William Thornton Whitsett Family History Part 2

Dr. Whitsett's Notes

Page 1

The region of the Annan River in the southern county of Dumfries, Scotland, is the original home of the Whitsett family. Scotland of that earlier day had what is known as the clan system. One was chosen as chieftain because of his wisdom, experience, and popularity, and the followers of his clan bore his name. The Whitsett's were a division, or sept, or tribe, of one of the Annadale clans known as the Bell clan which is mentioned as far back as 1547.

In order to understand why many of the Whitsett's left Scotland went into Ireland, it is necessary to glance at certain events. James I, son of Mary Queen of Scots, became the first Stuart king of England. He was a contradictory character. Certain of the earls of Ireland conspired against the English government and were driven from the kingdom; their vast estates reverted to the crown. These lands were divided into small farms, and the people of Scotland were urged to come over and occupy them. Thousands of Scots went over, feeling sure that James I would be kind and sympathetic toward Ireland. The "flight of the earls" placed the whole of northern Ulster for government disposition. The Whitsett's poured into the counties of Antrim and Armagh, Ireland, because of this. Here in these two counties in the extreme northwestern part of Ireland, near the city of Belfast, they prospered and lived as loyal subjects of the government. However, they received in return only distrust and suspicion which finally led to their determination to abandon their new Irish home. The injustice and oppression that they were forced to endure together with the glowing reports of the New World brought thousands of the Scotch-Irish to Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina. Among these were the earliest Whitsett immigrants to this country.

There is much valuable source material of early families of Antrim and Armagh counties, Ireland, to be found in records in charge of the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland at Belfast.

There are variations in the spelling of Whitsett, Whitsitt, Whiteside, Whitesides, Whitsed, Whitesett, Whitesitt, Whitesid, Whitset, Whitsit --- the first three being the ones most commonly found. In Albemarle County, Va., and what was once Augusta Co., but is now Rockbridge Co., Va., the early spelling was often Whiteside; but it is clearly established that the Whitsitt's of both Tennessee and Texas trace directly back to these early Whitesides. Numerous instances of how the name was changed might be given; for instance, in the Albemarle Co. records William Whiteside in named. He had a son, William Whiteside who is mentioned as a member of the Albemarle militia. When this son moved to Amherst, he signed himself William Whitsitt. He bought a farm of 200 acres from John Wade in 1763 and this deed was made to him as William Whitsitt. In June 1770 he sold this same farm to William Martin and in making the deed signed his name as William Whiteside. In his work, The Scotch-Irish, Hanna mentions families of the Whiteside name in northern Ireland who are definitely known to be the same families that later spelled the family name Whitsett or Whitsitt in the United States.

As far as is known, the first Whitsett's to come to this country were in a family group of five: three brothers, William, Joseph, and John Whitsett and William's wife, Elizabeth Dawson Whitsett and nine year old son William. They came from Antrim County, Ireland to Pennsylvania in 1740. These brothers became early settlers in the lower valley of the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, then known as Harris' Ferry. One of them later lived at Hannastown which was burned by the Indians in 1781; still another settled at Pittsburgh.

After 1740 there were other immigrants of the Whitsett name who came from Antrim and Armagh Counties, Ireland, to become founders of families in America.

So much for a background on the Whitsett-Whitsitt family in general. Family groups will now be recorded. However, further research needs to be made in regard to authentic proof of relationship (re: Henry Whitsett 1730/1800), dates (re: Henry down through John and Ruth L. or Lissie or Louisa Low or Loe Whitsett) and names (re: last mentioned as wife of John Whitsett, father of Austin Whitsett). There are discrepancies in the various papers from which this information is drawn.

Dr. William Thornton Whitsett - Whitsett Family History

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Whitsett's Notes