The family of Lambert Lane 1737-1804

Lambert Lane was born about 1737, in either Baltimore County, Maryland, or in England.  Family tradition says his parents, Samuel and Jane Corbin Lane, were in England when he was born, but it seems no one has located documents for this birth in England, or for that matter, in Maryland.  He married Nancy Ann Anderson, the daughter of James and Ann Downing Anderson, about 1762, in either Maryland or Pennsylvania.  From Pennsylvania (Bedford County), he lived in Virginia and in Tennessee before finally settling in Shelby County, Kentucky, where he died in 1804.  He was a Revolutionary War veteran, being part of the group that fought against members of the Cherokee tribe (they were fighting under the instigation of the British, but it's very complicated).  After his death, Ann married Henry Johns, and died in 1826 in Boone County, Indiana.  

Lambert and Nancy (sometimes referred to as Ann) had at least a dozen children, and the family multiplied.  Some of the same family names were used over and over, and some first names are new to the family. (It seems a little odd, but none of the grandchildren were named Lambert, despite naming patterns that had included the father's name for generations before him.)  Several of the men fought in the War of 1812.  They died anywhere from Baltimore County, Maryland, to Alabama to Texas to Indiana, so the children picked up some of Lambert's onward-moving ways.  They are an interesting, if frustrating, family to investigate.

Thomas was the first born son, in 1763.  He died in Harrison County, Indiana, where several of his siblings also died, in 1832.  He married Anna Ellis, the daughter of Isaac and Nancy Ann Downing Ellis.  (I have not yet determined what family relationship there is between Ann Downing Anderson and this Nancy Downing Ellis, but I consider it likely that there was one.)  Their children are Nancy, Isaac, Sarah, Craven, Malinda, William, Eleanor, Fielding, Elizabeth, Ellis, John, Pleasant, Anna, Davis, and Nelson.  I have also seen a Thomas listed as their son, which would make sense, but I am not sure that he belongs to this family.

John was next, born about 1765.  He also died in Harrison County, Indiana, in 1842.  He married Elizabeth Maddox, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Compton Maddox.  Their children are John, Jesse, Edward, and Samuel.  After Elizabeth's death, he married Charity Standage, but I've not found any children noted as theirs.

James would be one of these Lanes that I could term "frustrating".  He was born about 1768, and he seems to have had children named Samuel, Anne, and James.  I have been unable to identify a wife, and there may or may not be more children.  I don't know where or when he died, either.  

Sarah, known as Sally, was born in 1772 and died in 1863 in Harrison County, Indiana.  She married John Ross, the son of John and Mary Duer Ross.  Their children are Nancy, William, Ezekiel, Jesse, and probably John.  

Elijah has been a challenge because if I listed all his supposed wives, they would number at least 5.  His records seem to have been confused with those of other Elijah Lanes, and I hope I have picked my way through this minefield of information and mis-information.  His first wife was Nancy Hawkins, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Barker Hawkins.  Their children are Elizabeth, Mary, John, and Nancy.  After Nancy's death, he married Susannah Hawkins, a sister to Nancy.  Their children are Susan and Lawson.  Other names mentioned as wives include Hannah Dewhurst and Elizabeth Wells.  I don't discount those entirely because the Elijah who married Nancy and Susannah was not born until 1791, when his supposed mother would have been nearly 50 years old.  That's not impossible, but I'm not sure that this Elijah belongs to this family.  The  birth date I've found for Elijah would be closer to 1775.  I am still working on this and I'd be delighted to know that someone else has figured it out!  This Elijah of 1791 died in 1863 in Missouri and is buried in Petersburg, Pike County, Indiana with Nancy.  

Mary, or Mary Martha, was born in 1775 and died in 1849 in Panola County, Texas.  That alone makes her a fascinating woman, as Texas became a state in 1845, so this was still an unsettled area early in the state's history.  She had lived in Alabama prior to that, as the wife of Hugh Gentry, the son of John and Mary Green Gentry.  Their children are Sally, Mary, John, William, Nancy, Elizabeth, Margaret, Ruth, Barbara, Hugh, Lydia, Joseph, Samuel, and Camden.  

Rebecca was born in 1780 and died after 1860 in Lawrence County, Alabama, so she also led a different life than most of our family.  I believe she is the first of our collateral relatives to have lived in the South during the run up to the Civil War, and possibly during and even after that sad event.  She married William Gregory, the son of Richard and Mary Ward Gregory.  Their children are William, Susanna, Nancy, William, Jonathan, Sarah, John, Jesse, Carroll, Merrison, Carrie, James, Edward, and Basil.  

William was born in 1781 and died in 1863 in Meade County, Kentucky.  He married Nancy Ann Prewitt, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Street Prewitt.  Their children are Burton, Craven, Elizabeth, America, Charlotte, Harriet, Nancy, and William.  There is a possibility that he later married Rebecca Marvin, but I am not sure about that.

Nancy was born in 1784 and married James McCoy, of the "preaching McCoys" family.  He is the son of William and Elizabeth Royse McCoy.  Their children are Sarah, Elizabeth, Priscilla, Lewis, Vincent, Rebecca, Milton, another Priscilla, Isaac, John, and Thomas.  Nancy and James, and at least one of their children, died in the cholera epidemic of 1833 in Salem, Washington County, Indiana.  

Jesse was born in 1785 and died in 1832 in Boone County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Johns, the daughter of Henry and Nancy Duncan Johns.  (I have not traced Henry to determine whether he is related to the Henry Johns that Nancy Anderson Lane married, but there is at least the possibility there.)  Their children are Nancy Ann, Sarah, William, Anna, Elizabeth, Jesse, and Rebecca.  

Elizabeth, known as Betsey, was born about 1786 and I could find very little information about her.  She married Jacob Roberts, parents unknown, and had at least one child, Mary.  She died in 1812, probably in Kentucky.  That is the extent of my knowledge, and it is not based upon satisfactory documents.  Again, I'd like help with her if someone knows more.

Samuel may be the last son, if the Elijah born in 1791 doesn't belong here.  He was born in 1787 and died in 1842 in or near Whitestown, Boone County, Indiana.  He married Margaret McCarty, the daughter of Cornelius and Susanna Hardwick McCarty.  Their children are Susan, Nancy, Cornelia, Eleanor, Margaret, Thomas, Mary, Martha, Samuel, James, and Maria.   

The Lanes are a large family, coming from large families.  Their blessings were in their children, rather than in material wealth, and in their values, which included defending their country during the various wars we endured.  From England to the Caribbean to Maryland, and then on through Pennsylvania and Tennessee to Kentucky and all the different places noted in this post, they were part of the wonderful story of American growth, and part of some of the things we wish would not have happened.