Person:Ellis Harlan (9)

"121. Ellis Harlan (Ezekiel, Ezekiel), b. Chester Co., Pa., date unknown; em. to North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia; m. in the latter state, an Indian woman, Catharine; probably d. there."

Name: Ellis Harlan
Residence Date: 3 Nov 1764
Residence Date on Image: 03 Eleventh 1764
Residence Place: Chester, Pennsylvania
Event Type: Miscellaneous
Monthly Meeting: New Garden Monthly Meeting
Historical Meeting Data: Search for this monthly meeting in the 'Quaker Monthly Meetings Index'
Yearly Meeting: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Meeting State: Pennsylvania
Meeting County: Chester

Name: Ellis Harlan
Residence Date: 1 Dec 1764
Residence Date on Image: 01 Twelfth 1764
Residence Place: Chester, Pennsylvania
Event Type: Miscellaneous
Monthly Meeting: New Garden Monthly Meeting
Historical Meeting Data: Search for this monthly meeting in the 'Quaker Monthly Meetings Index'
Yearly Meeting: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Meeting State: Pennsylvania
Meeting County: Chester

Ellis Harlan was born in 1731 in Chester, Pennsylvania. He married Ka-ti "Catharine" Kingfisher in 1777 in Cherokee, Georgia. They had eight children in 16 years. He died in 1810 in McMinn, Tennessee, having lived a long life of 79 years.

Recently I began researching my Harlan ancestor, fifth great-grandfather Ellis (#121), son of Ezekiel (#23) and Hannah Oborn. I found that Ellis was born about 1731 in Chester County, Pa., and died in September, 1815. About 1776 he married a full-blood Cherokee (name unknown), and it is believed that daughter Susannah (#497-g) was from this marriage. (This differs from Alpheus Harlan’s book.) Ellis married again about 1778, to Katie (Catherine in Alpheus Harlan’s book—see page 75), another full-blood Cherokee, in Tennessee, Cherokee Nation East. He was Katie’s third husband. Katie was the daughter of Kingfisher (Deer Clan) and Nancy Ward (Wolf Clan), who was called Beloved Woman of the Cherokees. She was named Nancy by the missionaries, but her Cherokee name came from her bravery. Nancy (pronounced NANYI-HI) was born about 1738 and died in 1822. In 1755, Nancy was fighting by Kingfisher’s side when Creek warriors killed him at the battle of Taliwa. She grabbed his rifle and led the Cherokees to victory. She was then chosen as GHIGAU, which translates as Beloved Woman. She had absolute power over the fate of prisoners, was a voting member of the Council and a very important woman in the Cherokee government. About 1759, she wed a white trader, Bryan Ward. Nancy was a friend of white settlers, believing in peace between Indians and whites. Nancy was known as a “patriot” during the Revolutionary War and has been described as a tall, erect, beautiful, queenly woman. Her ancestors are eligible to join DAR. Nancy fed many prisoners and helped some escape. In 1776 she warned the settlers of an impending attack by the Cherokees, instigated by the British. Nancy saved the life of Mrs. William Bean, a white prisoner, and it has been said that in turn Mrs. Bean taught Nancy how to make butter and perform other housekeeping chores. Nancy died in 1822 and her gravesite, now a state park, is located south of Benton, Tenn. Ellis and Katie Harlan, married in 1778, had six children: Nancy, George, Ezekiel, Ruth, Sarah (Alpheus calls her Sallie) and Elizabeth. I descend from their daughter, Nancy (#497-a) and her husband Caleb Starr. During the Revolutionary War, the British took Ellis prisoner. While he was being held, the Tories and their Cherokee allies seized some of Ellis’ property, for which he was never paid. After his death, his son Ezekiel claimed payment owed to “Ellis Harlan, deceased” from the Cherokee Council. Ellis had died by the time funds became available for these debts, in 1835. The heirs attempted to collect the debt, but there were disputes among them. In the end, it was determined that Ezekiel’s brother George had sold his rights to the debt to Ezekiel. Ezekiel’s wife (now remarried to Silas Perry) and children received 2/7 of the distribution. Ezekiel’s five sisters each received 1/7.