Whence I Came

From as early as 1744, there has been reference to a group of Andersons in Hanover County, Virginia known as "Scotch" which has been interpreted to mean that they were of Scottish heritage. The "Scotch" reference was apparently used to differentiate themselves from the Andersons of Hanover County who were not of Scottish heritage. But because both Anderson families used some of the same forenames including Robert, Charles, and David, it has been difficult to differentiate between the two families. In addition, both families also had Louisa County connections! Overtime, these two Anderson families became a big bowl of Anderson rigatoni and rotini pasta - all mixed together! I know, not very Scottish. But you get the picture! But thanks to YDNA testing and good ole fashion document research, the Anderson rigatoni and rotini are slowly being separated into two genetically different Anderson families. An Anderson YDNA tester from Aberdeen, Scotland has even helped to na...

Burnett family members have long been pioneers in the truest sense, always pushing the "civilization envelope", in search of better lands and living. They migrated throughout Virginia, south to the Carolinas, and west to Kentucky and Tennessee. Then, in 1825 when the United States signed a treaty with the Choctaw Nation of Indians, lands in south Mississippi became available for purchase which contained level prairies and timbered areas filled with valuable woods. These lands were an inducement to one Burnett family to make their way south to the area we know today as Hinds County, Mississippi.   1842, July 29 South-Western Farmer, at Raymond, Mississippi The above 1842 advertisement in the South-Western Farmer  tells us the story of a Burnett family which was living in Raymond, Mississippi (located just west of Jackson in Hinds County) and one of their family members, Levi Ingraham Burnett, who had gone missing. Levi had left Henrico County, Virginia in 1832 and had not ...

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?  Alth...

While researching the Starke family of early Hanover County, it became clear that there is a lot of "online confusion" involving Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke. Online trees showed that their military ranks were so interchangeable that I began to wonder if the two men were actually just one man. To know for sure, I decided to do a land tax analysis for Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke.  But before we get to the results of the land tax analysis, a quick summary of military rank should be explored. Today, a Colonel holds a higher officer rank than a Major. But did the same hold true during the 1780s? Fortunately,  Steven A. Bingaman's  The History of American Ranks and Insignia   provides an excellent description of military rank during the Revolutionary War and confirms that as early as 1775, Colonel was a higher officer rank than Major. With this in mind, please take a look at the land tax analysis d isplayed in the below table followed by a descr...

Sisters Edith and Helena Maria White (daughters of Mr. John White and his second wife, Katherine) married brothers, John and Joseph Holt. The double marriage in these two families came to light in the below 1758 Louisa County, Virginia deed where John and Joseph Holt, as husbands of Edith and Helena Maria, signed their permission to lend Katherine Brain (Brane) the real and personal property which their wives inherited from their father's estate, plus a female slave named Lydia. The deed explains that when Katherine's "natural life" ended, the properties would then return to her children. Other signers of the deed include Elisha and William White (brothers to Edith and Helena Maria), Thomas King (husband of sister Tillah White), and Sackville Brewer (husband of sister Martha White).   Louisa County VA DB C pages 72-73 So, who were John and Joseph Holt? And is there evidence that they were brothers? Find out more in the next blog entry .  copyright©2024 Deborah Thurman...

FamilySearch.com never ceases to amaze me! Today, from the comfort of my own home, I came across the original pages that were transcribed by C. G. Chamberlayne for his publication  Vestry Book of  St. Paul's Parish Hanover County Virginia 1706-1786 ! Thank you FamilySearch.com! In a previous entry, I noted how many Burnett researchers have ignored Chamberlayne's transcription of Precinct 27 in 1708. In his transcription, Chamberlayne listed a John BARNET and an Edwd BURNET within the same precinct. Unfortunately, Chamberlayne's meticulous transcription effort has been ignored for this precinct and some Burnett researchers decided that a transcription mistake was made and that the transcription for "John BARNET" should have read, "John BURNET". So, let's take a look at the full original page! And here's a cropped version. Without a doubt, the original entry is "John BARNET" who was listed as an interested landowner in the 1708 entry and ...

The many intricacies of Lieutenant Elisha White's life did not end with his being arrested , removed from company command, and serving as a Continental Army Recruiting Officer in Virginia . To add to the many mysteries surrounding Elisha's life, h e left a most unusual will dated January 4, 1781 in Henrico County, Virginia comprised of only two sentences: Henrico County, VA Will Book 1 page 10 In the name of God amen. January 4th 1781 I, Elisha White of Henrico County being in perfect sences do make this my last will and testament. Itum  to my wife Theodotia White I do give and bequeath all my estate real and and personly after my debts being out the same. Test                                                                                 ...

To lead men into battle against the well disciplined British Army during the Revolutionary War, it was absolutely necessary to possess strong leadership qualities. It could be argued that the key leadership quality that was needed to inspire men to do brave things was integrity. Men determined if a leader had integrity based upon the choices he made, and if those choices were based upon a strong moral compass. If so, then men believed their leader to be honorable and could trust him in perilous situations to do the right thing.  As we previously reviewed, Governor Patrick Henry felt that Lieutenant White was such a leader of men when he wrote to General Washington and described White in this manner, "I have only to say that I believe him a worthy young man & a good Officer".  Henry also eluded that Lieutenant White was "just" in dueling with Lieutenant Green. In 18th century understanding, this meant that White was honorable and chose to do the right thing. But ...

According to the American Battlefield Trust , about 25,000 patriots died while either fighting in a battle, succumbing to disease, or languishing as a prisoner of war.  What this death toll doesn't tell is the story of how at least one patriot's death was the result of giving and receiving insults. How could that be? Well, as we can only imagine, the infamously miserable Valley Forge encampment was comprised of young men who were living in wretched conditions far from home and their loved ones. Under high tension, the men's morale must have been low. And it was in this environment that Valley Forge became the scene for a fatal duel between two young Virginian officers in the Continental Army; Lieutenants John Green and Elisha White.  retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/starving-soldiers-at-valley-forge Lieutenants Green and White were both young men of high standing Virginia families. Lieutenant John Green was the son of Colonel John Green of the 6th Virginia Regim...

Why do so many Burnett family researchers focus on connecting John Burnett of New Kent County, son of Richard Burnett of York County, to the St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County Burnetts?   The claim is that John Burnett, son of Richard Burnett and husband of Elizabeth, was living in Blisland Parish, New Kent County and then moved to St. Paul's Parish where he allegedly died about 1706.  As a focused Hanover County researcher, I've found no evidence of John Burnett of New Kent County having lived or died in St. Paul's Parish.  However, there is substantial evidence of a John Burnett and an Elizabeth Burnett that lived in Blisland Parish well into the year 1756.  Perhaps a fresh look at the records needs to be taken. 1695 - John and Elizabeth Burnett of New Kent County, Virginia The record of interest is the below 1695 York County deed involving John Burnett of New Kent County and Daniel Parke Esq. of York County (it is not clear at this time if this was the grandfa...