Shadrach Whitt(White in archives) served with the 15th Virginia during the Revolutionary War. The 15th was organized February 1777. He no doubt participated in the Battle of Brandywine, where the British General Sir William Howe defeated one of my relatives, General George Washington. More troops fought at Brandywine than any other battle of the American Revolution. It was also the longest single-day battle of the war, with continuous fighting for eleven hours. Next, for the 15th was the Philadelphia defense and a loss at the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777.
Shadrach would have marched with the 15th Virginia, entering Valley Forge on December 19, 1777. Estimates have total numbers of 10,000 to 12,000 troops trying to survive a harsh winter with little food, clothing, & shelter. Sickness decimated the encampment with Shadrach included. He died in February of 1778 and was buried in a mass grave.
Shadrach and Mary's Son, William Whitt lived in South Carolina as early as 1798. In 1799, He married Feroba Middleton. They migrated to Franklin County, Tennessee around 1810. In 1818, William purchased 20 acres of land in Franklin from Leroy May.
With the War of 1812 & The Creek War, William had the opportunity to see more of the South, especially Alabama. He served with two different units from Franklin County. First, in the “Record of Commissions of Officers in the Tennessee Militia 1812,” William Witt is recorded as a Lieutenant who served in the 32nd Regiment from Franklin County, Tennessee. This regiment comprised the army under Andrew Jackson that undertook the expedition to Natchez. Second, William Witt is also listed on the Dec. 10, 1812 muster roll for Captain Caperton’s Company, 2nd Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, which is on file at the National Archives in Washington. The 2nd Regiment was composed of about 400 men and participated in the Battle of Talladega on November 9, 1813.
William supposedly migrated south even before the Indians were removed. Between 1820 to 1824 he moved into Dekalb County and purchased 20 acres of land in Sand Valley near Leeth's Gap. The area later became part of Etowah County.
He and Feroba had seven children, who according to an article in the Messenger newspaper married into some of the better known families of that day. Quoting from the author, Danny Crownover, "Rachel, the first wife of James McClendon, son of Burwell and Nancy Crump McClendon of Gallant; Elizabeth who married Roland Crump, uncle of James McClendon; Nancy married a Benjamin Camp (By 1837, Nancy was already a widow; her husband died an innocent victim of a lawless mob. Nancy and her children moved to Little Rock, AR before 1860); William P. Whitt, born in 1817, married Sarah McClendon, a sister of James McClendon; Shadrack M, born in 1814, married Caroline Horton; Manerva, married Allen Smith; and Celia Whitt McCormack, who seems to have died before marrying."
The marriage of William Pinkerton Whitt and Sarah McClendon produced the Great Grandfather of my wife, Franklin Pinkerton Whitt Jr. born in 1846. And in a marriage performed by A. C Ramsey on Thursday, October 30, 1879, Franklin married Mary Jane Symonds. It is interesting that their marriage entry, on Etowah County Records, is the one before the marriage of Albert H. Cox to Emma Cox, who I wrote about in my last blog.
Our history of family is just too important to be forgotten.
Over time, trails go cold, and the information is buried or forgotten. Critical knowledge gets splintered between families who no longer have contact due to distance or other concerns. Why not turn back the clock in your own heritage and become a time unraveler. A great, free place to start is Family Search. Click the link, choose free account, and immerse yourself in ancestors. See you next time!
