The Wives of Ignatious Nathan Gann:
The death of his first wife, about 1789 to 1791, left Ignatious with at least five young children in the home. There may have even been up to two more children who died some time early in their childhood but who could have been alive then. The oldest of the children, John, was about 11 or 12 at the time. Ignatious Nathan would have probably married very soon in order to have someone to care for those small children.
Most single women available as prospective brides were probably younger, unmarried women. Older, widowed women most likely had children of their own and did not need to add five more to their brood. But, they would need a provider husband.
Another indicator that this wife, Susan, was younger than Ignatious Nathan comes from the births of the children. She gave birth to her last known child, Lucinda, in 1808. Most likely, she was nearing the end of her childbearing age at that time and would have been in her mid-to-late thirties. That, combined with a likely date of the marriage, gives us a probable birth date for her of about 1772 or 1773. Susan would have been about 18 when she married thirty-one year old Ignatious Nathan Gann in about 1791.
The only documented reference we have found to identify Susan by name was a deposition given by Solomon Gann on January 24, 1855, in Cherokee County, Texas. In this deposition, Solomon stated that he was a "son of Nathan Gann and Susan Gann ...and by heirship entitled to portion of the Estate of my said deceased father..." In this deposition, Solomon appointed Samuel Mantooth as his true and lawful attorney to recover and receive any funds from his father's estate. [1]
Not much is known about Susan. She is thought to be the mother of eight known children: Rebecca, Elizabeth, Nathan Jr., Mary Ann "Polly," William, Susannah, Solomon, and Lucinda Gann. Studying the birth order of these children suggests the likelihood of one or two additional children who either died at birth or in early childhood. The births of the first six children attributed to Susan occurred very regularly, one child being born almost every year. Between Susannah and Solomon and between Solomon and Lucinda, however, there are four-year gaps. There may have been other children born in these large gaps that are a break in the regular pattern.
In any case, being the mother of such a brood on a frontier farm was no easy task. In addition to at least eight of her own children, she also raised at least five stepchildren, who were in the home when she arrived. Nothing could have prepared her for the toll that would take on her over the years.
At this point it is appropriate to consider another factor about the conditions of Susan's life. In addition to the constant toil attendant to the role of a wife and mother in those surroundings, we should be aware of the concerns as a very real part of her daily life for a number of years. The Indians, in particular the Cherokee and the Chickamaugas, were a very real presence. The battle of Boyd's Creek during the Revolutionary War greatly diminished the Indian threat. In the early 1790s, however, Indian problems flared again, so much so that in 1791 Congress authorized the President to call militia into service to end the problem.
In September 1792 two regiments of the Washington District militia were raised to go against the Creeks and Cherokees in the lower towns. Sarah was surely aware of this action and its meaning. In November a Gann neighbor, Capt. Samuel Henley, set out with 40 men for a three month tour of duty against the Indians in the Mero District. Henley was captured by the Indians, and released a few months later. Several of his men were missing and at least one known to be killed. She undoubtedly had these happenings in mind as she went about her daily tasks. In late summer 1793, the situation became even more serious and struck closer to home. On August 30th, Indians killed the Hatler family who lived along the south side of the Nolichucky River. On September 3rd, further down the Nolichucky, the Indians attacked Zephaniah Woolsey's family. Remember that the Gann family lived on the Nolichucky. In October a band of Indians killed the family of Capt. William Lewis in Greasy Cove, about 15 miles southeast of Jonesborough.
With all these occurrences, Susan no doubt felt concern, never knowing when she might have to hastily gather the children, bundle a few belongings, and flee to a point of safety. The earliest settlement of Washington County somewhat mirrored that of Kentucky in one regard. Many settlements formed as clusters around a fort or station, a structure intended as a point of refuge for the neighborhood in case of an attack. We don't know if Susan and Nathan had to take refuge due to any Indian attacks during their life in Washington County at this time. We do think, however, that the threat would have been frequently on their minds. Such concerns were very much a part of daily life, especially for a young mother with children to look out for. She was undoubtedly relieved when the period of danger ended.
Outside of such excitements, life on the frontier followed a routine, mostly centered around the challenge of wresting a living from the new area, and establishing the kind of life known in the area of previous residence. Some events or special happenings provided entertainment, as a break from the routine. Such events, often called "frolics" at that time, usually centered around a task which needed to be done and could best be accomplished by many hands. "House-raisings," corn huskings, and quilting bees are good examples. Weddings, always cause for celebration, were one of the few "frolics" which did not involve work. Susan, and Ignatious' first wife, probably enjoyed such activities and the relief provided from their daily labors.
Regarding Susan's death, only two facts are known. She was still alive in 1808, when she gave birth to Lucinda, but she was deceased by December 1814, when Nathan married for the third time.
Looking at the spacing of the births of Susan's children, we cited the fact that the last three children were born at four-year intervals. Following Lucinda's birth in 1808, Susan may well have had another pregnancy about 1811 and lost the child, and a repeat of the same occurrence again about three years later in 1814. If that is what happened, that second instance in 1814 probably resulted in her death in childbirth. Another possibility is simply that Lucinda was Susan's last child.
Regardless of the cause of Susan's death, we do know that she was dead by late 1814. Left with young children in the home, Nathan would have once again remarried as soon as possible to have someone to help care for them, probably within a matter of months. The date of that marriage is known: it occurred in December 1814.
Therefore, in summary regarding the death of Susan, we know it occurred between 1808 and December 1814, and we feel strongly it occurred in 1814, in Washington County, Tennessee. Susan Gann would have been about 41 or 42 years of age at the time of her death. According to local historian John Fain Anderson, she was buried in the family burial plot on the farm on the south side of the Nolichucky River. He recorded this information in a Journal entry in Washington County in the 1920s. [2]
1. Deed Book J, page 373; County Clerk's Office, Cherokee County; Rusk, Texas.
2. John Fain Anderson Collection, Acc. 288, Archives of Appalachia, ETSU; Johnson City, TN
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