Based upon submissions from several group members, that is:

• Kate Herron ( kateherron@yahoo.com )
• William “Trey” Noland ( treynoland@gmail.com )
• Katy Cook ( 4443cooks@gmail.com  )
• James Nowland ( jim@nowlandassociates.com )

it would appear that their is a strong interest in researching further the Nolan line descended from the Pierce Nowland (born in Dublin in 1628) who was dispaced to County Sligo in Cromwellian times (late 1640s and early 1650s) and whose descendants settled in Maryland and Virginia in the mid to late 1600s.

To help research this Nolan brick wall, here is a copy of the “Family Story” which I posted some time ago in the family stories section of the NolanFamilies.org archival website (see https://nolanfamilies.org/stories/munster-families/#articleTOC_0 )

For the benefit of expediency, here is what I wrote back then:

As best as can be determined, Pierce Nowland was born in Dublin, Ireland, sometime around 1628, probably the son of a Catholic merchant with Royalist ties and family roots in the barony of Gowran, Co. Kilkenny.

His first name, i.e. Pierce, is of Norman origin and derives from “Piers”, a medieval spelling for the modern-day name of Pierre. For those bearing the Nolan family name, the choice of Pierce as a first name is believed to have started in the 15th century with the rise to prominence of Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, whose mother had previously been married to the O Nolan, chief of “Forth O’Nolan” i.e. the barony of Forth in Co. Carlow.

During the Irish civil war of the 1640s, Pierce is believed to have gone to Fethard, a royal charter town and centre of trade and commerce in South Tipperary where Piers Butler, a presumed distant cousin and descendant of the first Piers Butler, was Governor not to mention one of the chief commanders for the Irish rebel forces in Ireland. By 1650, however, the tide had turned. The king, Charles I, had been executed and his son Charles II had gone into exile. On February 3, 1650, Fethard surrendered to Cromwell’s army. Pierce Nowland is believed to have married shortly thereafter.

Having taken an active part in the Irish civil war, under the terms of an Act of Resettlement passed in 1652, Piers Butler was forced to forfeit his vast lands in south Tipperary in exchange for less desirable lands in counties Clare, Galway and Mayo, where he, his tenants and retainers could resettle. Pierce Nowland, his wife and their young children, most likely Henry and Darby at this point, are believed to have gone to Co. Mayo sometime around 1654 where Pierce Jr. was born sometime around 1655. It is not known exactly where they lived but it was most likely in the Barony of Tirawley where Pierce Butler is known to have received lands.

After the death of Cromwell in 1659 and the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Piers Butler’s family did regain some of their lands in Co. Tipperary and took up residence in a former Grace castle in Ballylinch parish. Pierce Nowland, the defeated royalist rebel, probably also returned with his family, establishing himself in Fethard. Pierce Jr., born around 1655 in Co. Mayo, named his land in Maryland “Fethard” and it can be reasoned that he would not have had such a strong attachment to the name unless he grew up there.

It is not known who Pierce Nowland married or how many children they had altogether. What is known, however, is that, by the end of the 1670s, six of their children, sons, had emigrated to British North America.

Children of PIERCE NOWLAND and UNKNOWN:

• Henry who, prior to emigrating, married Lettice ???? and had two sons;
  he settled with his two sons in Kent Co., Maryland, around 1679.
  Children: Henry Jr. and Richard
• Darby who, in America, around 1680, married Ann Browning and settled in Cecil Co., Maryland.
• Pierce (1655-1714) who, in America, around 1680, married Katherine ????; he initially settled in Cecil Co., Maryland but later resettled to Charles Co., Maryland, where he spent most of his life; he died in 1714 in Stafford Co., Virginia.
  Children: Stephen (1682), Philip (1684), Pierce (1696), Charles (1698), William (1703)
• Philip (1656-1733) who, in America, around 1685, married Bridget Nelson; he settled in Loudoun Co., Virginia; he died in 1733 in Stafford Co., Virginia; in the mid 1700s, his son Philip Jr. initiated the Noland’s Ferry service across the Potomac river just downriver from Noland’s Island, joining Loudoun Co. in Virginia to Frederick Co. in Maryland.
  Children: Philip Jr., …
• William “Shillam” (1658-1719) who, in 1677, arrived in Virginia from Waterford, Ireland, with his brother Thomas on the ship St. George; he married around 1680 and died in St. Mary’s Co., Maryland, in 1719.
  Children: William (1682)
• Thomas (????-1728) who, in 1677, arrived in Virginia from Waterford, Ireland,
  with his brother William on the ship St. George;
  he married Mary Parrish and settled in Anne Arundel Co. , Maryland.
  Children: Daniel, Sarah, Edward, Thomas

In the late 1640s Cromwell’s army marched on Fethard ( see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fethard and https://visitcahir.ie/butler-family-cahir/ ). This is no doubt when Pierce Sr., allied with the Butler family, moved to Co. Sligo in Connacht perhaps marrying there.

Prior to the civil unrest of the early 1640s, I suspect that Pierce Nowland or perhaps his father had resettled to Fethard in county Tipperary, a charter town whose citizens, like those of Galway city, enjoyed greater privileges.

In my opinion, the earlier origin of this family was either the Shangarry townland area (Co. Carlow and Co. Kilkenny border area near Paulstown where the Butlers had a castle) or the Clohamon townland area (Co. Carlow and Co. Wexford border area, near Bunclody, former ly Newtownbarry) where the Calvert family (Lord Baltimore, etc.) had set-up a headquarter for their fishery and colonization efforts in the new world.

Further back, I believe that this family was related to the Ballykealey Nolan line, the chief line of the Co. Carlow Nolans. Circumstancial evidence pointing in this direction is the early Nolan-Butler family connection (recall our earlier observation that Piers Roe Butler in the 1400s had married the widow of the chief of “Forth O Nolan”. Here it is interesting to note that, in the early 1600s, the lands of the Ballykealey Nolans, lay primarily along the Slaney river starting in the area of Ballon and Tullow in Co. Carlow, next flowing by Bunclody and Clohamon townland in Co. Wexford, and then Enniscorthy and Ferns (seat of the McMurroughs, kings of Leinster, for which the O Nolans were marshalls) before finally emptying into the Atlantic ocean.

As far as Pierce Nowland being born in Dublin around 1628 I believe that the family, as was common at the time, had on eor more “big houses” in Dublin. At the time, it was common for well-to-do families to have a “big house” in the city.

Katy Cook mentioned earlier submitted the following information regarding her link back to the Pierce Nowland born around 1628.

• Pierce Noland I (1628-1724), 9th great-grandfather
• Pierce Noland II 1650-1724
• Stephen Noland I 1680-1732
• Daniel Noland 1715-1761
• Jesse Noland 1761-1834
• Smallwood Turner Noland 1787-1858
• Edward (II) Turner Noland 1807-1863
• Edward (III) Turner Noland 1847-1926
• Edward (IV) Turner Noland 1876-1949
• Robert James Noland 1913-1998
• Josephine Noland 1944- daughter of Robert James Noland
• Katharine Noland (Katy Noland) daughter of Josephine Noland

James Nowland ( jim@nowlandassociates.com ), another descendant of Pierce Nowland writes:

My focus has been on Darby Nowland, lesser documented son of Pierce I (unless he was a cousin?) from whom I’m a direct descendent. [The family] immigrated to Cecil County Maryland USA circa 1674 (+/-) beginning with Darby and up until present day, stayed in this area.

Our family has always talked of Darby but really knows little more. I’m the first in my family to utilize todays technology to try to connect the dots. But really, the only thing I’ve been able to learn about Darby is that he had a Maryland land grant named “Bandon Bridge” on the shores of the Bohemia river around the same time that his father (correction, brother Pierce, not his father of the same name) was granted his aptly named “Fethard” on the shores of the Elk River. I have not yet read anything about the Nowland connection to Bandon Bridge (or Bandon) in Ireland.

Incidentally, my name is James Edward Nowland (1971-), and I am named after my great grandfather James A. (1869-1953), who was named after his father James Stephen (1840-1921). I have been able to uncover that the later James (likely) had a father by the name of William (1815-1870). Its the connection between William and Darby that I have been unsuccessful in linking, with any degree of certainty at least.

….

[Prompted by Pat Nolan (pjn3@aol.com), James further provided information on his line of descent as follows:]

• Gifford Alfred Nowland 1908-1996 – Cecil County MD (his father)
• James A(lfred?) Nowland 1868-1953 – Cecil County MD (his grandfather)
• James Steven Nowland 1840-1921 – Cecil County MD
• William L or H(ood?) Nowland 1815-1870 (+/-) Cecil County MD
• James Lambert II?
• James Lambert I?

RN NOTE: In Ireland, Darby is a nickname for Jeremiah. It is known to be common in counties Carlow, Cork and Kerry.