John and Bethiah were Quakers.
John Jr was indentured to William Beaks of New Jersey by 1710

He was about 22 years old when his indenture ended ca 1718/19. His freedom dues were 2 suits of clothes, 7 bushels of corn, 2 hoes and an axe.

John and Bethiah left New Jersey about 1733 and were among the first settles in the Shenandoah Valley in northern Virginia, west of the Shenandoah River. A neighbor was their future son-in-law, Marmaduke Welsey. See: Stuart Brown's "Annals of Clarke County, Virginia". John's land contained "John Nations's spring". a resting place for travelers. This spring appeared on the first survey of the area, which means that John probable knew George Washington, who surveyed the area for Lord Fairfax.

Orange County, Virginia appointed John a constable 1741. See Orange County, Virginia Order book 3:7, p 152.

He received grant from Lord Fairfax fro 188 acres on Opecquon Creek in Frederick County, Virginia 1 Oct 1749. See: Virginia Northern Neck Grants G:326.

Due to boundary disputes between the Virginia and Lord Fairfax, many grantees, fearing loss of their property, sold their land and moved into Lord Granville's district in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Granville's district was an area of greater safety from hostile Indian attacks. John sold his land to Lord Fairfax for the "sum of 85 pounds in Virginia money" on 5 Dec 1750. See: Frederick County, Virginia deed book 2:267-272. Although they were not Quakers, John & Marmaduke had many Quaker neighbors, and in researching my Quaker lines, I found the Nations & Vickrey moved with the Quakers into North Carolina. John Jr was indentured to William Beaks of New Jersey by 1710

John (& son-in-law Marmaduke Vickrey & his family) settled in the Pole Cat Creek area of Anson County, N. Carolina (due to boundary changes, that area is found in Anson, Rowan, Guilford and present-day Randolph counties. John received 1064 acres in grants from Lord Granville. The first and second grants, on 23 May 1758 were for 401 acres bordering both banks of Pole Cat Creek, and 403 acres on Quaker Creek on either side of the Orange-Rowan county line. On 22 Feb 1759 Capt. John Nation (militia), "gentleman," was granted "260 acres between Pole Cat Creek and Deep River on branches of both." John sold the Quaker Creek property for "20 pounds Virginia money" in 1759.

He was a magistrate per the 1761 tax enumeration.

After John's death, Bethiah moved into Surry (now Stokes) county with sons John & Joseph, and was on the tax list there for 1774. She probably died before the 1790 census.

Will of John Nation
Guilford county, North Carolina
A:277 file #0276 proven May 1774
(unabridged transcript from microfilm)

In the name of God amen This fifteen day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy two I John Nation being of Guilford County and Province of North Yeoman being but weekly of body but of sound and perfect mind and memory thanks be to God for the same but calling to mind the shortness & uncertainty of this mortal state and that is appointed once for all men ____ _______ ______ after _______ my immortal part to God that gave it resting in hopes of a Glorious Resurrection & to live & reign with him forever & ever & willing my mortal part to the dust from whence it was taken to burial in a Cristian like manner at the decision of my Executors and as touching such worldly goods wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life with I do dispose of the same in the manner & form following that is to say my just debts and funeral charges to be paid.

In primus--I do give & bequeath unto my son Joseph Nation his heirs & assigns the plantation & track of land wherein I now live and to enter enjoy & posses the same and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging immediately after my decease to him particularly.

Item--I do give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Bithiah & call my moveable estate of what kind soever without exception or distincktion her life or widowhood and in case my wife should see cause to alter her condition upon my decease by marriage there my will and pleasure is that my wife should be conferred to her third of my estate nevertheless. my will & pleasure is that in case of second marriage and she becomes thereby conferred to her third that she is empowered hereby to divide the _______ (over plus?) thereof between my too sons John & Joseph Nation and likewise its my will and pleasure that my sd (said) wife shall live on my plantation during her natural like (perhaps meant life?) or widowhood as the case may be and if she remain my widow during her life at the end thereof it is my will further that my son John shall have a bed and furniture & chest A box and all the rest of my moveable estate to my son Joseph in particular.

Item--I give to and bequeath unto the rest of my children to wit Christopher Nation & Elizabeth Vickrey Anne Butler, Bithiah Robins and Frances Robins each and severally the sum of one shilling Sterling and no more.

Lastly I do hereby nominate & appoint & constitute my dear wife Bithiah and my well beloved son Joseph my Executors of this my last will and testament hereby utterly revoking and disallowing all other former will or wills or testaments made or done whatsover (whatsoever?) as fully as tho they had never been done ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
mark
John X Nation
his

Here is an abstract of a will of Mr. William Beaks

"1710-1711, March 24, Beaks, William of Nottingham, Burlington County, Yeoman; Will of, wife, Ruth; children-Edmund (by a former wife, as Ruth is called Edmund's mother-in-law) Stacy; Nathan; Sarah, the last three, under age. Real and personal estate, including servant boy, JOHN NATION. Executors....the wife and son, Edmund. Witness....William Beaks, John Conor, Mahlon Stacy. Proved the 27th of April, 1711. Liber 1, page 313."

The above seems to establish the presence of a servant boy, owned by William Beaks in 1711, in New Jersey, by the name of John Nation. In some unknown way, he seems to have secured his freedom, for we find him in Frederick County, Virginia, thirty nine years later. In 1754, we have located him in Guilford County (then Rowan County) North Carolina, where he was the administrator of the estate of his brother-in-law, Joseph Robins. In 1758, the name of John Nation, with nine poles, appears on the tax rolls of Rowan County, North Carolina. In a photo copy of a will, written by John Nation, Sr., the 15th of December, 1772, he names three sons (which are presumed to all he had) and four daughters.

John Nation first appeared in East New Jersey. Will in North Carolina named Christopher Nation as son among others.

After John's death, Bethiah moved into Surry (now Stokes) county with sons John & Joseph, and was on the tax list there for 1774. She probably died before the 1790 census.

This is last entry on prior sheet which contains proof (wife of John Nation)

In the will of Joseph Robins Jr. (her brother as shown by will of her father Joseph Sr.) John Nation was named as brother-in-law and executor of will of Joseph Robins Jr. The Robins and Nation families came to North Carolina from NJ by way of Old Orange County, Virginia in what is now Clarke County, Virginia on Opekon Cr. which flows into the Shenandoah R.

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Monmouth County was first established in 1675, but its boundaries were definitely settled in 1709-10 and 1713-14. Its extreme length is 65 [miles], and extreme breadth 32 miles; it is bounded North by Raritan Bay, East by the Atlantic Ocean, Southwest by Burlington County, and Northwest by Middlesex and Mercer Counties. The soil is generally light, and the middle and southern part mostly covered with pines. The surface is level, excepting in the township of Middletown. Agriculture is the chief business of the upper part of the county, and there are many farms under the highest state of cultivation. Marl abounds in the region, and land, once comparatively valueless, has been rendered very productive by this manure. Peat, mixed with a small portion of lime, is growing into use in the western part of the county for fertilizing the land, and this material, fortunately, is in most cases found where most required, viz., without the limits of the marl formation.
In the central and southern portions of the county, there are few settlements and furnaces scattered among the pines. Along the sea-coast are several flourishing villages, from which large quantities of wood and charcoal are exported. From these places sail many coasting vessels, manned by skillful seamen, unsurpassed by any in the Union.

This county was originally settled by Dutch, Scotch, and some New England emigrants, who removed here about the year 1664. Twenty years later, it was the most wealthy county in the Province, and paid the greatest amount of taxes. In the war of the revolution, it suffered severely. Its easy access from New York, and the safe anchorage for vessels within Sandy Hook, rendered it a favorite resort of the royalists for forage and plunder. Some of its inhabitants were awed into submission to the crown, and took up arms against their former neighbors, between whom occurred many sanguinary conflicts. Within its borders occurred one of the severest battles of the war.

Monmouth County is divided into 7 townships, viz: -- Dover Howell Shrewsbury Upper Freehold
Freehold Middletown Stafford

Source: Barber, John W. and Henry Howe. Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey. New York: S. Tuttle, 1845.

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From: j.d.obrien@comcast.net
To: timothydhudson@gmail.com
Subject: Beecher to Massey-Shackelford
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:43

Gen. 5. Bethia Robins, named as daughter in will of Joseph Robins, Sr. as was her brother, Joseph Jr., was born in Monmouth Co., NJ and married John Nation as shown by will of John Nation (1774
will, Guilford Co., NC) and that of her brother, Joseph Robins, Jr. (Randolph Co., NC....same place, name of county changed).

Gen. 6. Christopher Nation, named in father's will, birthdate unknown; death date ca. 11 Nov. 1799,(will, Randolph Co., NC) named son Abraham as executor and principal land beneficiary. The surname of Christopher's wife, Elizabeth, is unknown. He was a leader of the Regulator movement but was elected to the Colonial legisture nonetheless.

Gen. 7. Abraham Nation, b. bet. 1760-1780 per 1840 census Jefferson Co., AL, married Rebecca, reported to be a Cherokee Indian, date unknown. This couple moved to SC (1810-1820 censuses) where daughter Mary Nation married James Massey as both couples moved from the part of Old Pendleton District, SC to Jefferson Co., AL which is now Oconee Co., SC, both couples were admitted by letters to Old Canaan Baptist Church of Elyton, Jefferson Co., AL (now moved to Bessemer, AL) but still active.

Gen. 8. Mary Nation was born on 1 May 1794 and died 10 January 1875, per her tomb in the Smithson Cemetery, Birmingham, AL. (Two of her children married Smithsons.) See also AL Dept. of Archives and Hist., Gen. Recs. of Smithson family, 1893. Note Old Canaan Baptist Church records, supra. Her husband, James Maynard Massey, b. MD, died with will in 1860.

Gen. 9. Harriet Massey Shackelford, b. 1 Feb. 1828, married Joseph Henry Shackelford b. 24 June 1826, both born in Jefferson Co., AL. Harriet died 29 Dec. 1888; her husband d. 26 Aug. 1910. (Cemetery Records, Union Par., LA) Successions of Harriet Massey and Joseph Henry Shackelford
show children and husbands of daughters.

I am the grandson of their daughter Sarah Elizabeth who married Jesse Wade Youngblood who moved to Natchitoches Parish as did several of their kinsmen. James Dewey O'Brien