Individual Details

Nancy, or Nanny as her birth and baptism, was recorded in The Douglas Register, does not appear in the estate accountings of her parents. The other children are named - Milly & Frankey as wards of William Clarkson as early as 1785; Matilda, Pascal & Betsey all named in Archer Pledge's accounting of Elizabeth Pledge's estate that was recorded in August of 1789. Nancy was certainly still a young child. In one record, it states there were seven children, I have identified only six even by counting Nancy.

In a letter dated 27 April 1907 from Mr. Pleasant H. Poindexter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Mr Poindexter relates the following; “ … and Francis Pledge married my grandfather Thomas Poindexter’s sister. I was acquainted with one of their children Nancy, was born in Va Jan 5th 1775 died in Yad. Co May 15 1859, came to this Co when a girl 10 or 12 from Patrick Co, Va.”[3]. Mr Poindexter was born in Yadkin Co, NC in 1837. According to Peter Apperson’s application #24906 “My grandmother Nancy Pledge”…“my grand mother was only 12 yrs old when she came into NC” [Jordan: 239] . Martha Sharp, claim 33265, “ My grand mother Nancy Vest”…[Jordan:: 241] By this account Nancy Pledge came to Yadkin then Surry Co ca 1786." This is either from
Letter: "Mr. P. H. Poindexter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, “ Eastern Cherokee Applications Aug 29, 1906- May 26, 1909, #13401- 13550” Family History Library film # 378632, Salt Lake City, Utah. Application # 13489 of Pleasant Poindexter or
Jordan, Jerry Wright, Cherokee by Blood, Record of Eastern Cherokee Ancestry in the United States Court of Claims, 1906-1910, Heritage Books 1987, pp 235-266 Claim 664 “Poindexter.


Nanny is probably the Nancy Pledge who married Isham Vest and resided in North Carolina in what is now Yadkin Co. The marriage record curiously is in Stokes Co NC - Isham Vest to "Nanzey Page" on 13 Jun 1795. There seems to be no reason she was not included as one of the children during the years of the settlement of the estate of Francis Pledge.

1810 Census. Stokes Co NC
Isham Vest: 2m under 10, 1m 10-16, 2m 16-26, 1m 26-45. 3f under 10, 1f 10-16, 1f 26-45.

An Isham Vest is listed as being a Private in the Rangers of the War of 1812 [Ancestry.com]

Some online database list Isham as having died circa 1814 - I believe he lived until sometimes after the 1820 census. There are an unbelievable number of "Family Trees" on Ancestry that show an Isham Vest born 1763 in Stokes NC [there was no Stokes Co in 1763] and died there 1831 - a son of William Tunwell Vest and Lucretia "Lucy" Alford. However, in many of these trees, he is shown as also married to Fannie Briggs, 13 Jun 1795, Stokes Co. - the very same date as the bond of Isham to Nancy Pledge. These databases contain many other erroneous facts such as showing William Tunwell Vest, also born in Stokes Co, 1735 - Stokes Co NC was not formed until 1789 and it's doubtful anyone other than the Indians were there in 1735.

1820 Census. Stokes Co NC [indexed as Johann Vest]
Isham Vest: 1m under 10, 1m 16-18, 1m 16-26, 1m +45. 1f under 10, 1f 10-16, 1f +45

1830 Census. Stokes Co NC No Isham or Nancy Vest. Nancy should have been about age 56 in 1830; perhaps she lived with a child. Several of the men below appear a bit too old to have been her sons.
John Vest, age 50-60 with spouse of the same age and several children
Charles Vest, age 50-60 with spouse of the same age and several children.
Frances Vest, age 20-30 with spouse of the same age, two young teen-age boys and a young female under 5
William Vest, age 40-50 with spouse of the same age, several children, and an older woman, age 70-80.
There were only 64 heads of household named Vest in the entire U.S.

1850 Census. I believe I found Nancy living in Surry Co, quite possibly with a daughter and family. Household 1181
John Kirk, age 40. Nancy age 38.
Martha M. 19. William F. 17. Nancy C. 15. Lithy J. 14. Sally 11. James 8. John C. 5
and
Nancy Vest, age 75, b. VA - the rest of the household born in NC.

Various online databases do say that Nancy R. Vest, dau of Isham & Nancy Pledge, married John S. Kirk, but give no marriage record.

Birth	22 Dec 1774
Baptism	23 Feb 1775
Marriage	13 Jun 1795	Surry County, North Carolina - Isham Vest
Death	1861	Yadkin County, North Carolina

Spouse	Isham Vest (1770 - 1845)
Child	Tilitha Vest (1795 - 1879)
Child	William P. Vest (1797 - 1850)
Child	Francis Pledge Vest (1802 - 1859)
Child	Elizabeth "Betsy" Vest (1806 - )
Child	Luvitha Vest (1808 - 1898)
Child	Nancy R. Vest (1811 - 1895)
Child	Isham Vest (1813 - 1873)

Father	Francis "Frank" Pledge (1744 - 1784)
Mother	Elizabeth Poindexter (1747 - 1785)
Sibling	Mildred Pledge (1769 - )
Sibling	Francis M. "Frankey" Pledge ( - )
Sibling	Caroline Matilda Pledge ( - )
Sibling	Elizabeth "Betsey" Pledge (1778 - )
Sibling	Pascal Paoli Pledge (1781 - )