Hello hhmm702,
Much of the information about Patrick Naillon is in the form of "legends," as explained in a Find A Grave entry for him sponsored by his 4th great-granddaughter, Annie Duckett Hundley.
The Find A Grave entry also includes a photo of Patrick's cenotaph, in the Naillon - Moore Cemetery, Cocke County, Tennessee.
A cenotaph is a marker or monument for a person who is not buried in the place where the marker or monument is located, or whose burial place is unknown.
See the Find A Grave entry for the Naillon - Moore Cemetery at:
Patrick Naillon (1769-1829) - Find a Grave Memorial
Once the site downloads scroll down the page until you come to Annie's biography of Patrick under the subheading: Patrick Naillon 1769 - abt 1829*
Patrick was born circa 1769 in County Cork, though that year of birth is not certain.
There won't be a statutory birth record for Patrick in Ireland, as births weren't recorded by the Irish government until 1864. This leaves church parish registers to search for his baptism, but you would need to know the religious denomination of Patrick's parents, as well as the location of the church in County Cork where Patrick's baptism took place. This information is not known at this time, and may not exist at all, 256 years (give or take), after his birth.
The first primary source record I uncovered for P. "Nealon" was the August 6, 1810 U.S. Federal Census for Greenville, South Carolina. The census is from the subscription Ancresry.com website.
Census enumerations before 1850 only recorded the name of the head of the household. Family members were not recorded by name, but recorded by their status of being free or slave, by race, by gender, and an age spread.
The genders and ages of slaves were also recorded for households that included people in bondage.
The 1810 census for P. Nealon is attached to this reply.
The census shows that the Nealon household included:
1 free white male under the age of 10
1 free white male between the age of 16 and 25
3 free white females under the age of 10
1 free white female between the age of 26 and 44
1 free white female over the age of 45
----
There were 7 free white people in the household. No slaves were recorded.
There are no free, white, males over the age of 25 recorded in the 1810 census, which indicates Patrick would be the free, white male born between 1785 and 1793.
The free white female over the age of 45 would have been born before 1765.
Unfortunately, the relationships of household members to one another are not recorded in the census, as they are in the 1880 U.S. census.
By the 1820 U.S. Federal Census Patrick "Nailan" is recorded in Rutherford County, North Carolina. The month and day of the enumeration for his household is August 7. The 1820 census from Anncestry.com is attached to this reply, and shows the household includes:
3 free white males under 10 years of age
1 free white female between the age of 10 and 15
1 free white male 45 years old and older
1 free white female between 10 and 15 years old
1 free white female between 16 and 25 years old
1 free white female 45 years old or older
----
The census shows the total household residents number 8, with 2 people engaged in agriculture under column 4602.
The 1830 U.S. Federal Census from Ancestry.com is the last enumeration I uncovered for Patrick "Nailand." His residence is Buncombe County, North Carolina.
The 1830 census, attached to this reply, shows there are 9 people in the household:
1 free white male under 5 years old
2 free white males between 5 and 9 years old
1 free white male 10 thru 14 years old
1 free white male between 60 and 69 years old
2 free white females between 5 and 9 years old
1 free white female between 10 and 14 years old
1 free white female between 30 and 39 years old.
----
The free white male between 60 and 69 years old I suspect would be Patrick. He would have been born between 1760 and 1770.
CONFUCIUS NELON
In your Ireland Reaching Out message board post of 23 Oct 2025, you had mentioned Confucius Nelon.
Confucius Nelon is one of the more unique names I've seen referenced on the Ireland Reaching Out message boards, and it's through Confucius Nelon that I wanted to see how he was related to Patrick Nelon. I suspected a son, or grandson, but wasn't sure.
The earliest primary source record I located for Confucius "Naylon," is the 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Broad River, Rutherford County, North Carolina. In the census Confucius is 6 years old and living in the household of his parents, 47 year old James and 42 year old Nancy Naylon. Including Confucius, the census shows that James and Nancy had 10 children by 1860, the oldest being 19 year old James, and the youngest 2 year old Isabella.
The 1860 census shows that everyone in the household was born in NC (North Carolina.)
It appears that James and Nancy were historically minded, as they not only named one of their children Confucius, but also another son Columbus.
The 1860 census is attached to this reply and comes from Ancestry.com.
If you recall Patrick "Nailan" is recorded in Rutherford County, North Carolina in the 1820 census.
16 year old Confucius Nalon is also in the 1870 census with his parents James and Nancy in Chimney Rock, Rutherford County, North Carolina, only in this census his name is recorded as Daniel F. Nalon. See the attachment. The Nalon family begins on Line 16 of the census form.
In the 1860 census James is 47 years old and in the 1870 census he is 57 years old. This places his year of birth in 1813. But, was James's father Patrick, who was born in Ireland? If so Patrick would likely have been born in the latter half of the 1700s.
To find out if James had a foreign born father, I accessed the 1880 census at Ancestry.com to see if James was recorded, and to see if his father was born in Ireland.
I found 66 year old James R. Nelon, his 61 year old wife Nancy, and their 8 year old granddaughter, Coraleee in the 1880 census living in Pigeon, Haywood County, North Carolina. The census shows that James's father was born in Ireland and that his mother was born in N.C. (North Carolina).
The household after James and Nancy's in the 1880 census is their son, 25 year old Daniel C. Nelon, his wife, 23 year old Alice, and their two children, 3 year old Grace and 1 year old Nelly. Also in the household is Daniel's bother, 31 year old Willy. The 1880 census shows that Confucius was a middle name, and Daniel a first name
The 1880 census is attached to this reply.
The 1880 census shows James's father was born in Ireland. This indicates that Patrick was James's father, and that Daniel Confucius was Patrick's grandson.
Daniel "Confusius" Nelon died on February 3, 1940, and lived to be 85 years, 9 months, and 10 days old, according to his death record found at Ancestry.com. He died of Myocardial Insufficiency," which he had since 1939.
Daniel's residence at the time of death was 38 All Souls Cresent (sic), Asheville, North Carolina. At the time of death he was "Widowed." His wife was Alice Williams.
The death record further shows that Daniel had been employed as a "Carpenter," and that he last worked as a carpenter in 1920.
His place of birth was Chimney Rock, North Carolina. The death also shows his father was James Nelon and his mother Nancy Cochrane. Both James and Nancy were born in North Carolina.
The informant who reported Daniel's death was Mrs. W.W. Wells of 38 All Souls Cresent.
Daniel's burial or cremation took place in the Asbury Memorial Church Yard on February 4, 1940.
The undertaker was Barryman-Craddock of Asheville, N.C.
Daniel's death record is attached to this reply.
This Google Street View shows that All Souls Crescent is a very nice tree-lined neighborhood in Asheville, North Carolina. House numbers would have changed since 1940: https://tinyurl.com/6e7bpbpp
With Kind Regards,
Dave Boylan
SOURCES
Find A Grave
Ancresry.com
Ireland Reaching Out message board post of 23 Oct 2025
Google Street View
