Caleb Witt (1762 - 1827)

Born 2 Sep 1762 in Halifax, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Miriam Allred (Horner) Witt — married 2 Sep 1784 in Greene County, North Carolina, USA

Descendants

Died 20 Jan 1827 at age 64 in Russellville, Jefferson County, Tennessee

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Caleb Witt is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P323088
Rank: Private

Biography

Caleb Witt was born on 2 September 1762 in Halifax County, Virginia Colony. He was the son of Charles Witt and Lavinia Harbour. He passed away on 20 January 1827^[1] in Jefferson County, Tennessee near Russellville, and was buried in the old Bent Creek cemetery at Whitesburg (now Hamblen County, Tennessee).^[2]

When Caleb and his wife Miriam came to Greene County, North Carolina, they were accompanied by his brothers Elijah and Joseph and two of his sisters, Mary (Patsy), who married Capt. Thomas Jarnagin, and Lydia, who married William Maze (Mays). They settled in an area that is now Hamblen County, Tennessee.

Caleb was a member of the old Bent Creek (now Whitesburg) Church, constituted in 1785. He was likely baptized by the longtime pastor, Elder Tidence Lane. This church licensed and ordained him to preach, and was served by him as pastor for a number of years. Caleb Witt represented his church (Bent Creek) in the Holston Association and was fourteen years the Moderator of that body.^[3] He was a staunch "predestinarian" and strongly opposed to the "Arian heresy" taught by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell (Campbellites) who denied the deity of Jesus Christ.^[4]

If one considers the various land acquisitions made by Caleb, it looks as if he moved around a bit; but he actually stayed in the same place. The county lines and even the state changed around him. When Caleb and his brothers, Elijah and Joseph, settled in Greene County, North Carolina in 1784 it was in territory that would become part of Tennessee when it became a state on 1 June 1796. Between 1784 and 1788 the abortive attempt to create the State of Franklin took place. See Timeline for the relevant dates and changes which affected Caleb and his family.^[5][6]

All the land transactions of Caleb Witt have not been located. He filed a patent for 200 acres in 1786. In 1800 he is listed in Jefferson County, Tennessee (formerly Greene Co., NC), with 400 acres; 200 acres missing. In 1809 he acquired 120 acres in Jefferson County; in 1821 half interest in another 160 acres in Hawkins County, for a total of 600 acres. Did he dispose of some of the land prior to his death, or was it all still in his possession? Does anyone know if Caleb left a will?

The grave stone shown on Find A Grave Memorial# 32467806 is not the original marker. It is a headstone requested by Mrs. Joel H. Ponder, GGGranddaughter of Caleb Witt, on 14 March 1962.^[7][8]

Caleb served as a private for eighteen months during the American Revolution in Capt. James Hill's Company, Col. Campbell's Regiment from Halifax County, Virginia, and six months under Col. Henry Conway, from 1779-1781. His widow, Miriam (Horner) Witt, applied for a pension on 30 November 1844 based on his Revolutionary War service but the claim was denied due to inadequate documentation.^[9] In 1852 children of Caleb and Miriam Witt submitted another application for retroactive pension for Caleb and Miriam. This was again rejected on 19 June 1854.^[10]

Note: Birth dates of children below were submitted by Miriam Witt, widow of Caleb Witt, in her application for Revolutionary War widow's pension, Claim No. R 11755.

Timeline

1784 2 June 1784 North Carolina cedes its Western Territory to the Federal Government.

1784 23 August 1784 the North Carolina counties of Washington, Greene and Sullivan form the provisional State of Franklin.

1784 2 September 1784 Caleb married Miriam Horner in Greene County, North Carolina (State of Franklin).^[11] The couple had eleven children.

1784 November 1784 North Carolina repeals cession to the Federal Government.

1785 26 July 1785 son William was born in Greene County, North Carolina

1785 Washington, Sullivan, Greene, Caswell, Sevier, Spencer, & Wayne Counties function as the State of Franklin.

1786 North Carolina begins to reassert its control over the territory of the State of Franklin. It creates parallel county governments in Greene, Sullivan, and Washington Counties.

1786 1 November 1786 Caleb Witt acquired 200 acres of land in Greene County, North Carolina on a branch of Long Creek; Warrant No. 118. On the same day his brother, Elijah Witt, also registered a patent for 200 acres in the same area.^[12]

1787 Hawkins County, North Carolina, formed from Sullivan, which functioned in parallel with State of Franklin's Spencer County. (Became Hawkins County, Tennessee in 1796.)

1787 5 December 1787 son Enoch was born in Greene County, North Carolina

1788 North Carolina gains supremacy over State of Franklin. Caswell, Sevier, Spencer, & Wayne Counties, formed by State of Franklin, cease to exist. (New Sevier County formed from Jefferson County in 1794. New Wayne County formed from Hickman County, Tennessee in 1817.)

1790 19 April 1790 daughter Elizabeth was born in Greene County, North Carolina

1790 On 26 May 1790 the cession of territory from North Carolina to the United States Government was executed and the "Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio" was created.

1792 Jefferson County formed from parts of Greene and Hawkins Counties in 1792.

1794 19 February 1794 son James was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1796 Tennessee admitted to statehood 1 June 1796

1797 5 June 1797 son Charles Horner was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1800 18 February 1800 son Pleasant Allred was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1800 July 1800, Jefferson County, Tennessee, Tax List: Caleb Witt, 400 acres, 1 white poll.^[13] None of Caleb's sons were 16 years old, so none were subject to the poll tax.

1804 4 June 1804 son Samuel Harris was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1807 19 April 1807 son Merrill was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1809 10 January 1809 Caleb Witt acquired 120 acres of land "in the County of Jefferson [Tennessee] in the District of Hamilton on the Waters of Bent Creek..." surveyed 18 February 1808. Warrant No, 15 issued 2 June 1778 to Thomas Jonakin (Thomas Jarnigan married to Caleb's sister Mary) from which 120 acres were assigned to Caleb Witt on 10 January 1809.^[14]

1809 14 November 1809 son Chester (Docter) D. was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1810 Caleb's father-in-law: William Horner Senior deed to the Commissioners of the Baptist Congregation on Bent Creek "__" Jun 1810 - 1 May 1810: 1 Acre - For and in consideration of my love and good will to said Baptist Sosiety. On the waters of Bent Creek and to contain the graveyard. Caleb Witt, Samuel Riggs, Jacob Coffman Commissioners. N. B. I, WIlliam Horner doth oblidge myself, my heirs, my Executors, Administrators, to keep a passage to said burying ground through my land that joins said burying ground, Wit: A. (Aquilla) Lane, Wm Horner Jr. Acknowledged /s/ William Horner June Sessions 1810. Then was the within deed proven in open court and recorded. Let it be registered. /s/ Jos. Hamilton Clk., by Wily Martin, D. C., John Cude^[15]

1811 6 October 1811 daughter Lamina was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1814 26 February 1814 son Coleman Murray was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee

1821 On 15 September 1823 160 acres were granted to Caleb Witt and Samuel Shields in Hawkins County, Tennessee on an entry made in the Surveyor's Office of the sixth District, No. 5333, dated 28 August 1821, Certificate No. 214, Warrant No. 8528.^[16]

1827 10 January 1827 Caleb Witt passed away in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

Sources

1. ↑ Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files; Claim No. R 11755
2. ↑ Mayo, Mary E., Ed., Sixteen Hundred Lines to Pilgrims, Lineage Book III; National Society of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims; Originally published 1982. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore: 1996. P. 676
3. ↑ First Baptist Association formed in Tennessee. Organized 28 October 1786 with Tidence Lane moderator and William Murphy clerk. Seven churches were represented. Holston Baptist Association
4. ↑ Barnett, James J., Sketches of Tennessee Pioneer Baptist Preachers; Nashville, Tenn.: Press of Marshall & Bruce Company, 1919. pp 535-539. Online at Caleb Witt
5. ↑ History of County Formations in Tennessee 1776-1985
6. ↑ State of Franklin
7. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Applications for Headstones for U.S. military veterans, 1925-1941; National Archives Microfilm Publication: A1, 2110-C; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General; Record Group Number: 92.
8. ↑ Source: #S-699421022
9. ↑ Pension claim No. R 11755. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
10. ↑ Name: Caleb Witt Application State: Virginia Applicant Designation: Rejected Pension Application File Second Applicant Name: Miriam Witt Second Applicant Application Year: 1852 Archive Publication Number: M804 Archive Roll Number: 2622 Total Pages in Packet: 51; Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
11. ↑ Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files; Claim No. R 11755
12. ↑ Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tennessee/North Carolina Land Records; Roll: 5; Book: C.
13. ↑ Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
14. ↑ Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tennessee/North Carolina Land Records; Roll: 58; Book: 1-1.
15. ↑ Jefferson County, TN Deed Book J, Entry 136
16. ↑ Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tennessee/North Carolina Land Records; Roll: 64; Book: 7.

See also:

• DAR record https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A127229
• Source: S-699421022 Repository: #R-1147072331 Title: U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Note:
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32467806/caleb-witt
• Source: S-699421252 Repository: #R-1147072331 Title: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc Note:
• http://www.eturner.com/GED-GEN/grpf00749.html
• http://www.myhetitage.com