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.

Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – 1830) of Louisa and Wythe Counties, Virginia, and Cumberland County, Kentucky: First Appearance in Montgomery County, March 1776

NARA, Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, Virginia, 7th Regiment, #2577, RG 93, available digitally at Fold3

Or, Subtitled: What a Close Reading of an Historical Document Might Reveal

In this posting, I’ll begin my documentation of the life of Thomas Whitlock (abt. 1745 – May 1830) after he arrived in Montgomery County, Virginia, by 1776: in previous postings, I’ve discussed his probable date of birth, and the sparse documentation I have for him prior to his appearance in Montgomery County records (and here). I noted that, after his appearance in the estate settlement of his father James Whitlock in Louisa County, Virginia, in November 1757,[1] the first solid record I have for Thomas — other than a July 1769 Bedford County, Virginia, court record and the statement of the bible of his daughter Sarah Whitlock and her husband Thomas Brooks that Sarah was born in Bedford on 9 June 1774 — is a 1 March 1776 deed in Montgomery County to which he was a witness.[2]