James Buchanan

b. 7 April 1781, d. 1 December 1829
Birth7 Apr 1781 James Buchanan was born on 7 Apr 1781.1,2 
Marriage1 Jul 1813 He married Nancy Ryburn, daughter of Mathew Ryburn and Jane Beattie, on 1 Jul 1813 in Washington County, Virginia.3 
Land-Buy9 Oct 1815 On 9 Oct 1815 James purchased 230 acres in Washington County from Ephraim Johnston. The land had originally been part of a 400 acre survey purchased by Johnston from Isaac Baker. The land was located about 12 or 13 miles below Abingdon on what was in those days the main road leading to Blountville, Tennessee. Later deeds described it as being on the waters of Baker's Creek. At the time of the sale to Buchanan the parcel was described as an oblong bordering Ephraim Smith, Jacob Susong and Conrad Stevens. The parcel was not to include a mill and dam which fell on the northern section of the tract. James was to pay Johnston $10 per acre, or $2,300 for the land, of which $1,700 was to be paid within 4 months, and at which time Buchanan was to receive title. James was also to pay Johnston $75 of the amount in saddlery and leather. On taking possession of the land James discovered it did not contain as much meadow land as he had been led to believe and hence proceeded to purchase another 18 acres from Johnston.

Johnston later sold the residue of his land to Mr. Kingery, then moved his family to Knox County, Tennessee, where he died without having conveyed title to James. When Mr. Kingery purchased his part of Johnston's land the tract was resurveyed and it was discovered that his acreage was actually greater than expected. James then had his portion resurveyed and discovered that it consisted of 238 1/2 acres, rather than the 248 he had paid for.4 
Court RecordAug 1822 James filed a suit in August 1822 in the Wythe County Superior Court of Chancery (which handled cases from Washington County) to reclaim some of his purchase costs from the heirs of Ephraim Johnston. He also asked that he be granted clear title to the land. The case continued for many years after James's death and was not finalized until 1837 at which time it was decided in favor of James's heirs.4 
  This land was probably in the vicinity of Randolph Street in Bristol, Virginia, as that is where the Buchanan family cemetery is located.5,1 
Death1 Dec 1829 James died on 1 Dec 1829 at age 48.2,1 
Burial He was buried in the Old Buchanan Cemetery located behind 220 Randolph Street at Bristol, Virginia.1 

Research Comment:

James Buchanan's granddaughter, Nannie Zimmerman Carter, submitted a DAR application in 1909 claiming that James was the son of Patrick Buchanan and Elizabeth Hayter which is inaccurate. She was accepted for membership, but the submission was apparently not verified at the time. Various pieces of information on the application have since been written over and someone noted in the margin, "too many generations". The DAR later questioned the submission.6
It should be noted that Patrick Buchanan and Elizabeth Hayter did have a son James Hayter Buchanan. He was still living in 1869 at which time he married for a second time and listed Patrick and Elizabeth as his parents. Also, Patrick Buchanan wrote his will in 1851 and mentioned his son James (22 years after the death of the James who married Nancy Ryburn).
Other descendants recorded a different version of James's ancestry. Bess Robinson, wife of James's great grandson, Mahlon Robinson Jr. kept a family tree on which she recorded James's full name as James William Buchanan and stated that his parents were John Buchanan III and Anne Ryburn.7
David Trimble, in his book on the Buchanan family makes the same assertion.8
However, an examination of the known records for James Buchanan, son of John and Ann (Ryburn) Buchanan, indicate that he could not have been the James who married Nancy Ryburn.9

Family

Nancy Ryburn b. 3 Jan 1795, d. 9 Apr 1874
Children
Last Edited4 Dec 2013

Citations

  1. [S31] Hattie King Owen Files at Historical Soc. of Washington Co. VA, "Old Buchanan Cemetery Records", Holston Pastfinder, Volume 16, Number 62: p. 13. Stone reported to read: James Buchanan, b. 7 Apr 1781, d. 1 Dec. 1829, ae 48y 8m.
  2. [S1059] Lineage application of Nannie Zimmerman Carter, national no 77,392, Daughters of the American Revolution (John Buchanan), dated 2 Feb. 1910. Mrs. Carter, a granddaughter of Nancy Ryburn listed the following on her application: James H. Buchanan, b. Apr. 1781, d. Dec. 1829.
  3. [S4] D.E. Brown, Marriages of Washington Co., VA 1781-1853, p. 5. James Buchanan and Nancy Ryburn, 1 Jul 1813; minister James Harper.
  4. [S1342] Buchanan (later Buchanan's heirs) vs Johnston's heirs, Wythe Co., Virginia Superior Court of Chancery, no. 1837-16-SC.
  5. [S870] Carolyn Ryburn, "Buchanan Cemetery," e-mail to D. Powell, 16 Oct. 2005. Carolyn spoke with "Bud" Phillips, who is knowledgeable about Bristol history. He believes that the cemetery was bulldozed during a construction project in the area.
  6. [S1059] Lineage application of Nannie Zimmerman Carter, national no 77,392, Daughters of the American Revolution (John Buchanan), dated 2 Feb. 1910.
  7. [S52] Letter, Carolyn Ryburn to Diana Powell, Nov. 9, 2005. Carolyn personally viewed Bess's family chart with the permission of her son, John Robinson.
  8. [S124] David Trimble, Buchanan and Gillespie, p. 208.
  9. [S16] Part of the confusion may lie in the fact that the mother of one James, and the wife of the other were Ryburns. Also both men are buried in a Buchanan Cemetery, however, not in the same one.
  10. [S10] "Journal of Mary Jane Beaty (Davis) Moffett", p. 9. James and Nancy Ryburn Buchanan's children were: Jackson, Jane (Jane died when small), Amanda, Menerva, Elen, Sarah Ann, Martha, Evadna.
  11. [S28] Gerald H. Clark, Guardian Bonds Washington Co., VA, p. 27. Nancy Buchanan named guardian of Jackson D., Amanda, Minerva, Mary E., Sarah Ann, Martha and Avadna James Buchanan, orphans of James Buchanan, deceased. Bond: $1,200. Sureties: Beatie Ryburn, William Davis, Robert B. Edmondson and Jacob Merchant.
  12. [S2268] Research of Tom Colley, Hanceville, Alabama; Mr. Colley cites the Washington County Death Register for the year 1856 originally held by the Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics and viewed as Library of Virginia microfilm reel #30; entry states: Minerva Buchanan, d. 27 Jul 1856, age 35y 10m, dropsy, d/o James & Nancy Buchanan, reported by mother, Nancy Buchanan.