ONE LINE OF THE LANIERS
By Ruth L. Hester
May 11. 2007
We have not been able to prove whether Nicholas,
Our known ancestor was a brother or a cousin to John
Lanyer/Lanear/Lanier.
Hugenot Society record of July 1, 1544 shows a John Lanyer
having been in England thirty years, married to an English woman
and had six children.
Likewise the records show Nicholas to have arrived from
Paris in 1550, and admitted to the rights of citizenship already by
1561 .
John Lanier , a musician moved to London from County Surry with his
wife , Joan , and Nicholas also arrived in London 1561.
as musicians in the Queen's Court.
The Laniers were Huguenots to London and were well recorded as
such in London's Huguenot Society by the time they came to
America. Having been naturalized for three full generations
in England, they were Hugenots. However they were not able to call them
selves Hugenots in America until they had been here for
three full generations. Now their decendants are
eligible for the Huguenot Society.
The Laniers were natives of Rouen , France and owned property
in Crutched Friars in the Parish of St. Olave, Hart Street, London.
Nicholas Lanier who was in both the Court of King Henry II and
the Court of Queen Elizabeth and King James of England was founder
of the Lanier Family of Musicians and the ancestor of American laniers.
Nicholas Laniers will dated 28/Jan1611/12: "To Lucreece, my wife, all my lands,
and goods; to sons John, Alphonse, Innocent, Jerome, Clement,
12 shillings; to Andrea 20 lbs. if he does not have my place;
My four daughters, three of whom are unmarried, I leave to the
discretion of my wife, Lucreece, my sole executrix"
Clement, was our ancestor from these children. He was fifth
son of Nicholas and Lucreece.
He was a flutist in the Royal Orchestra and also served as
Gentleman of the King's Chamber. In March of 1628 at St.
Margarets, Lee, he married Hannah Collet, mother of his 11 children.
Before 1637 some of the children were registered in a book of
Greenwich and Lewisham. After 1637 the others were recorded
in the Parish of St. Alphedge. Three have not been found by our
researchers . Thwy are: John, Elizabeth and Charles.
The will of Clement mentions Susanna and Elizabeth as not being of age
in 1658, and Charles had died in 1651. Lucretia had died before
his will was dated and so had Hannah, his wife.
>From baptismal dates that were found of the children, it appears
that John was born abt. Oct. 1631.
Both Clement and Hannah were buried in East Greenwich. She
December 22, 1653 and he Sept. 19, 1665.(Microfilm copies of census
were made by Milton Keynes and held at Aylesbury Library. A table of
headcounts by parishes from The Buckingham Family History Society
as the VCH of Bucks, Vol.2,pp96-101)
JOHN LANIER, son of Clement and Hannah b. abt. Oct. 1631
no birth record found, b. Lewisham.
John married Lucreece ?. Record fragments show that John and Lucreece
were among those transport by Howell Pryce, who received his patent
in April 1657, for transporting 47 people for which he received a total
of 2,350 acres of land. They were in Charles City, Co. Va.
JOHN LANIER JR.
was born abt. 1680 in Charles City County, Va.. son of John and
Lucreece. Abt. 1703 he married Elizabeth Bird Dau of Thomas and Mary Bird
and Granddaughter of William Bird and Hannah Grendon Jennings.
of Surry County, Va.
Only four children of John and Lucreece have been documented but
some old Court order books have turned up notes. One
note that Elizabeth sold lands inherited from her father, John,
without the consent or the signature of her husband,, Richard Jones.
The will books have long been missing, likely burned, and there is
no documentation. Four known sons are: Bird Thomas, Lemuel,
Robert and John.
LEMUEL LANIER
Son of John Jr. and Elizabeth Bird. b. abt. 1707 Surry Co. Va.
He was overseer on his great grandfather, William Bird's plantation
for many years. He married Hannah Peters in Surry County, Va.,
in 1732. Her father, Thomas Peters made a gift of 200 acres
deeded to Hannah and Lemuel Lanier
and their infant first born son "just nine days old",
on July 15, 1735. (Former researchers have him b. 1833)
In early 1750, Lemuel went to Duplin County N.C., where
his brother, Bird Thomas Lanier had already settled. He received
several grants after his arrival and bought some, "many" large tracts
Of land. . Six years later, Lemuel sold all his land except
one tract and in Oct. he deeded it to Thomas "the land, the home,
outbuildings, the furnishings , the slaves and the Indian Corn
to be harvested. "as I am about to remove out of the
aforesaid Province of North Carolina."
(in the deed was mentioned" My son, Thomas who is of age"
further proving Thomases correct age.)
Lemuel took the rest of his family to Screven County , Ga.(later formed from
Bryan Co. to Burke Co. and then ScrevenCo.)
He was listed in Colonial Records as a headright in 1756,
shortly after leaving Va.
Their children were: Thomas, Elizabeth, John, Benjamin,
and Lemuel(whose
baptisms are all recorded in Va and N.C.)
and Mary who was
born near Rockyford, Screven Co., Ga.
There is an Historical Marker that lists Lemuel among
others as being one of the earliest settlers in Burke County
It is also recorded that Benjamin and Bird Thomas were among them.
LEMUEL LANIER
Bap. Apr. 12, 1741 Albemarle Parish, Surry County, Va. d.
abt. 1797 in Screven County, Ga.
Married Nancy? abt. 1768 The Governor granted for
200 acres of land in St. George Parish in Aug. 1771.Revolutionary
records of Georgia show he was very active during the
Revolution ; the same year having been made Captain
of the "jail guards". In 1784 he was chosen a Member of the
Executive Council,in the list of Georgia Troups in which he
was Captain. When Screven County was formed from Burke
County he was in the new County without having moved from his
home.
He became first Register of Probate in his new County.
Lemuel and Nancy's children:
Elizabeth b. 1770 Ga. d. 1809 Bulloch County
Lemuel Lanier b. 1775(abt) in Ga. d. Bryan Co. Ga.
Hester Lanier b. abt. 1782 Ga. m. Edmund Hester d. Ms.
Ida Lanier b. 1785 m. Effingham, Ga d.
* *
LEMUEL LANIER , son of Lemuel and Nancy of Screven(first Bryan)
b. abt. 1775 Ga. d. before 1830 Bryan Co. Ga.
m. 1st Mary? 1796 and m. 2nd abt. 1818 widow of
Daniel Stewart of Chatham Co., Ga.
Children:
1.Eliza Lanier. b. 1797 Bryan Co. Ga.m. JesseFloyd b. 1797 Ga. also.
(Both still alive in `1870 census)
2.Thomas Lanier b. Dec.,27, 1801 d. Feb. 15, 1881in Liberty Co., Ga.
m. Mary Peacock b. May 3, 1805 d. Oct. 20, 1890
3,RNV Kathrine Lanier, b. 1799 d. unmarried ,Savannah ,Ga., on
Apr. 25, 1818 shortly after her father remarried to widow
Stewart, (deed among property settlement papers showed )Lemuel
had deeded to Katherine his household goods and furnishings
when he remarried. RNV Katherine "died not long after".
4. Lewis/Louis b. 1799 Bryan Co. Ga. m. Mary Taylor (Polly)
5. Jesse b.1815, Byran Co. Ga. d. Miss .
It was with this Lemuel III that I discovered what I believed to be our
Louis/Lewis.
# 22324 on page 118 b. 1805 Bryan Co.,Ga on the page that our Louis/Lewis
# 22424 should have been listed with a 1799 birthdate. Both Lewises lived
and raised families within "hollering distance" almost.
My single burning mission was for my dad ,Wm Thomas Lanier,great
grandson of Lewis/Louis and mary Taylor . Dad used to get upset
that established researchers said his great grandfather was named John.
"Lemuel was 'Ma's ' grandfather-in-law and was my great grandpa", he'd say.
(Grandmother Julia Morgan Lanier Castleberry.) Dad could remember
her telling him to remember always that his two g.great grandfathers
names were Nathaniel (called Nathan) and Lemuel. We went through
the Nathaniel's lewis/Louis but none in the right location nor times. Lemuel's
line worked perfectly. As for the Nathaniel, we found him. Elizabeth Hughes side.
His mothers side. I have learned
the hard way to listen to those old folk who remember things.
Meantime, In searching for Lemuel
and Mary's Louis, I found him(Lemuel's Louis)
LOUIS LANIER
Listed in 1850 Census as follows:
LANIER, Louis 52, NC(Incorrect- He was b.Byran Co. Ga)
Polly (Mary Taylor) 40, North Carolina
1.James 21 b. Washington, Co, Ga (James Jefferson)
2. Sophia A.F. 16 Muscogee County, Ga. (m. Elijah Morgan later moved to
Crenshaw County, AL.)
3.Elefair 13, b. Muscogee Co, Ga.
4. Lewis/Louis E. 8, b. Muscogee Co., Ga.(Lewis Emanuel-"Uncle Mann")
m. a McCart(y) and they moved to Crenshaw County in 1870's.
5. Eliza W.P.N. 5 b. Muscogee Co, Ga.
(Some records show Emma b. 1859 but not in this census )
There wasn't a lot of history about Louis and Mary Taylor.
But those were terrible days they went through, the 1860's.
Louis Lanier served in Co. A., Ga. Guards
His son, James Jefferson served in Co. B. 31st Regt. and so
did his youngest son, Lewis Emanuel. L.E. was appointed
Chief musician of his Regiment.
Louis (the fatther) was listed as a farmer in the Redbone District Agricultrual
Schelule on page 23, line 1.
On the same page was listed James J. Morgan, brother of Julia Morgan
and son of James Olliver and Mary Dathney Morgan.
Julia Morgan married James Jefferson Lanier, Louis's son, in 1856.
There was also a little note about an estate sale where Louis bought
a Bible. (Estate Settlements & Land deeds.)
James Jefferson Lanier and Julia Ann Morgan were married
Nov. 27, 1856 by Samuel J. Weed , J.P. at Cusetta Courthouse.
The Children of James and Julia Lanier were:
John Andrew(Shown by 1860 census taker as Andrea)
B. 1857/58 d. Summer 1862 with pneumonia complications of measles
Melissa (shown 1860 census as child l yr.) m. Thomas Mosley
d. young and childless in Butler Co.
"Ma Julia", Julia MORGAN Lanier married James Albert Castleberry in 1874.
They had 2 children: Marietta CASTLEBERRY b. 1877 and Albert CASTLEBERRY
b. 1878. They were both born in Escambia County, AL.
James J. LANIER b. Sept. 26, 1861
Chattachoochee County, Ga. d. Jan 30, 1928 in
Escambia County, AL. bu. Hoomesville Cemetery, Damascus,
Escambia Co., He married Elizabeth Hughes at Evergreen, AL.
Conecuh County Courthouse,
December 11, 1884.The clerk listed them as James J. Lanere
and Lizzie Hues(James J. Lanier & Elizabeth Hughes)
I've heard the story many times of James and Elizabeth's marriage.
On that day in December. The Laniers and the Hughes Family
had land adjoining each other. "Jim" as my grandfather was called
and Elizabeth , (Liz) would always make it a point to go drink water
from the shade at their adjoining fence. By winter they had fallen
for each other and decided to marry,when the corn was gathered.
Her father, John A Hughes, forbade her getting married to Jim
who was about twenty three and she was only fourteen. On this
particuliar day her dad was gone "to the mill " and Jim
and Liz galloped away on horseback to Conecuh county. It
was an elopement , but her father accepted it graciously.
Children of James J.LANIER and Eliizabeth HUGHES, dau of John
and Rebecca (Becky) Hughes
were:
1.Ada Lucretia
2.James Andrew
3.John Allen
4.Sadie Elefair
5.Columbus Albert
6.George Leonard
7.#William Thomas b. Jan. 7, 1897 in Covington Co. AL
d. Conecuh County, AL Jan 16, 1986
8.Louis Emanuel
9.Hugh Jefferson
More later on these children of James and Elizabeth Lanier
all born in Covington County, Alabama