Pension Application for Nancy Weeks Nettles, Widow of Isaac M L Nettles
I am working on a DNA project to confirm that Harriet C Weeks Howard is the mother of Mary M Howard Stephens. I am doing a lot of descendency work at the moment. One of Harriet C Howard’s brothers was a man named William Weeks who died in Hillsborough County in 1854. He had two different wives and he had children with both women. I want to confirm a descendency line from at least one child of each marriage, thus proving that the shared autosomal DNA comes from a confirmed relationship to William Weeks.
In his probate records, one of the portions of William’s estate is paid out to Isaac Nettles. Later Census records show Isaac and Nancy Nettles and their growing family, but no marriage record for Isaac Nettles and Nancy Weeks was located. Happily, I saw in the US, Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926 on fold3.com that Nancy Nettles had applied for a widow’s pension.
Isaac M. L. Nettles’ Death and Burial
Isaac M. L. Nettles passed away on September 29, 1891, and was buried the following day in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Osceola County, Florida. This detail was formally recorded in a death certificate included in Nancy Nettles’ widow’s pension application. Although formal death certificates are a common source in genealogical research, finding one from the 1890s in Florida is a rare treasure indeed.
Many researcher’s may note that Isaac Nettles’ find-a-grave memorial incorrectly lists his date of death as Septmber 30, 1891 and his burial details as “unknown.” (Although this may be corrected by the time you read this post)
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115254590/isaac_mills-nettles: accessed September 23, 2024), memorial page for Isaac Mills Nettles (15 Apr 1833–30 Sep 1891), Find a Grave Memorial ID 115254590; Burial Details Unknown; Maintained by C Chancey (contributor 47870596).
A Page from the Nettles Family Bible
In Nancy’s pension application, a page from the Nettles family bible provides not only confirmation of Isaac and Nancy’s marriage year but also includes additional family details. According to the bible, the couple married in 1854, a critical fact for verifying their union, especially considering that there is also an affidavit included in the application from the Hernando Clerk of the Court stating that there was a courthouse fire in 1877 and all the records prior to that date were lost.
Nancy Nettles widow of Isaac M L Nettles (Pvt.,Capt Sparkman), widow’s pension application file No. 5164 Indian Wars; Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Indian War Service; Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, 1800–1960; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; digital images, "Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926.; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication T318, 12 rolls.
The bible also recorded two other significant facts:
"Nancy Panels (?) died July the 2, 1884, age 77" – Though this piece of information is not directly relevant to Nancy’s pension application, it holds significant value for genealogists. This entry likely refers to Isaac’s mother’s death, though further research would be needed to confirm this relationship.
“Isaac M L Nettles the youngest borned to me(?) was borned 19 Day January 1882.” – This is noted in the bible with the footnote "Soldier handwriting." Again, while not relevant to the pension claim, this fact gives us an important clue regarding Isaac’s family and the birth of his youngest child.
Affidavits and Confusion in the Pension Application
A key document in Nancy’s widow’s pension claim is one of her applications where she attempts to detail Isaac’s service during the Third Seminole War under E. B. Sparkman’s Company. She also verifies their marriage in Brookesville, Florida, on August 24, 1854, and states that she was born Nancy Weeks in South Carolina in August of 1841.
While Nancy’s application is straightforward, an unfortunate error in filling out the form led to much confusion and, ultimately, the denial of her claim. The form mistakenly suggested that Isaac served under the name E. B. Sparkman, instead of being a soldier under Sparkman’s command. Isaac Nettles — and his brother William W Nettles — served in S L Sparkman’s Company. E B Sparkman was a 1st Lieutenant in this Company. All this is confirmed by veiwing the muster rolls for S. L Sparkman’s Companies and the Compiled Military Service Records (CSMRs) for Isaac M L Nettles and William W Nettles. The muster rolls can be located by following the methodology that I laid out in a previous post and the CMSR is linked below.
Nancy Nettles widow of Isaac M L Nettles (Pvt.,Capt Sparkman), widow’s pension application file No. 5164 Indian Wars; Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Indian War Service; Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, 1800–1960; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; digital images, "Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926.; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication T318, 12 rolls. Third Seminole War, Sparkman's Independent Company, Florida Mounted Volunteers, G-Z Third Seminole War, Turner's Detachment, Florida (Foot) Volunteers Third Seminole War, Captain Wright's Detachment Florida Third Seminole War, Acting Assistant Surgeons, Florida Third Seminole War, Staff Officers, Florida (NARA Series M1086, Roll 63) (NARA Series M1087, Roll 1 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9Z5-M9WB-L?i=441&cat=36135 (Images 442 - 458)
Conclusion: A Fragmented Story Waiting to Be Completed
My goal with this project was to prove conclusively that Nancy Nettles, married to Isaac M L Nettles, was Nancy Weeks, daughter of William Weeks. That goal is complete for me. But this whole application is just a complete treasure trove for direct-line ancestors of Isaac M L Nettles. The witnesses in the document provide links back to previous generations and so many clues to verify relationships. I started down that path, but then I realized that it was a “Squirrel!” moment for me. I decided to just put the information out here for someone else to find and run with it. It isn’t necessary to my work or my project to confirm the family lines and relationships of Isaac M L Nettles.
You can view and download the entire Widow’s Pension Application for Nancy Weeks Nettles here. Enjoy!
