| SPOUSE | CHILDREN | |||
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Charlotte Reeves m. 1768 ?Pittsylvania VA b. Jan 2, 1751 NC d. Jun 11, 1843 Nashville TN |
Jonathan Friar b. Jun 13, 1769 NC d. Oct 14, 1814 ?Nashville TN |
James Randolph b. Dec 11, 1771 NC k. Apr 2, 1794 Davidson Co. TN |
Delilah b. Nov 30, 1773 Washington Dist. NC d. 1866 TN |
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Peyton b. Feb 11, 1775 Washington Co. NC d. Mar 12, 1787 Davidson Co. TN |
Charlotte Reeves b. Jul 11, 1778 Watauga Settlement NC d. Jun 1781 Washington Co. NC |
Felix Randolph b. Jan 11, 1781 Washington Co. NC d. Jul 10, 1865 Nashville TN |
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Charlotte b. Mar 11, 1783 Davidson Co. NC d. Feb 7, 1860 Hickman Co. TN |
William Blount b. Jun 15, 1785 Davidson Co. NC d. Oct 23, 1837 Iberville Parish LA |
Peyton Henderson b. Nov 22, 1787 NC d. Sep 17, 1840 Davidson Co. TN |
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Lavinia b. Feb 23, 1790 Davidson Co. TN d. Dec 31, 1866 ?Nashville TN |
John McNairy b. Apr 26, 1792 ?Davidson Co. d. 1870 Baton Rouge LA |
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North Carolina Counties at beginning of
1775 and at beginning of 1780
showing creation of Burke Co. |
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A John White signed the 1777 petition of men
living on the north Holston River
complaining about the division of Fincastle Co. VA. They felt the county line was
not equitable and the court house was too far away. Also signing were members of
the Renfroe, Bledsoe, Drake, Mansker, Freeland, Terrell and Robertson families,
as well as a Solomon White and "John Holladay". These names all match those that
eventually moved to the Cumberland settlement in 1780, where the families of this
John White and John Holloway lived for almost
2 years. |
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A settler named Farris wrote: "… in 1779
Colonel John Donelson informed the
citizens of Halifax County, Virginia, that the government had offered a bounty
of land near the French Lick on Cumberland River to any male 21 years of age and
upwards who would become a citizen, build a cabin, raise corn, and be willing to
encounter danger and privations" [Clarksville online, website]. |
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Washington Co., previously Washington District, was formed by North Carolina in
1777 and extended west to the Mississippi River, mostly containing land inhabited
by five different tribes of Native Americans, but mostly Cherokee. In 1779, the
Cumberland Settlement was created by the granting of land by the NC government.
In 1783 this settlement was mostly contained in the newly formed Davidson Co. and
surrounded by Indian Lands, and Virginia and Kentucky to the North.
Map of
the Cumberland Settlements showing Forts, known as Stations, in present-day counties. |
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Photo of a
Map showing the route of the Donelson Expedition on display at the Tennessee
State Museum. The expedition left Fort Patrick Henry, but some boats likely joined the
flotilla after it passed Knoxville, and left it at the Red River near Clarksville. |
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Of the 300 persons in the Donelson flotilla,
John Donelson's flatboat carried
about 15 white persons and 30 slaves. It had a roof covering part of the boat. |
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A John White family was on a list of families
recorded by Col. John Donelson as being with
his flotilla expedition to the Cumberland Settlement in Washington Co.
NC (now middle TN) which lasted several months into the spring of 1780 and endured
a brutal winter, Indian attacks, hunger and smallpox. On Apr 12, the Whites were
among at least 16 families, about 80 persons, to leave the expedition and settle
9 miles up from the Cumberland River along the Red River, settling at Fort Union,
which became known as Renfroe's Station. The Donelson flotilla reached its
final destination (Nashborough) 12 days later. |
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James' family did not march with him to the Cumberland Settlement.
List of flotilla captains
from the journal kept by John Donelson
during the voyage. His second daughter Charlotte survived the Donelson
voyage but died soon after before she turned two years old. James and Charlotte
named their next daughter Charlotte [Bucy & Kaplan, The Nashville City Cemetery]. |
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By May 1780, James Robertson was reunited with his family in the new Cumberland
Settlement in Washington Co. in western NC territory (now TN). James, along with
about 250 others, signed the Cumberland Compact created May 1, 1780. It was
finalized on May 13 and established a provisional government for the isolated area;
provided for the election of twelve representatives from the eight stations or forts;
provided for a Ssheriff, a clerk, a militia that required service by all men over age 16,
and for the adjudication of causes, the administration of estates, and the awarding
of executions. On the
first page
of signatures from the original Compact, the signature of "Js. Robertson"
is the ninth signature of the second column. Also signing were
John "Holloday",
Frederick Stump, his son Jacob Stump, and
Philip Alston. By winter 1781,
Jacob Stump was killed while out with his father near their home along Whites Creek. |
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Statue of James Robertson and co-founder of the Cumberland Settlement,
John Donelson,
with the Compact signers listed below, is located above the Cumberland
River in downtown Nashville TN (see
photo of the
statue and signers marker). |
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Portrait of James Robertson
from a portrait by Washington B. Cooper (1801-1889). |
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Son Felix was the first white male born in the Cumberland Settlement. He is
buried in the Nashville City Cemetery. He and sister Lavinia rode horseback
800 miles to Philadelphia to attend school. |
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In May 1782, John White and his family arrived at Natchez in a party of 8 individuals
under the entry "Juan White, wife and children". A total of
13 families were
recorded by Spanish authorities on Jul 6, as arriving, including families of
James White, and of
William Dewitt and his
second wife Catherine White, the daughter of brother
William White. |
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Son James was killed by Indians while trap hunting on the Caney Fork River on
Apr 2, 1794. |
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Son John married Lucy Scales on Jun 12, 1817. He died in 1870 in Baton
Rouge LA. |
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SOURCES: Bucy, Carole & Carol Kaplan, The Nashville Cit Cemetery, Carved in Stone. Cumberland Compact, original document signed May 13, 1780, Washington County NC, website. Clayton, Prof. W.W., History of Davidson County Tennessee, reprod. 1971 by Charles Elder, Nashville TN. Drake, Doug, Jack Masters and Bill Puryear, Founding of the Cumberland Settlements, The First Atlas, 1779-1804, Warioto Press, 2009, pp. 23, map E7. Alexander Gregg, History of the Old Cheraws, repr. of 1925 ed., Balto. Geneal. Publ., 1967, p.90. Imbert, J. Leopold, map maker, Carte des Possessions Angloises... 1777, reprinted by the Museum of the American Revolution from map image at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN. Tuller, Roberta, "1777 Petition of Holston Men", in An American Family History, website, Amazon Services, 2020. Wells, Carol, Natchez Postscripts 1781-1798, Heritage Books, Bowie MD, 1992, pp. 52. White, Gifford, "James White and John White", Wm Wiseman & the Davenports, Pioneers Of Old Burke County, North Carolina, v.2, by M.L.Vineyard & E.M.Wiseman, Franklin NC, 1997, pp. 86-96, 107-112. White, Gifford, James Taylor White of Virginia and some of his descendants into Texas, Austin, TX, April 1982. Whitley, Edythe Rucker, comp., Pioneers of Davidson Co., Tennessee, Clearfield Publ., 2009. |
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