JAMES WHITSETT AND MARY MOORE FAMILY OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

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JAMES WHITSETT AND MARY MOORE OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
James Whitsett removed from Orange County to what is still today Rockingham County, North Carolina. His family is prominent in the early history of his community. James was a slave owner and descendants of his slaves, the descendants of Albert and Rebecca Whitsett, still live in the same area of North Carolina. One of their descendants is Bandon Donnell with whom I still exchange messages and email. James Whitsett's and Mary Moore's descendants include families in found later in Missouri and Alabama.
Name 5. WHITSETT, James4 (John3,William2, Samuel1) of Rockingham County, North Carolina
Sex   Male
Father 3. WHITSETT, John3 Based on circumstantial evidence
Mother   Unknown
Spouse   MOORE, Mary, b. bef. 1752 [2,4]
Birth   Bef. 1747 Pennsylvania [1,2]
Death   Abt. 1788 Orange County, North Carolina [1,2,10]
Marriage   Bef. 1768 in Orange County, North Carolina
Children   James Whitsett and Mary Moore had at least five children
  i. WHITSETT, William
  ii. WHITSETT, James, b. abt. 1774, d. May 5, 1850, Rockingham Co., NC; m. Nancy Moore
9. iii. WHITSETT, Samuel, b. abt. 1775, d. bef. 1840 in Georgia or Alabama; m. Ann Napier
  iv. WHITSETT, Catherine, b. bet. 1770-1788; m. John Bason, Nov. 25, 1800 in Orange Co., NC
10. v. WHITSETT, John, d. 1856, St. Louis, Missouri; m. Alpha Witty , July 28, 1817, Guilford Co., NC
     
Notes 1. 1769 November 01, James Whitsett is a witness to the will of John Logue in Orange Co., NC [9]
  2. 1776 November 15 and 28; James Whitsitt is one of the names on two petitions of freeholders in Orange Co., North Carolina. Some of the other names are: Lawrence Thompson, Thomas Thompson, Joseph Thompson, Richard Bird; both of these petitions were initiated because the election polls in Hillsboro closed early before all of the eligible voters could cast their ballots. A riot ensued. The petitioners complained that they were denied their right to vote. [5]
  3. 1779 Tax List: Orange County, North Carolina [8]
  4. 1782 July 27, Deed entered by Samuel Whitsett for land adjoining the land of James Whitsett on Back Creek in Orange Co. [7]
  5. 1783 August 20, James Whiteside makes a Revolutionary War claim 3967 at Hillsborough Auditors office; this is proof that he was not a Tory [11]
  6. 1784 James Whiteside, Salisbury District (Rowan Co.) makes claim for militia service [12]
  7. 1784 November 01, James Whitsett granted 200 acres on Back Creek in Orange County [6]
  8. 1784 Nov. 9, Samuel Whitsett granted 270a. on Back Creek in Orange Co. adjacent James Whitsett; this land was originally entered by John Whitsett in 1778 and surveyed for him in 1782. This is evidence of the family ties between these three Whitsett's [6]
  9 1788 Nov 25, James Whitesides will (see below) [10]
  10. 1790 Aug. 27. Empson Bird, John Stockard, John Griffith and Samuel Whitsides make a bond as administrators of the estate of James Whitsides, deceased; Aug. 27, 1790; Empson Bird is appointed guardian of Samuel, William, Catherine Whitesides, orphans of James Whitesides 1788 Nov. 25, [10]
  11. Goodspeed, "History of Franklin" etc. information of the family of John Whitsett and Alpha Witty of St. Louis, MO provided by their son James Whitsett, "William Whitsett, father of James was born near the northern boundary of England and was the father of nine children, two girls and seven boys; six of his sons fought in the Revolutionary War; we must regard this statement as family legend, not history; it is not true that James was from the North of England, however this is actually the place of origin of the Whiteside clann. [13]
  12. The following is an interesting story contained in a letter from Mr. Leroy Dover. It parallels somewhat the family tradition of the John and Alpha Witty family (above), except for the details for William Whitsett and James Whitsett. James' children were too young to have been in the Rev. War. The story is interesting, but should be regarded as romantic legend. The Goodspeed story was given at an earlier date than Mr. Dover's grandfather's journal. Leroy Dover wrote: "I am copying my grandfather's journal and found this. Bear with it as it gets a little tedious. "The Whitsett Story" from John Albert Dover's 1920 journal. (John and Lydia Dover were homesteaders ten miles WSW of Buffalo, Montana.) "Today [Jan. 16,1920] is the 100th birthday anniversary of Grandpa, John P. Lollar. Grand Ma was a few months older and I knew them so well; and I remember Great Grandmother Alpha Whitsett, who lived to be 85 years old and died in 1885... Great Grandpa Whitsett's name was John was born in N. C. and married Alpha Witte of N. C. Great, great grandpa Whitsett's name was James (Sr.) And he lived in N. C. during the Revolution. He had 5 sons in the American army but he himself was a loyal old Scotchman and was hanged for a Tory but a soldier who knew him cut him down saying, "Let the d--d old fool say what he liked as it did not amount to anything since he has five sons in the American Army!" Interesting family legend but probably not true. [14]
     
Sources 1 Maida Whitten, Whitsett Database of Maida Whitten (January 5, 1999)
  2 Uley T. Morgan, The Family of Samuel Samuel Whitsett And His Two Wives (Macon, Georgia 1989)
  3 Ruth Herdon Shields, Abstracts of Wills Recorded In Orange County, North Carolina 1752-1850 (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD 1975
  4 History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford & Gasconade Counties, Missouri (Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago 1888), pg. 843.
  5 Petitions of Freeholders of Orange County, North Carolina (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh)
  6 North Carolina Land Grant Office (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh)
  7 Orange County, North Carolina Register of Deeds (Technical Institute of Alamance), DB 23-49
  8 Orange County, North Carolina List of Taxables 1779-1783 (Technical Institute of Alamance), pg. 26, 27
  9 Orange County, North Carolina Estate Records (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina)
  10 Ruth Herdon Shields, Abstracts of Wills Recorded In Orange County, North Carolina 1752-1850 (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD 1975). James Whitsett will, Nov. 25, 1788.
  11 North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Claim #3967 (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh)
  12 North Carolina Revolutionary War Vouchers, Treasurer's Papers (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh)
  13 HISTORY OF FRANKLIN, JEFFERSON, WASHINGTON, CRAWFORD & GASCONADE COUNTIES, MISSOURI, Goodspeed Pub. Co., Chicago (1888), pg. 843, James Whitsett.
  14 1920 Journal of John Albert Dover, Buffalo, Montana; Mr. Dover is the source of the family legend that James Whitsett was a Tory (this is doubtful); text included in email from Leroy Dover to Kathy Whitsett (1999)
 
Ronald N. Wall
Added: July 18, 2018