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mcc-jrr_511-015
Jordan - Lanier Cemetery, 51-1 Summary Report, page 15
In 1835, William Lanier deeded 240 acres to his great-grandsons Thomas A. Sledge and George H. Horton (another prominent pre-arsenal figure). The wording of his deed names George Horton as the son of George & Mary (Hill) Horton of Madison County, Alabama. The last will and testament of William, dated August 23, 1834, also names several grandchildren, as well as consistently referring to his wife as Nancy, not Ann. The will further names many slaves, who were divided among the heirs, and it states that his homesite was on two of the three quarter sections of land that he owned. The third quarter section was stated as having been purchased from Eldred Rawlings, who married Ann Lanier (a niece of William, daughter of his brother Isaac) on August 9, 1821. However, the record of that purchase from Eldred Rawlings has not been found. If the purchase occurred in 1809, it would have been before the records were kept in Madison County, where the records begin with 1810. An exhaustive land record search of the sale of lands by the heirs of William could eventually determine which land was purchased from Mr. Rawlings by the process of elimination. That search has not yet been accomplished. In conclusion, it should be pointed out that Rev. William Lanier is the only recognized Revolutionary War patriot known to be buried on the arsenal today. Yet, Rev. William Lanier's tombstone is broken and badly weathered, lying in grass at his grave in the family cemetery near his old homesite and just east of Patton Road (and north of Martin Road), near the junction with Neal Road. It would be historically meaningful to someday have a more suitable marker and an appropriate commemoration ceremony for this Revolutionary War patriot, who lived near his younger brothers Thomas and Isaac on pre-arsenal lands. It is highly probable that Isaac is likewise buried on arsenal property, in the Rawlings-Lanier Cemetery (374). Isaac died within 8 years of his arrival in Madison County in 1819. His widow, Mary J. Dickson Lanier, continued to reside on the parcel of land around the Rawlings-Lanier Cemetery and finally sold it outside the family in 1832. She then moved to Autauga County AL, where she lived long enough to be enumerated in the 1860 census at age 83. See the Rawlings -Lanier Cemetery 37-4 and Lanier Cemetery 46-3 for more information about the inter-related Lanier families of the arsenal. 15 - (2034)