1765 - 1834

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• Birth	7 Mar 1765	Stow, Massachusetts   [1]
  Gender	Male
  BIRT	7 Mar 1765	Stow, Middlesex, Mass.   [2]
  Died	13 Sep 1834	Bedford County, Tennessee   [1]
  Person ID	I82620	Brainard (Brainerd) / Foster / Fish
  Last Modified	27 Oct 2005 00:00:00
  Father	Zechariah WHITMAN, b. 18 Nov 1722, Stow, Massachusetts
  Mother	Elizabeth GATES, b. 30 May 1724, Stow, Massachusetts
  Family ID	F35253	Group Sheet
  Family 1	Sarah KAST, b. 3 Apr 1772, Salem, Essex, Mass.
  Married	6 May 1792	Mass.   [2]
  Children	1. Philip WHITMAN, b. 1793   2. Elizabeth WHITMAN, b. 1795   3. Daniel WHITMAN, II, b. 1796   4. Edward WHITMAN, b. 1799   5. Margarett Molyneux WHITMAN, b. 1801   6. Eleanor Chase WHITMAN, b. 1806   7. William Fenno WHITMAN, b. 1809, Halifax Co., North Carolina   8. Walter Carrington WHITMAN, b. 1811   9. James Kast WHITMAN, b. 1813
  Family ID	F18726	Group Sheet
  Family 2	Sarah KAST, b. 3 Apr 1772, Salem, Mass.
  Married	6 May 1792	Salem, Massachusetts   [1]
  Children	1. Philip WHITMAN, b. 1 Feb 1793, Henniker, New Hampshire   2. Elizabeth WHITMAN, b. 12 Apr 1795, Henniker, New Hampshire   3. Daniel WHITMAN, II, b. 20 Apr 1796, Hopkinton, New Hampshire   4. Edward WHITMAN, b. 27 Oct 1799, Warner , New Hampshire   5. Margaret Molineux WHITMAN, b. 1 Sep 1801, Warner , New Hampshire > 6. Robert Molineux WHITMAN, Rev. and Dr., b. 1 Sep 1804, Hopkinton, Merrimack, County,New Hampshire   7. Eleanor Chase WHITMAN, b. 25 Aug 1806, Hopkinton, New Hampshire   8. William Fenno WHITMAN, Col., b. 27 Mar 1809, Meadsville, Virginia   9. Walter Carrington WHITMAN, b. 19 Apr 1811, Meadsville, Virginia   10. James Kast WHITMAN, b. 13 Dec 1813, Meadsville, Virginia
  Family ID	F32270	Group Sheet

• Notes

  [gurley.FTW] Merchant, lumberman, farmer, tavern keeper; founder of Southern branch of whitman family. Moved to Whitman grant in Henniker, N.H., 1792; owned timeber lands; furnished lumber for U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides). Moved to Hopkinton, N.Y., 1796; lived in Warner N.H., 1799-1801; backk to Hopkinton, N.Y., 1801-1809. Moved to Halifax County, Virginia, 1809; foundland he had bought unseen to be high in the mountains and worthless; not able to get to it , it pretty much wiped him out. Operated hostelry and tavern at Meadeville, then established cattle and horse farm. Refused to own slaves. Sons did work on the farm. Moved to Huntsville, Ala. with sons in 1829; moved to Bedford Co. Tenn., 1833, where died and buried near Shelbyville. Grandson, Harrison T. Carr, residing in Winchester, Franklin County, Tennessee, 1886: "Born within the realm of King George III, he witnessed the dawn of the Republic--its baptism and christening in the blood of heroes--this foundling, this offspring of patriots and statesmen. Daniel Whitman was a man of mark, features bold in outline, open and confiding, robust in form, square built, strong physically and mentally. He traveled New England considerable on business of various kinds, was once in the lumber and cutting business. During that time, he furnished lumber for the renowned old ship, the 'Constitution.' He kept an assorted retail store, was thrifty and well to do in 'getting on'; met, loved, and married Sallie Kast, and their fortunes, be they what they may, were united. They lived, loved and were happy, and prospered will until the spirit of adventure came. Seeking the "Western Dream", he unfortunately came in contact with some eastern sharpers, speculators in Virginia lands, and was induced to invest and emigrate. Unfortunately, he was deluded and defrauded. The lands were a wild, lying far back in inaccessible mountains, and the titles worthless and fraudulent. Tired and weary, he settled down in Halifax County, Virginia, somewhere around 1808. Here he found generous friends, hospitable neighbors. A new start had to be begun, and quite well it was done. Soon he had a home, cattle, horses and herds around him, kept a village hostlery, and an old-time tavern. He was popular, courteous, kind, and honest. But once again the promising West loomed in his dreams. With the tide of emigration, leaving some of his family to come the next year, he once again, in 1829, set his course with the setting sun to fulfill the dream of his life: to settle his children around him in a land and clime of health and bounteous productions. The 24th day of December, 1829 found them at 'Ross's Landing', now a city, Chattanooga. The 25th they were at 'Gunter's Landing,' now Guntersville. Mr. Gunter, a white man, sent an invitation to the family to take a feat-day's dinner. It was eagerly accepted upon grandmother's urging. A fine dinner was spread, and a ball-playing and pony racing was kept going all day. I kept close under my grandmother's arm. The first day of January found us at Huntsville, Alabama, among many old acquaintances, and greetings and welcomes met us all around. But to return to the subject--the character of the man. I never knew him to talk nonsense. Jesting, idle tricks, low humor had no pleasure for him. The use of tobacco was eschewed in every form. He gave no time to gunning and fishing. I never saw him mad, and if he ever sang, it was to his own musing. to whistle in his presence was to wrong him. Give him solid talk and you would catch his attention. He was very mild in his speech and manners. No wrangles, no lawsuits, no violence or difficulties with neighbors, He rarely ever went to public gatherings, elections, or parades. Fourth of July, Christmas and other holidays he enjoyed mostly at home with company--dinners of roasts, mince pies, puddings, doughnuts, cream toast, tea, coffee, and the never omitted egg nog. He could never be induced to own slaves, and was a stickler for all consitutional guarantees. His children married all Southern born and bred people with the exception of his eldest son, Philip, who was married before coming to Virginia. Captain Whitman, for so he was known and called, was a clear-headed man, and his opinions were respected an dheld in high regard. Ostentation, show, and pride were avoided by him. He was patient under reverses and trying circumstances. He abhorred the evil and aided and assested the good. He died in peace at his home and farm, with family, relations and friends around him in Bedford County, Tennessee. page 396, Obits from Early Tenn. Newspapers: 1794-1851: Nashville Banner & Nashville Whig, Wed Oct. 1, 1834 - Capt. Daniel Whitman died in Bedford Co. The only proof we have that Robert M. was the son of Daniel is the work by Farnham. daniel Whitman's obit in the Nashville paper on 1 Oct. 1834 only says he died, and does not name any survivors. Perhaps if we can find Daniel Whitman's estate papers or will at new Market, Ala. where he lived, we might have a clue. Lincoln County Tennessee was formed out of Bedford County in 1809. It is flanked by GILES to the West and FRANKLIN to the East, from which trilogy of Tennessee counties early population migrations flowed into MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA, on the South. Family connections may frequently be found simultaneously in the four above localities. VGM: "The Daniel Whiteman in Harrison County, W. Va. in 1812 is not ours. Our Daniel arrived in Meadville, Va. in Halifax, County on the North Carolina border in 1809. Probably lived with another "hospitable family while searching for claim, and then opened a tavern. His son, Philip Whitman, was an apothecary at Meadville, where he died. CHAPTER Vl DANIEL5 WHITMAN S Capt. DanielS Whitman (b. 7 March 1765 Stow, Mass., d. 13 Sept. 1834 near . ShelLyville, Bedford Co., Tenn.), son of Zechariah4 and Elizabeth4 (Gates) Whitman of Stow, Mass.; m. 6 May 1792 Sarah3(Sallie) Kast (b. 3 April 1772 Salem, Mass. d. 6 May 1863 New Market, Ala.), dt. Dr. Philip G. Jr.2 and Sarah (McHard) Kast of Salem, Mass. and Derry, N.H.; - 10 c. Micro Bio: Born Stow, Mass., 1765. Moved to Henniker, N.H., 1792, lumberman; sold timbers to U.S. Navy for ship Constitu- tion (Old Ironsides). To Hopkinton, N.H., 1796; to Warner, N.H., 1799; opened retail store. Back to Hop- inton, 1801; merchant. Sold out holdings, 1809; moved to Meadsville, Halifax Co., Va. Found his investments in timberlands to be inaccessible and worthless. Operated hostelry; established horse farm; joined Baptist church. Moved to Huntsville, Ala., 1829; to Bedford Co., Tenn., 1833, where died 1834. Obit in National Banner [Tenn.], 1 Oct. 1834. Proof: Named, with dates, as son of parents by Farnam in Descend- ants of John Whitman of Weymouth; listed in town records, _ _ _ Henniker, N.H., 1793; 1800 Census of Warner, N.H.; 1820 Census of Halifax Co., Va.; 1830 Census of Huntsville, Ala.; 1833 deed, Bedford Co., Tenn. Sarah (Kast) Whitman baptized 12 April 1772 St. Peter's Church, Salem, Mass.; named daughter of parents in baptismal records. Named wife of Daniel Whitman in 1828 deed, Halifax Co., Va. Dates of birth, death on gravestone, William F. Whitman family ~~enaw cemetery near New Market, Ala. Children named by Farnam. Early Years and Marriage Daniel5 Wi~itman, the 13th and youngest son of Zechariah4 and Elizabeth (Gates) Whitman of Stow, Mass., was born in 1765 and was named for his Grandfather Gates. He grew up on his father's Assabet farm, but there is no record of his activities prior to his marriage. About 1786, he became involved in the mercantile business, traveling about New England, and it probably was in that capacity that he met Sallie Kast. After their marriage in 1792, they joined his brothers and sisters at Henniker, New Hampshi re where he started his career in the lumber business. Lumber was in increasing demand after the Revolution as the towns kegan to grow in population. Most homes were constructed of wood, particularly in the coastal cities of Boston and New York. The New Hampshire forests had been used by the British for a hundred years to obtain masts for their sailing ships, and logging was not new to the area, but the majority of the activity had previously taken place along the Connecticut River or beside large streams which could be used to transport logs to the mills. The New Hampshire pioneers had huilt lumber mills on the edge of the forest, and then trees were sawed into slabs on the spot. A fortune was made by many men during this period, either in timber or in merchandise sold to lumberjacks who came to cut the trees. Daniel's bride was not a stranger to New Hampshi re, as she had spent her youn-er years there. Her father, Dr. Philip Kast, Jr., had been an eminent physician and apothecary at Salem, Mass., but he remained a Royalist during the troubled times pre-ceding the Reyolution, and for the safety of his family fled with them in 1775 to Hopkinton, N.H., about six miles east of Henniker. A few years later, the Kasts moved to Derry, N.H., where Dr. Kast died in 1781, leaving his wife with five young children. Sallie Kast was born at Salem, Hass. in 1722 and was baptized in St. Peter's (Anglican) Church which her father had served as warden for several years. She was aged 9 when her father died at Derry, and it is believed that her mother returned to her former home at Haverhill, Mass. with the children. It has not been determined where Sallie and Daniel's wedding took place, but she was aged 20 and he aged 27 when they married. The New Hampshire Years Daniel's brothers, Edward5 and John5 Whitman, were leading merchants in Henniker when he arrived there, and their brother-in-law, Timothy Gibson, had achieved great wealth in the lumber industry, as well as being a political leader. Gibson had built the largest two-story frame house in Henniker, and it became the center of activities for the Whitman family. Daniel began to cut and sell timber. About that time, the United States Navy made plans to build its first three ships, and representatives were sent to New Hampshire to purchase the lumber needed for their construction. Daniel furnished the timbers for the frigate, Constitution, which was launched at Boston in 1797. - She was built of well-seasoned live oak, red cedar and hard pine, and the bolts which fastened her timbers, as well as the copper sheathing on the bottom, were made by Boston's silversmith, Paul Revere. The Constitution earned her famous nickname after a sea battle with British ships during the War of 1812. American sailors, seeing enemy shells failing to pen-etrate the staunch oak sides of their ship, dubbed her "Old Ironsides". After being retired for over a century, she was brought out of mothballs in 1931, restored to her original appearance, and is now berthed permanently in Boston harbor as a museum open to the public. Daniel began to combine merchandising with his timber business in 1793 and opened a retail store in Hennilcer. The Whitmans never missed attendance at church, and when the Meeting House burned in 1794, the congregation gathered at the Gibsons' large home for services. Daniel prospered and began to expand his mercantile business. In 17~l,, he moved Sallie and their three children to Hopkinton, a few miles east of I1enniker, where he opened another store. There were three churches in Hopkinton, two Congregationalist and one Baptist, and it may have been at that time that the Whitmans joined the Baptist church. They remained at Hopkinton for three years and then moved a few miles north to Warner, N.H. Warner was at the edge of the forest and offered an appropriate outlet to sell goods to lumberjacks. Daniel opened another retail store, operated it for four years, and then moved back to Hopkinton. Sallie's brother-in-law and sister, Robert and Margaret (Kast) Molyneux, lived at Hopkinton, and when another son was born to the Whitmans in 1804, he was named Robert Molyneux Whitman. (The Molyneuxs also named a daughter Sarah Kast Molyneux, who years later married Daniel Whitman's nephew' Robert6 Gibson.) The Migration to Virginia While conducting his various businesses, Daniel Whitman came in contact with a group of speculators who had invested in lands in Virginia. They praised the un-touched, virgin forests of that state and induced Daniel to buy several tracts there. He decided to move to Virginia, and after selling off his New Hampshire holdings in 1809, sailed with Sallie and the children to Norfolk. After reaching Virginia, Daniel began to search for his property, Winding his way westward, he left his family in the village of Meadsville, Halifax County, where they found hospitable friends. (Meadsville is no longer on the map, but it was a few niles northeast of present Danville.) After lengthy investigations, Daniel dis-coyered that the lands he had purchased were far back in the mountains and were in-accessible. The titles were fraudulent and worthless. Realizing that he had been victimized by the speculators, he settled down in Meadsville with his family to make a new start. At first, Daniel operated the village hostelry, but it was not long before he was able to buy a farm. He stocked it with horses and cattle, but he never again became a person of substantial means. His New England background was shown in his refusal to own slaves, the workforce in the slaveholding South. Daniel had great reverance for the Bible, was a stickler for all Constitutional guarantees, and his opinions were highly respected by his neighbors. He also served as an officer in the milita, and thereafter was referred to as Captain Whitman. As the years passed, eldest son, Philip Whitman, became the town's apothecary; eldest daughter, Elizabeth, married William P. Carr, the local schoolmaster; Daniel Jr. entered the mercantile business, and Robert studied medicine. But Daniel Sr. was not satisfied with life at Meadsville. Son Philip died, as did the husbands of two of his daughters, leaving each with children. The patriarch's one great wish was to have enough land to settle his family around him "in a climate of health and bounteous production." The opportunity came in 1829. Daniel had been reared in the Congregational Church, and Sallie in the Anglican one. As neither existed at Meadsville in 1809, it probably was at that time that they joined the Baptist church. The Baptists had originated in Massachusetts as a sect of the Congregational Church but spit (followed Roger Williamsto Rhode Island), and eventually spread to the South. After the Revolution, the Baptist membership had doubled in Virginia. Whether the Whitmans became Baptists at Meadsville or earlier, all of their children were reared in the Baptist faith. As the years passed, eldest son, Philip Whitman, became the town's apothecary; eldest daughter, Elizabeth, married William P. Carr, the local schoolmaster; Daniel Jr. entered the mercantile business, and Robert studied medicine. But Daniel Sr. was not satisfied with life at Meadsville. Son Philip died, as did the husbands of two of his daughters, leaving each with children. The patriarch's one great wish was to have enough land to settle his family around him "in a climate of health and bounteous production." The opportunity came in 1829. The Alabama and Tennessee Years When Alabama was opened for settlement after the War of 1812, settlers flocked in, and by 1829 its economy, based on cotton, was flourishing. A number of families who had left Meadsville to settle in the Huntsville area of northern Alabama sent word back to Virginia of the rich soil and warm weather that prevailed, and they urged their former neighbors to join them. The promise of cheap land over the mountains and a more temperate climate was too great a temptation for Capt. Whitman to resist. Once again Sallie packed the family's belongings, and Capt. Whitman, still robust at age 64, led a wagon train west. Included in the caravan were bachelor sons, William and Dr. Robert Whitman; widowed daughters Elizabeth Carr and Eleanor Thornton with their children, and the younger teenaged sons, Walter and James Whitman. The married sons, Daniel Jr. and Edward, remained in Meadsville to join the family later. The trek to Alabama was described by grandson, Harrison7 Carr, aged 11, as a "great and marvelous adventure." The wagons crossed the mountains from Meadsvile to Bristol, Va., where the party changed to boats to follow the Tennessee River to Alabama. They reached Ross's Landing, an Indian village without a single white settler, on Christmas Eve, 1829. (This outpost eventually developed into the city of Chattanooga, Tenn.) On Christmas Day, they traveled 25 miles farther downriver to Gunter's Landing in northeast Alabama. After they made camp, Mr. Gunter sent a cordial invitation to the travelers to "take a feast day's dinner" at his home. Gunter had married a Cherokee, and his tWQ beautiful half-Indian daughters presided at his well-laden table. The Whitmans continued their river journey the next morning and reached Hunts-ville, "land of cotton," a week later. They were met by old friends from Virginia who welcomed them and shared a New Year's Day dinner with them. Capt. Whitman found a large home (hotel?) in which to live, and they were joined the next year by sons Daniel Jr. and Edward with their families. The 1830 Census shows Daniel Whitman, Sr. as the head of a household of twenty members, all accounted for in the family genealogy Daniel, Jr. and William Whitman bought plantations near New Market, Ala., 12 miles northeast of Huntsville, while Edward settled 60 miles north at Falls Creek near Shelbyville in Bedford County, Tenn. Capt. Whitman and Sallie, accompanied by daugh-ter Eleanor and bachelor sons, moved to Bedford County in 1833, where Capt. Whitman purchased a plantation at Falls Creek near Edward. The next Fourth of July, all of his living children and grandchildren gathered there for a reunion. Harrison Carr remembered his grandfather as "mild in speech and manners, but a serious man who neYer jested. He never allowed his grandchildren to whistle in his presence, but he never expressed anger, either in words or in actions. He was a philosopher who lived in harmony with his neighbors and was held in high regard by them." As for his grand-mother, "the brave beauty and wit, Sallie Kast," she was so beloved that her name is still passed down through her descendants. Capt. Whitman resided in his new home at Falls Creek only one year. He died on 13 Sept. 1834, leaving a large posterity -- 10 children and 60 grandchildren. To the day of his death, he refused to own a slave, yet fourteen of his grandsons served in the Confederate Army. Four were wounded, and three were killed. Aftermath Mrs. Eleanor (Whitman) Thornton married in Bedford Coutny as her second hus-band, Edward Darnaby. When the Darnabys moved to New Market, Ala. in 1843 to join her brothers, Daniel, Jr. and William Whitman, her mother, Mrs. Sallie (Kast) Whit-man, accompanied them. William's wife died in 1850, leaving seven young children, and $allie moved to his plantation home to assist them. She died there in 1863, at age 91, and was buried in William's family cemetery on Jack's Road, near New Market. Mrs. Elizabeth6 (Whitman) Carr remained at Huntsville until 1864 when she moved to Winchester, Tenn. to reside with her son, Harison7 Carr, a lawyer and merchant at Winchester. Harrison was elected to the Tennessee legislature and was serving at the time of Secession. Both Daniel Whitman, dr. and William6 Whitman were prominent merchants at New Ma rket. Daniel, Jr. also served as the town's Post Maste r, and William was an officer in the New Market Baptist Church. Walter Whitman settled at Greenwood, La., and James Whitman went to Lowndesborough, Ala. Edward Whitman died at his Falls Creek plantation in 1844, leaving four daugh-ters. His wife remarried and remained on the Falls Creek plantation, which passed to Edward's daughters. Dr. Robert M. Whitman married and moved to Lincoln County, Tenn., where he was a successful physician, planter, and occasional Baptist preacher in the Mulberry community. His sons led the Whitman migration on west to Texas. (See Chapter Vll.) [beasley.ftw] Daniel often dealt in lumber and timber. He sold timbers to U.S. Navy for the ship Constitution. (Old Ironsides) In Virginia, he established a hostelry and a horse farm. He also joined the Baptist church. Daniel is named, with dates, as son of parents by Farnam in Descendents of John Whitman of Weymoth; listed in town records, Henniker, N.H., 1793; 1800 census of Warner, N.H.; 1820 Census of Halifax Co., Va.; 1830 Census of Huntsville, Ala; 1833 deed, Bedford Co. Tenn,; Obit. Refused to own slaves. Was an officer in the militia, thus, Captain Whitman. Had been reared in the Congregational church I am happy to share information. The majority of this work is sourced with primary proof. Family Tree, however, chooses to use itself as the documentation source when you merge files. Contact me for the proper citation if one is missing. Please share w

• Sources

  [S2776] gurley.FTW. Date of Import: Aug 2, 2000 [S2775] beasley.ftw. Date of Import: Aug 2, 2000