Mr. John White's Seven Children, Part I John White Jr.
Mr. John White of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, Virginia had seven children with two different wives. Unfortunately, the name of Mr. John White's first wife is unknown, but she was most likely born about 1675 or earlier based upon the birth year of about 1695 for her son, also named John White. Fortunately, John White b. about 1695 left behind records and YDNA evidence which help us piece together a general outline of his life.
Baptism Record for John White b. abt 1695
The St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County Vestry Book includes a baptism record which has been transcribed as:
John son of John White baptis. the 30th May 1697
The below image is the actual page from the Vestry Book which was downloaded from Family Search with the John White entry noted by a red star on the left:
As you can see, the year is very difficult to read. Do you think it reads 1697?
When processing this record, one of the first questions that comes to mind is who was the father, John White? Although the name John White is not mentioned elsewhere in the St. Peter's Parish record, the name John White is mentioned in other New Kent County records. More importantly, John White's 1705 New Kent County land patent was located in an area of New Kent County that later fell within the boundaries of Hanover County in 1720, east of Beaverdam Creek at the Chickahominy Swamp. And as luck may have it, the St. Paul's Parish Vestry record (formed from St. Peter's Parish in 1704), stated that this John White's death was referenced as having occurred prior to April 16, 1744. John White (sometimes referred to as Mr. John White in the vestry records) had been a member of the vestry and his seat was filled by John Dixon. Following is an image of the subject vestry entry, noted with a red star.
St. Paul's Parish Procession Records
Beginning in the 1708/9 St. Paul's Parish procession records, Mr. John White was recorded as having land interests near the branches of Matadequin Creek, in an area referred to as Cold Harbor. In the 1711 procession records, he processed land at Beaverdam Creek. The Beaverdam Creek property was the 211 acres he received as part of his 1705 land patent. It is unclear how the land at Matadequin Creek, near Cold Harbor was obtained. Did Mr. John White or his first wife inherit the property? Or was it purchased? Due to the massive loss of records for New Kent and Hanover Counties during the Civil War, we may never know the answer.
Beginning in 1731, Mr. John White is only recorded as having interests in the property near Cold Harbor. The White property at Beaverdam Creek appears to have been transferred to John White Jr. who became responsible for the procession of the 211 acres in 1731. The assumption is that perhaps Mr. John White transferred ownership of the Beaverdam Creek property to his son when John White Jr. married. Or, when John White Jr's mother died and Mr. John White remarried. Finally, in 1744, the White property located near Cold Harbor was also added to the procession responsibilities of John White Jr. This transition of ownership corresponds perfectly with the 1744 death of Mr. John White.
The last year John White Jr. processed either the Beaverdam Creek or Cold Harbor area properties was in 1755. Four years later in 1759, the Beaverdam and Cold Harbor properties were processed by John White III, Barrett White, and Robert Brane (who was in possession of Mr. John White's orphans' land and husband of Mr. John White's widow, Katherine). The marriage of widow Katherine White and Robert Brane/Brain will be discussed in greater detail in entries that outline her children, the "orphans".
What happened to John White Jr.? Sadly, he and his wife, Katherine, died three days apart in December 1758 as recorded in the White family's Confession of Faith book which was located at the Union Presbyterian Seminary Library by descendant Robert Ashlin White III.
Hanover, Henrico and Louisa Counties Records
Beginning in 1734, John White Jr. is recorded as having been involved in land transactions and administering estates in Hanover, Henrico and Louisa Counties. How John White Jr. obtained his properties in Henrico and Louisa Counties has not been determined to date. But the answer may hold clues to further familial connections, including the family of his wife, Katherine.
Children
Documenting the children of John and Katherine White d. 1758 has not been easy or clear cut. John probably left a will, but it too has been lost to time. But based upon the St. Paul's Parish Procession records and handwritten entries within the White family book, Confession of Faith, there appears to be at least three children:
1. John White III was born about 1720 based upon his daughter Martha's birth year of about 1743 and his purchase of land in Henrico County in 1742. According to the St. Paul's Parish procession records, John White III became responsible for the 1755 processioning of the White property located in the Cold Harbor area. In the 1759 processioning record, he was again responsible for the Cold Harbor area White property plus he shared the processioning of the Beaverdam Creek property with his brother, Barrett White. John White III disappears from the St. Paul's Parish processioning records after 1763, about the time he showed up in Charlotte County, Virginia where he lived his life out. John's wife's name was Mary and her maiden name was probably Price, but there's no documentation for Mary's maiden name to date. John died testate in 1782 naming his wife and many children.
2. Mary White was born about 1720 based upon her below 1806 obituary stating that she was 86 years of age. She married John Price. There is a story about Mary White Price and her encounter with Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton during the Revolutionary War at the Price home known as Chantilly in the book entitled Ancestors and Descendants of John Price . If the story is true, Mary was a brave and clever woman as Tarleton left the home unmolested after dining with Mary.
Below Mary's obituary is an image of her portrait. Welford M. Jones snapped the image while researching at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, where the portrait hangs. Regarding Mary's obituary, please note that the original obituary does not refer to her father as Col. White as has been published in some genealogical magazines.
1806 Richmond Enquirer_1806-03-18
Portrait of Mary White Price
3. Barrett White was born July 22, 1727 per the White family book Confession of Faith. Barrett's death date of February 18, 1782 is recorded in a Bible focused on the family of Barrett and Elizabeth White which is preserved at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Barrett appears to have lived his entire life in Hanover County although he did leave behind records in Henrico County where he had interests. In 1775, Barrett was appointed as a member of the Hanover County Committee of Safety which oversaw the county's military preparations, enforced boycotts of British goods, and provided governing operations during the Revolutionary War.
Barrett first shows up in the St. Paul's Parish procession records in 1759 (after the death of his father) in regards to the Beaverdam Creek property, along with his brother, John. Barrett and his estate continued to be associated with the processioning of the Beaverdam Creek property through 1784. It is interesting to note that although Mr. John White obtained the 1705 land patent for the 211 acres on the east side of Beaverdam Creek, the White family operated a mill on the west side of Beaverdam Creek. In the 1760s, the White family's ownership of the land on the west side of Beaverdam Creek came into question. To solve the matter, Barrett had to obtain a 273 acre land patent in 1765. The matter of ownership for the White family lands along Beaverdam Creek is described in detail as part of a previous blog entry. It should be noted that Barrett was never responsible for the processioning of the White family land located in the Cold Harbor area.
copyright@2025 Deborah Thurman Parks
