Whence I Came

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 ...

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 ...

1701 Map of Virginia Counties (Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624) New Kent County - St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Parishes To establish a base for the analysis of John White in St. Paul’s Parish, it was first necessary to review the records of St. Peter’s Parish and New Kent County.   In 1704, St. Peter’s Parish was divided creating St. Paul’s Parish in the western lands.   Both parishes comprised the western portion of New Kent County until 1720 when Hanover County was formed [1] .   There are a few records from this time period when both parishes were part of New Kent County that help provide a base for understanding Mr. John White of early St. Paul’s Parish.   The records that have survived are listed below, in chronological order: Date Source Record March 8, 1675 Minutes of Council and General Court of Virginia [2] “Upon petition of Thomas Hancock it is ordered that he secure soe much of the estate ...

Many conflicting genealogies exist involving the John Whites of St. Paul’s Parish, Hanover County, Virginia.   These clashing White family histories have formed an entangled web on the internet.   And during my several years of researching these Whites, I viewed this web as a snare to be avoided.   Without the aid of straight forward wills or Bible records, the John White connections of St. Paul’s Parish seemed lost in history.    R ecently, I had an awakening.   I could no longer continue to ignore the John White quagmire.   I had to sort the John Whites of St. Paul’s Parish out for my own peace of mind.   Why?   Because YDNA tells me that I am a relative to the descendants of these John Whites, although we have different surnames.   With the necessary grit, I began an investigation of the precincts where John White was listed as a land owner.   The land proceedings of the St. Paul’s Vestry Record proved allowed me to see t...