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Catherine "Cary" White
Born 1766? Craven Co. SC
Died after Aug 30, 1823 St. Landry Parish LA

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Father
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SPOUSE	CHILDREN
William Dewitt m. late 1781 Burke Co. NC b. 1750? VA? d. by Aug 7, 1788 Natchez District	William b. 1785? Natchez Dist. d. after 1840 ?St. Landry Parish LA
Henry Milburn m. 1788? Natchez District b. 1762? Madison, Culpeper Co. VA d. by Sep 5, 1818 ?Jefferson Co. MS	Janetta Maria b. 1791? Natchez District d. LA?	Rachel White b. 1794? Natchez District d. LA?	Henry Blair b. 1799? Natchez District d. 1852? LA?
John? Anthony m. by Sep 5, 1818 ?MS d. by Aug 1823 ?St. Landry Parish LA
Elisha Forman m. Aug 30, 1823 St. Landry Parish LA b. before 1777?
In the 1770's, William Dewitt was a militiaman and Special Juror for the Cheraws District in SC. In the 1778-79 Jury List of Petit Jurors, was a Charles and John Dewitt.
Modern Map of South Carolina Counties showing the 18th Century Parishes. Welch Neck and Cashaway Neck were in St. David Parish. Prince George Parish was to the South and included the Pee Dee River basin from Lynches Creek down to Winyah Bay. Map taken from DMK Heritage (website).
August 15, 1770 petition by father William White seeking government relief for him and his family. That year, Reuben White apparently bought William's land in St. David's parish, Craven Co, SC so that William could pay off his debts. William was in jail for debt in Cheraws SC in 1774.
The old Cheraws District was located partly in present day Marlboro Co. SC. Map of the Cheraws District between 1785 and 1790 shows location relative to other SC districts.
A deed of gift dated Dec 13, 1773 from Reuben White to the wife and children, including Cary, of his brother William White. The Deed of Gift to Reuben's sister-in-law Sophia White, wife of William, was filed in SC in 1777 after Reuben was killed. A slave named Jupiter was included in the gift, in which Jupiter is described as a boy. In 1773 he would have been about 11 years old [Gifford White, Documents on Estate of Reuben White].
After father William White was jailed in Cheraws SC in 1774 for unpaid debts, future husband William Dewitt characterized him as "a dishonest man". Less than a decade later, Cary married him.
While in South Carolina, the White family was not sympathetic to the American Revolution and left a trail of litigation in the state. The family moved to what is now Burke Co NC, then split with some members moving to Natchez Territory (now Mississippi) and the rest remaining in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. The split appears to have occurred after Reuben White was killed by indians in 1777 at Pleasant Gardens NC. James Taylor White and William White opted for the patriot side and stayed in Burke Co. During the American Revolution, Mississippi and Louisiana territories were havens for Loyalists.
North Carolina Counties at beginning of 1775 and at beginning of 1780 showing creation of Burke Co.
In late 1781 Catherine married widower William Dewitt in Burke Co. NC. He immediately returned to the Cumberland Settlement in Washington Co. NC with Cary [MDAH, roll no. 5618, vol. 7, p. 210, "Catharine Duett, Marriage Contract"].
In May 1782, the family of Cary and WIlliam was among 13 families emigrating to the Natchez District by flatboats including that of Cary's uncles James White, and John White. They are listed in the Spanish arrival record of Jul 6, as "Guillaume Duelt, wife & children, 5 Individuos" and 23 Slaves [Natchez Court Records].
On Sep 22, 1784 husband William Dewitt and a Russell Jones faced confinement in the Fort of Natchez "for attempting to leave the country without passports", which were required going in and out of the Spanish Territory at that time [Potter, Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823, p. 342].
William Dewitt was the subject of a deposition made in the Natchez District on Jan 31, 1785. The deposition was regarding a transfer of slaves and debts owed by William. Members of the White family bear witness to events in Washington Co. NC [now part of TN] where the Dewitts and White bothers were living with their families in 1781. The transfer of slaves was proven to be a forgery and his debts settled by the Spanish Tribunal. [McBee, Natchez Court Records, Book E, p. 36].
On Aug 7, 1788, the will of a Richard Carpenter lists outstanding debts to several individuals including: James White, Cadey Raby, son-in-law of Elizabeth White, John Holloway, and William Dewitt ("dead") [Natchez Court Records, Book B, p. 112].
Cary had two other marriages after her first husband died. About 1788, she married Henry Milburn, who was the head of household "Enrique Milburn" in the Villa Gayoso division of Natchez in 1792, and gave birth to three children by him.
The 1792 Census of the Natchez District was translated from the Spanish handwritten records. Located in the "Bayou Pierre" subdivision (BP-now Claiborne Co.) is a single male household under the name "Jese Dwet" (stepson Jesse Dewitt), with no land and no slaves. Also listed in the same area is a household "Elizabet Dewin", with 5 whites on 500 arpents of land. This could be Cary Dewitt, her new husband Henry Milburn, her young son William Dewitt, her stepdaughters Catherine and Martha Dewitt. The Head of Household Index to the same Census [found on a different website] also has an "Enrique Milburn" and two Formans, a "Jorge" and "Ismy" in the subdivision of Villa Gayoso (VG). The Villa Gayoso district roughly became Jefferson and Franklin Counties MS. George and Ismael Forman were sons of Edward Forman (1720?-1805).
On Feb 18, 1794, Henry Milburn "native of VA" bought 300 arpents from Eustace Humphreys. The record states his age as 32 years [McBee, Natchez Land Claims]. The 1792 Census lists "Juan Humphreys" with 300 arpents of land, 6 whites and no blacks in the same district of VG as Henry Milburn. Eustace Humphreys (1753-1814?) was granted 200 acres of land on Coles Creek in 1798.
On Jul 21, 1794, the estate of stepson Jesse Dewitt was appraised at $138 in Natchez. The appraised property was received by Archibald Rea on Jul 23, 1794 "for the benefit of the creditors" [McBee, Natchez Court Records, Book D page 131, p. 153].
On Mar 14, 1798, Henry Milburn witnessed a deed transaction involving Catherine's aunt, Elizabeth White Still Lee, and husband John Still Lee, "of Bayou Pierre dist.", of 764 acres, described as bounded on the west by "Dewit and Armstrong". The Dewit might have been Cary's stepson Jesse Dewitt or Ezekiel Dewitt. Jesse Dewitt and Moises Armstrong were each single male households (with no land) in the Bayou Pierre district (became Claiborne Co.) in the 1792 Natchez Census.
Claiborne Co. was founded in 1804, the fourth county in the new Mississippi Territory. (see present day map for location).
The 1810 Tax Roll of Claiborne Co. on page 13 line 6, lists Henry Milburn with 460 acres of land in W. Big Black (roughly present-day Warren Co. MS), claimed as donation, with 2 white polls [adult males] and 3 slaves [to find this entry, scroll down using last 2 columns to Page 13, Line 6].
In 1810, the Mississippi Territory included the old Natchez District. See Map of US and Territories in 1810.
Widow "Cary Milbourne" is the head of a household in the 1820 Census for St. Landry Parish LA. page 102, submitted on Jul 26, 1821. There were 8 persons in the household: 3 Males of aged 16 and under 26 [Henry B., son-in-law John Ardoin?], 1 White Female of aged 10 and under 16 [?], 1 White Female of aged 16 and under 26 [daughter Rachel Ardoin], 1 Female of 45 and upwards [Cary aged 54 or 55], 1 male slave under 14 years old, 1 Female slave aged 14 and under 26, 4 of the persons were engaged in agriculture.
In the 1820 Census for St. Landry Parish LA, located within 10 households from "Cary Milbourne", are a "McGrory" household (future in-law) and a household headed by "William Milbourne". This William, Cary's first born fathered by first husband William Dewitt, listed 7 members on line 3 of page 103: 2 Males under 10 years of age, 1 Male aged 16 and under 26, 2 Males aged 26 and under 45 [William b. 1783-1788 aged 33-38, & ?], 1 Female aged 16 and under 26 [wife of William born by 1794], 1 Female slave aged 45 and upwards [possibly Phoebe, b. about 1775 in Carolina], 2 of the persons were engaged in agriculture and 1 in manufacturing. In 1830 there is one household headed by "William Milborne" and no other Milburn families in the parish. The one slave in this household could be Phoebe aged 45 since she was 6 in Jan 1782 when William Dewitt tried to deed her to his daughter Catherine (who may have died by 1820). There is no record of Phoebe being part of the public sale of the William Dewitt estate in 1784.
On Mar 18, 1817, daughter "Rachel W. Milburn" married John Ardin, in St. Landry Parish LA. In the 1820 Census for the parish, there are Ardoin households but none headed by John. In 1830 there is a "John D. L. Arden" household.
On Oct 30, 1820, daughter "Janet Mariah Milburn" married Elizah G. Southerland, who was born in 1790.
Son Henry B. Milburn married Patsy Johnson on Mar 7, 1821 in St. Landry Parish LA. Later he may have married Minerva Adella Ferguson. Their daughter Louisa A. Milburn was married Jun 29, 1854 to Thomas McCrory, but died in childbirth Jul 2, 1855. Louisa and the infant daughter are buried in the Milburn/Morrison Cemetery in Avoyelles Parish LA.
Father William White died in Jul 1818 in Burke Co. NC as the patriarch of the White family. William Davenport, son of Martin Davenport was appointed Executor. On Sep 5, 1818, daughter "Cary Anthony" in LA transfered her power of attorney to Benjamin White, son of Thomas White, which was received by William Davenport in NC on Oct 26, 1818. [Gifford White p. 74].
A "John Anthoney" was listed in the 1810 Claiborne Co. MS Tax List with 10 acres and 2 slaves in Port Gibson. There was a John Anthony listed in the 1810 Census but not in the 1820 Census for the same county.
On Aug 30, 1823 Cary married her last husband, Elisha Forman, in St. Landry Parish LA. After she died, he was married again on Jun 21, 1826 to Marie Celene Deroziers. The 1830 Census of the Parish lists an "Elisha Foreman" household with 8 members, including a daughter under 5 years old, and a female slave over 55 years old.
The Forman family had been in the Natchez District since before Jun 22, 1790 when 6 flatboats from the United States arrived, including the Nancy from Ohio carrying: "FORMAN, SAMUEL, owner and settler FORMAN, EZEK, resident of Natchez District Other flatboats all from KENTUCKY …" On Jun 30, "Spanish grant to Ezekiel Forman, 100 acres … Forman, son of grantee and David Forman. N.O. … " [McBee, Book , p. 447].
St. Landry Parish was created in 1805. It is located just west of Baton Rouge (see Map of Louisiana Parishes for location).
In the 1840 Census for St. Landry Parish LA, there were no Milborne households regardless of spelling. However there was a single Dewitt household. No Dewitts were listed in any previous censuses for the parish. The "William Dewitt" household listed 7 members on line 19 of page 239a and page 239b: 1 Male aged 5 to 10 years of age, 1 Male aged 20 to 30 years of age, 1 Male aged 50 and under 60 [William b. 1782-1788 aged 52-58], 2 Females aged 10 and under 20, 1 Female aged 20 and under 30, 1 Female aged 40 and under 50, [wife born by 1794], and no slaves. As in the 1830 "Milborne" household, 2 of the persons were engaged in agriculture. In 1850 there are no households headed by Milbornes or Dewitts in the parish.
SOURCES: Adams Co. Mississippi Genealogy & History Network, "1792 Census for Natchez District (under Spanish Government control)", 2009, 1792 Census. Christenson, Elroy, website, John Hollaway Family. Clark, Walter, State Records of North Carolina Vol XVII 1781-1785, Broadfoot Publishing, Wilmington NC, 1994, pp. 287-8, 294. Genealogical Register, vol. VIII, No. 3, Sep 1961. Hendrix, G.L.C., The Jury Lists of South Carolinians, 1778-1779, private printing, 1975. McBee, Mary Wilson, Natchez Court Records 1767-1805, Abstract of Early Records, Greenwood MS, 1953, pp. 14-15, 27, 55, 40-43, 88-89, 152-3, 309-10, Book D, p. 153, Book E, p. 162-3. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, rootsweb, Americans Arriving in Spanish-Held Natchez 1780-1790. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, microfilm, roll no. 5618, vol.7, p. 210. MSGHN, "St. Landry Parish LA Marriages", Surname "A", Surname "Fo", Surname "Me-My". Poe, Allan, "The Records, From Virginia to Old Burke Co. N.C.", publ. in Wm Wiseman & the Davenports, Pioneers Of Old Burke County, North Carolina, v.2, by M.L.Vineyard & E.M.Wiseman, Franklin NC, 1997, pp. 254-256. Potter, Dorothy Williams, Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823, Gateway Press, Baltimore MD, 1982, p. 342. Pre-Revolutionary Plat Books, SC Archives Dept., vol. 21, pp 424-433. U.S. 1820 Census, St. Landry Parish LA, Index, S-K Publications, 2021. U.S. 1830 Census, St. Landry Parish LA, Index, S-K Publications, 2021. Sandefur, Gladys L., transcriber, Milburn/Morrison Cemetery, Avoyelles Parish LA, website, www.la-cemeteries.com, 2010. U.S. 1840 Census, St. Landry Parish LA, Index, USGenWeb, transcribed by Karen Sherman, 2002. Wells, Carol, Natchez Postscripts 1781-1798, repr. by Heritage Books Inc, Bowie MD, 1992, p. 151. 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. White, Gifford E., "Documents on Estate of Reuben White", typed transcriptions of court records at NC Archives, received by Lisabeth Holloway from Michael F. Gibbons, Feb 1989, 5 pages.