My Whitehead Family

by

Billy Whitehead

The Story of a lifetime

Sometime in the early 1620’s in the area of Lancashire England is in somewhat of a social upheaval. Earlier, King James ordered a bible to be translated into the language of the common plowboy as was the thoughts of John Huss. There is much to be said of Martin Luther, the theologian who nailed his objections to some teachings of the Protestant Reform Church on the door of the church some 75 years before but was still the topic of unrest here in England as it is ending the sole authority of the church over many areas of society. There was talk of Henry Hudson, an English explorer who has visited and explored the Artic Ocean lands. Then there is a man named John Smith who has recently sailed for the New World. He is said to be going to a place called James Town, named for the King of England. It sounds so exciting that many young men are talking of going, but many simply talk. As for some it is not talk, instead it is listening and planning.

In 1620, only a few years earlier, the Mayflower had landed at Cape Cod on November 9, 1620 with 101 colonist. There were 41 who had signed a compact which was called the Mayflower Compact which established a form of government for the colonies which provided a majority rule form of government. Basically this agreement begins what has become a call to revolution.
While there are many newcomers who wish to be a part of this governmental movement, many are leaving England for the wealth of the New World and one who is born a young lad named Arthur Whitehead. He is to grow into a man who wishes to explore the new world, which is of interest to many of his acquaintances. That world across the oceans is said to be a land of abundance. When ships return from there in cold weather they are loaded with fruits never seen before. Many times there will be young plants, which are planted to see if they will grow in the English soil. Sometimes they will grow into fruitful plantings.

Most of the time the ship will be loaded with lumber for building homes for the wealthy. Then there is potash made in that land by burning oak trees then loading the ash onto the ship. Ages of building with no eye to the fact that trees will soon be depleted beyond supplying lumber for the building of homes has created great problems for the building crafters. The potash earns a pretty penny as potash is scarce in England as the trees are too valuable to burn for fertilizer.

When Arthur is about thirty years old he secures passage on a ship as a passenger for the English heading there to the place called America. There are ships leaving several times during the year but plans must be made to secure passage as well as a place on the ship. Generally food is promised but spoilage has been a constant problem therefore it seems wise to carry some preserved meat and other items that may be carried aboard a ship.

Arthur wonders how he will earn a living there in the New World. He believes that a wheelwright can find work but he also knows the trade of a cooper who makes the wooden barrels for storing and shipping goods. Both trades are needed industries. He feels comfortable that he can find a good paying work so he tries not to worry.

Arthur arrives in Jamestown but because there are so many new people there he cannot find work so he heads out to the Isle of Wight in the Virginia Colony. Arthur is familiar at various jobs soon finding steady work in a wheelwrights shop. In 1652 Arthur begins to plan for travel to the west. He has listened to others who have been to the western frontier but he does not wish to travel much beyond the mountains of western Carolina or maybe the land just beyond. However his plans make a sudden change in the summer of 1654 when he meets a young lass who is new to the community by the name of Katherine Ruffin. Sometime in the late summer of 1654 he and Katherine are married and they have a son who they named Arthur. They had hoped for another child but Katherine has had two miscarriages. In spite of all efforts they do not have other children to live beyond birth. They live in the same home in Virginia all their life and consider themselves blessed.

Their son carries on his father’s trade as a wheelwright and has his own shop with customers who wish to go into the growing frontier and to the farming region of the Georgia Colony where cotton is being grown, as is tobacco. The tobacco and cotton are great trade items and require a sturdy freight wagon, not so much for a heavy load but for the rigors of rough travel. Arthur has married Mary Goodman and in 1672 William is born. Arthur dies of dropsy fever suddenly in 1675 leaving William as the only child of Mary. They live sparsely but William thrives. As a young man he supports his mother until she marries her new husband. Here he finds work and soon marries his wife also named Mary. They soon have their first child, William, in 1685 while living in Isle of Wight. In all they raise five boys while in Virginia. Later they make their home in Edgecombe County North Carolina. William is followed by Lazarus, Robert, William, and Arthur. They call the second William, Will, in order to keep them separate. They think of the new idea of giving two names but do not wish to seem uppity.

By now it is clear that the New World of America is headed for war with the English Lords. Taxes are being set upon all trade. Tea has been taxed again as is other items of trade. England is attempting to make all work in the New World a money-making resource. Of course the colonist resent this and are rising up against it. Meetings are common within the colonies. Of course all talk must be behind the doors and care is taken as to who one talks to. The Whitehead boys feel that they will take part when the time is right but they must protect their families. They believe that they should move their family closer to the frontier in order that if need be they can move into the wilderness with ease believing that the English will not follow.

The older son of William and Mary marries Rachel Lewis around 1722 Jacob is born in 1723 in the colony of Virginia and is followed by another William, Joseph, Lazarus, Arthur and Tobias. Colony life is comfortable. There are celebrations of life but at the same time there are Indians who are trusted, to a point. There are rumors of attacks by Indians but for the most part these attacks are on what many call the frontier or at the edge of the settled areas.

As the children grow they become wise to the ways of life within the colony. As growing children they develop the skills as children do but then at about 11 they begin to mature. Chores are assigned by knowing parents. Milk the cow, care for the garden, and gather the firewood. All the family most help with the chores of home.

When Jacob is about fourteen he sits among the men to listen to the talk about them. The population is growing he hears, the last count shows that there are 475,000 however, it is pointed out that the count was 1720 and this is some eight years later. They talk of the need to move farther west. He hears of things going on beyond the colony of Virginia. There are settlements beyond the Carolinas and there are small settlements over in the Mississippi Territory. There is much game but more to the point there is land for the taking. Are there Indians? Of course there are those who are hostile but most are peaceful. There is the story of a massacre near one of the settlements near the Blue Ridge Mountain range to the west. Some of dead were children. Then there were stories of Indians who adopted settlers and were learning to live among these new people. They learned to plant and live as farmers who did not have to migrate with the seasons.

Jacob becomes interested as to how he might acquire a piece of farming land in this new territory. He decides to talk to his father about this idea. William explains that there are family members there at the foot of a small mountain range in the Mississippi territory. The community is called Whitehead although it is only a small settlement but one must remember that there is safety in numbers. It also seems that there has been no hostility among the Indians. The land is not far from a river. He said that there is talk of some waterfalls which may lend to the building of a factory for manufacturing. Perhaps one could build a sawmill near the falls. Jacob decided that this is where he will go however it may take him a year to get things in order. He was glad that he had worked with his father as a woodworker. He could make a wagon wheel and if needed he could build a whole wagon which was to be his first job as preparation for the journey. He liked the idea of building a waterwheel at one of the falls. Perhaps a gristmill would be first but maybe there was already one there.

Jacob found that the trip would be better in the spring to go by foot and boat but there may be a way along the high country along the blue mountain ridge. This was his decision. He would build a smaller wagon that he first thought as the cargo wagons do not travel well along the narrow mountain roads.

Jacob joins with a small company of travelers in late March after the grass begins to hint that spring is on the way. His goal is to reach the higher grounds before the spring rains bring the rivers and streams out. They head out in a northwestern direction however Jacob and a cousin decide to strike out for family in Edgecombe County North Carolina a distance of some distance they believe to be 100 miles of travel but he had time as it is yet spring.

As Jacob journeys he finds small jobs along the way at farms where he works for a meal here and there. He had thought of this when he broke with the group. As a group there is less chance of stopping for work or of others taking the group in when bad weather hits.

In early April they reach the settlement of Tarboro in North Carolina where they find some Whiteheads. After talk he decides that these are his folk and he thinks they are cousins but he also finds that some have moved on to the Mississippi Territory. Jacob finds that one of those who has moved on has the same idea as he. He was going to set up a waterwheel to grind corn and maybe a sawmill. The best part was that this town now did not have a blacksmith so he set up a shop in the building where his cousin had been. He had found his dream of having his own business with little invested. Actually he would have to buy out his cousins son but they were not very interested in the business, there was work to be done and they were not interested in work! They struck a deal whereby Jacob would pay $200.00 by this time next year. Jacob unloaded his wagon in the work shed. The living quarters was to one side but handy. It was clear that the house side was made for a family as there was evidence of a woman’s touch. Why shoot, this house has smooth wood floors. He has been in homes with floors of dirt along the way. Back home there were wood floors but they were not this smooth unless one was rich enough to hire a good woodworker. And Jacob was a good worker of wood!

The shop area was small but functional. There the trade of the former owner was evident. The blacksmith forage was not new but there were improvements showing a knowing craftsman. The wood-workmanship showed too as did the working area of the wheel shop.

When one makes a wheel his wood supply is stored in a dry location to allow proper drying. The wood is dressed to the proper size for spokes and rims or hubs. When these are properly shaped the mortises are cut. When all the fittings are properly cut and set the iron tire is shaped. The proper length is found with a rolling rule. The rolling rule is a wheel like tool with ruled measurements along the wheel. It is designed to measure around a round object such as an iron tire. After the tire is heated to a white heat it is set on an anvil and welded by striking the joint. This may require two or three heatings.

When he is satisfied that the weld is secure the tire is laid in a bed of hot coals. After the tire is cherry red, the wood wheel is assembled and laid out near the tire. The cherry red tire is dropped over the rim of the wheel. Amid the smoke and sizzle the tire cools. After a few seconds water is pored over the smoking tire. The cooling of the metal shrinks the iron making the wood wheel tight. Satisfied that the wheel is good Jacob stands it against the wall to await the return of the customer.

One evening after dinner Jacob is repairing a wagon axel when he notices a young lass across the dirt street. As he looks she shies away into a dry good store. Later he sees her and ask who she is. There are many new folk every day passing through on the way west. It turns out that this is no traveler but a family who lives five or six miles outside of town near Conetoe. They have come into town for groceries and some cloth as Susanne Neal’s mother has just had a new son. She needs a new dress so she is shopping for her mother.

Jacob decides to go over and introduce himself. There just might be a job one day from such an introduction. He watches for the lady to come along in the early evening and almost misses her. She has returned to the dry good store to pick up her package. She is in a carriage wagon. There is a seat and a short cargo area. He has seen many in Virginia and a couple here however most are the heavier wagons. This indicated to Jacob that this is a settled family so he is now more interested. He drops his tools, wets his hands and wipes his hair down. He hangs his work apron and heads across the street.

Susanne saw the man who she thought was a blacksmith when she first entered the dry good store. As she was inside the turned slightly to see if he were still looking, and he was. She ask the lady who worked here who he was. “Well, he has been here for two months and works hard.” “He’s going to do well because he does good work.” She then decided to return later in order to make some excuse to meet this young man. She had found that his name was Jacob Whitehead. The last Blacksmith who was here was a Whitehead and she believed that his name was named Lazarus Whitehead, or was that his brother?

As Susanne entered the store she saw Jacob hang his apron on a peg and head across the street. It had rained early that morning so the ground was damp and somewhat slick on the edges. She saw that Jacob had to go down the street to find a good crossing. She waited in the front of the store pretending to look at something. She did not want any tools but she stood until Jacob came inside. They talked some then Jacob ask her to go to the restaurant with him. Big Betty served a good river trout and turnips dinner and it was about time for the crowd.

The courtship lasted for three weeks with Jacob going visiting two times a week. Then on Saturday evening he rode out to visit. He ask her to marry him, she said she would and the next Sunday morning they were married. She eagerly joined him in Tarboro. The house was just right for them.

In a few years they decide to relocate to Robinson County where the family grows. Soon a family was on the way. First there was Benjamin then William, named for Jacob’s grandfather. Then there was Archibald.

As newcomers come into the area Jacob and Susanne decide to relocated again as Arthur’s work has slowed down because the travelers are not as many as once were, and Arthur has decided that his line of work is better when people travel He loads his family and heads with a goal to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains. Some call them the “Far Blue Mountains.“ His travels will stop in Wilkes County Georgia. There is need of Jacob’s craft so they set up shop here and does well. The family is here for the winter but things go well as work is good. It is here that Burrell, and Joseph are born.

As a group of travelers sit in a shop awaiting the replacement of wheels on their cargo wagon late one evening the talk turns to the problem of the English occupation force. There was a shooting in Boston where three citizens were killed as well as numerous injuries. A trial was held for the British Soldiers. They were defended by Adams and Adams, John and Josiah Adams. In time John Adams will be a well known President of America. Two soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter. They were branded and turned loose. They say that likely they will leave the country if they can make it to the docks.

Clearly the Colonies will be at war within a year so the talk is what the people of Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia will do when war is a reality. Will they commit a force to go stand with General Washington? Little do they know that this news is a little more than a year old and has been passed along to them. The basics are correct but what they do not know is that the reality is very near them.

On April 12, 1776 The North Carolina assembly is the first to empower its delegates in the Continental Congress to vote for independence from Britain. On June 28, 1776 South Carolina, American forces at Fort Moultrie successfully defend Charleston against a British naval attack and inflict heavy damage on the fleet.

A short time goes into several years due to the family growth but more because Jacob and Susanne are feeling their age. In time the boys begin to venture. Rebecca is recently married to George Stovall and is now living in Robinson County North Carolina. Joseph is seeing a girl of the Smith Family. He is talking about moving to a place called Tocca Falls where he believes he can get property. Joseph has befriended some Indians who are from this area.

This Smith girl is Anne Smith who was orphaned at a young age and raised by her sister. The sister’s husband was of the Nails family and he was a hard man. Perhaps he was resentful of having to earn a living for his family as well as his wife’s sister. As Anne grew she was required to work alongside the family slaves. In time she was addressed by the Nail name rather than her Smith as was the custom of the day.
Anne was attracted to the young Joseph Whitehead and she made arrangements to coyly make herself seen by the Whitehead man. She knew Joseph by sight as she had ask her friend at the restaurant where she sold eggs from time to time as she could hide a few here and there. She was saving to buy a dress that she had her eye on. Little did Anne know that the shy Joe was checking her out. He now knew that she was the sister rather than the daughter of the Nails woman but he also knew that the man was a hard man who had ran other young suitors off. One with a beating to carry with him. Joseph had done well in riverboat brawls but he did not wish to be seen as a ruffian by this girl.
When the two finally met near the general store one rainy day they stood in the doorway and talked for several minutes. He wanted to go with her to the restaurant for lunch, (he had learned the society ate lunch and not dinner,) so he made arrangements to meet her there tomorrow at “lunch.”

They did meet and spent an enjoyable time departing with plans to meet Sunday after church. The next day Joseph went to the waterfall to bathe early in the morning. He then rode to the church where he saw the Nails wagon was already there. As he went inside the singing had just started. Anne was sitting with two other girls who saw him and nudged Anne’s arm. She slid over slightly and Joseph sat down. After the preacher finished Joseph noticed a angry look from Mr. Nails. They walked out under the shade of the trees to talk. The girls stood by as a group talking all at once while Joseph and Anne talked. Dinner was spread around the lawn and afterward there was some more preaching and singing. Afterward Joseph approached Mr. Nails to ask if he could come over whereby Mr. Nails flatly told him to stay far away. He then ordered Anne into the wagon and headed off to their home.
Later in the week Joseph saw Anne and she told him of a beating Nails gave her. They then decided to elope which they did on Friday night. They were going to a nearby town where Joseph knew the Justice of the Piece who he had planned would married them. Little did he know that when he met Anne, there her sister was to help. She knew a nearby minister who she was going to ask to marry them. However, it was decided that a simple letter from her would be better as she would be missed if she went with them.

Joseph’s Indian friends had told him of high waterfalls deep in the land of the Cherokees. After they were married Joseph and Anne headed westward to their dream home. They followed Indian trails for many days living in the wilderness. Game was plentiful as was other foods for a knowing woodsman. However, Joseph was not a knowing woodsman but he knew enough to get by. After four days travel Joseph felt he was close. After meeting an Indian he spoke, in the Cherokee tongue, asking where the waterfalls called Tocca were. He was pointed to the direction and told to listen and go to the “voice of the water.” As the awaken on the second day after meeting their Indian, Joseph heard a distant rumble. He knew this was the falls. They headed into the sound finding the falls at noon. They found a way to the top of the falls but this was no place for a home due to the wind caused by the rushing of the falling water, however when they found a way over the other side there was a great place where they could see for miles over the top of the wilderness trees.

Joseph followed the suggestion of his Indian friends and found the chief of the Cherokees. He must have impressed the chief with his frankness to ask for land to build a home. Actually, what the chief did not tell Joseph was that his friends had sent a runner ahead of him to tell of the coming of a good strong man who had taken the wife from her harsh father. This told the chief that this white man had principals. Soon the couple had a home two miles above the falls which are called today Toccoa Falls. It is here that a family is raised.

Joseph’s brother, Archibald has heard of kin in the Mississippi Territory where his dad often speaks of. He decides to head out that way. However he decides to make his travel over the mountains. He travels to Lincoln County in a place called Tennessee. In time Archie met a young girl who caught his attention because her name was that of his brother, Joseph’s wife. She was Nancy Smith, daughter of William and Mary Smith. Archie thought that perhaps this just might be Smiths related to Joe’s wife. He knew Anne’s story so he wondered if this might be cousins of hers. He must remember to ask her. The year is 1807 when Archie and Nancy are married. They move into a house which was purchased some years earlier by William Smith for his daughter whom he adores. It is here that Joseph is born.

Due to Archie’s life in the wilderness, he does not see holding to a job as such a big deal. Actually Archie did not wish to be tied to one place. He figured that he and Nancy may find work wherever they were. He has lived well for himself all this time. However William Smith does not see it this way. He feels that Archibald Whitehead has taken on a family now and must settle down. This will be a point of friction in due time.

Archibald locates his kinfolk northwest of a town called Florence. From his dad’s talk of Whitehead, he had expected a town of some size. It was not as expected but there were several stores, a blacksmith shop and a horse stable run by a man named Whitehead. He was an older man and he never heard a first name. The older men simply called him “Whitehead” and the younger called him “Mr. Whitehead.”

The people are not ones who take to strangers and here this one comes with a family of three or four. What will he do for earning a living? He brings no farm tools. They are not too pleased to take on one who they do not know. He talks of kinfolk here but none know him. In due time they accept the family who settle among them. It turned out that he did have a cousin here. This new man was a good hunter who would wonder far from the settlement to take game, saving the game closer in for winter months when going far could be dangerous.

One day as all sat around the winter dinner table someone told of hearing of a lottery held in Georgia. One bit of news was that Archibald Whitehead had drawn a lottery winner. The winner was granted 202 ½ acres of land signed by Governor Troup. They were asking if Archibald knew of this which of course he did not know. Archie said that likely it was another Archibald’s who had fought in the revolutionary war against the British. It is possibly one of his brothers son or possibly another nephew. After all his brother had a son named Archibald who had married Mary Thomas. He believes they live there near Tocca Falls in Hall County Georgia.

Archie and Nancy live there in Lauderdale County Alabama for about 12 years. They move to Fayette County when Nancy’s father died and she inherited his house thou her father set the deed so that Archibald Whitehead has no control of the property and cannot inherit it.. The year was 1839. In time he builds a grist mill on Stud Horse Creek. It is in Fayette County that Archibald runs for sheriff. He serves for some years

It is now the year 1810 that Joshua Alexander Whitehead is born in Lauderdale County. It is also possible that there were twins born, Joshua and Joseph. Joshua is a strapping boy of independence and has his own ideas of life, after all he is his fathers son. He is venturous and prone to wondering the woods in hunt of game. Most is for the family table but some he will willingly sale. In 1815 Joshua walks to Winfield Alabama where he finds his sister, Ally. He stays with Ally for the winter then as the spring grass shows he begins to take overnight jaunts. One time he was gone for a week only to return to tell Ally that he is thinking about going to Texas. She explains that they live on the east side of the state somewhere near the cattle town of Fort Worth.

Sometime around 1820 Joshua decides to head out for Texas. There is talk of war with Mexico over the annexation of Mexican land into Texas but he is going to find family there in east Texas. He wishes he had a horse but the family needs every horse they have for the farm. So that Ally does not worry Josh leaves a note to let her know he is gone saying that as soon as he is settled he will write. Maybe he can join with a group for a distance however Joshua is somewhat like his great grandfather who preferred to travel alone. This allowed him to set his own pace. He can stop and work to earn wages or he may work for food while he rest. He crosses a great river on a ferry at a place called Memphis which is south of a larger town of Possum Town which will later be called Columbus Mississippi. He is not pleased with his distance as rain is becoming more common every week or so. The wagons which are used along these roads create a quagmire making walking difficult. The rising waters make crossing streams a hazard. He follows the better roads which are more or less southerly. He finds a road headed west and takes it, hitching a ride on a cargo wagon. This wagon stops at a town called Macon. There is a small group of stores along the river. Talk is of riverboats coming up occasionally however he has no money for a boat and anyway, the boats are going east, not west. He crosses the river called the Noxubee which he finds that in the language of the Choctaws means Stinking Waters because of a great battle fought there some years earlier. There were so many dead that they were thrown into the river to remove them down stream. However many were tangled in floating debris. On the other side of this river Joshua finds a wagon road headed more or less west. Some twenty miles and two days later having crosses one creek after the other he decides that the advice of the mule skinners is good advice, he is going to hold up for a few months until the creeks go down making travel much better. He has heard that there is a town called Louisville somewhere over this way so he heads for it. As he crosses two hills almost a mile from one top to the other he sees smoke in the near distance. Thinking that this is Louisville he heads for the smoke. When he finds the settlement he finds that this is Ellison Ridge and not Louisville. As he talks he finds that Mr. Avery has a farm and is in need of help so Joshua will work for him for as long as he is here. There is a room above the barn that is made for farm workers. It is warm and has a small heater for warmth. The window catches good air being higher than the other buildings. Two weeks later a young girl comes out to call for dinner. Josh ask who she is. She is Mr. Avery’s daughter who has been going to school in Louisville with and living family. Josh thinks this may be something he likes. Within two weeks Josh and Sara Avery are becoming close. They talk every chance they have and in time declare their plan to marry. In early 1825 Joshua Alexander Whitehead and Sarah Avery are married. They take a home nearby for their family. Nancy is born in late 1825. Having saved his earnings Josh finds property in southeast Winston County and south of Ellison Ridge. The community is called Claytown. In time there are eight children born of Sarah Avery Whitehead and Joshua. They are;

Nancy Avery born 1825 and marries William T. Ashmore

Mary Ellen Whitehead born January 7, 1838 who marries William Smith Whitehead a cousin from Lauderdale County Alabama.

Gracie Whitehead born 1841marries Sam Rosemond after his wife Annie Hatcher dies.

James Alexander Whitehead born 1842.

Samuel Rip Whitehead born September 20, 1873

Lucenda Catherine Whitehead, born 1849

Eta Linda Whitehead, born 1859

The State of Mississippi had raised numerous companies to defend Mississippi because of the Northern aggressors. By November 1860 the Southern states have seceded from the union and created the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as president. War is on the horizon. James has kept up with the talk of joining. In early 1862 James travels to Louisville to look into joining up with one of the units being organized. He would like to join with a Calvary unit but finds that he must provide two horses in order to be considered. On the Whitehead farm there are only mules for farm work and he knows that two cannot be spared. He then joins with a rifle unit called the Winston Rifles Company D. The company travels by Mobile & Ohio Railroad to Macon where they join with the Noxubee Rifles. Eventually they are joined with a larger division as Company D, 35^th Regiment. They are sent to Corinth. The Confederates , under the command of P. G. T. Beuregard, pushed the Union aggressors back until the confederate defense fell in one place allowing the union under the command of General William S. Rosencrans to penetrate the Confederate line. James’ division retreated to Coffeeville where James and others were captured. He is taken to Alton Island Prison where he dies of Pneumonia on March 15, 1863.

On March 9, 1867 Joshua’s daughter Mary dies. He wishes to take her to the Ellison Ridge Cemetery but all is frozen and the cold will prevent travel for some time. Even after thawing there will be a while before the muddy roads are passable for a funeral. There has been talk of building a church with a graveyard but nothing has happened yet so he decides to put a cemetery close to his home. Just south of their home is a hill. He drives to the place with Mary in the back of the wagon in a pine coffin he and her husband William have made.

Sarah Avery Whitehead died on May 9, 1871. She is buried in the Whitehead cemetery. In 1873 Joshua marries widow Sarah Duran. They have no children and she dies two years later. Joshua buried her in the cemetery where some of her family are. Today this is the Robinson Cemetery. There is no marker on her grave and the cemetery is abandoned.
On March 11, 1976 Joshua marries Mary Kemp who is the daughter of Henry and Harriett Kemp. Mary is only 21 years old but they are happy. Soon another child is on the way.

Docia Whitehead is born on January 9, 1877

Charlie W. Whitehead born June 27, 1885

Crumbie born October 7. 1883