Jonah Nixon Jr. (c.1795 – 1829-03-14) was my 4th-great-grandfather, being the father of Juliet McPherson as the first husband of Nancy Ann Slane. He was the son of Jonah Nixon, son of George Nixon; and Elizabeth Titus. Information on his life is sparse, and sometimes contradictory.
Lifespan
His gravestone says he died in 1827 aged 33. However, court records say his death was in 1829.ref This may mean he was born in (say) 1794 and died aged 35, or that he was born in 1796 and his age at death is correct
I cannot convincingly find him in early census records, which might have been of some help. There are names that might be errors for “Jonah Nixon” (e.g., Jno, Jonathan), but none very certain, or even likely.
More information is needed here.
Family
He had several children with Nancy Slane. Documentation is scanty, but these are believed to be his:
- Juliet Ann (1811-07-13 – 1885-06-17), my great-great-great-grandmother.
- Jonah III (1820-03-14 – 1904-04-07), married Mary White.
- Louisa A. (1823-01-22 – 1899-07-20), married Stephen Cawood.
- George Washington (c.1826 – 1853-12-02), married Ann Eliza McElwee.
Some say they also had two children John and Elizabeth who died young.
Other
His daughter Juliet may have started using the surname Slane, from her mother, after Jonah died. Tidbits such as this make me wonder if Jonah was not a well-liked father or husband, although this is only speculation. A more remote possibility is that he was somehow not her father at all.