JOHN WHITSETT OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NORTH CAROLINA, IRISH ANCESTOR.
|
John Whitsett, three brothers and at least one sister came to America from the north of Ireland. They settled first in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania near today's city of Lebanon. He later sold his land and removed to Rowan County, North Carolina where he was involved in the government of the county. He was one of the men comissioned to lay out the town of Salisbury. John owned and operated a grist mill in Rowan County. About 1770 John and his son John, jr., along with the Thompson family obtained lots in the Quaker settlement in Wrightsboro, Georgia. They soon left Georgia because of Indian trouble and came to what was then Orange County, North Carolina. John, sr. died there in July 1786. I have not found a document that gives us the name of his wife. She is listed simply as the Widow Whitsett when John's estate was settled.
|
| Name |
3. |
WHITSETT, John3 (William2, Samuel1)
[1] |
| Sex |
|
Male |
| Father |
2. |
WHITSETT, William |
| Mother |
|
Unknown |
| Spouse |
|
Rachael |
| Birth |
|
Abt. 1712, in Ireland, probably County Antrim |
| Death |
|
Abt. July 04, 1786, in Orange County, North Carolina; estate sale for Widow Whitsett [27] |
| Marriage |
|
Unknown |
| Children |
|
John Whitsett had at least six children |
| 4. |
i. |
WHITSETT, John b. 1743 Pennsylvania; d. 1819 Alabama, m. Sarah Thompson,
daughter of Lawrence Thompson [10] |
| 5. |
ii. |
WHITSETT, James b. Abt. 1747, Penn.; d. 1788, N. C., m. Mary Moore |
| 6. |
iii. |
WHITSETT, Samuel b. 1752; d. 1832 N. C., m. Mary Stockard |
| 7. |
iv. |
WHITSETT, William b. Abt. 1755; d. Abt. 1820 Ky., m. Mary Thompson, daughter of Lawrence Thompson |
| |
v. |
WHITSETT, Sarah |
| |
vi. |
WHITSETT, Mary |
| |
|
|
| Notes |
1. |
John was one of the Whitsett brothers family tradition says came from
Ireland around 1730-40. He first settled in Pennsylvania near Harrisburg
and later removed to Virginia and North Carolina. Below is a chronology of evidence that John Whiteside/Whitsett left Pennsylvania in 1752 and went to what was then Rowan County, North Carolina. These are the only records pertaining to a John Whitsett in PA, NC, and GA for relavent time spans. He is likely the John Whitsett that is the source of the Whitsett family legend of John that "went south" and was never heard of again. It appears that he was a surveyor for a time in Rowan Co. In 1754 he was one of the men who set off lots for sale in the village of Sallisbury. John operated a grist mill or Grant's Creek until 1768. In that year he began selling off his land in Rowan County. By this time the Quakers in the settlement of Wrightsboro, Georgia began offering non-Quakers free land. John Sr. and John J. and his wife Sarah Thompson, her father Lawrence Thompson, Richard Bird and others bought plots of 200-250 acres in Wrightsboro. Their time in Georgia was short lived. The Indians did not take kindly to these Scotch-Irish frontiers men. Their fierce attacks soon ended the desires of many whites to remain in Georgia. A number of these settlers simply abandoned their lands and returned to North Carolina. In May 1771, John Whitsett Sr. is on a list of those that had left the province of Wrightsboro due to Indian troubles. In 1772 the younger John and wife Sarah (Thompson) Whitsett sell their
Wrightsboro lot of 250 acres. They may have first gone to Caswell county, N.C.; a 1777 tax list for the Glouchester
District, Caswell County, North Carolina has a John Whitsett. The entire family seems to have removed to Orange County, NC, by 1779. Several deeds and lists of tax payers are evidence that John and Sarah left Orange County for Middle Tennessee around that time. They were the grandparents of Sarah Childress Polk, the wife of President James K. Polk. |
| |
2. |
In 1786 the sale of the estate of John Whitsett, deceased, was recorded
in Orange County. The return from the sale mentions the following
Whitsett's: Widow Whitsett (no name), Mary Whitsett, Sarah Whitsett,
James Whitsett and Samuel Whitsett. Samuel paid rent for the mill
and plantation for four years. Among other names listed on the return
are John Stockart (Stockard); John Griffith; John Reaves; Alex.
Minoway; Steven Hart; Robert Tinnen; Abraham Thompson, John Thompson.
This estate sale is the only known source of information on possible
children of John Whitsett of Orange County. |
| |
3. |
AKA John Whiteside, John Whitsitt, John Whitsite, etc. |
| |
4. |
1738 October 31, Land Warrant: Lebanon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Survey for 200 acres[4] |
| |
5. |
1750 April 04, Lebanon Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; survey for Conrad Brown adjacent John Whiteside[5] |
| |
6. |
abt 1752, removed from Lancaster Co., Pa. to Rowan (now Anson) Co., N. C. |
| |
7. |
1753 June, Court Record: Rowan County, North Carolina;
Appointed to run a section of the line between Rowan and Orange
County from the Dann River to Buffalo Fork as far as King's settlement.[11] |
| |
8. |
1753 June, Court Record, Rowan County, North Carolina; John Whitsitt appointed tax commissioner[10] |
| |
9. |
1753 September 18, Court Record, Rowan Co., NC; John Whitsett security for license to Jeremiah Bailey for a ferry over
the Yadkin River[9] |
| |
10. |
By 1754 March, Rowan Co., NC; operating a public mill on or near Grants Creek[12] |
| |
11. |
1754 July 12, Court Record, Rowan Co., NC; appointed treasurer of group to lay off lots and streets in Salisbury[11] |
| |
12. |
1754 December 03, land survey in Lebanon Township, Lancaster Co., PA; Robert Varner survey shows John Whiteside's tract is now in the possession of Conrad Brown[6] |
| |
13. |
1757 May 25, Deed: Salisbury, Rowan Co., NC, John Whitsitt witness to deed for James Carter,
land in town of Salisbury.[13] |
| |
14. |
1757 October 23, Court Record: Rowan Co., NC; John Long to replace
John Witsits as commissioner because of Whitsitt's being occupied by the business of his mill[9,11] |
| |
15. |
1758 October 20, Court Record: Salisbury, Rowan Co.,
NC; John Long commissioner in place of John Whitsite for the district
from town [Salisbury] to the Yadkin ford[9,11] |
| |
15a. |
1759 May 15, Pvt. James Whitsett listed on Pay Roll of Capt. Aventon Felps' Scouts, Rowan County [son of John][28] |
| |
16. |
1759 August 28, Deed: Rowan Co., NC to James Carn for 656 acres on Grants Creek adjacent to land of John Whitesides[15] |
| |
17. |
1760 October 22, Deed: Rowan Co., NC, James and Hanna Carr sell to John Biggs 656 acres on Grants
Creek adjacent to Alexander McCulloh and John Whitsitt[14] |
| |
18. |
1761 November 10, Deed: Orange Co., NC, John Whitsett sells to Henry Grace 100 acres[16] |
| |
19. |
1768 October 25, Deed: Orange Co., NC, John Whitsett to Benj. Stone 100a. proved on oath of Laurence Thompson[17] |
| |
20. |
1769 February 07, Petitions for lots: Wrightsboro, GA; John Whitsett, John Whitsett, Jr., Laurence Thompson, Richard Bird[7,8] |
| |
21. |
1770 July 03, Land Grants: Wrightsboro, John Whitsett 200a., John Whitsett, Jr. 250a[7,8] |
| |
22. |
1771 May, John Whitsett [Sr.] on list of those that have left the province of Wrightsboro due to Indian troubles[7,8] |
| |
23. |
1772 Wrightsboro, John Whitsett [Jr.] and wife Sarah sell lot of 250 acres[7,8] |
| |
24. |
1777 Tax List: Glouchester District, Caswell County, North Carolina; John Whitsett[18] |
| |
25. |
1779 Orange Co., NC, John Whitsett, taxed on 655 acres[19] |
| |
26. |
1778 November 17, Deed: Orange Co., NC, John Whitsett, 200a. on both sides of Back Creek and road to Hillsborough[21] |
| |
27. |
1780 February 28, Petition: Orange Co., NC, John Whitsett to turn road running through his plantation[22,23] |
| |
28. |
1780 September, Tax List: Orange Co., NC, Jno. Whitesett[20] |
| |
29. |
1782 Tax List: Orange Dist., Orange Co., NC, John Whitside, 200 acres[24] |
| |
30. |
1782 July 27, Land Grant: Orange Co., NC, surveyed for John Whitsett 200a. both sides of
Back Creek (same land as the Nov. 1778 deed)[25] |
| |
31. |
1784 November 09, Land Grant Orange Co., NC, Samuel Whitsett deed 270a. on Back Creek adjacent James Whitsett; same land as that
entered by John Whitsett in 1778 and surveyed for him in 1782[26] |
| |
32. |
1786 July 04, Probate: Orange Co., NC, John Whitsett estate sale for Widow Whitsett[27] |
| |
|
|
| Sources |
1 |
Wall, Ronald N., Florence, AZ and William R. Whiteside, Cottage Hills, IL, WHITESIDE AND WHITSETT PIONEERS (2008) |
| |
2 |
William R. Whiteside, Cottage Hillls, IL, Research Notes, WHITESETT-WHITESIDE POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS PA-NC (August 2007) |
| |
3 |
Albert Cook Myers, M. I., Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania
1682-1750 With Their Early History in Ireland (Genealogical Publishing
Co., Baltimore, Md., 1969), pg 411 |
| |
4 |
Records of the Land Office, WARRANT REGISTERS, 1733-1957 (Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania
State Archives; RG-17 [series #17.88]), Cumberland County Warrants, pg. 190. |
| |
5 |
Records of the Land Office, COPIED SURVEYS 1681-1912 (Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania
State Archives; RG-17 [series #17.114]), Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Copied Surveys, Book A14-4; resurvey dated 29 Dec. 1803 (for purposes
of parceling and patenting the tract) |
| |
6 |
Records of the Land Office, COPIED SURVEYS 1681-1912 (Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania
State Archives; RG-17 [series #17.114]), Lancaster County Survey, Book A78-132 |
| |
7 |
Dorothy M. Jones, Notes From Wrightsborough (Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation, Inc.) |
| |
8 |
Pearl Baker, The Story of Wrightsboro 1768-1964, Wrightsboro Restoration Foundation, Thomsom, Georgia (1980) |
| |
9 |
McCubbins Collection of Extracts of Rowan County, N. C. Court Records to May 1770 (LDS Microfilm 019,88) |
| |
10 |
Jane G. Buchanan, "Thomas Thompson and Ann Finney of Colonial Pennsylvania
and North Carolina" (Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1987) |
| |
11 |
Rowan County, North Carolina Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions |
| |
12 |
Robert W. Ramsey, Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina
Frontier, 1747-1762 (U of NC Press: Chapel Hill), pp. 111-112. (from William
R. Whiteside research, 19 Jan. 2008) |
| |
13 |
Rowan County, North Carolina Deeds, Deed Book 2-238,239 |
| |
14 |
Rowan County, North Carolina Deeds, DB 4-317, 318 |
| |
15 |
Rowan
County, North Carolina Deeds, Deed Book 5-411 |
| |
16 |
Orange County, North Carolina Register of Deeds (Technical Institute of Alamance) |
| |
17 |
North Carolina Entry Book (Papers of the North Carolina Land Grant Office), folio 2-155 |
| |
18 |
Caswell County, North Carolina Tax records, Glouchester Dist. |
| |
19 |
Orange County, North Carolina List of Taxables 1779-1783 (Technical Institute of Alamance) |
| |
20 |
Orange County, North Carolina List of Taxables 1779-1783 (Technical Institute
of Alamance), Chatham District., pg. 324-330 |
| |
21 |
North Carolina Entry Book (Papers of the North Carolina Land Grant Office), Book 57-155 |
| |
22 |
Orange County Court Minutes, 1777-1795, County Court of Pleas and Quarter
Sessions, Hillsborough (North Carolina State Archives); Shields, Ruth Herndon, ABSTRACTS OF THE MINUTES OF THE COURT OF PLEAS AND QUARTER SESSIONS OF ORANGE COUNTY, Sept 1752 - Aug. 1766 |
| |
23 |
Ruth Herndon Shields, Abstracts Of The Minutes of The Court of Pleas
and Quarter Sessions of Orange County, North Carolina (Chapel Hill,
North Carolina) |
| |
24 |
Orange County, North Carolina List of Taxables 1779-1783 (Technical Institute
of Alamance), Orange District, pg. 422 |
| |
25 |
North Carolina Entry Book (Papers of the North Carolina Land Grant Office),
no. 425. I have a photo copy of the order to survey this land |
| |
26 |
North Carolina Entry Book (Papers of the North Carolina Land Grant Office), Grant No. 708/806 |
| |
27 |
Orange County, North Carolina Estate Records (North Carolina State Archives,
Raleigh, North Carolina), CR-073 |
| |
28 |
Clark, Murtie June, COLONIAL SOLDIERS OF THE SOUTH, 1732-1774, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD (1986) |
| |
|
|
| |
