Chasing Our Tales - Nalls of Palo Pinto County

Chasing Our Tales, The Nall, Nalle, Nally, Naul, Noailles family of Palo Pinto County

Many of our local families have quite colorful histories. One such family, Nall to be exact, has produced this American/French Revolutionary War legend:

The legend of the Nalls of Hardin County Kentucky, tells us that Nall is a corruption of the French Noailles. The Duke de Noailles served under Rochambeau in the American Revolution, was a noble deputy in the revolutionary Estates General in France, and authored the motion calling for the noblility to surrender their feudal dues (rights). He emigrated to America to escape the Terror.

Guess I am interested in the Nalls because of a couple of good friends from high school here in Mineral Wells--Rodney Nall and Norma Nall, and later I discovered that Betty Blevins is a Nall descendant, also. Betty and I have discussed the Nall family on several occasions.

There are at least three different Nall families in Palo Pinto County, and I hope this column helps the Nalls, and the Nall family connections, to trace their ancestors somewhat easier, while spinning a good tale for everyone else.

But remember, dear reader, that many families suffer from the malady of naming all the children similar or like names. The Nalls are certainly no acception, and their most common ancestor name is Martin. We will discover that a Martin Nall was one of the Nalls who immigrated to Palo Pinto County, and we have a census listing for Martin G. Nall in Palo Pinto County in 1860.

Now Betty Blevins' part of the Nall family seems to have come here as part of this Martin's group, and, when I received a query from Larry Stevens I decided to write this column about the Nall family. Larry <[email protected]> wrote: "I think the Nall family and the Ward family came to Palo Pinto County together from Red River County, Texas. Martin Nall was the head of the family, if I am not mistaken. I think that they were also together in Tennessee."

Betty answered Larry, "You are correct that the Nall(e) family came through Red River County. In fact they came from Tennessee in the Wavell Colonization about 1819. Frank Nall was known to be alive as late as 1927 when a legal issue concerning land which had been owned by his late mother Mitte Robinson Nall came to court."

Betty confirms that their Martin G. came from Red River County to Palo Pinto County. He is as having owned 1649.77 acres of land in Red River County in January 1860 and 2955.74 acres of land in 1848 in Bowie and Harrison in Marion County.

So, here goes what I have found. First of all, the Wavell Colony Register is a list of 122 families that were registered in Arthur G. Wavell's Colony during the years 1826 to 1830. The boundries of this colony began at the junction of Sulphur Fork and the Red River at Natchitoches upward and ran parallel with the Red River to the mouth of the River Kiamish and back to Sulphur Fork. The Wavell Red River Colony never came into its own. A lot of these early settlers received land grants in the area and in other places in Texas, and Arthur G. Wavell returned to England.

The Nalls listed in the Wavell Colony were Barthley 18; Cynthey (nee Deallwood) 22; Elizabeth 20; Harriet 2 months; John 4; John 66; Lucinda 6 ; Martin G. 26; Robert 28; and William 2.

Martin G. Nall was born ca 1805 in Grainger County, Tennessee. He married Cynthia Lick (or was this Cynthey Deallwood as the Wavell Colony list states?). The family migrated to Wilkes County, North Carolina, Grainger County, Tennessee, and on to Red River County, Texas.

At some point these Nalls were also listed as being in Lamar County, Texas: Nall, Cynthia Lick; Nall, G. W.; Nall, Lucinda; Nall, Martin G.; and Nall, Mary Aldin. If do find it interesting that the Wavell Colony lists Cynthia as Deallwood and not Lick, but, as I found it several times as Lick and only once as Deallwood, I will let you make a determination here.

Further, it is interesteing that Lamar County lists a Mary Aldin Nall on a census in the 1800's who would not have been alive by the time the Nalls came to Texas--the original Mary Aldin Nall died in 1681, as you will see as you read further.

There is a Martin G. Nall on the Grainger County North Carolina whose father was John Nall and mother was Sarah Gambill Nall. His wife was named Cynthia. It seems to me this is the same Martin G. who came to the Wavell Colony and is the ancestor of Betty and Larry.

Martin G. Nall and family arrived in Red River County, Texas, to the Wavell Colony on 13 Apr 1819. So, to be sure, these Nalls were in Texas at the time of the Revolution. There is an appointment of Martin G. Nall as a Constable of the Republic of Texas on 21 Jun 1842. M.G.Nall is listed in 1872-1887 Hood County Texas, law suits, but the dates here are so much later perhaps this was a son or grandson.

Now back to the original American Nalls. Perhaps some of the Noailles family traveled from France to England before crossing the Pond. I do also have an indication that some Nall families came from Holland.

But there is one Nall family whose ancestor was Martin Nalle, born in about 1670 in Norwith, England, and seems to be the granddaddy of them all, so to speak. He came to Virginia between 1695 and 1702. Some researchers believe he was an intentured servant, but he married a woman of property, Jane "Mary" Aldin/Alden about 1702, and few servants married above their stations at that time.

Martin died in County of Essex, Parish of South Farnham, Virginia, 18 Sep 1728. Martin and Mary were tobacco farmers. Martin's father may have been Richard Nalle of Market Deeping, Lincolnshire, England.

Mary, born in August of 1681 in Middlesex County, Christ Church Parish, Virignia, was the third generation of her family to be born in the New World. She was the daughter of Robert Aldin and Ellianor Willis. She died in 1734.

Martin and Mary had nine children: John Nalle (1703), Winnefred (note variant spellings) Nalle (1705), Elizabeth (1706), Martin Nalle (1707), Amey Nalle (1709), Agnes Nalle (1712), Richard Nalle (1716), and, Nathan Nalle (1721). The children were all born in Virginia.

Martin signed his will Martin Naul, and his wife was listed as Mary Nall, but his sons were listed as Naul. It seems that those of this family who went to Mississippi and Louisiana kept the Naul spelling. Children named in the will were John, Martin, and Winnifret. Winnefred/Winnifret married a Thomas Dillard.

The majority of the Nalls living in the United States today appear to be the descendants of Martin and Mary's four sons - John, Martin, Richard, and Nathan.

Many descendants of Martin's four sons are documented in the book NALL FAMILIES OF AMERICA by Sally Nall Dolphin and Charles Fuller Nall (1978). The information covers first thru tenth/eleventh generations with the latter generations information fairly sketchy.

Martin and Mary' son Nathan Nall was born in 1720 in EssexCounty, Virginia. He died between 13 Dec 1802 and 25 Jan 1803 in Clarke County, Georgia. In 1743 he was married to Sarah Eldridge, born ca. 1725. Their children were Richard Nall, Martin Nall born ca 1745, John Nall born 1750, Mary Nall born in 1747 in Culpepper County, Virginia, and Elizabeth Nall born in 1755.

Their oldest son Richard married Margaret (?) in 1792. She died between 1830 and 1840 in Henry or Meriwether County, Georgia. Their children were Fetna Nall was born in 1793, Eldridge Nall was born in 1795, Nancy (Haney?) Nall was born in 1797 in GA, Mary Nall was born in 1801, Thomas J. Nall born in 1804 in Jackson County, Georgia, Leah (Leer?) Nall was born in 1806, Middleton F. Nall was born in 1808, Samuel Nall was born in 1811, and Hiram Nall was born in 1814.

Thomas J. Nall appeared on the census in 1870 in Rockwall, Texas. He was married to Catharine Wallace in 1828. Catharine was born about 1800 in Georgia and died aft 1860 before 23 Dec 1861 in Rockwall, Texas. Their children were John Middleton Nall born in 1833 in Georgia, Margaret Nall born in 1830, Nathan H. Nall born in 1836, Davis R. Nall born in 1840, and D.L.A. (daughter) Nall born in 1844.

John Middleton Nall appeared on the census in 1880 in Collin County, Texas. He was married to Mary Jane Garner on 6 Aug 1857. Mary Jane was born in Georgia in 1842. Their children were David Harris Nall born 2 Jan 1859 in Mount Enterprise, Texas, John Thomas Nall born on 7 Apr 1860 in Rockwell, Texas and died in Puducah, Texas, Sarah Nall born in 1866 in Rockwell, Texas, P. Ophelia Nall born in 1869 in Rockwell, Texas, Charles A. Nall born in 1871 in Texas, James Wesley Nall born on 25 Aug 1874 in Texas, and died in Oklahoma, and Linnie Nall

David Harris Nall died on 26 Dec 1932 in Turkey, Texas. He was buried on 26 Dec 1932 in Turkey, Hall Co., Texas. He was married to Nancy Elennie "Linnie" Morris on 22 Dec (?). Nancy Elennie "Linnie" Morris was born on 6 Aug 1860 in St. Paul, Collin Co., TX. She died on 19 Jun 1934 in Bovina, Parmer County, Texas

Most of the Nalls in this branch have stayed in the Texas-New Mexico area, but I cannot find that they were in Palo Pinto County. Their closest stopping place appears to be Brown County.

The Nall family does have Revolutionary War evidence. The Nall/Nalle family in the United States has 7 listings in the DAR Patriot Index as serving in one capacity or another for the American cause in the Revolutionary War. They are Francis 1740-1816 VA; James 1740/45- 1814 VA; John 1700-1782 VA; Martin Jr. 1740-1806 VA; Martin Sr. 1710-1788 VA; William 1736-1808 NC; and William 1744-1791 VA.

One Martin L. (be sure to keep up with the middle initials and names) Nall enlisted in the Confederacy from North Carolina in 1861 in the 26th North Carolina Infantry, Company E.

Also, there was a Martin Nall listed in the US Census of 1790 living Wake County, North Carolina. And two Martin Nalls are listed in Culpepper County Virignia census, one in 1764 (rent roll) and one in 1820 (federal population schedule).

Further Martin Nalls seem to have been 1) Coroner of Monroe County Georgia in 1827; 2) lived in Jefferson County Kentucky on the Salt River in 1780; 3) was Justice in District Four (1799) and Clerk of the Court Ordinary (1800-1802) in Jackson County Georgia; 4) was Justice of the Peace in Clarke County Georgia from 1803-1806; and 5) was Court Records Miller for Arkansas from 1830 to 1835 and served as a witness in court on 15 Jul 1833.

The first Martin's genealogy includes son Nathan Nall, grandson Richard Nall, Great-grandson Nathan Nall, gg-grandson William R. Nall, ggg-grandson William F. Nall, gggg-grandson Walker F. Nall, and ggggg-grandson Cecil Nall.

It also appears that one of Martin's line immigrated to Collin County, Texas. David Harris Nall, born 1859 and died 1932, lived in St. Paul in Collin County. His wife was Nancy Elinnie/Morris/Pratt/Nall.

Other Nalls of interest include John Nall who arrived in Maryland by 1694 and, by the 1700s, his name spelling had changed to Nally. Another John Nall from the Ulster County, New York area, and the Nall Family association states that he served in the American Revolutionary War in 1776, but no record of any descendants has been found. The DAR Patriot Index also does not list a Nall from New York.

Also Nalls who immigrated from England besides Martin are: Matthew Nall arriving in New York about 1832; James Nall, a Congregational minister, migrating to Canada about 1834; Israel Nall arriving in Boston about 1848 and located in Wisconsin about 1854; many Negro families adopted the Nall surname. The descendants of these Nalls presently live in the United States.

"My grandfather Waverly Nall's great-grandparents Mack and Cynthia (see, another Cynthia!) Nall were slaves on a Dutch Nall plantation in Alabama. My great-aunt has a copy of the Dutch Nalls coat of arms from Holland. They searched the Alabama slave records and found this information. I don't remember the Dutch Nall brothers name." stated a Donna Timberlake of the FamilyHistory.com website.

The annual, national Nall Family Reunion will be held May 4 & 5, 2001 in Gonzalez, Florida, which is in the Pensacola area. Those seeking information can contact <[email protected]> on the internet.

I have also had this query from John Ritter <jritter@anteon. com>: "I am looking for information about the Nalls family from Habersham County, Georgia. Would appreciate learning how the following people are related and which Nalls ancestors they are descended from."

A very extensive Nall page can be found at http://www.flash.net/~silb/MISC.html.

As a local Nall family historian, you may write Betty Houchins Blevins, 423 East Josephine Street, Weatherford, Texas 76086; email: <[email protected]>. She would enjoy hearing from you.

Now to letters about other Palo Pinto County names:

"Dear Sue, I am trying to gather information on the LaBlue Family. I believe Josephine LaBlue died in Palo Pinto County. Any help you might be able to give or a direction you might be able to suggest would be very much appreciated. Thank You, Richard White, Portland, OR. email: <[email protected]>."

"Sue, I am looking for ancestors in the Mount Marion Cemetery in Palo Pinto County. My gggrandmothers name was Mary Ida (Elliott) Elmore. I have her death certificate, and it says she is buried there. I have not been able to find any record of her husband Francis Elmore's death. It is a long shot, but I was hoping that he was burried there with her. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kisha <[email protected]>"

If any of you can assist the further investigations of the Nall family, have information on the LaBlue family, or know if Francis Elmore is buried at Mt. Marion, please contact me at P. O. Box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061 or email me <[email protected]>.

I hope to hear from you all with further questions and comments, so we can once again Chase Our Tales! See you next month.