Long Island of Holston Plantation

OVERVIEW

Long Island on the Holston (now Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee) lies on the historic Great Indian Warrior Path. The island served as a neutral meeting ground for the Cherokee and other nations. White “ownership” claims began with William Cocke, who sold the island to Samuel Woods in 1776; however, Cherokee title was recognized in the Long Island Treaty (1777) and later ceded in the Dearborn Treaty (1806). Around 1810, Woods heirs (daughters) began occupying the island. Margaret Woods Netherland and her husband Richard Netherland migrated from Virginia with a large family and about twelve enslaved people, planning an ~814-acre plantation. Agriculture continued on the island into the 1920s.

ENSLAVED PERSONS

Individuals & Families

Luvenia (-?), mother of Jordan Netherland (b.1814); sources secondary.

Netherland family – Jordan Netherland (1814-?, son of Luvenia and Richard Netherland Sr.), Jane Lynn Netherland (-?, wife), child: Sarah Netherland (1839-?).

1840 Slave Schedule (Abstract)

• Jurisdiction: Sullivan County, Tennessee
• Households:
  • George Washington Netherland – 6 enslaved (by age/sex: 1M <10, 1M 10–23, 2M 36–54, 1F <10, 1F 10–23).

ENSLAVERS

• Richard Netherland (Sr.) (1764–1832) – planter; migrated from VA with ~12 enslaved people; expanded river/road operations (Netherland Inn, purchased 1818). Inheritance links: Plantation development tied to Woods family heirs via Margaret Woods.
• Richard Netherland (Jr.) (1802–1842) – likely household head in 1830 enumeration; part of succession/management of enslaved labor.
• George Washington Netherland (1800–1869) – household head in 1840 enumeration with enslaved persons; reflects distribution of enslaved labor among Netherland heirs.

Enslaver Families

Netherland family – Richard Netherland (Sr.) (1764–1832), Margaret Woods (1768–?, wife), children: Harriet (1793–1895), Maria (1795–1858), Samuel Woods (1796–1832), Nancy (1798–?), George Washington (1800–1869), Richard Jr. (1802–1842), James Woods (1804–1848), Margaret W. (1806–?), Sarah (1806–1854), John (1808–1887), William (1808–1809).

Cross-Plantation Links

• Sarah Netherland Rogan (PER-NETHERLAND-Sarah-1806-01): Wife of James Rogan, James Rogan Plantation (Tippah Co., MS) – MS-TIPPAH-JamesRogan-0001.
• James Rogan (PER-ROGAN-James-1797-01): cross-reference enslaved person movements via marriage/dowry.

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RESEARCH TO-DO

• Locate 1860 Slave Schedule entries for Netherland family in Sullivan Co. (or adjacent jurisdictions).
• Pull probate/estate files for Richard Sr./Jr., G.W. Netherland; identify named enslaved persons and distributions to heirs.
• Search deed books for bills of sale/hire across the Netherland, Woods, Rockhold, Rogan, Cloud, Lynn lines.
• Seek Cherokee-U.S. treaty manuscripts for land-title context and occupation timelines.
• Confirm Jordan & Luvenia with primary records (church, court, manumissions, later Freedmen records).
• Map interstate links to the Rogan plantation in Mississippi (marriage to Sarah Netherland).

SOURCES

• Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture. “Long Island.”
• Wikipedia. “Netherland Inn.”
• RootsWeb WorldConnect. Entry: Richard Netherland (07142002).
• Genealogy.com forum. “Jordan, s/o Richard and slave Luvenia” (accessed 2017-06-25).
• 1810 U.S. Census (Powhatan Co., VA): Richard Netherland – enslaved count 25.
• 1830 U.S. Census (Sullivan Co., TN): Household of Richard Netherland – enslaved by age/sex as listed.
• 1840 U.S. Census (Sullivan Co., TN): Household of George W. Netherland – enslaved by age/sex as listed.