Ahnentafel #1782 - Christopher Landis

Chrisopher Landis or Christian Landis / Landers

Born: by 1690
Died: ca. 1771, Mecklenburg Co., NC

Buried: unknown

Married: unknown

The date that Michael and his family first set foot in Mecklenburg County, Province of North Carolina is not known, but we do know that he was there on May 3, 1764 because on that date, he and his father-in-law, Christopher Landys, purchased 190 acres for 65 pounds from James and Ruth McClain. The location was described as being on Three Mile Creek, being a branch of the Rocky River. Mecklenburg County was then two years old, having been cut off from Anson County in 1762. As was often the case, the deed was not recorded until the property was sold. Then, this deed was proved in the October term of Court 1774 by martin Phifer, Esq. a subscribing witness thereto.

For years, we searched and searched trying to identify the parents of Mary Landers / Landis without success until recently when we received records from Robert McAlear of Nice, CA. He wrote:

"Christopher Landess died in 1771 and his estate was inventoried and entered in the October Court Session of 1771. (Meckenburg County Estates 1762-1929, NC State Archives). Among the buyers at the estate sale were:

John Landis / Landish, Henry Landis / Landish, widow Landis / Landish, Christian Goodnight, Michael Goodnight, Eve Landish

"Since we know that Michael Goodnight married a Mary Landess, it does not seem out-of-place for him to buy at this estate sale. Incidentally, Christopher's name is often given as Christian in the estate sale documents. It would seem that Mary was a sister to John, Henry and possibly Eve or Eva. This would make a total of four children of Christopher / Christian, if indeed the latter was the father and not a brother. One item in the estate sale seems to be particularly significant: the widow was allotted ￡32-19-5 while the 'seven legatees' were granted ￡18-0-3 each. This would suggest there were seven 'heirs' other than the widow. The object is to find the remaining three heirs. The problem is very nicely solved in the October session of the Mecklenburg County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1787:

(in part) . . . said monies to be paid . . . for the orphans of Christopher Landess, dec'd., viz.: Jacob, Felix & Elizabeth . . .

"This record, together with the names found in the estate sale, would seem to provide a record of the 'seven legatees' and since we know there were orphans of Christopher / Christian, it follows that these seven were all his children.

"John and Henry were in Tryon (Lincoln) Co., NC by 24 Apr. 1774 when both of them bought land on the same day (Tryon Co., Deed Book 8, pp. 94 & 96.) Actually, Henry had settled there by January 1772. An Abram Landers had settled in the same area by 21 June 1771. This Abram/Abraham may be yet another son of Christopher.  John and Henry were joined by their younger brother, Felix.  John . . . remained in Lincoln & Rutherford Counties until about 1790 after which time he went to Washington County, Kentucky. Henry remained in Rutherford County, NC until about 1795 when he went to Warren Co., Kentucky. Some of Henry's children, including son Christopher, settled in Bedford Co., Tenn. Felix went with his brother, John to Washington Co., Kentucky, but settled later in Casey Co., Kentucky . . . When Henry Landers bought land in Lincoln Co., NC (DB 1, p. 522), one of the witnesses was Christian Goodnight. Henry's wife was Catherine, but her surname is not known.

There were a number of Landis men in the immigration lists of Rupp and Strassburger beginning with the year 1727. The one of most interest to us is a Christian Landes, a Palatine, who arrived aboard the Ship Harle, one of the 388 immigrants - 156 men, 65 women and 167 boys and girls. Christian took the Oath September 1, 1736. He was 26 years old at the time.

So far, no connection has been found with this Christian Landes and the many, many Landes/Landis families who settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He seems to be the most likely candidate to identify with the Christopher Lander who made a settlement on the Spring Lick tract in Greenbrier [West Virginia].  The Green Briar River is just west of the present county of Rockbridge on the western side of the Allegheny Mountains.

Christopher Landes left the Green Briar area about 1754 as shown by the suit filed in 1802 by Thomas Kincade to get clearance of title to the land he then occupied. "Thomas Kincade vs Cunningham - O.S. 22; N.S. 8 - Bill filed 30th April, 1802. Thomas, on 10th January 1771, purchased of Jacob Persinger a tract in Greenbrier called the Spring Lick tract, which Persinger had bought of Christian Landers, who had made a settlement thereon . . . Eve Johnston testifies she lived within a mile of Christian (Christopher) Lander in 1753-54 in Greenbrier."

The migration route of the Germans through Virginia was down [up] the Shenandoah valley east of the Allegheny Mountains, but the Scotch-Irish, also pouring into Pennsylvania and on down into Virginia, chose the valley on the western side of the that mountain range. When Christian (Christopher Landes, the German, left the Green Brier area, did he move over into the Shenandoah valley where he would be more comfortable in a German speaking community? Since we could find no reference to him in the Deed or Court Order Books of that area, we will probably never know. However, it does make a good hypothesis when we try to explain how Michael met his second wife, Mary Landers / Landis. 

[Jones, Veda & Mabel Stevenson. William Moore Goodnight of Johnson County, Missouri 1874 - 1951, Historical Publications, 1983.]

Children:
Mary
John
Henry
Eve / Eva
Jacob
Felix
Elizabeth