Ralph Whiteside/Whitsett of Lancaster and Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Whiteside and Whitsett Pioneers and The Whitsett Family of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Ralph Whitsett and Sarah Wilson

One of the most satisfying finds for me was Ralph Whitsett who shows up in the Pennsylvania records. The families of William Wirt Whitsett of Fayette County in Pennsylvania and Samuel Whitsitt in Montgomery County, Kentucky had a fondness for the name Ralph. In Samuel’s family the name was passed down at least two more generations. The descendants of Joseph Whitsett of Harrison County, Kentucky also had a son named Ralph. I have thought for a long time that there must be a Ralph somewhere up the family tree before Samuel and William. We have almost a year-by-year account in the Pennsylvania records of the senior Ralph Whitsett covering twenty-three years from 1742 until 1765. There are also clues in these Pennsylvania documents linking Ralph to his sons Samuel, William and Joseph Whitsitt. Taken all together, these documents tell a story of the Lancaster County cradle of the Whitsett family ancestors whose descendants settled the early frontiers of middle America.

The earliest document to name Ralph Whiteside is a warrant for 125 acres dated April 23, 1742. His tract was located on the south bank of Quittapahilla Creek just southwest of today’s town of Lebanon. The land, surveyed for him four years later, showed that the actual amount of land included in his tract was 216 acres. His land was adjacent and immediately east of John Whiteside’s tract. Other tracts surrounding Ralph belonged to William Allen on the north side, Casper Stoever on his northeast side and Robert Varner whose property touched Ralph’s on the southwest corner. The widow Crider (Kryter) was located on his south side and the land of George Stoitz (Steitz) made his eastern boundary.

On December 3, 1742, George Stoitz obtained a survey of 52 acres. The survey was based on his warrant dated March 17, 1741. The survey shows Ralph Whiteside’s tract adjoining Stoitz’s on Stoitz’s west side. Immediately to the north was Stoitz’s original tract of 316 acres. George Stoitz was the man who laid out the town of Lebanon on his property sometime between 1750 and 1754. This and other surveys, allows us to pin point Ralph’s property southeast of Cleona, Pennsylvania. On modern maps it was a short distance southwest of the suburb of Pleasant Hill in North Cornwall Township. Today, it would be partly within the city limits of Lebanon.

In August 1744, Ralph signed his name as Ralph Whitsitt on a petition asking for a road in Lancaster County. This is the first reference of that version of the name among the Whitesides of Lebanon Township. It is interesting that he signed his name as “Ralph Whitsett” in 1761 on documents for the probate of James Whiteside’s will in Cumberland County. In 1745 Rev. Stoever had his land on the waters of Quitapahilla and Mill Creeks surveyed on April 20, 1745. A sketch of the survey shows that Quitapahilla Creek almost evenly divided his land into north and south sections. Running through the middle of the south section was Mill Creek. Adjoining tracts are shown as belonging to John Welsh on the north; John Cryder and Widow Hyde were on the west side; John Whiteside and Ralph Whiteside bordered the south and southeast sections; William Allen was located on the northeast side. The Hill Lutheran Church, also known as the Quitapahilla Church, was founded by Rev. Casper Stoever and was on the northern edge of his land. This is supposedly where John Welsh and Elizabeth Whiteside were married. This historic church still stands today. Elizabeth was the sister of the four immigrant Whitsett brothers.

Ralph’s land in his 1741 warrant was surveyed for him in April 5, 1746. The land was resurveyed in 1746 because part of his brother John’s property line overlapped his. On December 11, 1747 Ralph’s neighbor William Allen made his will. He named Ralph Whiteside and Thomas Hammersley as executors. Hammersley was also a neighbor. A little more than a month later, William Allen’s will was proven on the testimony of Ralph Whiteside and Thomas Hammersley.

Ralph Whiteside is one of 130 taxables in Lebanon Township in 1750. The following year Ralph is taxed 4 shillings, 6 pence in Lebanon Township. In February 1754, Ralph’s brother James made his will in Lebanon Township. This important document helped to piece together the puzzle of the Whitsett family in Pennsylvania. James was suffering from some sort of long-term illness; he died seven years later in Cumberland County. James stated his occupation as “weaver.” This bit of information tells us that James, and probably all of his brothers, had a trade learned in Ireland, which they practiced after coming to America before they turned to farming. James also mentions his wife Ann and son John, and the fact that he had seven children. He states, “I herewith constitute make and ordain my only and sole executors of this My Last Will and Testament Ralph Whitsite, & James McNees & Thomas Hammersley.” The will was written and signed in the presence of John Allen, Mary A. Wyland and Isabell Hammersley (probably the wife of Thomas). Both James and Ann signed the document with their marks.

The WARRANT REGISTERS for Lancaster County shows that Robert Varner (sic) obtained a warrant for 200 acres on Mill Creek in Lebanon Township. This land was surveyed on December 3, 1754. The survey gives his name as Robert Verner. He owned 272 acres on the southern boundary of John Whiteside’s tract and touching the southwest corner of Ralph Whiteside’s property. The following year Ralph Whiteside is on the tax roll for Lebanon Township. The next reference to Ralph is in the baptismal records of Rev. Stoever. On June 14, 1756 Ralph Whiteside and his wife, Sarah Wilson sponsor the baptism of Susanna Gambil, daughter of John Gambil. Two years later in 1758, Ralph Whiteside is again listed on the tax assessment list for Lebanon Township. On May 16, 1760 Ralph Whiteside had a little more than 216 acres adjacent to tracts originally granted to John Whiteside, Robert Vernor, Casper Stoever, Martin Funk, George Stoitz and the Widow Kryter.

Ralph moved to Cumberland County about 1760. The will of his brother James was probated in Cumberland County in 1761. Court documents indicate that both Ralph and James (and their families) had removed from Lancaster County to Cumberland County. Ralph's Lebanon Township land was later surveyed and patented by George Reynolds. The survey draft, which lists the previous owner shows that When this survey was made and the land sold to George Reynolds, Ralph was probably already living in Cumberland County, just west of Lancaster County across the Susquehanna River from today’s Harrisburg, and a relatively short distance from Lebanon Township.

Researchers of the Tittle family that lived near the Whitsett’s in northern Lancaster and in Cumberland County state that Ralph’s daughter Sarah Whitsett (Whiteside) married Peter Tittle, Jr. in Cumberland County. The marriage took place about 1761. For the next five years the name Ralph Whitsett in its various versions appear in the official records of Cumberland County. In January 1761, Ralph was subpoenaed to appear before the Cumberland County Court of Quarter Sessions. The court document reads, “The King vs. Ralph Whitesides - For keeping a Publick House with [out] license. Defendant being solemnly called appeared not.” I am not certain exactly what constituted this offense, but it must have been a rather common one. Peter Tittle was issued a similar subpoena at about the same time. In January 1761 Sheriff Ezekiel Smith returned his list of grand jury members and it includes Ralph Whitsides and Peter Tittle. On the 21st of April 1761, Ralph Whiteside, James McNees and Thomas Hamersely (sic) were issued letters testamentary. This was the beginning of the probate process for the estate of James. On December 1, 1761 executors Ralph Whitsett and Thomas Hammersley as executors presented the will of “James Whitesides, late of Cumberland County” to the Registers Office at Carlisle, county seat for Cumberland County.

In 1762 the list of taxables in Allen Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, included John Giles, Thomas McGee, Peter Tittle and Ralph Whiteside. The significance of those names is that John Giles married Ann, widow of James Whiteside; also about this time Thomas McGee married Elyse (Alice), daughter of James and Ann Whiteside. On April 20, 1762 the Cumberland County Court of Quarter Session lists grand jurors for the coming session and among them are Ralph Whitsides (sic) and Peter Tittle. On January 8, 1763 Ralph Whitesides is again sworn in on a grand Jury inquest, as he is again in January 1764 and April 1765. Thus, Ralph Whitsett and Peter Tittle served together on the grand jury of Cumberland County for three years from 1762 through 1765.

In 1763, Tobias Hendricks was appointed by the court to layout a road from near Ralph Whitesides’ Mill on Yellow Britches Creek to Harris’ Ferry, or to the County Road leading to Hendricks' own place. This order was followed by a "petition setting forth the gread [great] disconveniency and damage to petitioner by road being laid out from Ralph Whitesides Mill near Yellow Britches Creek to Tobias Hendrix.” In July 1763, the minutes of the court lists the "Account of roads confirmed commencing July Sessions Beginning at Ralph Whitesides' Mill to Harris Ferry, April 1763." Ralph Whiteside’s mill was located in or near the village of Lisburn in Allen Township of Cumberland County and lay in a bend of the Yellow Britches Creek. Ralph's mill was only a few miles southwest of Harris’ Ferry (later became the city of Harrisburg) located near the confluence of the Yellow Britches and the Susquehanna River. This mill is an important clue that helps to tie together Ralph and his son William Wirt Whitsett later of Whitsett, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

On November 26, 1909 John R. Miller read a paper to the Cumberland County Historical Society titled, “Callapatscink, the Yellow Breeches Creek.” Included in the paper was the following passage.

"The mill at this point was established by Ralph Whitesides who took title from Frazier prior to 1767. He borrowed money on mortgage from James Galbraith and built a mill and saw-mill, etc., and failed. Galbraith foreclosed his mortgage and Sheriff Holmes sold the property on January 28, 1767, to James Galbraith."

In 1765 Ralph Whitsett sold to William Bennett the lot in Lisburn “where Jacob Flickernell had built his brick house." The last record I have found of Ralph is dated June 21, 1765. Ralph Whiteside entered a Caveat against the acceptance of a Survey and patent being granted to Thomas Stuart and his father Arthur. These records dating between 1760 and 1765 indicate that Ralph lived somewhere between Mechanicsburg and Carlisle, a description that could apply to Lisburn. I can find no record of Ralph after 1765. The Craig Sharrow genealogy for the Sharrow and Charron families states that the Whitsett family left Cumberland County in 1770 because Indians had burned out their flour mill. That sounds much less embarrassing than telling everyone the business had failed and the mill foreclosed. It is my guess that Ralph removed to Westmoreland County and probably lived with one of his children there. He may have died in Fayette County.

Ralph was the father of William Wirt, Samuel, and Joseph Whitsett/Whitsitt. Ralph’s son William Wirt Whitsett fought in the Revolution and is buried in the Perryopolis cemetery. William named his only son Ralph. Samuel married Margaret (possibly Margaret Tittle) and removed about 1786 to Kentucky. He died in Montgomery County in 1815. One of his sons was also named Ralph. Some have erroneously claimed the elder Samuel was Samuel Varner Whitsitt, actually a later descendant. Ralph’s third son, Joseph married Mary Clifford in Fayette County and removed to Harrison County, Kentucky after the Revolution. Some researchers have suggested that Joseph and Mary also had a son named Ralph, although I have not located any source documents to support that assumption. However, the names of these grandsons tell us pretty clearly that Ralph Whiteside/Whitsitt was the immigrant ancestor of the Fayette County, Pennsylvania and Kentucky Whitsett and Whitsitt families. Today, multiple descendants of Ralph and son Samuel are in the Whiteside Family Association yDNA project.

The children of Ralph and Sarah Wilson Whitsett are as follows:

1. Son Samuel Whitsett born about 1745, removes to Montgomery County, Kentucky.

2. Daughter Sarah Whitsett Tittle born on June 13, 1748 in Lancaster County, married Peter Tittle in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania in 1771. Sarah died on October 14, 1812 probably in Westmoreland County.

3. Son William Wirt Whitsett born in 1752 and died in Fayette County, Pennsylvania in 1842.

4. Son Joseph Whitsett born about 1750 in Pennsylvania, died in Harrison Co. KY, married Mary Clifford.

Ronald N. Wall

Modified: 19 June 2018