Rachel (Kerns) Whitacre (1810 - 1898)

Born Dec 1810 in Timber Ridge, Frederick County, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Aquila Whitacre — married Oct 1828 in Frederick County, Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 13 Feb 1898 at age 87 in Slanesville, Bloomery District, Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kim LeRoy [send private message]

Biography

Research Notes

Five of her children were deaf. She and her husband, Aquilla, were first cousins once removed.

"When I wrote an article on the Whitacre family history for the West Virginia Advocate in the mid-1980s, the editor deleted comments that I had made about the Whitacre family medical history. Five of the children of Aquilla and Rachel (Kerns) Whitacre were born deaf. Oral history, the censuses, and public records say so. No one disputes that. Being deaf was a serious stigma back then, but today you must watch your language to be politically correct. Remember the Secretary of Interior (James Watts, I think was his name) under Reagan or Bush Sr., who was fired because he used the word "crippled" in a speech or conversation? In the article for the Advocate, I proposed a comment that some of the deafness among the Whitacres and Kerns was probably a result of cousins intermarrying with cousins in successive generations. Aquilla Whitacre, 1808-1886, married his cousin Rachel Kerns. But to compound matters, Rachel's father Nathan Kerns married his cousin Sarah Whitacre. I cited this as a probable cause and effect relationship along with other comments that the editor deleted. I did not view it as derogatory because I myself am a direct descendant of a Kerns-Whitacre relationship, with a severe hearing loss, an issue that I have heard my grandfather Kerns discuss. Mr. Duliere probably made the right decision, as he was a real pro on how to report on controversial matters and remain safe legally. Whitacre is one of the most prominent and influential names in Old Frederick County, which includes Hampshire. At that time the long-time Clerk of the Frederick County Court, George Whitacre, was in office. So was the Commonwealth's Attorney a Whitacre, and later a sitting Judge in Winchester. Over in Hampshire, we had Senator Vernon Whitacre of High View in office and others. Since I was related to them, as well as having a good personal relationship and having worked jointly on our family history, I saw no offense. I think you get the point, even though I have gone around Robin Hood's barn to express it. If you have not already done so, I suggest that you read the the 1895 letter from my book Kerns Family Roots in Virginia. The letter is an oral history that centers around the family of Aquilla and Rachel (Kerns) Whitacre. The letter is a part of history. If the writer were alive today, I doubt that he would be happy that his daughter saved this letter and passed it on to his granddaughter, who gave it me with permission to publish. So, my advice is to be careful about what you say in letters; they might be kept and quoted in a book someday. I am finished with this topic."

- Wilmer Kerns

Sources

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M41L-8MX : 12 December 2017), Rachel Whitaker in entry for Aquilla Whitaker, 1860.

• Wilmer Kerns Collection, 214 THL, Stewart Bell Jr. Archives, Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA.

• https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=margaretharke24&id=I6263
  • See notes and sources.