, 1805/1806, Johnson Co., IL; d. December 7, 1866, Vienna, IL. (?) 4) WILLIAM COPELAND, b. Abt. 1807, Bedford Co., TN. (after John's father) 5) JOHN S SHORT COPELAND, b. Abt. 1810, Bedford County, Tennessee; d. Bet. 1845 - 1850, Grand Chain, Pulaski County, Illinois. (after Sarah's brother or grandfather?) 6) JOSHUA SHORT COPELAND, b. November 27, 1812, Sumner Co., TN; d. August 30, 1895, Massac Co., IL. (after Sarah's brother?) 7) ISSAC S4 COPELAND, b. 1815 d. June 1849. (after Sarah's brother?) 8) JANE GAMBLE COPELAND, b. Abt. 1818. (after John's mother) 9) LOUISA E COPELAND, b. Abt. 1822. (after Sarah's sister?) 10) ALFRED COPELAND, b. Abt. 1819, Johnson Co., IL; d. November 22, 1876, Massac Co., IL. (?)

Please note: It is incorrect to say a child was born in Bedford County before 1807 since that is the year Bedford was formed from Rutherford. This is a common

34 mistake that can easily be corrected by using the TN County Formation Map here.

8) As mentioned earlier Sarah may have had other brothers besides Isaac. We know there was a William Short that lived near Isaac in Sumner Co (the Barrens District). He may have been Sarah’s brother from Grainger and Isaac’s older brother. This William Short may have be the one that married Sarah Spradling in Grainger Oct 1806. The only certain claim is that our Isaac had a neighbor named William Short as it is in Sumner Co Land records beginning in 1816. Earlier records aren’t available.

9) Isaac also had a neighbor named Elizabeth Short. She and William appear to be on the Grainger 1810 tax list. She and William appear on the 1820 Sumner census. I suspect she was a widow to a Short in Grainger Co. Elizabeth was a head of household in both places.

10) Before leaving the topic of James Short I should mention that John Copeland’s father was William Copeland. According to MARS records, William Copeland owned land in Grainger Co. This land grant can be found in the Land Grant section of this website.

11) More on Martin Short. A finding in Warren Co NC showed that the May Court 1792 John Short, 11 year old orphan of deceased Martin Short was bound to John Milam to be taught the trade of tobacco planter. Later records suggest that John stayed in NC and owned land in Warren Co.

Orphan John Short was bound to John Milam whose wife was Elizabeth Short and they married in 1782. In 1789 Elizabeth's sister Rebecca Short married John’s brother Drury Milam. Drury and Rebecca later moved to Sumner Co TN. This is per a Milam family historian. This historian thought it was between 1791 and 1805 with a possible stop in Greene Co TN. Remember Greene was split to form Hawkins and Hawkins was split to form Grainger. It is certain that in 1805 Rebecca and Elizabeth Short’s sister/cousin Jenny Short married Adam Milam in Sumner Co. This marriage is recorded in Sumner Co history. It’s believed that these three Short girls were born in VA.

We know John Milam and Elizabeth took orphan John in for the apprenticeship and we suspect John was her nephew. We know Rebecca and Drury Milam moved to Sumner by Jenny’s wedding in 1805. For reference our Isaac Sort would have been 15 years old in 1805.

35 People believe the three girls were sisters and Martin Short was their brother. We know 11 year old orphan John was Martin Short’s son and possibly Isaac Short's brother. This is theory #2 and one I'm not sure of. Some have seen our Isaac’s middle initial M. If so was it taken from MARTIN? We know for a fact our Isaac had a son named ISAAC MARTIN SHORT. I have also seen references to Isaac Martin Short as Jr implying his father had the same name.

My request went out to anyone on Ancestry.com who could elaborate on the MILAM family and their relationship to the Short family. Did anyone know if orphan John Short's mother was alive in 1792 when the Warren Co NC apprenticeship took place? If so what was her name? Where was father MARTIN SHORT from, etc? Was it across the state line in Brunswick and Mecklenburg Co VA where Robert Short of 1709 and William Short of 1707 had lived?

I received a reply from a Milam family historian and she thought it was very likely that my Short and her Milam families were connected and agreed that my Isaac was most likely related to the Tennessee bound Rebecca Short who married her Drury Milam but had no proof. As well as related to Jenny Short who married Drury’s brother Adam in Sumner Co. She felt there were some very strong coincidences that shouldn’t be ignored.

When you study ALL the information collected, it seems likely that James Short was Isaac's father and Martin Short was perhaps a brother to James but as usual nothing is proven without a doubt.

A Good place for a timeline

1. 1778, Sarah Short was born to James Short of Grainger Co TN. Birth place unknown. 2. 1782, Elizabeth Short married John Milam. They married in Warren Co NC. Elizabeth and two sisters are thought to be born in VA. 3. 1783, James Short lived in Hawkins Co TN prior to 1783 per Goodspeed’s History of Hawkins Co TN. Hawkins was formed from Greene, was later split to form Grainger. 4. 1783, James Short (Jr?) possible birth year & son of James Short Sr. 5. 1785, William Short possible birth year & son of James Short Sr.. 6. 1788, Mary Polly Overby was born in Aaron’s Creek, Mecklenburg Co, VA. She married our Isaac Short 1813. 7. 1789, Rebecca Short married Drury Milam. They married in Warren Co NC and later moved to Sumner Co TN.

36 8. 1790, Isaac Short was born in unknown TN Co. 9. 1792, Martin Short of Warren Co NC passed away prior to this year (see next item). 10.1792, John Short (orphan) son of Martin Short above entered an apprenticeship with John Milam in Warren Co NC May 1792. John Milam’s wife was Elizabeth Short. 11.1796, James Short married Nancy Moses in Grainger Co TN. Believed to be the 2nd wife of James. 12.1798, James Short passed away in Grainger Co TN between Feb and Aug of this year. 13.1798, (Mary) Sarah Short daughter of James Short of Grainger Co TN married John Copeland March 25th in Grainger Co TN. 14.1799, James Short’s estate was settled in Grainger Co TN. 15.1799, James Alexander Short son of Mary (Sarah) Short and John Copeland was born` followed by four others born in Bedford Co TN. James A. was Sarah’s father’s name. They also had a child named Isaac Short Copeland. 16.1799, James Short (Jr?) and William Short enter an apprenticeship in Grainger Co TN after the death of James Short. 17.1801, Nancy (Moses) Short petitions the court for assistance and for land to be laid off in Grainger Co TN. 18.1801, Molly Polly Short and Zadock Barnard married in the area of Memphis (?). 19.1802, Molly Polly Short and Zadock Barnard have a child in Sumner Co TN. 20.1803, Zadock Barnard buys land in Sumner Co TN (Barrens District). 21.1804, James Short (Jr?) appears on a tax list in Grainger Co TN. (age 21?) 22.1805, Rebecca Short (sister to Jenny & Elizabeth) and Drury Milam moved to Sumner Co TN from Warren Co NC. We aren’t sure when but was probably prior to sister Jenny’s 1805 wedding. 23.1805, Jenny Short (sister to Rebecca) married Adam Milam in Sumner Co TN. 24.1806, William Short married Sarah Spradling in Grainger Co TN 25.1808, Joseph (Joshua) Short married Rebeccah Abbott in Sumner Co TN. Rebeccah was born in Rockingham Co NC. John Copeland was the bondsman. The significance here is a possible tie of people from the two areas in question (Warren Co NC and Grainger Co TN). 26.1808, Thomas F. Short married Sarah Reeder in neighboring Davidson Co TN. 27.1810, Julia Short married Benjamin Tilman in Rutherford Co TN. 28.1810, William Short and Elizabeth Short are on the Grainger Co TN census.

37 29.1811, Martha Short married Matthew Bowlen in Sumner Co TN. 30.1811, Arsenia Short married John Johnson in neighboring Davidson Co TN. 31.1812, James Robert Short was born in believed to be Bean Station, Grainger Co TN 32.1812, Joshua Short Copeland was born to Sarah Short Copeland and John Copeland in Sumner Co TN. 33.1812, Late in the year Isaac Short volunteered for the War of 1812 and was discharged 6 months later. 34.1813, Jerusia (Jessia or Jennia) Short married James Barnard in Sumner Co TN, Zadock Barnard BM. 35.1813, Isaac Short and Mary Polly Overby married in Sumner Co TN, Jacob Barnard BM. 36.1820, Isaac, William and Elizabeth Short are on the Sumner Co TN census. All are heads of households. 37.1822, Alexander, Edward, Jeremiah and Thorton Short owned land in Sumner Co TN (reported but I question this date).. 38.1823, Thomas Jefferson Short married Isaac’s niece Catherine Overby in Maury Co TN. Catherine was the daughter of Nicholas Overby in Greene Co IL. 10/10/1833 39.1825, Thomas Short married Betsey Anderson in Sumner Co TN. 40.1826, Jacob Short married Lucy Fulcher in neighboring Davidson Co TN. 41.1828, Polly Short married David Bison in Sumner Co TN. 42.1829, Betsey Short married Newberry Mann in Sumner Co TH. (?Betsey Anderson that married in 1825?) . 43.1829, Edmund Short married Patsey Bell in Sumner Co TN. 44.1833, James Robert Short married Isaac’s niece Amy Overby . Amy was the daughter of Nicholas Overby in Greene Co IL. 10/10/1833.

So who are we related to I participated in the Short DNA Project and learned there are two lineages that claim relationship to a William Short born 1612 (ours lineage and another). The significance of this person is that he came to America in 1634/1634 and his early family went on to own plantations and do big things. William came over on the same boat as Thomas Rolfe. Thomas was the son of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. It's said that Thomas and William knew each other before the long trip and were neighbors in VA. A lot can be learned about Thomas Rolfe from watching the movie *The New World*. To learn more about William Short please read the book *Short, An Early Virginia Family* By Josephine Short Lynch.

38 Both DNA Project lineages present a strong argument for being related to the William Short of 1612. One group has somewhat of a paper trail while our group claims family tradition. This is not claimed by me but from the descedents of Cornelius Short. The subject as seen by professional researcher Rick Saunders can be seen by clicking here.

Then there's this Niall of the Nine Hostages thing....taken from my FTDNA test results

A recent study was conducted at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, which found that a striking % of men in Ireland (and quite a few in Scotland) share the same Y chromosome, suggesting that the 5th-century warlord known as "Niall of the Nine Hostages" may be the ancestor of one in 12 Irishmen. Niall established a dynasty of powerful chieftains that dominated the island for six centuries.

Then I was told…your Y chromosome matches this profile

In the study scientists found an area in northwest Ireland where they claim 21.5% carry Niall’s genetic fingerprint, says Brian McEvoy, one of the team at Trinity. The same area of Ireland has previously been the subject of Anthropological writings…and has shown a strikingly high % of men from Haplogroup R1b (98%) versus 90% in S.E. Ireland. According to McVoy this area was the main powerbase of the Ui Neills, which literally translated means "descendants of Niall". McEvoy says the Y chromosome appeared to trace back to one person. Following the genealogists trail, McVoy comments: "There are certain surnames that seem to have come from Ui Neill. We studied if there was any association between those surnames and the genetic profile. It is his (Niall's) family."

Of note to Family Tree DNA customers, this signature is found in .6 of 1% of the entire Family Tree DNA database. It is characterized by the following Markers when our 12 marker test is applied:

"As in other polygynous societies, the siring of offspring was related to power and prestige." The study mentions that just one of the O'Neill dynasty chieftains who died in 1423 had 18 sons with nearly a dozen women and claimed 59 grandsons. Niall of the Nine Hostages received his name from the taking of hostages as a strategy for playing mental havoc upon his opponent chieftains. He is known in folklore as a raider of the British and French coasts. Supposedly slain in the English Channel or in Scotland, his descendants were the most powerful rulers of Ireland until the 11th century. Modern surnames tracing their ancestry to

39 Niall include (O')Neill, (O')Gallagher, (O')Boyle, (O')Doherty, O'Donnell, Connor, Cannon, Bradley, O'Reilly, Flynn, (Mc)Kee, Campbell, Devlin, Donnelly, Egan, Gormley, Hynes, McCaul, McGovern, McLoughlin, McManus, McMenamin, Molloy, O'Kane, O'Rourke and Quinn.

Journal reference: American Journal of Human Genetics (February issue)

My blood type is Haplogroup R1b1b2a1a2f2

R1b1b2a1a2f2 reaches its peak in Ireland, where the vast majority of men carry Y- chromosomes belonging to the haplogroup. Researchers have recently discovered that a large subset of men assigned to the haplogroup may be direct male descendants of an Irish king who ruled during the 4th and early 5th centuries. According to Irish history, a king named Niall of the Nine Hostages established the Ui Neill dynasty that ruled the island country for the next millennium.

Northwestern Ireland is said to have been the core of Niall's kingdom; and that is exactly where men bearing the genetic signature associated with him are most common. About 17% of men in northwestern Ireland have Y-chromosomes that are exact matches to the signature, and another few percent vary from it only slightly. In New York City, a magnet for Irish immigrants during the 19th and early 20th century, 2% of men have Y-chromosomes matching the Ui Neill signature. Genetic analysis suggests that all these men share a common ancestor who lived about 1,700 years ago. Among men living in northwestern Ireland today that date is closer to 1,000 years ago. Those dates neatly bracket the era when Niall is supposed to have reigned.

Outside Ireland, R1b1b2a1a2f2 is relatively common only along the west coast of Britain.

A Barrel of Whiskey Bent the State Line…thanks to cousin Nancy for this contribution

Another item that does not fit neatly into a timeline is the essay by William Burtscher entitled “A Barrel of Whiskey Bent the State Line”. It tries to answer the “state line jog” question around Mitchellville TN (Sumner Co TN). It mentions a Samuel Short living in this area. The story is based on fact and fiction and it may be pertinent if we knew the exact time period. Keep in mind this area was once the *disputed territory* for a while and thought to belong to VA (KY) until TN eventually won the argument.

40 Early Land Grants

This is a collection of land grants and other misc. View files by clicking on each one. Use the Back button to select the next one. More files to be added soon.

James Short 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5 James Short 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5

Abraham Looney 1-1

Mayberry 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5,

William Copeland 1-1 David Copeland 1-1

Robert Crockett 1-1

Nathanial Austin (collected by the Austin family)

Please note: These files are no longer internet active but I have them in PDF format upon request.

41 Pictures

The Robert Earnest Short family. My father Ellis Leroy is on the extreme left.

42 These pictures below are were taken near Isaac Short’s home in Sumner Co TN

43

44 Reference Material (internet hyperlinks);

Fredric Saunders-Researcher

Short of Brunswick and Prince George's Counties by Fredric Saunders

Family Search-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Short DNA Y Result - The Short DNA Project

Early Migration Trails

History of Tennessee

Tennessee County Formation Map

North Carolina County Formation Map

North Carolina County Index

Virginia County Formation Map

Sumner Co TN Archives

Sumner County Tennessee Genealogists Companion

Calvin McClung Historical Collection

East Tennessee Roots

The Intruders

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