The information on Samuel Whitsett of Ireland and the Irish Whitsett's comes mainly from Dr. William Thornton Whitsett, PhD, of Whitsett, North Carolina. Prof. Whitsett was a historian and professor at the University of North Carolina during the early twentieth century. I have a copy of his notes on the Whitsett family history that were obtained from his daughter Mrs. Carrie Whitsett Hayes in 1980, and from his papers at the University of North Carolina obtained around the same time. Neither of these documents includes reference to sources. Professor Whitsett died in 1934 before publishing his work. Mrs. Hayes did not know of any other documents related to these notes. She did know that Prof. Whitsett had obtained a family Bible from the descendants of Revolutionary War hero William Wirt Whitsett of Fayette County, Pennsylvania who supposedly was born in Ireland. After Prof. Whitsett’s death the Pennsylvania family asked for the return of the Bible, but it could not be found. My own research shows that during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries there were Whitsett families in Counties Armagh and Antrim in Ireland. One can find the names of Samuel, William, Joseph and Robert Whitsett. Because of the lack of source documentation, it is impossible to evaluate the validity of Prof. Whitsett's conclusions. One should exercise caution when using Prof. Whitsett's information. Perhaps a more reliable source on the early family is Dr. William Heth Whitsitt of Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Whitsitt of Nashville was a prominent theologian and professor of history.  He states in articles published in 1904 in Nashville that his information for William and Elizabeth Dawson Whitsitt who came from Ireland was from his aunt, daughter of William Whitsitt (and Ellen Menees) of Nashville who was the son of William and Elizabeth (Dawson) Whitsitt.

"The Whitsitt family is widely extended. Persons bearing the surname and blood may be found in nearly every portion of the United States and Canada, as also in Ireland and Scotland. To treat of them all would be beyond my powers and learning. I shall therefore confine my attention to that small portion of the family with which I chance to be most acquainted, namely the Nashville Whitsitt's The best records of these have been kept by the Blakey family, of Russellville, Ky. They rest upon the industry and authority of three persons, namely, Mrs. Margaret (Whitsitt) Blakey; her son, Doctor George Douglas Blakey, and her grandson, Honorable Churchill H. Blakey, all of whom are now deceased. They were industrious chroniclers, and the family owes them a debt of gratitude.

No recent researcher has been able to find documentation to support Dr. Whitsitt's claim as to the ancestors of William Whitsitt who married Elizabeth Dawson, but it seems plausible based on the fact that the information was passed down to him from his great aunt and her family who apparently kept a record, now lost to us, of the early family.

William Thornton Whitsett, PhD, Whitsett, Dr. William Thornton Papers (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, (abt. 1910)), Source Medium: Manuscript; These papers also include rough drafts of Dr. Whitsett's notes obtained by Pearl Whitsett Miller in the early 1980's from Dr. Whitsett's daughter, Carrie Whitsett Hayes who was living in Whitsett, North Carolina.

William Heth Whitsitt, Annals of a Scotch-Irish Family: The Whitsitt's of Nashville, Tenn. (American Historical Magazine, Vol. IX, Nashville, Tennessee, 1904).

"The best records of these have been kept by the Blakey family, of Russellville, Ky. They rest upon the industry and authority of three persons, namely, Mrs. Margaret (Whitsitt) Blakey; her son, Doctor George Douglas Blakey, and her grandson, Honorable Churchill H. Blakey, all of whom are now deceased. They were industrious chroniclers, and the family owes them a debt of gratitude."

No recent researcher has been able to find documentation listing the names of the father and grandfather in Ireland; but, it seems plausible based on the fact that the information was passed down to Dr. Whitsitt by the family of his great aunt who apparently kept a record of the early family. The children of William listed here is based on strong circumstantial evidence. They were a family group that located in the area near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in Lebanon Township of Lancaster County beginning shortly before 1740. I believe there were four brothers and a sister, but if they were not siblings, they were close relatives.

William Thornton Whitsett, PhD, Whitsett, Dr. William Thornton Papers (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, (abt. 1910)), Source Medium: Manuscript; These papers also include rough drafts of Dr. Whitsett's notes obtained by Pearl Whitsett Miller in the early 1980's from Dr. Whitsett's daughter, Carrie Whitsett Hayes who was living in Whitsett, North Carolina.

William Heth Whitsitt, Annals of a Scotch-Irish Family: The Whitsitt's of Nashville, Tenn. (American Historical Magazine, Vol. IX, Nashville, Tennessee, 1904).