County Friends & Kinsmen

If you ever doubted that the early Hanover County and Charlotte County White families were related, you can put those doubts to rest!  Thanks to the Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory Digital Collection, we now have proof that the families were related - according to their own written words!  As part of the Virginia Memory Digital Collection, the Library of Virginia has uploaded Chancery Court records for many counties, including Charlotte County.  The cache of White family letters is part of the uploaded Charlotte County Chancery Court case known as Elisha White v. Wood Jones.  In order to understand the impetus for Elisha White writing the two letters, you must first understand the background to the case.

BACKGROUND
In 1740, a Henry Hatcher apparently purchased a "treasury right" from the Secretary of the Colony of Virginia for 45 schillings.  Following the procedures for obtaining a Virginia land patent, Hatcher would have then taken his "right" document to the Brunswick County surveyor who would have identified parcels within Brunswick County for the amount authorized in Hatcher's "right".  Eventually,  a piece of land was agreed upon by the surveyor and Hatcher, and the below 1740 survey was prepared.




The survey was for 530 acres in Brunswick County, located on the lower side of Turkey Cock Branch.  Considered frontier land and sparsely inhabited at that time, the only adjacent land owners mentioned in the survey were Thomas Duggins and John Cocke, as the remaining boundary lands were unclaimed.  Once the survey was drawn, the record would have been taken to Williamsburg and presented to the Secretary of the Colony of Virginia who then would have prepared a land patent for the surveyed land.  All of this was completed, but apparently after considerable delay as the date of the below land patent is 1756.


Timing is everything, as the saying goes.  1756 happened to be during a time period where Virginia Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie was trying to find new ways to raise funds.  Creatively, Dinwiddie implemented an administrative fee of 1 pistole for signing land patents.  This "fee" was hotly contested by the House of Burgess.  In fact, twenty years before Patrick Henry gave his passionate "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" speech, Rev. William Stith (then President of the College of William and Mary) demanded, "Liberty, Property, and no Pistole"!  During this time of dispute, Hatcher refused to pay the full fee (as did many other colonists) but he did pay a half pistole.  Meanwhile, as the "pistole dispute" continued, Hatcher's patent became "lost" for non-payment of Quitrents and for not improving or cultivating the land (a condition of the patent).  But to Hatcher, he believed he had done all that was necessary to complete the land patent process and was the owner of the land.  So, in 1761 Hatcher sold to Elisha White 426 acres of land from the survey (which was now part of Lunenburg County).  Elisha White was eager to own this land as it happened to adjoin property that he owned and then lived upon.

But something was rotten in Lunenburg County!  Soon after completing the purchase, Elisha White received word that Wood Jones of Amelia County had "obtained and surveyed" a 1744 land patent by Order of Council for 2,000 acres WHICH INCLUDED THE LAND ELISHA WHITE PURCHASED FROM HATCHER!  This news proved to be correct and began a slew of machinations over two decades on Elisha White's part which led to the subject court case.

THE GOOD STUFF
We know from the court record that in 1761, Elisha White was living in Lunenburg County on lands adjacent to the subject 426 acres on Turkey Cock.  In addition, there are three hand written letters - two of which were written by Elisha White, 13 days apart, to Mr. John White of Charlotte County.  The first was dated January 20, 1780 and is shown below with accompanying envelope.


 The letter shows that the two men, Elisha White of Hanover County and John White of Charlotte County, had been in correspondence concerning the subject court case.  Elisha appealed to John White to act in his place at the February court, and to hire a lawyer and pay the lawyer's fee.  In 18th century language, Elisha promises to pay John White back for any costs he may incur.  Elisha also asked that John White keep him informed as much as possible.  But the Good Stuff is in the last two sentences, "We are all blessed be God in Good Health and join our best respects to you Sister & Cousin.  I am effectionately your sincere Fd & Kinsman"  There it is....Kinsman!  Who was Sister and Cousin?  I don't know but suspect that Sister may have referred to John White's wife, Mary.  Cousin?  A question to solve on another day.

13 days later, the following letter was written.


In this letter, Elisha begins by stating that the letter was written in Hanover County where he was then living. The first sentence refers to John White's son, Daniel who was staying some 7 miles from Elisha's home in lower Hanover County.  I can't help but wonder if Daniel was visiting the Pettus family who lived in upper Hanover County.  21 months later, Daniel married Susannah Pettus.  Elisha White also refers to his son, Elisha, who died within the next year leaving a wife and child (also named Elisha).  Elisha wrote this letter to once again let John White know that he wouldn't be traveling to Charlotte County any time soon, and asked to be kept informed of the case.  He ends the letter with, "We are all in Health and Join in our Respects to you and Family.  I am most effectionately your Sincere Fd & Kinsman"

Unfortunately, the letters do not tell us exactly how Elisha White of Hanover County and John White of Charlotte County were related.  However, Elisha's use of a familiar tone, sharing of family names, and the use of a kinsman salutation with words such as "cousin" implies a strong connection.  Any doubt or argument that the two men weren't related can be dismissed.

copyright©2018 Deborah Thurman Parks

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