The Whiteside and Whitsett's of Pennsylvania - William and Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt

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

William Whitsitt and Elizabeth Dawson

The oldest of the brothers in Lancaster County, and the first to come to America was probably William. According to Dr. William Heth Whitsitt, he, his wife Elizabeth Dawson and son William Jr. came to Pennsylvania probably about 1732-34 shortly after the birth of their son William. Professor W. T. Whitsett claimed that the family came to Pennsylvania around 1740, but evidence points to the earlier date. William Whiteside took out a warrant for 100 acres of land on April 24, 1750 in Cumberland County. Surveys show that the tract actually contained more than 200 acres. The surveys also show his name spelled as Whitesite. The general belief of Whitsitt researchers is that William and his family settled near Harris' Ferry (now Harrisburg). William’s warrant for survey was for a tract located in what later became Allen Township of Cumberland County. Before 1750 Cumberland County was part of Lancaster County. It was west of the Susquehanna River a short distance from Harris' Ferry. In about 1760, William’s brothers Ralph and James moved from Lebanon Township to Allen Township in Cumberland County.

In 1751, both William Sr. and William Jr. appear on the Cumberland County tax list for the Middleton district. One of them also appears on the 1762 tax list for Carlisle, the county seat for Cumberland County. I suspect that William Jr. was living in Carlisle in 1762, shortly before he purchased land in Virginia.

The records of Rev. Stoever record the marriage of William Jr. to Eleanor McNees, daughter of James McNees (Menees), in Bethel Township of Lancaster County (Bethel was created from Lebanon Township and was directly north of the town of Lebanon). Stoever united William and Eleanor McNees in marriage on May 30, 1764.

What we know about William Sr. is mostly from the family record kept by his granddaughter Margaret Whitsitt Blakey. I believe, contrary to some researchers, that William and Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt lived in Pennsylvania almost thirty years before moving to Virginia with their son William Jr. Why are there so few records of him? We have found only his land warrant, survey and tax lists of Cumberland County in 1751-52 and 1762. I believe it was probably because William Sr. was engaged in some sort of trade, perhaps traveling around Lancaster County or in Philadelphia. He may not have come to Lancaster or Cumberland County for a few years after his brothers had settled there. Some support for this theory is that his brother James in his will written in 1754 listed his trade as “weaver”. Most of the Irish Protestant settlers to Pennsylvania in the 1730's and 40's were engaged in a trade before coming to America. Very few were farmers who had owned or leased land of any sizable quantity in Ireland. Many left Ireland in that period because of the collapse of the Irish wool business brought on by the monopolistic practices of the English woolen industry. It is reasonable to think that these "Scotch-Irish" continued their trades in America when possible. However, whether William was a tradesman or not, is simply speculation.

In 1753 William Jr. applied for a patent for sixty acres in Amherst County, Virginia (then part of Albemarle and today is Nelson County), located on the South Branch of the North Fork of Davis’ Creek. He was nearly twenty-two years of age. The tract was surveyed for him on March 29, 1754. William never completed this purchase, but in 1763 he bought 200 acres from John Wade and his wife. The 1754 survey shows that the original tract was adjacent to the estate of John Wade. My belief is that William Whitsitt, Jr. stayed in Pennsylvania because of the French and Indian War, possibly to be close to his parents. Cumberland and northern Lancaster Counties were wracked by the war. After hostilities had faded, William Jr. then bought the land in Amherst County. He returned to Lancaster County at least long enough to marry Eleanor McNees in Bethel Township probably at the home of her father, James. William Jr. then took his new wife and perhaps his mother and father to Amherst County. Shortly after this, Eleanor’s father James Menees also left Pennsylvania and moved south to Virginia. It is claimed by some researchers that William Sr., husband of Elizabeth Dawson, died in Amherst County, Virginia about 1770. I have seen nothing to support or contradict this. Others claim he died in Orange County, North Carolina probably before 1780. I doubt this, but I cannot disprove it. Eventually William Jr. and his wife Eleanor Menees Whitsitt moved from Amherst to Henry County in Virginia. Then in about 1790 they moved to Davidson County, Tennessee. In the early 1800’s they moved to Rural Choice in Logan County, Kentucky. William died at the home of his son James near Nashville in 1811. Eleanor died in Rural Choice, Kentucky in 1818.

Professor William T. Whitsett in his family history says that William was a "great Indian fighter." I think this is a bit of romantic legend. William Sr. and William Jr. would have been "Indian fighters" in the period of 1755 through 1763 simply out of necessity. Homes were few and far apart in that area of Lancaster and Cumberland County, which were then on the frontier between Indian lands and the white settlements of Pennsylvania. After hostilities began and Indian attacks became frequent, neighbors would band together in small militia groups to help defend, or at least track down the attackers. They would attempt to free captives and exact revenge on the war party. Usually, if these militia groups consisted of twenty or more men, they were considered a large company. Many "forts" were built in the area of today’s Cumberland and Lebanon Counties and several are referenced in Pennsylvania records. These forts were simply stockades hurriedly erected by farmers for the protection of their family and any neighbors that could make it to the stockade when an alarm was raised. Usually, it was too late for the intended targets of the Indians, who attacked in small bands without warning and quickly disappeared into the woods and mountains.

There are a couple of things that I find peculiar about the history of the family of William and Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt's family. The first is that there appears to be no record, except for William Jr., in Pennsylvania or elsewhere of any other children. This seems a bit odd for the time. Before modern times, families tended to be large, only in part because of the lack of any sort of artificial birth control. The fortunes of most families depended to some degree on the labor of their children, especially on farms. If Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt bore no other children we have to wonder why, and when did she die? Perhaps it was in Ireland or the voyage to America.

Dr. William Heth Whitsitt in his family history of the Whitsitt's cites some Albemarle County, Virginia deeds and church records dated between 1754 and 1770 as evidence of the existence of Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt, some of which contain her given name. One document in particular that Dr. Whitsitt references is dated in 1770. It tells of Elizabeth, wife of William Whiteside of Amherst County, being examined about her dower rights in the sale of land in Albemarle County by her husband William. This seemed to be good evidence that Elizabeth was alive as late as 1770. However, we can now show that these documents are in fact associated with Elizabeth Stockton and her husband William Whiteside later of Rutherford County, North Carolina. Significantly, 1770 is about the time this couple and their large family removed from Virginia to North Carolina. The Albemarle County records dated in the 1750's would contradict our assertions that both William Sr. and William Jr. were in Pennsylvania during that decade. However, a careful analysis of these records show that almost without exception they refer to William and Elizabeth Stockton Whiteside, not William and Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt. The records document the settlement on Ivy Creek and Mechum's River by the Whiteside and the Stockton families. The Stockton name almost always shows up somehow with the Whitesides.

The Stockton relatives and in-laws of Elizabeth and William Whiteside witnessed several of the deeds of Albemarle County neighbors. A look at historical maps of Virginia, taking in account the changes in county boundaries does little to help us distinguish the William of Ivy Creek on Mechum's River from either of the William Whitsitt's who came to Amherst County from Pennsylvania during the 1760’s. Both of these families were in Amherst County at one time or another. However, the Amherst County records pertaining to the Pennsylvania family usually use the name “Whitsitt” rather than “Whiteside.” We had one advantage over Dr. Whitsitt when we were doing our research. We knew about William and Elizabeth Stockton Whiteside. I feel certain that Dr. Whitsitt did not, or he probably would have noticed some of the discrepancies that indicate these were two separate families. I believe that we need a more thorough examination of Virginia Colonial records to help us clarify who was who, and who was where during the Amherst period of their lives.

If Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt lived until the 1770's, it seems very odd that Margaret Whitsitt Blakey took no note in the family records of children other than William Jr. Even Dr. Whitsitt made specific mention of this in his family history. Other than just a lack of documents, there could be other reasons why no other children are found in this family. I am inclined to believe that Elizabeth died not long after the birth of their son William. Many lives were lost in the Atlantic crossing and the victims were buried at sea. Young pregnant women were especially vulnerable. Elizabeth could have been among them. If William remarried, his second wife did not bear him any children. The second fact that I find odd is that William Jr. was thirty-three years of age when he married Eleanor Menees, much older than the average. Not only do the records of Rev. Stoever support the fact that the couple was married in 1764, but also the birth dates for most of their children as recorded by Margaret Whitsitt Blakey point to that date. The birth date of the oldest daughter, Frances, is not given in Dr. Whitsitt’s history, but is estimated to have been early in 1765. The second daughter, Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt, was born on November 23, 1765. Is it possible that William Jr. was married once before he married Eleanor? We know that Eleanor was at least eight years younger than William. That much of an age difference was not unusual for a second marriage, but was unusual if it was the first for both. Of course, I can speculate all I want. The fact is that I have found no records to help support my theory. But, when we find these types of curiosities in a family history, it is important to keep them in mind while continuing our research.

William and Eleanor Menees Whitsitt had the following children, as documented in Dr. William Heth Whitsitt’s, “The Whitsitt's of Nashville, Tennessee” and multiple other sources. This is a brief summary. For more information please see “Annals of a Scotch-Irish Family: The Whitsitt's of Nashville, Tennessee." Copies of the four articles that appeared in the American Historical Magazine, Vol. IX published in 1904 are available from the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville for the cost of the copies. These articles are a must for anyone researching this family. Daughter Frances, the oldest, was born probably in 1764 in Amherst County, Virginia. Daughter Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt was born on November 23, 1765 in Amherst County, Virginia, married William Breathitt and died in Kentucky on April 3, 1834. Daughter Margaret was born on October 26, 1767 in Virginia, married George Blakey and died in Kentucky on October 25, 1859. Daughter Jane was born in 1769 and died in Virginia in 1775. Son James Whitsitt was born on January 31, 1771 in Amherst County, Virginia. He was a well-known Baptist clergyman and the founder and minister of the Mill Creek Baptist Church near Nashville. There is a lot of material available on him over the Internet. Son Samuel Whitsitt was born about 1773 in Virginia and died at the age of 19 in Tennessee. Daughter Nancy Whitsitt was born about 1775 in Virginia and died sometime after 1811 in Tennessee. Daughter Ellen Frances Whitsitt was born about 1779 in Virginia, married Judge Reuben Ewing and died in Kentucky in 1834. Daughter Susan Whitsitt was born in Henry County, Virginia about 1780 and died as a young girl around 1790 in Henry County. Son William Whitsett was born in 1780 in Virginia, married Emily Haden in 1799 and died in Canton, Mississippi in 1842. Daughter Sarah Whitsett was born about 1783 in Virginia, married Reese Porter in 1805 and died in Kentucky in 1810.

William Whiteside 1750 Land Warrant and Survey

Records of the Penn. Land Office, WARRANT REGISTERS, 1733-1957
Cumberland County
Warrant No: 1
Warrantee: Whiteside, William
Description: Survey
Quantity: 100 (the surveys actually show more than 200 acres of the original warrant subsequently patented by four different individuals between 1804 and 1817. See the survey below).
Warrant Location: ? Twp.
Date of warrant: 24 April 1750
Date of Return: 27 June 1804, Acres: 124. 110 (124 acres and 110 perches) Patentee: John Guyer Vol. P No. 54 pg. 339
Date of Return: 30 Oct 1812 Acres: 12. 69 Patentee: Abraham Smith Vol. H No. 7 pg. 574
Date of Return: 2 Nov 1812, Acres: 101. 76 Patentee: John Weaver, Vol. H No 7 pg. 582
Date of Return: 8 July 1817 Acres: 7. 77 Patentee: Michael Ege Jr. Vol. H No. 15 pg. 46
[Note says part of warrant was destroyed]

COPIED SURVEYS 1681-1912, Book A14 pg. 4

[This "Copied Survey" is a sketch of a tract labeled "William Whiteside 245 as. 143 ps. & allo. Bordering this property is: David Hoover (north corner); Samuel Martin (nw side); Jacob Kenower (sw side); Jacob Crisher (south side); Jno. William's heirs (south east side); Geo. Moyer (north east side)]

“The Draught of a tract of land Situate in Allen Township Cumberland County containing two hundred & Forty five acres & one hundred & forty three perches & allowance &c. Re-surveyed 29th December 1803 on a warrant granted to William Whiteside Dated 24th April 1750.
Wm. Ramsey, D. S.
To Samuel Cochran Esquire
Surveyor Gen'l of Pensy'a

 

Ronald N. Wall
Updated: 26 August 2018