Who is Nathan Prince?

Nathan PRINCE

wrote his last will and testament on 28 Jul 1821. He died shortly thereafter and his will was probated in Sep 1821 in Cumberland Co NC.

Census records, land records, and court records (Nathan served on A LOT of juries) put Nathan in Cumblerland county from as early as 1783 until his death. The portion of Cumberland Co where he lived is now part of Harnett Co, roughly where Chatham, Lee, and Harnett Cos all meet.

Click here for a transcription of Nathan's will

Why I'm interested

Nathan PRINCE is the grandfather of my known ancestor Flora Ann WINDHAM. Nathan specifically mentions her in his will. Unfortunately, Nathan does not mention who her parents were. However, marriage records of Cumberland Co NC show the following marriages:

Peter "WINBURN" m. Elizabeth PRINCE 11 Sep 1809

Edmund WINDHAM m. Polly PRINCE 13 Dec 1810

Elizabeth (PRINCE) WINDHAM is still alive when Nathan wrote his will and one would assume her children would be living with her. Neither Polly (PRINCE) nor Edmund WINDHAM are mentioned in the will. I think it reasonable to assume that they are the (deceased) parents of Flora Ann and her sister Elizabeth.

Peter and Elizabeth (PRINCE) WINDHAM later moved to Meriwether Co GA. Lemuel WINDHAM, along with Flora Ann, moved to Sumter Co AL.

Where did he come from?

Note: These are the present day names and boundaries

Early records put him in Sussex Co, Brunswick Co, and Greensville Co. There is, so far, no reason to believe that there was more than one Nathan PRINCE. A land deed in Greensville Co specifically says, according to Boddie, "Nathan PRINCE of Cumberland Co NC."

PRINCE References in Published Works

In trying to gather information I've extracted PRINCE information from the books listed below. I hope it will be of some use to somebody. This is still a job in progress.

Cavaliers and Pioneers Vol I - Vol VII
Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants
Nugent, Nell Marion
Genealogical Publishing Co
Arlington Public Library GEN REF VA.6 N

VIRGINIA COLONIAL ABSTRACTS
VOLUME I
FLEET, BEVERLY
GENEALOGICAL PUBLISHING CO INC
1988
LC# 87-80883 ISBN# 0-8063-1196-7
ARLINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY GEN REF VA.6 F

Prince George County, Virginia
Wills & Deeds
1713-1728
Weisiger, Benjamin B III
1973
Arlington Public Library GENREF VA.6 P

Surry County, Virginia,
Wills, Estate Accounts and Inventories
1730-1800
Hart, Lyndon H III
Southern Historical Press
1983
Fort Worth Public Library GEN 975.5562 H

Surry County, Virginia
Deed Book 4 (1742-1747)
TLC Genealogy
1991
Fort Worth Public Library GEN 975.5562

Surry County Virginia
Deeds, 1684-1733
and Other Court Papers
Hopkins, William Lindsay
Iberian Publishing Company
1991
Arlington Public Library

Register of Albemarle Parish Surry and Sussex Counties
1739-1778
Richards, Gertrude R B Phd
National Society Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia
1958
Indexed and Reprinted 1984
Southern Historical Press

Sussex County Virginia
Deed Book A-E
1754 - March 1779
Hopkins, William Lindsey
Iberian Publishing Company
Athens, GA 30605
1990
Arlington Public Library GEN REF VA.6 S

Sussex County Virginia
Will Books A-F 1754-1806
Hopkins, William Lindsay
Iberian Publishing Company
1990
Arlington Public Library GEN REF VA.6 S

Brunswick County, Virginia, Deed Books
Volume 4 1765-1770
Bradley, Dr Stephen E Jr
1998
Fort Worth Public Library GEN 975.5575

Brunswick County, Virginia
Deed Books
Volume 5 1770-1778
Bradley, Dr Stephen E Jr
1998
Fort Worth Public Library GEN 975.5575

Abstracts of Deeds of Cumberland County, North Carolina Volume Two
Books 4-7 1770-1785
Fields, William C
Cumberland County Genealogical Society
PO Box 53299; Fayetteville, NC 28305-3299
1999
Arlington Public Library GENREF NC.6 A164 v.2

Two works also read, but not copied here (due to length), are by John Bennett Boddie.

Tyler's Quarterly Magazine
The Prince Family of Surry and Sussex
Vol. XVI (1934); pp 50-67

Virginia Historical Genealogies
Boddie, John Bennett
Genealogical Publishing Co; Baltimore 1990,1996