Sunday, November 18, 2007

text bridge type and wilbur's letter

THE WHITSITT RECORD

This information was gathered by Virgil Vest Whitsitt-- oldest son of Joseph and Mary Etta in 1908 and 1909--from Uncle Dan Whitsitt--his daughter Merg--Uncle Crawford and Uncle Ed Foster and others also from cemetery markers in Wesley Chapel--(Scott Co. , Ind. ) Mt. Carmel (Jefferson Co. , Ind. ) Bethany.
The first Whitsitts in the USA were two brothers from Londonderry, Ireland— landing at Plymouth, Mass, in 1770. They were Presbyterians. John and Samuel.
1. John--settled in N Carolina--his descendants settled generally in the
southern states. Pres. Polk’s wife was his grandaughter.
2. Samuel--the other brother was Our Ancestor. He was my great great grandfather
(Elois Whitsitt Burger). He settled in Penn. his children were:
John— who settled in No.(Lexington).
other sons — Joseph, settled in Ind.; James in KY., and Ralph, Ky.
Great great grandfather Samuel had 3 wives:
No. 1 was a Phillips, their children were John, Newt, Lucinda, Emily, and
Wesley whose son, Gibson was a music teacher, my father studied and practiced
singing under him.
No. 2 was Elizabeth King— children were Margaret, Reed and King (twins)
No. 3 was Dolly Phillips. Children Nancy (Bell), Peggy (Ramsey), Rachel & Sarah,
all girls.

William (my great grandfather) married Anne McGee— 1797—
children: John — Samuel — Polly— James (father of Lish, Mag and Betsy), William, Betsy (Airheart) who was mother of John, Bill, Sarah & Millissee.
Our great grandmother--his second wife was Martha Woodard.
their children:
1. Joseph (our grandfather) June 7, 1813-Jan. 13, 1892, Deputy, Ind. Buried in Wesley Chapel Cemetery--Scott Co. Ind. (near Austin).
2. Sally, mother of Julie (Mrs. Riley) Phillips, Steven Fletch, Jim Harve & Sadie.
3. Chesley--Jan3 23, 1819-Apr 12, 1902 — buried in Bethany Cemetery, Jefferson Co. (near Deputy) wife was Mary M. children: Clay, John Allen Tom--whose children were Cora (who married Chas. Lowry--Mother of Carmen--of Indianapolis) Daisy, Mallie Robert and Mall. Robert is father of Cousins Grace (Baldwin) and Delcia (Sarver).
The 3rd wife of Great Grandfather was Nancy Green Hill.
Children: Lot, Ralph (Ralph married Demp Robertson’s wife’s grandmother) children, Wm T John Addison, Dan--(the Uncle Dan Virgil got this information from) Allie Jane Alice Oscar Ella Mellissa Ann, mother of Dell Dixon and grand mother of Xie Dixon Hopkins of Deputy (I, Elois, correspond with. Daniel married Martha Wilson-- children were Sis, Merg, Albert, Allen--children Ola Tina Lowry--mother of Carmen Waiter Lizzy, Dee Lot Demp.

Joseph, our grandfather son of William married Elvira Foster--children:
Martha June, Hannah, William, Jas. Crawfor [sic], Merince, Philinda, Hiram, John Madison, Sarah, Laura. Oliver, Philura, George, Ancil, Joseph Jr my father (Elois)

Elvira died in 1872 and grandfather married Elzina Robertson (later). She was a good stepmother my father said--great grandfather William was born May 6, 1767-May 9.1854. Grandfather Joseph, June 7,1813-Jan.13 1892 at Deputy, Ind. Step mother Elzina died in 19__ at Deputy (I, Elois, remember her and have a little cup and a picture she gave to me.

Joseph W Jr was born on the family farm by Mt Gilead Church which his father built on a corner of the farm and furnished the lumber--it was Methodist--all worshiped there. Mort Spear (grandson) bought out the heirs & lived on the family farm til he retired and aged & moved into Deputy where he & wife Ann both died–about 1950.

Children of my grandfather Joseph Sr and Their Children:

1. Myrtle (or Martha) Jane married Cephes De Berry- a farmer(Ind). They had
6 children: Deena who married Asbury Speak [Spear?]- Joe (m. Rhoda Jennings), John (in. Jennie Kay--Clay Center, Ks.) Clara m. Chas Sipe, farmer Scott Co., Tillie (m. Allie Chasteen , farmer Scott Co.)
2.Hannah married Finney Tobias--has 1 son Finney Jr. (Ill.) Hannah was wet nurse to my father Joseph W. she had lost her baby and could nurse him well--his mother couldn’t. (This is a most unusual incident).
3.William died in youth--1839
4. James Crawford born 1841 died about 1920--married Harriet Day--we called her “Aunt Retta” had 5 children--all are dead. Oldest was Addison a prominent physician in Madison, Ind. for over 60 years--Ben, Egbert, Myrtle, and Porter, they lived on a farm north of ours near Deputy, Ind. He was very fond & very good to my father--who was the baby brother.
5.May Rince--1843 married Isom T Vest, 1 child Vivian who married Lawrence Richard a merchant at Effingham, Ks
6.Philanda-1845- married Samuel F Spear a soldier who was killed in Rev War [actually he got sick and died while serving in Civil War–editor’s note] the next year they had 1 son Mort--Grandpa raised him & he later bought out the heirs and lived on grandpa’s farm by Gilead church--which by the way grandpa helped to build furnishing the timber and land.
7.Hiram--1847--had 3 children, lived in Indianapolis--was a teacher, died young, one son survives in Indpls.
8. John Madison--1849--died in youth
9. Sarah C 1851--married Sander Tull had 2 children- Rille and Arnie both married had children and died in their early SO’s.
10. Laura E--1853 married Rodney Foster--1 daughter Fannie Fern (Smithon) now of Dana Point near LA Cal. She is a widow- is a C S [Christian Science?] practitioner.
11.Oliver C--1854--married Josie Byfield- 2 daughters Dallie and Cora. Dallie died when her son Ernest Baxter was about 8 yrs and Cora died when her son Rollin Hudson was5 yrs old. Both boys were raised by their grandparents--they live in Tulsa. Oliver died at 89 yrs of age--Rollin’s son Morse Roan was killed in car accident his first yr in college.
12. Philura--1856 married Ira Acree--had 2 children, Vira and Iva. Vira married DeSoto Jones and lived [sic] and both died in Ind. They had 3 sons and 1 survives. Ira was a barber and lived all over--last yrs in Cal died at 75 yrs
13. George N--1858–married Efla Hagenback--had 4 children--Elva, Harold, Stanley and another girl died in infancy. Elva still lives in St Joseph, Mo has never married. Harold also of St Joe had 2 sons, Gene and Dale and a daughter Marcie. Harold died between 50-6o yrs, his children all are married and have children.
14. Ancil B--1859--had 5 children. Pearl is living in Clay Center, Ks, has two daughters oldest is Irene Nenstiel of Junction City, Ks, Will lives in Cal has 1 son.
15. Joseph W--1860--married Etta Hancock--had 4 children, Virgil Vest, Carl Corwin, Cordella, and Elois (Clella Elois0).
Virgil was born in a sod house near Wakefield,Ks; Carl born near Idana, Ks.; Cordella and Elois born Deputy, Ind.
After living about the 1st 5 years of their married life in Ks J.W. and Etta returned to the old home in Ind. and lived on a farm 2 1/2 mi from Deputy in Scott Co. til spring of 1912 they moved to Tulsa having retired to live next door to Elois and Ray--J E died there in 1932, Etta in 1937.
Virgil married Culla Clark while in Moores Hill College (Ind) They moved to Tulsa about 1925 or later. Virgil became a US letter carrier (city) he died 1939, Paul married Gertrude Seay--had 3 sons--Don, Ray and Gene.
Don and Jaren have 2 daughters, Jill and Penny, live in Cal. Ray and Eleanor have a son Brian and daughter Elaine, live in Tulsa
Gene and Linda have 2 little girls, Melinda and Holly, live in Tulsa.
Carl married Grace White of Stockton, KS, and had 3 sons, Lawrence, Joe and Virgil. Carl lived on farm near Phillipsburg, Kans and retired from the farm in 19__ and did insurance work, had his own office. He died in 1948. Grace survived. living in P’burg.


●●●

Here’s yet another Whitsitt letter.

WILBUR PHILLIPS' LETTER

John Wilbur Phillips (1868-1941) taught school in Alexandria, Indiana. About 1940 he outlined family history in a letter to brother Eugene in Scott County, Indiana. The following transcript of that letter is taken from one done by Eurene's son Myron. Wilbur included Whitsitt information because his mother was a Whitsitt.
Much of the information pertains to Wilbur’s Phillips line, not the Whitsitt line. The Welly Phillips mentioned was James Wendell Phillips, one of Wilbur’s cousins on the Phillips side.

WHITSITT TREE
Samuel Whitsitt and John Whitsitt, brothers, came from Scotland. We are descendants of Samuel. They are as follows:
William, born 1767. His children from three wives are:

FIRST WIFE
1) John, born April 10, 1798
2) Samuel, born August 11, 1800
3) Polly, born December 13, 1802
4) James, born October 22, 1804
5) William, born February 25, 1807
6) Betsy, born February 7, 1809

SECOND WIFE, mother was Woodard
7) Joseph, born June 7, 1813
8) Sally, born December 31, 1817
9) Chasley, born January 23, 1820

THIRD WIFE
10) Lot, born January 7, 1821
11) Ralph, born November 12, 1822
12) Daniel, born December 28, 182-(?)
13) Allen H., born January 12, 1827

PHILLIPS TREE
Grandpa Phillips, son of Thomas Phillips, was born on a farm near Charlotte, N.C. in 1819. His father emigrated to Jennings County when Grandpa was seven years old and settled in a cabin northwest of Commiskey. I have seen the cabin.
He had one brother who was drowned when a young man while fishing in a small stream near the cabin.
He had three sisters, Aunt Martha Arbuckle, Aunt Betsy Arbuckle and Aunt Easter Phillips. Aunt Betsy and Aunt Martha married brothers. They were, respectively, John Arbuckle, and Alex Arbuckle. Uncle John and Aunt Betsy are buried in the Sembeau graveyard, two miles north of Brownsburg. Uncle Alex and Aunt Martha are buried at Coffee Creek.
Aunt Easter emigrated with her father, Thomas Phillips, to Joplin, Missouri. She married a man by the name of Feaster, but we have had little trace of them. In fact, Grandpa made a trip there once and barely heard of them at all. He walked over the Ozarks from St. Louis to Joplin, 320 miles.
Grandpa, John Thomas Phillips, was taken as an apprentice when 12 years old by Uncle Robin Smith to raise. He was brought up with Aunt Julia Robertson, Aunt Elzina Whitsitt, Aunt Evelyn Robertson and Milton Smith. The Smiths lived in the house where John Stewart lives now.
Uncle Robin Smith was a brother-in-law to Steven Stewart, Ma's grandfather. In other words, Uncle Robin Smith was a brother to Margaret Stewart, our great grandmother, and Ma's grandmother, wife of Steven Stewart. (Our great grandparents on the Stewart side came from Kentucky before the Civil War. Their names were Steven Stewart and Margaret Stewart.)
These are the parents of all the Stewarts.
Aunt Julia, Ed's mother, Aunt Elzina Crawford's step-mother, Aunt Evalyn, Dr. Robertson's mother, Milton Smith are all Uncle Robin Smith's children and they are own cousins of Grandpa Stewart, and Grandpa Phillips grew up in the home with them in the old brick house. They thought he was their brother until he was 21 years old.
Great Grandpa Phillips eloped from his own family with another woman and came to Indiana. Then his family, the one mentioned above, followed him here. Then he and the woman, together with Easter, fled to Missouri where they became lost to the rest. [Word illegible] was then only a little later, when our Grandpa was taken in by Uncle Robin Smith and raised. Ma, and Ed Robertson, Dr. Robertson, Charley and Colonel, are second cousins, you see. These Robertson are also second cousins to Uncle Jake, Uncle Preston, Uncle Smith, Aunt Cordilla, and Uncle Sam Story's wife. This is too much to write down.
Grandpa Phillips stayed with Uncle Robin Smith until grown (1840), then he married Emeline Courtney. They became the parents of Uncle Harvey, Pa, Uncle Almond, Uncle Addison, Aunt Mary C.
This will give you a brief history of the Phillips side. We have always regretted the notoriety of great grandfather Thomas Phillips, whose burial place is unknown but is supposed to be somewhere in the vicinity of Joplin, Missouri, the place where James Weldon Phillips now lives. We call him "Welly."

No comments: