The History of the immigrant Whiteside and Whitsett families into colonial Pennsylvania who settled first in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and then spread to Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky from 1714 until 1800

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What follows is the result of several months of research of Pennsylvania state records by William R. Whiteside, chief historian for the Whiteside Family Association and me. Most of these records came from various sites on the Internet. I believe that there is much more material available at the local level in the areas where the Whiteside’s and Whitsett’s lived in Pennsylvania. Those resources are records in local historical societies and records kept in county archives. An additional bonus would be church records if they could be found. Investigating those types of records is beyond our capabilities at the present time. More and more records are being made available on-line. Perhaps in the future we will be able to access local records on our PC’s from the comfort of our homes. We need additional evidence in the form of concrete documentation of the make up of these families. That type of evidence is usually found in wills, probate records, court records and deeds. In Pennsylvania, all of these records are kept at the local level.

This essay contains theories and educated guesses based on the documents we were able to locate. The path to the truth begins with a hypotheses and this text represents the first step on that road. What we have been searching for is historical fact, not a convenient explanation. If our theories are good they will stand the test of time and if not, they will fall by the wayside, rightfully so. The conclusions represented here are not carved in stone. We are willing to consider any documented evidence. There is always the possibility that we misinterpreted our documentation. If you dispute our analysis, we will welcome a constructive discussion of that evidence. You may not change our minds, but I assure you we will give your views the consideration they deserve. Documentation is critical. Claims by family historians not backed up by solid evidence are no good for our purposes. All to often, family historians are looking for a quick and easy account of their family history. This does everyone a disservice. Of what value is a family history if it is not true? It is especially damaging when others copy these “histories” and family trees and pass them on as fact with only the previous author quoted as the source (sometimes there is not even that level of documentation). Letters and accounts by members of the family being researched are a valid source - as long as they are clearly identified. Often these remembrances contain many inaccuracies but just as often we find a kernel of truth in them.

The footnotes in this text cite sources for the data being discussed. Often, those sources are not the only ones available but represent what I consider representative of the bunch.

A note here about Pennsylvania land records. The system in Pennsylvania for new lands was administered by the land office. The Pennsylvania Land Office issued warrants for survey, to the first person to actually occupy the land. After 1769 the tracts were limited to 300 acres at 13 cents an acre. The land did not have to be paid off until a patent was taken out. Under this system payment could be deferred indefinitely. Obviously, many took advantage of this and the land was not paid for and patents issued or decades after the first owner received his warrant. The first private owner of the land had to pay off any debt in full before he was issued a patent. The land was resurveyed based on the grant to the original warrantee and the survey was then “returned” to the land office with an accurate report of the actual number of acres in the patentee’s tract. These surveys attempted to name the original warrantees of the surrounding tracts at the time of the original warrant, even when the patent was issued decades after the warrant. Most of the surveys that we have are the patent surveys, which were copied at the beginning of the twentieth century from the original survey books. These were gathered together, recorded and labeled as “copied surveys.” The original warrant survey, if there was one, is apparently lost and the later patent surveys were scattered. Because the original warrant and surrounding property identified was identified on the patent survey, the circumstances were at the time of the original warrant have been preserved. I have seen examples where it appears that the original warrant was annexed by a neighbor into their own warrant. The original warrant was then marked void, annexed or appropriated. Sometimes the original warrantee would simply walk away from the land after living on it for years. Once the land was patented, subsequent transfers of the land were documented by the normal type of deed and were recorded at the county level. Even though considerable effort was made to preserve these records, a sizeable number are still unaccounted for.

Clues From Family Legends

We should never dismiss family legends out-of-hand. Neither should we accept them as gospel. Often they contain at least a kernel of truth. On the other hand, if it sounds too fantastic to be true, chances are good that it is a bit of romantic legend, concocted in the fertile imagination of some descendant. If you had one of these imaginative relatives in your family tree, you can take pride of the creative gene he passed down. I use family legends simply as a starting point. Each of these stories below contains an element of fact. Some are closer to the truth than others, but they all give us some insight into how that particular family thought of themselves. The closer in time the event is to the narrator, the better the chance we have of having the true facts of the story. It is the old child’s game. What goes in the ear on the first person in line is rarely anything like what comes out of the mouth of the last person in line. The same holds true with stories passed down from one generation to another. Another common phenomenon in a family legend is the compression of generations. What appears to be one or two generations in the legend can easily turn out to be five or six in reality. If one of the ancestors remained in the same place all of his life and never did anything considered interesting, the less likely that he will be remembered as the story goes from one generation to another. Below are some of the stories that I have collected. The descendants of the Whitsett and Whiteside families that came from Ireland to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania told these stories. Can you spot the fact mixed in with the fiction?

John and Alpha (Witty) Whitsett of St. Louis - Descendants of John Whitsett of Orange County, North Carolina

The source of this story was apparently the subject James Whitsett of St. Louis, or perhaps one of his children. The Goodspeed Publishing Company of Chicago published it in the series of local histories. “… James Whitsett, a native of Guilford County, N.C., is the eldest of a family of fifteen children, and was born June 10, 1818. His parents John and Alpha (Witty) Whitsett, also natives of Guilford County, N.C. moved to St. Louis County, Mo., in 1836 … John Whitsett was the son of James and Mary (Moore) Whitsett, of English and Irish descent, respectively. 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…” HISTORY OF FRANKLIN, JEFFERSON, WASHINGTON, CRAWFORD & GASCONADE COUNTIES, MISSOURI, Goodspeed Pub. Co., Chicago, (1888).

Jan. 16, 1920 - “Today 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, very well. … 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!’ ” Journal of John Albert Dover, (1920); contributed by Leroy Dover of Montana to the Rootsweb Whitsett Mailing List, [from the same family as the Goodspeed history above]

Dr. William Heth Whitsitt ca.1910

Dr. William Heth Whitsitt - Descendant of William and Elizabeth (Dawson) Whitsett The Reverend William Heth Whitsitt was a highly respected Baptist clergyman and scholar. He taught the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as a well respected professor of Church History and Polemical Theology until his elevation to the office of President in 1895, when he became the third head of the seminary since its original founding in South Carolina. Dr. Whitsitt’s unflinching honesty in the historical accuracy of some Southern Baptist dogma caused him problems as President of the Seminary, and in 1899 he resigned that position and accepted a professor's position in the Department of Philosophy at Richmond College in Virginia. He remained there as a professor of Theology and Philosophy until 1910. Dr. Whitsitt died in 1911 and his personal papers were donated to the University of Virginia Library and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, none of his notes on his family’s history were among those papers. He wrote a series of four articles that appeared in the American Historical Magazine, published in Nashville during 1904. His articles opened with the following paragraph.

“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. … The Blakey family, of Russellville, Kentucky, has kept the best records of these. 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. … ‘William Whitsitt, the son of William Whitsitt, the son of Samuel Whitsitt (all of Ireland), married Elizabeth Dawson, of Ireland. William Whitsitt, son of the aforesaid William, married Miss Ellen Menees, daughter of James Menees, who married the widow of Ranney Breathitt, formerly Miss Ellen Cardwell; died at the residence of his son, the Rev. James Whitsitt, in the vicinity of Nashville, Tennessee, July 14, 1811. Ellen Menees Whitsitt, his wife was born -------, and died at Rural Choice, Kentucky, the home of her son—in—law, George Blakey, September 13, 1818.’ … Here are four generations of the family. Of these the first two died in Ireland, William Whitsitt the second was the immigrant, and shortly after the year 1731 he came over the sea with his wife, Elizabeth (Dawson) Whitsitt, and their son, William Whitsitt the third, who had been born in their Irish home on the 20th of August, 1731. … It is assumed that the Nashville Whitsitts landed in Pennsylvania along with the other Scotch—Irish immigrants; but the ship that bore them and the precise date of its arrival are as yet unknown. If William Whitsitt, the immigrant, had other children besides his son William the third, the family records take no account of them; nor does any tradition of them survive in the memories of the family.” WILLIAM H. WHITSITT, “Annals of a Scotch-Irish Family: The Whitsitts of Nashville, Tenn.” American Historical Magazine, Nashville. (Published in four consecutive issues in 1904).

Henry G. Whitsett,
Descendant of William Wirt Whitsett

“… I am the youngest son of Ralph Crawford Whitsett and Rachel Dunn Whitsett of Va. My grandfather, Wm. Whitsett, fought in the Revolution, was under Col. Crawford and married Col. Crawford's niece, Hadessa. I am of Scotch-Irish descent and all my forebears came from Va. Grandfather was born in 1752, Father in 1801, and self in 1852. If you can figure out any relation I would be pleased to hear from you… My oldest Brother's name was James Estel Whitsett; I have one Brother, A. H. living at Mt. Ida and sister, M. H. Whitsett Hindron living in Dayton [Dayton] Wash. She is past 90.”  Nov. 11, 1929 - Letter from Henry G. (H.G.) Whitsett of Brevard, N.C. and Eustis, Florida to James Edward (J.E.) Whitsett of Weatherford, Texas

“… Your letter of Nov. 24 received here. Owing to bad weather in mountains we did not get started here till the 19th and got here on the 21st and it takes some time to get things cleaned up after six months absence. I am confident that we are some kind of kinfolks. I will give you our family tradition as I remember it. We are of Scotch Irish desent and are from Virginia. James - John and William Whitsett left Va. To go south and my Grandfather William stopped in Pa. And his two brothers went on south and grandfather never heard from either of them while he lived. My grandfather William was born in 1752 and married Hadessa Crawford a niece of Col. William Crawford of Revolutionary fame. Grandfather fought under Col. Crawford. Col. Crawford and grandfather lived at Connellsville Pa and the City have recentley erected a monument to his memory. Grandfather William also lived at Layton Pa. And Pittsburg and Jacks Run Pa. Grandmother died and was buried at Layton Pa. Grandfather and Grandmother had thirteen children. Twelve girls and one boy who was the youngest and my father born in 1801 and died at my house in 1892. … My daughter Gertrude Whitsett Kipp is applying to get into the Daughters of the Revolution. Grandfathers service record under William Crawford in the state records at Philadelphia Pa. Are the same as our tradition. An old history of Fayette Co. Pa. By Nelson speaks of my grandfather as being a great indian fighter and scout and a friend of George Washington. I was born in Fayette Co. Pa. Was in Ky. Six years and came to Fla. In 1890. [Signed H.G. Whitsett]  Nov. 1929 - Letter from Henry G. Whitsett of Eustis, Florida to James Edward Whitsett of Weatherford, Texas.

James Simeon Whitsett, Descendant of Samuel and Margaret Whitsett of Ky. “Among the pioneer settlers of Jackson county is numbered this gentleman [J.S. Whitsett of Jackson County, Mo.], who for many years has been identified with the best interests of the locality … The Whitsett family was of Scotch origin, and was founded in America in the early history of this country. The great-grandfather of our subject [Samuel Whitsett] served as sheriff of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He was at one time a very wealthy man, but owing to his great generosity lost much of his property. He removed to Kentucky when his son, James Whitsett, the grandfather of our subject, was a lad of 12 years.” A Memorial & Biographical Record of Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co. Part 4; J.S. Whitsett, (1896)

James Simeon "Sim" Whitsett ca.1920

Albert Scott Whitsitt,
Descendant of Samuel and Margaret of Ky.

[Albert Scott Whitsitt died on 16 Dec. 1930 six months after this letter was written] “… I am myself compiling knowledge and historical data of our family on my father and mother's side of the house with the purpose of publishing a small pamphlet concerning the same for the benefit of those now living and those that will come on like yourself … Originally the Whitsitts are of Scotch or possibly Scotch Irish descent the first emigrants of the name John and Samuel arrived in the port of N.Y. from Londonderry, Ireland about 1767 so far as I have gone and emigrated to western Pennsylvania they married each of them and emigrated - John to Tennessee and Samuel to Ky. Thus forming two wings so to speak - we, the Ind. Branch are of the Sam wing, that wing many of them remaining in Ky. And quite a few emigrated to Ind. …This is only a casual explanation of the where abouts of yourself and there is much more that might be added. I could give dates to most all I have written, but that would add much to the extent of this letter via I will state that President Jas. K. Polk's wife's mother was one of John's daughters of the southern wing of our family where they spread out from Tenn. To North and South Carolina and lots of John's descendants in Georgia. … This will give you a little idea so I'll close by adding I'd be pleased to meet you and wise you up a little more about the family if further desired.”  June 18, 1930 - Letter, from Albert Scott Whitsitt of Deputy, Indiana to Leroy Whitsitt, Decatur, Illinois.

Julian C. Whitsett,
Descendant of Samuel and Margaret of Ky.

[Great great grandson of Samuel and Margaret (Tuttle) Whitsett] “… There are three branches of the Whitsett Family. Three brothers came over from Ireland before the Revolutionary War. One settled in Virginia; one in Pennsylvania and the other I think in West Virginia & finally into Kentucky. The branch from which I descended was the Pennsylvania brother if I have it straight. My Grandfather, William Whitsett was a Circuit Rider of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in MO. Around in Jackson; Johnson Co. Mo. There were three sons & several daughters. The sons; Jeff, Gib, and Young William…” Oct. 27, 1958 - Letter from Julian C. Whitsett, Ashland, Oregon to Charley Whitsett, Orland, California.

“… Coming back to the Whitsett Family. The Whitsett's of Lafayette County, Mo. Were of the same branch of the Family tree as my father's family. They were mainly located around Odessa, Mo. Looking back about 65 years I remember I think his name was Oliver Whitsett a 2nd cousin of my father's. The rest of them I do not recall… Just looked at "Family Tree" I have copy of and find these names correct… Briefly - Samuel Whitsett after Rev. War settled in Pa. His son John settled in Mo. (my Great Grandfather) His son John R. -my grandfather, settled in Johnson County. (There was 4 other sons)…”  December 1858 – Letter from Julian C. Whitsett to Willis Whitsett [son of Charles]

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Pennsylvania Origins

Professor William Thornton Whitsett’s story (above) is based on stories passed on to him by his family, particularly his uncle Alfred. He also borrowed heavily from Dr. William H. Whitsitt’s 1904 family history published in four parts in The American Historical Magazine of Nashville, Tennessee. We know from Professor Whitsett’s daughter Carrie that he was in touch with the family of Ralph Crawford Whitsett of Fayette, Pennsylvania. Henry G. Whitsett, son of Ralph, confirmed this in a letter he wrote in 1929. Supposedly, Professor Whitsett borrowed that family’s Bible, which contained details that he copied in his own writing.¹ Unfortunately, Professor Whitsett did not document any of his sources, making it impossible for us to determine for certain what he borrowed from whom. He stated that he had visited Ireland and copied records there. He specifically mentioned the Heath Money Rolls (a list of tax payers for their homes based on how many heaths – fireplaces – the home had). These records contain many Whiteside and Whitsett names, places and dates, but give you almost no information on relationships. It is my feeling that Professor Whitsett was careless in assuming certain names represented our family.

In addition to Professor Whitsett’s writings, the family stories I have repeated above are mostly legends, but they give us an outline to which we can compare the historical record and reach some conclusions about our early Whiteside/Whitsett family in Pennsylvania. By all accounts they came to Pennsylvania from Ireland, but they seem to have originated in northern England (not Scotland as many believe). We have studied the records of Pennsylvania - those that we have collected and also those of Dr. Don Whiteside and other researchers associated with the Whiteside family. Beginning in the fall and winter of 2007, William R. Whiteside, chief historian for the Whiteside Family Association, and I have located a hefty amount of data on the Whiteside and Whitsett’s over the Internet. I am sure that there are still more records available, but we have not been able to research those that are not available on the Internet. Many of these records are kept at the local level in the counties of Pennsylvania where the Whiteside and Whitsett families lived. Even if we had access to all of the records it appears that it is nearly impossible to identify and separate all of the Whiteside and Whitsett individuals living in early Pennsylvania into specific family groups. In the first one hundred years, from William Penn’s founding in 1681 until the end of the American Revolution, we have as many as five or six generations. During that time there was a steady immigration of Whiteside/Whitsett individuals and families into America making it even more difficult to separate them all. Several families came directly from Ireland and England to settle in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. Although the Whiteside group of immigrants was not especially large, there were enough individuals with similar given names to make it a daunting task to place them in specific family trees. Eventually, perhaps years from now, the solution may rest with results of many yDNA profiles of Whiteside and Whitsett males. In the meantime, we have been able to put together a convincing profile of our particular branch. This essay describes the evidence for our family in Pennsylvania, some of their descendants and their migration to other parts of America.

Professor William Thornton Whitsett’s narrative suggests that the first Whitsett family to arrive in Pennsylvania was ours, and that they came here in 1740. We can easily demonstrate that they were not the first, that there were Whitsitt’s in America much earlier. Even if Professor Whitsett intended his remarks to apply only to the descendants of the first immigrants who today use the version Whitsett or Whitsitt, the documentary evidence still shows that ours was not the first. Plus, I believe it is unproductive to separate the families that used the Whiteside name from those that used a version of Whitsett. Among the Scotch-Irish in the 17th and 18th centuries individuals in the same family used both versions without regard to the spelling their patriarch favored.

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The Whiteside/Whitsett Family of Lebanon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

I have looked very hard at this family of Whiteside/Whitsett's found in Lebanon Township of Lancaster County from 1738 through 1760. The area they first settled is today Lebanon County near the city of Lebanon. What I found to me is exciting. Perhaps to some it may be a bit controversial because it contradicts some of the conclusions of modern day Whitsett researchers. There are several indicators that point to these Whitsett’s as the ancestors of the many Whiteside/Whitsett/Whitsitt families in North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and other states. Tradition of the family and descendants of Samuel Whitsett/Whitsitt, who died in Montgomery County, Kentucky in 1815, suggests that there is a close connection between Samuel, William Whitsitt (who married Elizabeth Dawson) and John Whitsett (ancestor to Sarah Childress Polk, wife of President James K. Polk). I have been skeptical of this connection until recently. The records I have found not only support this tradition but also make clear what those connections were.

This original group consisted of four apparent brothers and a sister: Ralph, John, James, William and Elizabeth. Despite Professor Whitsett’s assertion, we have not found any records of a Joseph that could have been a part of this original group. The surname of this family is spelled in the records as Whiteside(s), Whitside, Whitsitt, Whitsett and a couple of other variations. There are two things that link these four men and one woman. One is, they all had some association with the pioneer Lutheran minister John Casper Stoever, who owned land-adjoining Ralph's in Lebanon Township. The other is that, except perhaps for John, all had ties to James McNees also known as James Menees.

A question arises, why would this documented Presbyterian family be associated with the Lutheran Church in Lancaster County? Perhaps it was because Reverend Stoever was a close neighbor to John, Ralph and brother-in-law John Welsh (husband of Elizabeth). Stoever’s land is depicted on surveys as joining Ralph Whiteside on the north. Also, that area of Lancaster County that is today Lebanon County was mostly populated with German Lutherans from the Rhine Palatinate. It may have been a choice of attending a neighbor's Lutheran Church or not attending church at all. A side note: my direct ancestors, Noah Frederick, and his father George Frederick, also settled in Lebanon Township. Noah was killed by a group of ten Shawnee warriors while plowing his field in 1756 at Swatara Gap. Noah’s oldest son Thomas was captured. The British later returned Thomas to Lancaster after a transfer of captives in 1763. Thomas was my 3rd great grandfather. It is very possible that the Fredericks were acquainted with the Whitesides, as they were also members of one of Rev Stoever’s congregations. It also illustrates some of the hardships the Whitsett families must have endured during the French and Indian War.

The Menees family also settled in Lebanon Township near to the Whitsett siblings. In the Lancaster County register of warrants, James’ name is spelled Meniece, obviously a variation of Menees. In the church records and tax rolls his name is usually spelled as McNees. At a later date, on the militia rolls of Cumberland County are James Meenes and John Meenes descendants of the same family. The Whitsitt family of Nashville said that James’ name was originally McNees but was changed to Menees. There was more than one James McNees/Menees in Lebanon Township. There is little doubt that one of them was the father of Eleanor who married William Whitsitt Jr. in Lancaster County in 1764.

Dr. William Heth Whitsitt, in his history of the Whitsitt family of Nashville, states that records kept by the daughter of William and Eleanor (Menees) Whitsitt show that her grandparents William Whitsett and Elizabeth Dawson were married in Ireland. Dr. Whitsitt using these records states that William’s father was also named William and his grandfather was named Samuel. Even though we have no other source for this information (excluding William Thornton Whitsett), there is little reason to doubt his statement. Thus, we possibly have a family tree for these four brothers and their sister: (1) Samuel Whitsitt or Whiteside, probably born between 1660 and 1670 in Ireland and probably died there before 1750; (2) William, son of Samuel, probably born between 1680 and 1690 in Ireland and probably died in Ireland before 1770. The children of William the 1st were (3) William, born about 1709-1710 in Ireland, married Elizabeth Dawson in Ireland, and possibly died in Amherst County, Virginia; John, probably born between 1710-12 in Ireland and died in Orange County, North Carolina in 1786; Ralph, probably born about 1713 in Ireland, married Sarah Wilson and probably died in Cumberland or Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, after 1765; James, probably born between 1714-20 in Ireland, married Ann (maiden name unknown), and died in Cumberland County in 1761; Elizabeth, born in Ireland probably between 1718-1720, married John Welsh in 1738 in Lebanon Township, Lancaster County and died there probably between 1740 and 1744.

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