Landes Family History: Ancestors of Jesse Landes

Ancestors and Descendants of Jesse and Christina Landes of Brushy Run, WV

Ancestors of Jesse Landes

Several points of confusion:

There has been a disagreement among researchers interested in the Landes families of Hardy, Grant, and Pendleton Counites in West Virginia regarding the parents of Jesse Landes (1809 - 1894). One theory believes his parents were John Landes and Elizabeth Peacock Landes. Another theory believes his parents were John Landes and Frances (Fannie) Brenneman Landes.

In my research, I have found definitive proof that the parents of Jesse Landes were John Landes (1776 - ca. 1850) and Elizabeth Peacock Landes (dates unknown), and using this as a starting point I will here explore those ancestors.

There doesn't seem to be any disagreement that the father of Jesse Landes was a 'John Landes'. However, there were several John Landeses living in proximity of about 50 miles from what is now Brushy Run, WV (formerly VA before 1863). So finding the right John as proven to be difficult.

Regarding Elizabeth Peacock Landes, a common mistake among Internet 'researchers' has been to confuse Elizabeth Peacock Landes with Elizabeth Landes Peacock. Elizabeth Peacock Landes was probably the daughter of James Peacock (dates unknown). The Peacocks were a Brethren family (Bittinger, p. 109) who immigrated from Paxtang Township, located southeast of Harrisburg, PA and adjacent to Lancaster County.

John Landes (1776 - ca. 1855) was the son of Jacob Landes (1740 - ca. 1810). Jacob Landes was married twice, and John was the eldest child of Jacob's second wife. More on Jacob Landes later.

John and Elizabeth Peacock were married either before they immigrated from Pennsylvania or after they arrived in the South Brach Valley of what is now WV.

This is were the confusion about Elizabeth Peacock Landes and Elizabeth Landes Peacock originates:

- John Landes (the eldest son of Jacob Landes' 2nd wife) maried Elizabeth Peacock.

- John Landes' younger sister, Elizabeth Landes (ca. 1784 - 1845) married Caleb Peacock (1785-1855), Elizabeth Peacock's younger brother.

At some point, Elizabeth Peacock Landes (probably) died, and John married a second time to Catherine Buckley Landes.

Evidently there was also a John Landes and Frances (Fannie) Brenneman Landes who lived in Hardy County, VA (now WV) at the same time. Fannie died, and this John Landes along with several of his sons moved to Greencastle, IN around 1838. This John Landes died in 1846 and is burried in the Old Blackstone Cemetery in Greencastle, IN. One theory regarding Jesse Landes' parents is that he was the son of this John Landes and Frances Brenneman Landes, a theory that has been proven incorrect. So my advice is: don't pursue this -- it's a dead end.