2026-13-10 A Pattern of Service: Ten Patriots: Jesse Noland

Jesse Noland, My First Cousin Six Times Removed 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 13 – Prompt: Family Pattern

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JESSE NOLAND

Jesse Noland was a Revolutionary War patriot and the son of Daniel Noland and Henrietta Smallwood of the Maryland branch of the Noland family. He was one of four brothers who served during the Revolution, including Ledstone, James and Stephen. Daniel was the brother of Stephen Edward Noland, and Henrietta was the sister of Susannah Smallwood—making the Maryland and Fairfield Nolands double cousins.

Jesse Noland was born in 1761 in Charles County, Maryland, and died after 9 Sep 1836 in Estill County, Kentucky.

Early Life and Migration

Jesse Noland was born in 1761 in Charles County, Maryland. During his youth, his family moved first to Loudoun County, Virginia, and then to Rowan County, North Carolina.

By the time of the Revolutionary War, Jesse was living in Rowan County. His father was deceased by 1780, and his mother was a widow at that time.

In 1784, following the war, Jesse moved to Kentucky, where he remained for the rest of his life. By 1832, he was living in Estill County and had resided there for approximately thirty years.

Revolutionary War Service

Jesse Noland served as a private in the North Carolina militia.

He enlisted in 1780 in Rowan County, North Carolina, under Captain John Johnson, in a unit associated with Colonel Francis Locke and under the command of General Griffith Rutherford. His first tour of service lasted approximately three months.

During this service, he marched to Camden, South Carolina, and was present during the campaign in which General Horatio Gates was defeated. Jesse was assigned to guard the baggage rather than participate directly in the fighting.

After the battle, the troops regrouped in North Carolina, where he continued to serve until his discharge.

Later, in the summer of 1781, he volunteered again for another three-month tour under Captain Gabriel Enix in a regiment commanded by Colonel Smith. During this period, he marched toward Wilmington and was discharged near that location around the time news of Cornwallis’s surrender reached the troops.

Family Connections

Jesse Noland’s pension file contains an important family reference. In 1833, his brother James Noland, then aged ninety-two and also residing in Estill County, Kentucky, testified in support of his claim.

This confirms that Jesse belonged to a separate Noland branch associated with the Maryland–Virginia–North Carolina migration path, distinct from the Fairfield District, South Carolina group.

Later Life

After the war, Jesse remained in Kentucky, becoming an early settler of Estill County. He married Sarah Barbara Turner in 1785 in Lincoln County, Kentucky.

He applied for a Revolutionary War pension on November 19, 1832, at the age of seventy-one. His pension was approved, and payments commenced in 1831 under the Kentucky Agency.

Legacy

Jesse Noland’s life reflects a different path from the Fairfield Nolands. While his contemporaries in South Carolina were engaged in campaigns around Ninety-Six, Savannah, and the southern backcountry, Jesse’s service centered in North Carolina militia actions, including the campaign surrounding Camden.

His story provides an important counterpoint to the Fairfield family, illustrating how closely related men of the same generation could serve in different regions and later settle in entirely different parts of the expanding United States.

Note: For consistency, I’ve used the spelling Noland throughout. In the records, the name appears in several forms, including, Nolen, Nowland, and Nolin.

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2026-13-9 A Pattern of Service: Ten Patriots: Ledstone Noland

Ledstone Noland, My First Cousin Six Times Removed 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 13 – Prompt: Family Pattern

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LEDSTONE NOLAND (MARYLAND / NORTH CAROLINA / MISSOURI BRANCH)

Ledstone Noland was a Revolutionary War patriot and the son of Daniel Noland and Henrietta Smallwood of the Maryland branch of the Noland family. He was one of four brothers who served during the Revolution, including Stephen, James and Jesse. Daniel was the brother of Stephen Edward Noland, and Henrietta was the sister of Susannah Smallwood—making the Maryland and Fairfield Nolands double cousins.

Ledstone Noland was born in 1750 in Charles County, Maryland, and died July 6, 1839, in Jackson County, Missouri. He is buried in Pitcher Cemetery, Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.

Early Life and Migration

Ledstone followed the same migration pattern as others in this branch of the family, moving south from Maryland into North Carolina. By the time of the Revolutionary War, he was living in Rowan County, near the Shallow Ford of the Yadkin River.

After the war, he remained in Rowan County until about 1800, when he moved west to Kentucky. In 1825, he relocated again to Jackson County, Missouri, where he spent the remainder of his life.

Revolutionary War Service

Ledstone Noland served in the Revolutionary War as a private in the North Carolina militia and as a “fork ranger,” a type of frontier soldier responsible for protecting settlements, river crossings, and backcountry communities from British-allied Native American forces and Loyalist (Tory) activity.

He first enlisted in August 1776 in Rowan County and served three months under Captain John Johnson in Colonel Francis Locke’s regiment. During this time, he participated in skirmishes with Native American forces, likely as part of the 1776 Cherokee Expedition.

In early 1777, he began service as a fork ranger under Captain John Johnson and served in that capacity for not less than three years, taking part in intermittent expeditions against both British and Loyalist forces.

In the spring of 1780, he served two short tours totaling about three months as a private in the companies of Captain John Johnson and Captain James Craig in Colonel Locke’s regiment. From the end of this service until June 1781, he again served as a fork ranger.

In June 1781, he enlisted once more and served four months as a private in Captain Gabriel Knox’s Company in Colonel Smith’s North Carolina regiment.

Pension and Documentation

Ledstone’s service is documented in his Revolutionary War pension application (S16992), filed December 5, 1833, while he was residing in Blue Township, Jackson County, Missouri.

He was granted a pension under the Act of June 7, 1832, at a rate of $80 per annum, based on his service as both a private and a ranger in the North Carolina militia.

Marriage and Family

Ledstone first married Elizabeth Glascock in 1770 in Rowan County, North Carolina. Elizabeth was born in 1755 in Virginia and died in 1800.

Their children include:

Jesse Noland (1772–1795), married Abigail Whitaker

Lena Noland (1774–1847)

Woodward Noland (1774– )

William Noland (1776–1851), married Catherine Callender

Jane Noland (1778–1860)

Charity Noland (1779– ), married Robert Glasscock

Henrietta Noland (1781–1865), married Morgan Pitcher

Ledstone Noland Jr. (1783–1811), married Mary Barb

Elizabeth Noland (1785–1855), married John Moore

Sarah Noland (1787–1869)

Rebecca Noland (1789–1860), married Michael Collins

Henry Noland (1793– ), married Elizabeth Pritcher

He later married Mary Smallwood on February 20, 1801, in Rowan County, North Carolina.

Child:

Susan Noland (1803– )

Burial

Ledstone Noland is buried in Pitcher Cemetery in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. The cemetery was established in 1830 and contains the Noland family plot. A memorial plaque has been erected by the Harry S Truman Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). 

Note: For consistency, I’ve used the spelling Noland throughout. In the records, the name appears in several forms, including, Nolen, Nowland, and Nolin.

References

1790 U.S. Federal Census, Rowan County, North Carolina

DAR Patriot Index: A084230

DAR Patriot Index: Centennial Edition, 1990, p. 2156

The Pioneer Wagon, Jackson County Genealogical Society, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1987), p. 11

Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Missouri, Hale Houts, 1966, p. 173

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, NARA M804, Roll 1824 (S16992)

SAR Patriot Grave Index

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2026-13-8 A Pattern of Service: Ten Patriots: Stephen Noland

Stephen Noland, My First Cousin Six Times Removed 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 13 – Prompt: Family Pattern

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STEPHEN NOLAND (MARYLAND / NORTH CAROLINA BRANCH)

Stephen Noland was a Revolutionary War patriot and the son of Daniel Noland and Henrietta Smallwood of the Maryland branch of the Noland family. He was one of four brothers who served during the Revolution, including Ledstone, James and Jesse. Daniel was the brother of Stephen Edward Noland, and Henrietta was the sister of Susannah Smallwood—making the Maryland and Fairfield Nolands double cousins.

Stephen Noland was born in 1738 in Charles County, Maryland, and died August 11, 1792, in Rowan County, North Carolina.

Early Life and Migration

Stephen Noland was born in Charles County, Maryland. Like others in this branch of the family, he migrated south during the colonial period, eventually settling in Rowan County, North Carolina.

By the late 18th century, he was living in the Dutchman’s Creek area of Rowan County, a region that became home to several related families.

Marriage and Family

Stephen Noland married  Mary Hendren in 1762. Their daughter Anne Noland married Benjamin Turley.

According to Turley family records, Stephen and Mary moved with the Turley family to Rowan County, North Carolina, where they settled on Dutchman’s Creek.

Revolutionary War Service

Stephen Noland served as a private in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War. He is recorded as having received pay for militia service, although the specific dates and locations of his service are not documented in surviving records.

His service is consistent with the local militia activity in Rowan County, where men were frequently called upon for short-term duty against British forces and Loyalist (Tory) activity in the region.

Residence in Rowan County

Stephen Noland was living in Rowan County, North Carolina, by the end of the Revolutionary War period. The 1790 Federal Census shows a Stephen Noland as head of a household of eight persons, with no enslaved individuals.

This household included his wife and several children, reflecting a well-established family presence in the Dutchman’s Creek community.

Death and Burial

Stephen Noland died on August 11, 1792, in Rowan County, North Carolina.

According to Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, he is believed to have been buried on the family farm in the Dutchman’s Creek area near Cana, Rowan County, although no marked grave has been confirmed.

Legacy

Stephen Noland represents the Maryland-rooted generation of the family that established itself in North Carolina prior to the westward movement into Kentucky and Tennessee.

Although details of his military service are limited, his documented militia service and presence in Rowan County place him within the broader network of Noland family members who participated in the Revolutionary War and contributed to the settlement of the southern backcountry.

Note: For consistency, I’ve used the spelling Noland throughout. In the records, the name appears in several forms, including, Nolen, Nowland, and Nolin.

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