THE WILLIAM NOLAND FAMILY
Haywood County Heritage article 673
William Noland, youngest son of Henry and Isabell Noland was born in Wilkes County NC on. September 25, 1803. He moved to Haywood county with his family between 1820 and 1830 and settled on Fines Creek.
In 1828, William Noland, at the age of 25, married Frances Russell, daughter of David Russell, Sr. The family moved into a small cabin located in the Shelton Laurel section of Fines Creek. William Noland died in this cabin of typhoid fever on August 12, 1833. He was buried in the old Penland Cemetery on Fines Creek. His grave and that of many pioneers has now been destroyed by local developers.
Two children were born of the marriage of William and Frances Russell Noland. Jane Emily Noland, born December 10, 1829, married William Madison Rhea. Descendents of this marriage later left Haywood County to settled in Arkansas. James Hardy Noland was born on December 1, 1831. Several years after the death of her husband Frances Russell Noland gave birth to an illegitimate son whom she called Joseph Shelby Noland. The three young chiIdren were reared in the home of their uncle David Russell, Jr. Joseph Shelby Noland was killed at the battle of Chickamauga. He did not marry and left no descendants.
James Hardy Noland married Sarah Elizabeth Owen of Macon County on December 29, 1853 and set up housekeeping on Fines Creek. Their first child, a son, was stillborn. After the death of the child they returned to Macon County to live near the Owen family. Their second child, Margaret, was born in Macon County. She later drowned in Fines Creek at the age of four.
Sarah Elizabeth and James Hardy Noland decided to return to Fines Creek before the onset of the Civil War. James Hardy became a prosperous farmer and landowner in the Fines Creek community. Sarah Elizabeth Noland died in 1896 and James Hardy Noland died in 1921 at the age of 90. They reared four sons and six daughters who lived to maturity.
Martha Florence Noland married Roland Victor Wells and moved to Murphy. Eight children .were born of this marriage. Annie Laurie NoIand married William Alexander Graham who later became a doctor in the Fines Creek community. Nine children were born to the marriage of Dr. Alexander and Annie Laurie Noland Graham. Lou Ellen Noland married Joe Rogers. They reared a large family of eleven children and resided on Fines Creek. Mary Emily Noland married "Big" Riley Ferguson and settled on Rush Fork in Crabtree. Three children were born to the marriage. Fannie Reagan Noland married David Philitus Ferguson and moved to Swain County near Bryson City. Three children were born of this marriage. Ida Etta Noland married George Mack Fish and moved to Clyde where they reared a family of nine children.
David Russell Noland married Etta Angie Reeves and reared one son David Reeves Noland. David RusseIl NoIand was a prominent farmer and served as county sheriff and county commissioner, and a legislator from Haywood County. James Madison NoIand marred Margaret Lela Ferguson and established their home on Fines Creek before moving to Lake Junaluska. Seven children were born of this marriage. James Madison NoIand served as Register of Deeds until his untimely death in 1912. Robert Long Noland married Addie DeHart and reared a family of seven children. He was a merchant on Fines Creek and in Waynesville and Asheville before moving to Virginia. Thomas William Noland married Emma Webb and raised a family of nine children. They established their home in Tennessee where Thomas Noland was a prominerrt Methodist minister in the Holston Methodist Conference..
The descendants of William Noland have spread far from their ancestral.home on Fines Creek. At a recent family reunion family members from 15 states returned to Fines Creek to celebrate their family and their beginnings.

submitted by: Lynn Noland. Waynesville, NC