I have to admit that since adding my Ancestor Sketches tabs on the home page of this blog, I find they are an easy way to check which ancestors I’ve been ignoring for too long!

Today, we’ll take a look at Joseph Michael Nation, son of Henry Nation and an unknown wife, and Christianna (Annie) Riddle, daughter of Isaac Riddle and Catherine Johnson.

Joseph, or actually Mike, which is how he was known, was born 17 March 1836, probably in Fentress or Overton County, Tennessee. Records for these two counties are sadly lacking! Annie Riddle was born 10 September 1833 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. The Riddle family moved back and forth over the state line between Kentucky and Tennessee and Mike and Annie likely married in Tennessee, where, unfortunately records are missing.

The dash line across the center of the map is the Kentucky-Tennessee state line. Cumberland County is to the north – Burkesville is the county seat. Overton County is to the south.

Mike Nation

Annie Riddle Nation

Neither of these images is great, but they are the only ones I have of this couple. My husband’s aunt, who is now deceased, visited many Nation relatives and took photos (before the hand scanner era) and these are crops from my copy of the copy!

Annie had previously married Elijah York about 15 September 1850. She is enumerated in both her father’s household and with Elijah in that census and they appear to have been newlyweds.

Elijah was born c1826, Tennessee. I can’t find any further record for him after the 1850 census and it appears that he less than five years after they married.

The 1860 census includes two York children, ages 9 and 7, living with Annie’s parents, Isaac and Catherine Riddle. These appear to be children of Elijah and Annie.

Children:
1. Isaac York, born c1851, Kentucky; married Margaret (MNU),  November 1869 per the 1870 census taker. She was born c1855.
2. Catherine York, born c1853, Kentucky; married Francis Wallace, between 1870-1880.

Annie’s brother, Joseph, lived with them in Fentress County, Tennessee in 1850.

By 1860, Annie was married to Mike “Nations” and they had two small children, Nancy Ann and Henry J.

Mike wasn’t very well off – he was a farm laborer who owned no land of his own. Both children were born in Kentucky and they were living in Cumberland County in 1860.

The 1900 census isn’t very easy to read, so I won’t bother posting an image. However, it is very curious because Annie reports having given birth to 15 (!) children with 10 surviving. I can account for 8 Riddle children, plus the two York children, Isaac and Catherine, detailed above. I’m not sure where she could fit in five more children!

Children: Nation

1. Nancy Ann, born 20 March 1858, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died 31 August 1915, Verden, Grady County, Oklahoma; married James Burk, c1882, probably Tennessee. He was born c1852; died 1941.
2. Henry Jackson, born 7 May 1860, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died 14 November 1936, Anadarko, Caddo County, Oklahoma; married (1) Lucinda Tranbarger, 28 August 1890, Overton County, Tennessee (2) Martelia Claiborne, 19 July 1894, Overton County, Tennessee. Lucinda was born c1875; died 1893. Martelia was born c1875; died 1962.
3. Joseph, born c1863, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died 11 July 1925, probably Overton County, Tennessee; unmarried.
4. John Wesley, born 19 August 1866, Tennessee; died 26 September 1943, Putnam County, Tennessee; married Anna Belle Robins, 27 January 1887, Overton County, Tennessee. She was born c1867; died 1950.
5. Rosetta, born September 1869, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died 12 May 1892, probably Overton County, Tennessee; married Sylvester Columbus Robins, 27 January 1887, Overton County, Tennessee. (Yes, brother and sister married a brother and sister and had a double wedding.) He was born c1863; died 1922.
6. Thomas Nathan, born 12 March 1871, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died 11 April 1916, Overton County, Tennessee; married Mary Jane Mathis, 12 May 1892, Overton County, Tennessee. She was born c1864; died 1926.
7. Clayton Columbus, born 18 September 1872, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died 30 June 1922, Granite, Greer County, Oklahoma; married Matilda Jane Dulworth, 20 June 1896, Clay County, Tennessee. She was born c1869; died 1931.
8. Alice, born c1875, Cumberland County, Kentucky; died c1904-1910, probably Overton County, Tennessee; married Matthew Winburn Matthews, 10 January 1891, Overton County, Tennessee. He was born 4 December 1862; died 9 August 1944, Robertson County, Tennessee. Alice’s last child was born c1904. She died sometime between that birth and the 1910 census.

Now, if we take a look at Annie’s age and the birth years of her children, we have:

Annie, born 1833 and 17 years old in 1850. Children were born in 1851, 1853, 1858, 1860, c1863, 1866, 1869, 1871, 1872 and c1875. She was 42 in 1875.

There is a gap in the 1850s and the 1870 census includes a Cinthy Owens, aged 18 and Arcadia Owens, aged 15, so born c1852 and 1855. Could these have been Annie’s children by an Owens marriage?? Cintha could have been a stepchild and Arcadia a child of that marriage? Unfortunately, I can’t find either of these Owens children before or after the 1870 census, so we may never know.

Joseph Michael Nation died on 28 June 1907 in Overton County, Tennessee. Annie survived him by many years, passing away on 23 January 1923, also in Overton County, Tennessee.

My husband’s Nation line is:

1. Joseph Michael Nation
2. Clayton Columbus Nation
3. Ethel Anne Nation
4. Ruby Jewel Sturgell
5. David Lee Stufflebean