James Whitlock (bef. 1690 – 1736) of New Kent and Hanover County, Virginia, with Wife Frances

Vestry Book of St. Paul’s Parish, Hanover County, Virginia, 1706-1786, held by State Library of Virginia, minutes for 8 November 1736; digital copy available at FamilySearch

Or, Subtitled: “Mr. James Whitlock was Sworn a Vestry man for this parish and took the Oaths appointed by law, before Peter Garland Gent.”

Researchers have conventionally estimated the birth of the James Whitlock (bef. 1690 – 1736) who was father of James Whitlock younger, who died between 7 March and 28 November 1749 in St. Paul’s parish, Louisia County, Virginia, between 1680 and 1690. For the sake of convenience, in this posting, I’m going to refer to the three James Whitlocks of Gloucester, New Kent, Hanover, and Louisa County, Virginia, who form a chain of fathers and sons, as follows:

James 1 (1651-1716)

James 2 (bef. 1690 – 1736)

James 3 (abt. 1718 – 1749)

James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) of Hanover and Louisa County, Virginia, with Wife Agnes Christmas

Louisa County, Virginia, Will Bk. 1, p. 13

Or, Subtitled: Drugget, Shalloon, and Hanks of Silk, Execution of an Enslaved Man, and a Father Disinheriting His Son

Having completed a series of postings discussing the children of James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and Agnes Christmas of Hanover and Louisa Counties, Virginia — Charles, James, Mary (Jones), Ann (Austin), Thomas,[1] and Nathaniel — I’m moving back a generation to share my (sparse) information on their father James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749).

Children of James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and Wife Agnes Christmas: Nathaniel Whitlock (abt. 1747 – aft. 1800)

Albemarle County, Virginia, Deed Bk. 4, pp. 366-8

Or, Subtitled: Confusion and Sparse Records Coupled with Clearly Discernible Patterns

If I’m correct that the 20 September 1757 Louisa County, Virginia, settlement of the estate of James Whitlock and the 29 December 1768 Hanover County, Virginia, will of Thomas Christmas, James’s father-in-law, name the children of James Whitlock and Agnes Christmas by order of birth, then their last child was Nathaniel Whitlock.[1] In the posting I’ve just linked, I provide my reasons for thinking that the child of James and Agnes who preceded Nathaniel, my ancestor Thomas Whitlock, was born around 1745. In my view, Nathaniel would likely have been born about 1747, no doubt in St. Martin’s parish in Louisa County, where his father James Whitlock died between making his will on 7 March 1749 and the will’s probate date of 28 November 1749.[2] The 1810 federal census for Greenville County, South Carolina, which I’ll discuss below, assigns Nathaniel a birthdate prior to 1755.

Children of James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and Wife Agnes Christmas: Mary Whitlock Jones (1741 – 1810/1820) and Ann Whitlock Austin (abt. 1742/4 – ?)

Signature of William Jones transcribed by Will Graves at the Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters website, from South Carolina Revolutionary Audited Accounts Bk. V, pp. 19-20, audited account 4125

Or, Subtitled: Elusive Sources for Birth and Death Dates, and Stories of Englishmen Coming to Virginia in the 18th Century

Following their sons Charles and James, James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and wife Agnes Christmas of Hanover and Louisa Counties, Virginia, had a daughter Mary, with a daughter Ann born after Mary. My reason for putting Mary and Ann, about whom very little is known, together in this posting will be apparent as the posting unfolds.

Children of James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and Wife Agnes Christmas: James Whitlock (abt. 1740 – abt. 1781) of Louisa County, Virginia, and Rowan County, North Carolina

Rowan County, North Carolina, Land Entry Bk. 1778, #1119

Or, Subtitled: Posthumous Land Grants and Red Herring Clues about Tories

Following their son Charles, James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and Agnes Christmas of Hanover and Louisa County, Virginia, had a son James. I’ve discussed Charles and his family in a series of postings that began with this one. I’d now like to focus on James.

Children of Charles Whitlock (abt. 1739 – 1814) and Wife Esther: James, Thomas, and Mary Whitlock

Lynchburg Virginian (22 November 1841), p. 3, col. 4, available digitally at the Virginia Chronicle pages of the Library of Virginia website

Or, Subtitled: “A plain English education such as reading, writing, and arithmetic”

This posting is a continuation of a previous one that provided information about the first three children of Charles and Esther Whitlock of Albemarle County, Virginia, and Stokes County, North Carolina — Agnes (Dodson), Alexander, and William Whitlock. This post focuses on the next three children in Charles and Esther’s family — James, Thomas, and Mary Whitlock.

Children of James Whitlock (abt. 1718 – 1749) and Wife Agnes Christmas: Charles Whitlock (abt. 1739 – 1814) of Louisa and Albemarle County, Virginia, and Stokes County, North Carolina

Original will of Charles Whitlock, 1811, Stokes County, North Carolina, on file with North Carolina Archives

Or, Subtitled: “In witne∫s hereof I have Set my hand and affixed my seal”

With my last posting, I finished sharing my information about the descendants of Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – 1830) and wife Hannah Phillips, my 5th great-grandparents. I’m now going to climb back up the Whitlock family tree and start a series of postings about Thomas Whitlock’s siblings, the other children of James Whitlock and Agnes Christmas of Hanover and Louisa County, Virginia, whom I haven’t yet discussed in detail.

Children of Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – 1830) and Wife Hannah Phillips: Charles Whitlock (abt. 1773 – 1796) and Wife Mary Davies

Augusta County, Virginia, Chancery Court case, Whitlock vs. Whitlock, box 10, file 38 (1803-4), available digitally via Library of Virginia’s Virginia Memory chancery records collection

Or, Subtitled: “He was Living in the House with Thomas Whitlock at the time his Sone Charles was killd by the fall of a tree”

The next child of Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – 1830) and wife Hannah Phillips, their third child if I have their children in correct order, was a son Charles Whitlock. A number of previous postings contain biographical information about Charles. As I state in a previous posting, in my view, Thomas and his siblings were likely raised by their older brother Charles after the Whitlock parents, James Whitlock and Agnes Christmas, died, James in 1749 in Louisa County, Virginia, and Agnes between 1750 and 1757, probably also in Louisa. 

I don’t have documentary proof of my deduction that, as the oldest of James and Agnes’s children, Thomas’s brother Charles brought his younger siblings to Albemarle County, where he lived from 1760 or a bit earlier up to around 1780, when he moved to Surry County, North Carolina. But such information as I have suggests to me that this is what happened. As the posting linked above states, in my view Thomas Whitlock named his only son Charles after the older brother who raised him.

Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – 1830) of Louisa and Wythe Counties, Virginia, and Cumberland County, Kentucky: Cumberland County Estate Documents

Cumberland County, Kentucky, Will Bk. B, pp. 428-430

Or, Subtitled: A “Coffy” Mill, Kows, Chears, a Barrel of “Dryed” Apples, and a Large Bible

This posting is a continuation of a previous one discussing Thomas Whitlock’s final years in Cumberland County, Kentucky. That posting ended with a transcription of the will Thomas made on 22 January 1824 in Cumberland, County, which was proved in Cumberland County at May court 1830. As my final comments in the posting I’ve just linked state, in my view, Thomas likely died in 1830, perhaps in May or shortly before May. In what follows, I’ll discuss Thomas Whitlock’s estate documents, which include an estate inventory and appraisal, an account of the sale of his estate, and a final settlement.

Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – 1830) of Louisa and Wythe Counties, Virginia, and Cumberland County, Kentucky: The Case of Jonathan Jennings

Botetourt County, Virginia, Deed Bk. 1, pp. 310-2

Or, Subtitled: When the name you ignore in a document turns out to be the key to the problem you’re trying to solve

In my penultimate posting, I told you that, having recounted Thomas Whitlock’s (abt. 1745 – 1830) story up to the point that he and wife Hannah Phillips Whitlock sold their land in Wythe County, Virginia, and moved to Kentucky in 1805, I’d proceed with a chronicle of their life in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Before I do that, however, I’d like to share some important information I’ve now unearthed about Jonathan Jennings.