Immediate Family of J423-Clayton Nale Lance
Last Update: February 15, 2004
An old picture, thought to be J423-Clayton Nale Lance and his wife
Matilda.
(Originally from Elic Warren "E.W. Lance of Alabama.)
The Life of Clayton Nale Lance
The following narrative regarding Clayton Nale Lance was passed down to me through my family. I (Don) do not have the original source, but I suspect that it might originally be from the family notes of Elic Warren (E.W.) Lance. The information contained in the narrative needs to be verified from other sources. This narrative should provide a good place to start building more information about Clayton's life. It is presented here exactly as I have it, except I have done some clarification in brackets [].
"Clayton N. Lance, born in what is now Cannon County, Tennessee, March 13, 1813, was the eldest son of [J42] James Jasper Lance, the head of the Lance clan in Warren County, Tennessee. He moved into the western edge of [today's] Warren County with his family about 1830.
"In 1833 he returned to his former home community [somewhere in today's Cannon County] and claimed as his bride his childhood sweetheart, Matilda Luttrell (Literal).
"In 1836, with his wife and young son, James Silas, and his wife's mother (now a widow), he migrated to the then new settlements of Eastern Alabama, and settled near the Creek Indian Village of Talledega, where he lived among the Creek Indians, learning their language well enough to carry on long conversations with their Chief.
"After a short sojourn in Alabama, he returned with the family to Tennessee by way of Muscle Shoals near Florence, Alabama and helped in digging the canal around the Shoals. The canal is still in use at the present time (1977). While there he witnessed the march of the Indians from Alabama to their new home in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
"Arriving back in Warren County, he purchased a tract of land from his Father for a home, which remained in the hands of his family for nearly 150 years."
Some Observations about the Narrative
The narrative mentions that Clayton was "born in what is now Cannon County, Tennessee." Some clarification is needed here, since these notes say that he was born in Warren County, Tennessee. Warren County was established as a county by the Tennessee General Assembly on November 26, 1807, from then White County. Most of what is Cannon County today was part of this Warren County of 1807. Far western Cannon County was part of Rutherford County, and a small northern part of Cannon County was part of Wilson and Smith counties by 1810. Cannon County itself wasn't formed until after 1830, long after Clayton's birth. So at the time of Clayton's birth, he was in 1813 Warren County. His birthplace should reflect the period in which he was born.
The narrative mentions that Clayton had returned to his home community (probably the larger Warren County) and married his childhood sweetheart Matilda. So if the narrative is to be believed, Matilda was in early Warren County as a young girl for some time. This doesn't mean she was born there, but it's possible. (It's not proven - but we know from census information that she was born in Tennessee.) Since it is said that Clayton moved to the western part of today's Warren County around 1830, this would have taken place when Matilda was approximately 14 years old. He returned to take her as a bride when she was around 17 years old.
The narrative mentions that Clayton, his wife, his young son J4231-James Silas, and his mother-in-law moved to Alabama in 1836, then returned to Tennessee shortly afterwards. This can be supported by his family information we currently know. The family notes of Elic Warren (E.W.) Lance report that J4231-James S. was born in 1834, and is verified on his tombstone at Oak Grove Cemetery, Warren County, Tennessee. The notes also mention that a son named J4232-John was born in 1836, although it does not mention where. They do say, however, than J4232-John died as an infant while in Alabama. This could only be between his birth of May 16, 1836, and when Clayton returned to Tennessee (by April of 1837). We know that Clayton and his family had returned to Tennessee in time for the birth of J4233-Tilman Cantrell Lance on April 23, 1837, as the 1850 Warren County, Tennessee, census lists Tilman's birthplace as Tennessee. (Clayton's household - page 137, household 1076) So it appears that there are no conflicts between the information we know about Clayton's children and this narrative.
The narrative gives the date in which is was written in talking about the canal at Muscle Shoals (1977). The other information in the narrative regarding the Creek Indians, the relocation of the Indians, the building of the canal, etc. should be researched further. We know that these things had to happen around 1836-1837, if the full narrative is to be believed.
Go Back to the family of Clayton's father, James Jasper Lance, Sr.
Go Back to Main James Jasper Lance, Sr., Genealogy Home Page
These Pages Were Constructed by Donald "Don"
Lynn Lance (J42363241), a Descendant of J42-James Jasper Lance, Sr.
For more information on the family of James Jasper Lance Sr., visit the main web
page at
http://TheLances.org/roots/jamesjasper.html.
Questions regarding the content of these pages can be directed to me at
info@TheLances.org, or visit
my personal web site at
http://TheLances.org.