Contents |
This biography is heavily influenced by the work of
James Mark Valsame, who was the Governors’ Records Archivist for the State Archives of North Carolina at the time he created this document. You can read the original document here:
http://www.valsamides-design.com/whitaker/williamwhitaker.html.
It also draws on the work of Beverly Whitaker, which you can find here:
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~gentutor/genealogy/U_Z.html
WILLIAM WHITAKER was born about 1701, probably in Lancashire, England, the son of Joshua Whitaker (abt.1675-abt.1719) and his wife Jane Banister Parker (1675-aft.1720). In most of the trees and genealogical works that are about or include his family, a birth date of 'February 10, 1701' has often been given, but a reliable source, documentary proof, for this date is never presented. [1] [2] [3] No date of birth for William William has been found in the records of the Society of Friends (Quakers), of which he was a member. Additionally, many works show the birth place as Grindleton, West Riding, in Yorkshire, England, and not Lancaster. This may be because the historic village of Grindleton, in Yorkshire, which is now in Lancashire, England, is known as the place where a religious sect known as Grindletonians developed in the early 1600s. Many of them became Quakers. [4] Finally, there is a possibility that the February 10th birthdate is coming from a confounding between this William Whitaker and another William Whitaker whose father's name was George. See the research notes below to read more on this.
The first written account of the Whitaker family is in a manuscript entitled Record of the Whitaker Families of North Carolina dated March 29, 1874, compiled by Henry Whitaker (1811-1883). [5] He was assisted in this work by his nephew Henry Jenkins (1839-1919) and son-in-law Jesse Garren (1828-1892). It was compiled for Henry's older brother James Whitaker (1805-1892) , an early convert of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and when James had returned to North Carolina on a two year Ministry. Then in January, 1939, Lorah Jerusha (Whitaker) Beeks, a descendant of James Whitaker and member of the LDS faith, prepared a typescript of this manuscript, and placed this in the Family History Library. This document has served as a primary source for researchers when reconstructing the Whitaker family ever since. The influential 1989 genealogical book by C. Bruce Whitaker The Whitaker Family of Buncombe County, North Carolina is considered by that author a expansion and continuation of this original work by Henry Whitaker. [1]
In this document, Henry Whitaker wrote: The first account was Joshua Whitaker I know not when born, he was lost in the battle at the Isle of Man, in Europe in the Prodestan [Protestant] War, and left sons, Peter Whitaker, born in England, died in Penn., [Peter] left one son John. Great-Grandfather William Whitaker, born in England, died in Rowan Co., NC. Great-Grandmother Elizabeth Carlington [Carleton], born in Ireland, left five sons and three daughters. [5]
The earliest known record for William Whitaker is dated April 7, 1719 in the minutes of the Society of Friends Monthly Meeting in Dublin, Ireland. It reads:
"At Mens' Monthly Meeting, Dublin 7 d, 2 mo, 1719, William Whitaker, who formerly lived at Timahoe, and now in this City, having desire to go to Pennsylvania, it is desired that William Brookfield, Henry Martin, and John Stevens doe enquire into his conversation and cleanness in relation to marriage and give a certificate, if needful, before next Men's Meeting and get some friends to sign it." there was a note after the entry that states: "A certificate was given of his cleaness on account of marriage and going away clear." [6]
William Whitaker immigrated to America by December 2, 1721, where he was received by the Kennett Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania. [7] [8] Some researchers say that William was following his Uncles John and James, who had immigrated to Pennsylvania some years before. As to the truth of this statement, this compiler has found no documented facts. However, given what we now know relatively detailed information about this families Y-DNA profile, I am hopeful that, if this is true, evidence will eventually be found in one of William's possible uncles' descendant's Y-DNA results. See Various DNA Studies on William Whitaker's Descendants.
It is also thought that William was accompanied by his brother Peter Whitaker. There is evidence to support this idea. There was a Peter Whitaker present at the wedding of William Whitaker and Elizabeth Carleton, and who married in the same Meeting House. Finally, William's sister, mother and other brother came to America a few years later as evidenced by the the sisters request for removal in 1722. [9]
William Whitaker married Elizabeth (Carleton) Whitaker (1701-aft.1760) Ballyleakin, King's County (Offaly), Ireland, daughter of Marke Carleton (1670-abt.1711) and Susanna (Watson) Parks (1680-abt.1743)) at the Old Kennett Monthly Meeting House near Hamorton, Chester County, Pennsylvania on February 24, 1723 (13th of ye 12th mo in ye year or our lord 1722). At the event, it looks like his brother Peter Whitaker (1703-abt.1759), and her parents, signed the marriage document. [10][11]
William Whitaker and his family later removed their membership in the Society of Friends to the Bradford Monthly Meeting near Marshallton, Chester County, Pennsylvania. In December, 1739, the Whitaker family suffered the loss of their home in Chester County by a fire, apparently on the eve of their move back to the Kennett Meeting House. One of the surviving family artifacts from that unfortunate event was a 1612 Geneva Bible brought to America by William Whitaker. This bible was a "Bitches" bible, written before the King James version. It is also a primary source for William's name-sake son William Whitaker Jr. Bruce Whitaker give us an extended history of this bible in his article "The Whitaker Bible Returns to Fairview". You can read this article for yourself.
It appears, because of the timing of the fire on the eve of a move to another meeting house, there was a dispute between the Kennett and Bradford Meetings regarding which meeting house was responsible for the family's relief. The Bradford Monthly Meeting minutes of June 19, 1740 records:
"Phinehas Lewis reports that he went to William Whitaker and found him and family likely to want bread soon if not relieved also this meeting is informed that friends at Kennet has their case under consideration, but that they may not suffer this meeting desires Aaron Mendenhall to supply them with Breadstuf for the present and make report the next meeting." [12]
A mouth later, on July 17, 1740, the minutes show that
"Aaron Mendenhall reports that he hath supplyed Wm Whitaker with one hundred & half of midlings as ordered by last meeting and several friends from Kennett being here it appears that they have the matter under their consideration soe it is left at present for a further Conference and in the interim Aaron Mendenall is desired to continue to take care of him." [13]
On September 4, 1740 William Whitaker and his wife obtained a certificate of transfer from the Newark (Kennett) Monthly Meeting and were received by the Bradford Meeting two days later. Records of the Bradford Monthly Meeting show that an arrangement for the relief of the Whitaker family was reached between the two meeting houses on September 17, 1741. Kennett would pay 3/4 of the relief money, and Bradford would provide the balance of the sum as a condition for accepting the family into the Bradford Monthly Meeting. Their membership was finalized on June 17, 1742, the minutes read
"A Certificate from Newark (Kennett) Monthly Meeting for Wm Whitacre & his wife was here read & accepted on the terms formerly agreed on between the two meetings." [14][15]
More funds were collected for the Whitaker family on December 16, 1742 [16] and October 18, 1744. [17] But, by October 15, 1747, the Kennett Preparative Meeting revoked its agreement, and so this arrangement was over with. [18]
On June 20, 1751, William Whitaker and his family requested a certificate of removal from the Bradford Monthly Meeting to "North Carolina or elsewhere". [19] At the next meeting, on July 18, 1751, two members were appointed to make inquiry regarding their request for a certificate of removal:
Application being Made to this Meeting for a Certificate for Wm Whitaker & family this Meeting appoints Robt Miller & Thos. Stalker to make ye Needful Enquiry Concerning them & if they find Nothing to Obstruct to prepare one & produce it Next Meeting & Likewise Another for his Son Mark with Copys of ye Same.
By August 15, 1751, a certificate was approved for William Whitaker, but not his son Mark:
The friends appointed having prepared a Certificate for William Whitaker & family it was read here approved & Signed but on Objection being Made against the one for Mark it was not Signed. [20]
Thomas Carleton (1699-1792), the brother of Elizabeth (Carleton) Whitaker, mentioned his sister's migration to North Carolina in a letter dated the 8th day of the 11th month, 1752 to his cousin Elizabeth (Carleton) Shackleton of Ballitore, Ireland:
My eldest Sister Elizabeth with her husband & family (they haveing 7 Children alive when they left these parts) are removed to North Carolina, a Country that is Setling pretty fast, where they say land is Cheap, they removed from these parts last summer was a Year. I had a Letter from her last Spring they were then well.
Beverly Whitaker writes this on this move, where she was probably repeating Bill Whitaker from his book:
In 1753, William and his family joined with others to travel from Pennsylvania for North Carolina. Heading south through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, they would have used the "Great Wagon Road," which ran from Philadelphia, PA, to Salisbury, NC, a distance of 435 miles. Due to Indian uprisings (the French & Indian War) they stayed for awhile in Augusta County Virginia for protection where they were joined by a wagon train of Baptists from Hopewell Twp., New Jersey. Perhaps this experience explains why the Whitakers, who had been Quakers for a hundred years, chose upon arrival in North Carolina to settle and worship among Baptists, when they could have easily presented their Quaker certificate to the nearby Carolina MM. [21]
William Whitaker appears in the Rowan County, North Carolina tax list of 1759, although there are no land transactions recorded for him. He and his wife may have resided with one of their children. It is unclear when William and his wife died. Elizabeth was definitely deceased before August 10, 1784, when Thomas Carleton stated in a letter to his kinsman John Chandlee that all his sisters except the youngest one were then deceased.
Their Issue:
In the original Quaker Meeting minutes for the Marriage or William and Elizabeth, the follow was written:
...Now this is to certify all whom it may concern yt for ye full accomplishing of their sd intention this 13th of ye 12th mo in ye year of our Lord 1722. ... He ye said Wm Whitaker taking her ye said Eliz Carlton by ye hand did openly declare yt he took ye said Eliz Carlton to be his wife promising with Gods Assistance to be unto her a failthfull and lovling husband...
This is a Julian date and can be written as 12-13-1722. Under the Julian calendar, the first day of the year was March 25. After 1751, England adopted the Gregorian calendar. Under this new calendar system, that day would have been write as 02-24-1723. See the discussion at Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library Website, The Quaker Calendar.
William is often given a middle name of "Parker". That middle name seems to be undocumented. Larry Van Horn, a genealogist, has written an article entitled "Beward of English Middle Names in Colonial Period" in which he stated, "Not one person born by 1715 in St. Peters Parish of New Kent County, VA sported a middle name.. . .A study of the births and baptisms recorded on the register of Virginia's Albemarle Parish shows that about 3% of children born between 1750 and 1775 were given middle names....Among the British stock of the southern colonies, middle names were rarely bestowed on children until after the Revolution, but not customary until the mid-1800s.. . .On three of our first 17 presidents--all born by the end of 1809, carried middle names.. . (Middle names) had become nearly customary by the time of the Civil War. By 1900, nearly every child born had a middle name."
William's birthdate is most often said to be February 10, 1701, and sometimes February 10, 1705. Where this date came from has never been documented as far as this researcher has seen. Where did this date come from? In The Parish Registers of Waddington, [22] on page 144, we find this line in the set of entries in the section: Christnings from the 25th day of March 1705 untill ye 25th day of March 1706 &c.:
Gulielmus filius Georgij Whittaker de Grinleton baptiz : Februarij 10
Which is Dutch for
William, son [of] George Whitaker of Grinleton, baptized: February 10
This may be the source of this date for our William's birth, which would be based on a entirely different William.
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W > Whitaker > William Whitaker
Categories: Davidson County, North Carolina | Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery, Lexington, North Carolina
Thats an aside Can I suggest you turn your comment into a couple of paras for attaching to the two William profiles then others will see your concerns and may be able to add to the discusion Regards Robin
Findagrave memorial listed on Whitaker-3675 comparison with data listed on Whitaker-206 indicates they are one and the same person