The Landiss Family of North Carolina
Down in North Carolina, in the latter half of the 18th Century, we find another family or group of Landises. From whence they come and when the first ones arrived in that colony is at present a matter of conjecture.
One might naturally assume them to have been a part of the Pennsylvania families who had migrated thither in search of a more fertile soil or favorable climate. While this is possible we have found no authentic record to give adequate support to such a belief.
And the supposition advanced that these may have been descendants of one who came into the colony with de Graffenried's company of Palatines in 1710 also fails for want of sufficient evidence. For the name Landis in any of its varied forms of spelling is not found in the list of 100 heads of families that sailed with de Graffenried.
John Tannahill Landis, of Detroit Michigan, a descendant of one of the Carolina families, believes that his descent is from Foelix Landis who left Mannheim on the Rhine in 1717 and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The line runs from Foelix through Felix Jr. to Henry, who moved from Pennsylvania to Fredric County, Maryland, then through his son Christopher, who moved from Maryland Into Virginia, to another Henry, who moved from Virginia to North Carolina and settled in Rutherford County.
It is also possible that one of the Landis migrations from the Palatine country reached Virginia, and from there spread into North Carolina.
Rev. E. B. Landis of Mendota, Illinois has written me that he saw in the Congressional Library at Washington, in a book of manuscripts, what purported to be the original of a grant from the King of England of 16,000 acres in the colony of Virginia to John Landis. He also stated he had not since been able to locate this manuscript so as to secure a copy.
It has not been my privilege to investigate the early records of Virginia or North Carolina to any great extent; but it is very reasonable to suppose that in the general migration to the colonies from Europe some family of Landis should have settled in Virginia or North Carolina.
The colonial records of both Virginia and the Carolinas are very meager and sketchy, because many of them were destroyed during the Civil War. We give a few items we have gathered with the hope that future investigations will make it possible to weave together the complete story of Landis settlements.
Abstracts of Records of Augusta County, Virginia
(Vol. I, p. 513 and Vol. II, p. 500) In a suit styled Kincaid vs Cunningham evidence is introduced to prove that Christopher or Christian Landis lived on Spring Creek from 1753 to 1763. In the same record is the testimony of Thomas Landes that he had belonged to Captain Burleigh's company, 3rd Virginia Rgt.
From North Carolina Colonial Records
John Landress Jr. in Capt. Andrew Hampton's Company of Militia, Granville County, 1754.
Sergeant John Landress, same company, probably same person. (Vol. 22, p.279)
John Landers, Army pay of 155 pounds, 4 shillings, 6 pence to Tom Dixon, Warrenton Dist. (Vol. 7, p. 227)
James Landris. Takes oath of allegiance Nov. 15, 1777, Goshen District, Granville County. (Vol. 22, p. 1789) All persons beings Quakers, Moravians, Mennonites or Dunkards were required to take oath.
Col. James Landis's regiment of Granville County militia went to aid of South Carolina and Georgia in 1778. "In the latter part of the summer and fall of 1778 a brigade of militia was ordered to be raised and sent to the aid of South Carolina and Georgia, to serve six months after being mustered at Charlotte, Mecklenburg County. Pleasant Henderson volunteered and was appointed Lieutenant in Capt. Richard Taylor's Company of Granville County, in the regiment of Col. James Landis." (Vol. 22, p. 129)
Luke Landers takes oath of food belonging to Col. Richard Henderson's regiment, Capt. Yancey's Company. (Vol. 22, p. 164)
Joseph Landiss takes oath of allegiance May 30, 1778, Dutch Dist. Granville County. (Vol. 22, p. 171)
The files of the War Department in Washington, D. C. that contain the records of men who served in the Revolutionary War from North Carolina are very incomplete. The only Landis name found there is that of John Londus who belonged to McRae's regiment. No date of enlistment is given or anything that might tell the nature or length of service rendered.
It may be that this John Londus is the same person whose name appears an John Landress in the militia records of Granville County in 1754. I have a notation made by one who did some research as to the Landis family that both Felix and John Landis belong to the Revolutionary line, but no reference was given to show where such record might be found.
Because the Landises were Mennonites it has been insisted that none of them could have served in the Revolutionary War. The above record shown that the North Carolina family did render service in that war.
Land Entries and Tax Rolls
Joseph Landis entered 500 acres in Granville County, lying on Beaver Dam Creek and adjoining the lines of George Byers and Nicholas Jones, 1778.
John Landis entered 50 acres in Granville County, August 26, 1778 and 48 acres on Tar River August 2, 1779.
Luke Landers entered 150 acres in Granville County August 5, 1779.
Between the years 1796 and 1802 the tax rolls show that Joseph Landis was assessed taxes on 500 acres in the Dutch District, Granville County, and that Abraham Landess was assessed on 212 acres. The name was spelled differently with almost every entry, being Landis, Landes, Landers, Landess.
The Court Minutes disclose that Abraham Landers was overseer of roads in 1803; that George Landers proves deed from John Adcock to Abraham Landers; and that Joseph Landers served on the jury in 1806.
From Records, Nashville, Tennessee
State of North Carolina, No. 296, Granted to Abram Landis 879 acres in Middle District on Duck River, December 11, 1794.
State of North Carolina, No.297, Granted to Abram Landis 2000 acres in Middle District on Duck River, December 11, 1794.
From the abstract of records we have given we find there were a number of persons bearing the name Landis who were living in Granville County during and after the Revolutionary War. Undoubtedly they were of the same family, although their names were not always spelled alike; but how they were related and who might have been the common ancestor we can only guess.
Taking into consideration all that has been written thus far, and from tradition or collateral evidence, I am guessing that my particular branch of the family descends through John Landis, the Revolutionary soldier.
As a boy I listened with eagerness to the stories my father would sometimes relate while seated before the open fire holding converse with some visitor or neighbor. Especially did I listen if the story had to do with adventure or the pioneer experiences of my people. In one such conversation I heard him say that two of his grandparents served in the Revolutionary War.
My great uncle, John Landis, who died In Crawford County, Indiana at the age of 94, left a historical sketch in which he states that his grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War, and that he lived to be 104 years of age. Unfortunately he failed to mention the name of the grandfather.
In our branch of the family, for three generations succeeding this unnamed grandfather who lived to the age of 104, the names of John, Isaac and William appear again and again, the name John appearing the most frequently. Only once do I find the name Joseph, and that in the third generation, while the name of Luke, Abram or George does not appear at all.
Thus there is very good evidence for assuming that the common ancestor was John; that John Landress Jr. mentioned in the Granville militia records of 1754 was his son, and was probably the same John Londus named in the War Department files at Washington, D. C. If John Jr. was 19 or 20 years of age in 1754, the year of his birth would fall about 1734 and he would not have been too old to serve in the army of the Revolution.
Therefore we may be justified in attempting to construct a family line. Beginning with John Landiss, born prior to 1710, we pass to his son John Jr., born about 1734, then to his son William, born about 1764, then to Isaac, born 1788, and to William H. born 1812.
Whether Joseph, Abram, George, John and Luke together with William, were all sons of John Jr. we do not know; but they could have been. Another of my father's stories had to do with an "Uncle George" Landiss so there was a George somewhere along the line.
The additional fact that Abram Landis entered land in Middle Tennessee on Duck River, and that all the Landisses from Granville County stopped there on their westward migration, also indicates some sort of relationship.