John Nation is the immigrant ancestor of my husband’s long line of Nation ancestors:
1. John Nation & Bethiah Robins
2. Christopher Nation & Elizabeth
3. William Nation & Jane
4. Isaac Nation & Margaret Tillman
5. Henry Nation & Unknown
6. Joseph Michael Nation & Christianna (Annie) Riddle
7. Clayton Columbus Nation & Matilda Jane Dulworth
8. Ethel Anne Nation & Oscar Eldon Sturgell
9. Ruby Jewel Sturgell & Edward Earl Stufflebean
10. David Lee Stufflebean
John Nation was reputedly baptized on 28 March 1701 in North Petherton, Someset, England, the son of John Nation and Frances Parsons. FindMyPast does show a burial record there for a John Nation in 1717, who might be the father of this John, but the baptismal record itself didn’t turn up in the list of search results. You can make of that what you like. For me, it is a clue as to the possible origins of my husband’s ancestor. However, if John’s father died in 1717, it doesn’t explain how my John ended up as an indentured servant in New Jersey in 1711, six years before John Sr.’s death. Could John Nation have been one of those boys kidnapped near the waterfront and shipped off to the colonies? I don’t know, but Somerset does sit on the English coast.
In any case, John Nation, the immigrant, was born about 1700 in England and was a servant of William Beaks of Nottingham, Burlington, New Jersey. When William died, John was bequeathed to William’s son, Edmund, in his 1711 will.
Abstract of will: “1710-11 Mar. 24. Beaks, William, of Nottingham, Burlington Co., yeoman; will of. Wife Ruth. Children – Edmond (by a former wife, as Ruth is called Edmond’s mother-in-law), Stacy, Nathan, Sarah; the last three under age. Real and personal estate, incl. servant boy John Nation. Executors – the wife and son Edmond. Witnesses – Samuel Beaks, John Coner, Mahlon Stacy. Proved April 27, 1711. Liber I, p. 313.
John Nation evidently completed his term of indenture, married, had a family and migrated through Virginia to North Carolina. His wife was Bethiah Robins, who was also born c1700 probably in Upper Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, so it is possible that John and Bethiah married before they left New Jersey.
The Nations and Robins families had strong ties that lasted well into the 1800s and extended all the way to eastern Tennessee.
John Nation lived for a time in Frederick County, Virginia and is found mentioned in its court order books:
Frederick County, Virginia Court Order Book – Saturday, August 1 , 17(49?): John Nation … and evidence for Edward, defendant at the suit of William Fernley, plaintiff. Further, on 10 September 1749, John Nation was appointed overseer of a road near his home.
This is certainly my John Nation, as his wife is also in the same court orders:
Bethia Nation… (same reference) “to be paid 7 lbs. of tobacco for three days in Court.” (as a witness).
By 1754, John Nation had settled in his “forever” home in Rowan County, North Carolina. In that year, he was appointed administrator of the estate of his brother-in-law, Joseph Robins.
On 15 December 1772, John Nation wrote his own will and it was probated in May 1774 in Guilford County, North Carolina:
Will of John Nation, 1774
Guilford County, NC Will Book A:277
Source: FamilySearch
In the name of God amen —This fifteen day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy two I John Nation being of Guilford Count and Province of North Yeoman being but weekly of body but of sound and perfect mind and memory thanks be to God for the same but calling to mind the shortness & uncertainty of this mortal state and that tis appointed once for al men one to die and after recommending my immortal part to God that gave it resting in hopes of a Glorious Resurrection & to live & reign with him forever & ever & willing my mortal part to the dust from whence it was taken to burial in a cristian like manner at the discresion of my Executors and as touching such worldly good wherewith it heath pleased God to bless me in this life with I do dispose of the same in the manner & form following that is to say my just debts and funeral charges to be paid.
Imprimis I do give & bequeath unto my son Joseph Nation his heirs & assigns the plantation & track of land wherein I now live and to enter enjoy & possess the same and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging immediately after my decease perticularly.
Item I do give and bequesth unto my beloved wife Bithiah & all moveable estae of whatkind soever withouth exception or destincktion her life or widowhood and in case my wife should see cause to alter her condition after my decease by marriage then my will will and pleasure is that my wife should be confined to her thirds of my estate nevertheless my will & pleasure is that in case of second marriage and she becomes thereby confined to her third that she is impowered hereby to divide the overplus thereof between my two sons John & Joseph Nation and likewise it is my will and pleasure that my sd wife shall live on m plantation during her natural life or (widowhood?) as the case may be and if she remain my widdow during her life at the end thereof it is my will further that my son John shall have a bed and furniture & chest & box and all the rest of my moveable estate to my son Joseph in particular.
Item I give to and bequeath unto the rest of my children to wit Christopher Nation Elizabeth Vickrey Anne Bullar Bithiah Robins and FrancesRobins each and severally the sum of one shilling Sterling and no more.
Lastly I do hereby nominate & appoint & constitute my dear wife Bithiah and my well beloved son Joseph my Executors of this my last will and testiment hereby utterly revoking and disalowing all other former will or wills or testiments made or done whatsoever as fully as tho they had never been done rattifieing and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testiment.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
John (his X mark) Nation Seal
Signed Sealed published & pronounced and (declared?) by the said John Nation to be his last will and testiment in the presence of us the subscribers
Benjamin Beeson Senr Isaac Beeson Juner
Richd Beeson
Children, all of whom died after their father’s will was written on 15 December 1772:
- John,
- Joseph
- Christopher, born c1720; died before November 1799 when his will was recorded; married Elizabeth (MNU)
- Elizabeth; married Mr. Vickery
- Anna, married Mr. Bullar
- Bethiah; married Mr. Robins
- Frances; married Mr. Robins
I have seen undocumented given names for the Nation girls’ husbands, but don’t want to share information that might be wrong. If you have sourced details that would add to what’s known about this family, I would love to have them. Please leave a comment.
I am also a descendent and have oftern wondered what nationality he was. My family is from Eastern Tennessee.
Hi, I just found your blog and I’m enjoying reading it. I am also a Nation descendant, my Nations lived all over the world and still do! My 8th gr grandparents are George Nation and Mary Wood Nation. (I have discovered that a bunch of them married their first cousins.) My maternal grandmother, maiden name Nation, and her family lived in Jamaica, British West Indies for quite a few generations. They originated in Somerset, England, where some of the men became officers in the British East India Company and lived in Bengal, India. When my 5th gr grandfather died in Ft. William, Bengal, India, the family split up (some went to England, Australia, New Zealand) and my 4th gr grandfather who was an early teen when his father died, somehow ended up in Jamaica where his uncle Matthew Nation was already living and owned a plantation there. The Nations that left Somerset, England and went directly to Virginia (my distant cousins) ended up marrying into a different branch of my family on my paternal side. They mainly ended up in Kansas. Those Nations married into my father’s Swope family. David Nation (divorced husband of the famous Carrie Nation) was the gr grandson of my 5th gr grandfather Colonel Michael Swope. Everyone is connected. 🙂
John and Bethiah are my 10th great grandparents. Their son Christopher and his wife Elizabeth are my 9th. I love when I can find blogs like this that share more detailed information. Thank you!