William Whitaker

Notes:

He is not yet proven as the brother of Richard Whitaker, but the evidence is showing he likely is. So this is a work in progress.

6 November 1779, William and Thomas Frohock to James Whitaker, 290 acres, 19 October 1779, ackn
"The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 4, page 230

Deed prvd: James and Eliz Whitacre to James McColloh 290 acres September 1782 proved by Robert Johnston.
"The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 4, page 366

5 September 1782, James Whitacre to James McCulloh (Elizabeth Whitaker makes her mark)
Rowan County Land Deeds

James married Elizabeth. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He is not yet proven as the father of Richard Whitaker, but the evidence suggests it is highly likely he is. Richard probably would not have been mentioned in his father's will as Richard was established in North Carolina with the Bentley Family while his father, James had migrated to Kentucky. This is a work in progress.

MARYLAND RECORDS

James Whiteaker bought 50 acres "Stony Batter, September 1743, Baltimore County, Maryland
LGB/690, LGE/164

James Whiteacre bought 50 acres " Whiteacre's Chance", June 12, 1749, Baltimore County, Maryland
TI4/167, BYI1/254

James Whitaker bought 525 acres "Stony Batter", December 18, 1755, Frederick County, Maryland
BC/313, BC9/393

14 Feb 1756 James Whitaker recorded stray mare on Feb 17 page 86

May 12, 1758, Frederick County, Maryland Land Record F.443
Made between James Whitaker of Frederick County and Province of Maryland Planter of the one part and Beale Owings of Baltimore County and Province of Maryland of the other part for part of a tract of land called Stony Batter containing 270 acres of land for 75 pounds. Prudence wife of James Whitaker relinquished her right of dower in said land.

Deed was recorded May 19, 1758, Frederick County, Maryland Land Record F.447
Made between James Whitaker of Frederick County and Province of Maryland Farmer of the one part and Joseph Wells of Baltimore County, and Province of Maryland Farmer for a part of a tract of land called The Resurvey on Stony Batter containing two hundred and forty seven acres of land.
Prudence wife of James Whitaker released dower.

Deed was recorded March 26, 1795 made "between James Whitacre of Madison County and State of Kentucky farmer of the one part and Joseph Wells of Frederick County and State of Maryland Framer of the other part for "all the remainder of a Tract of Land lying and being in Frederick County and State of Maryland and known by the name of The resurvey on Stoney Batter", excepting that part conveyed by "James Whitacre to a certain Beale Owings:.
The wife of James Whitacre was not a part to this deed. No acreage is given. Frederick County, Maryland Land Deeds W.R. 13-142

NORTH CAROLINA RECORDS

James moved his family to Rowan County, NC in around 1761-62, and his half-brothers Thomas and Mark also moved to the area at about the same time or shortly after.

Granville grant to James Whitaker, 695 acres on Anthony's creek on the forks of the Yadkin
Rowan County, North Carolina Land Deeds, 21 December 1761

James and half brother Mark Whiteaker lived side by side before the Revolutionary War near Peeler (also known as Weaver Creek) in what is now present day Davie Co., NC. James had land on Weavers Creek next to Mark Whiteaker on Anthony's Creek. From Weldon Whitaker,"But I have plotted out old land deeds and found that Weavers Creek is the same as present day Peelers Creek and near to the west is Anthony's Run."

James Whitaker served on Grand Jury, 20 October 1762.
Rowan County, North Carolina Court

July 14, 1764, On Motion of John Dunn Ordered that a road be laid out the Neares & Best way from John Howards Ferry to the road from Bethabara to Salisbury near Reedy Creek, running up from said ferry in the fork to Boon's Road & persons following appointed to lay of said road: John Roberts, Edward Turner, Nicholas White, Edward Williams, Isaac Holdman, Capt. Avinton Felps, Mathew Sparks, William Sparks, Francis Taylor [James' step father], Thomas Jones, James Whitaker.

Abstracts of Deeds of Rowan Co, NC 1753-1785, Jo White Linn
p.90; DB 6/482 17 Sep 1767 Mathew Sparks and wife Sarah to William Haden for £150, 172 acres in the fork of the Yadkin R adjacent William Sparks grant of 4 Apr 1767. Wit: Benjamin Taylor [possible step brother], James Whitaker.

James applied for a license to operate an "Ordinary" [tavern] in Oct. of 1767

James Whitacre, Sr. to William and Thomas Frohock, 695 acres , 14 August 1777, proved by John Lowery
"The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 4, page 230
James Whitacre, Sr. to William and Thomas Frohock on Anthony's Creek on forks of Yadkin. Rowan County Land Deeds, 14 August 1777

William and Thomas Frohock to James Whitaker, 290 acres on Anthony's Creek. Rowan County Land Deeds, 12 October 1777

April 6, 1778, Joseph Williams, 250 acres bounded by James Whitaker, Samuel Busey's old line on a former survey, line of James Carson, Decd. and for compliment, including his improvement. "Rowan County, North Carolina Vacant Land Entries, 1778 - 1789"

Case Jury , 7 May 1778, John Mitchell vs James Whitacre (£ 18.2.9 and costs) "The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 4, page 152

August 5, 1778, Mark Whitaker, 300 acres on Weavers Creek adjoining Caleb Osborn's deeded land on one side and James Whitaker on the other side."Rowan County, North Carolina Vacant Land Entries, 1778 - 1789"

August 5, 1778, John Rowland, 250 acres on waters of Weavers Creek and Adjoining James Whitaker's deed land, Benjamin Bently, Anthony Pealor, and Mark Whitaker.
"Rowan County, North Carolina Vacant Land Entries, 1778 - 1789"

September 25, 1778, John Huntprater, 300 acres adjoining James Whitaker."Rowan County, North Carolina Vacant Land Entries, 1778 - 1789"

September 28, 1778, Thomas Frohock and William Frohock, in right of John Frohock, Decd., 640 acre in forks of Yadkin River, begining at a White Oak where James Whitaker's line crosses Waggon Road near the Whitstone Branch, running across its head to Carson's line, down his and Whitaker's line and including his and Standrage's old improvements.
"Rowan County, North Carolina Vacant Land Entries, 1778 - 1789

October 6, 1778, Humphrey Marshall, 400 acres in the forks of Yadkin adjoining James Whitaker, Thompson, Henry Hillyard, and widow Murphy, including Prater's improvement.
"Rowan County, North Carolina Vacant Land Entries, 1778 - 1789

Capt. Lyon's District, Rowan County, North Carolina Tax List of 1778:
Alexander Whitacre
James Whitaker
John Whitacre
Mark Whitacre
Mark Whitacre, Jr.
Richard Whitacre
Thomas Whitacre

6 November 1779, William and Thomas Frohock to James Whitaker, 290 acres, 19 October 1779, ackn. "The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 4, page 230"

Rowan County, North Carolina 1782 List of Men Facing Confiscation of Property:
Alexander Whitaker
Henry Whitaker
James Whitaker
Jiles Whitaker
John Whitaker
Richard Whitaker

7 August 1788, William Raney vs James Whitaker and wife £ 8.
"The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 5, page 168

6 November 1788, John L. Beard vs James Whitacre. Guilty £ 10 and costs. "The Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions" Rowan County, North Carolina", Book 4, page 184

KENTUCKY RECORDS

James Whiteaker appears on the Madison County, Kentucky tax lists for the years: 1794, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1805, 1806 and 1807.

Birth:
Shown in the St. George's Parish Register, on the same page as Rachel McElroy born August 7, 1713, daughter of John & Francis Mackelroy, is James Whitaker born February 8, 1721 son of Mark and Elizabeth Whitaker, and Peter Whitaker born May 6, 1716, son of John and Ann Whitaker

Source: Register of St. George's Protestant Episcopal Church, pages 215

Died:
He was on the Madison County, KY dole the last few years and that stopped with the 1809 payment. [Source: Gary Whitaker garywmail@charter.net]

James married Prudence Giles 1740. Prudence (daughter of John Giles and Sarah Welsh) was born 1720, Maryland; died 1777, Madison Co. KY. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She is not yet proven as the mother of Richard Whitaker, but the evidence suggests it is highly likely she is.

She may have been married before as some researchers have the name of Stodsgill with her name. Needs more research.

Notes:

Christopher Richards (cmrichards@blueyonder.co.uk) has done the best research on Mark and his ancestors to this point. Here is his reasoning for the Maryland Mark Whitaker to be the same as the one baptized in Thornhill, Yorkshire, England.

1. The spelling is the same as in the Thornhill registers
2. The naming patterns used for his children are the same as the naming patterns for his presumed ancestors.
3. Mark seems to be of some status when he arrived in New England. So were his presumed father and grandfather in Yorkshire.
4. The dates fit.
5. Mark of Thornhill's younger siblings died young but he seems to have survived.
6. Mark Whitaker (and all spelling variants) is not a common name but there is a group of Mark Whitakers in the Dewsbury are in the seventeenth century.

But these are all reasons for making the identification - they do not prove that Mark of Maryland is the same man as Mark of Thornhill.

However, the Mark Whitaker of Maryland was an educated man as evidenced by his position in St. George's Parish and status in society. Records show that he worked for the St. George's Parish as a vestry clerk in 1724, 1725 and 1726.

He went to Cambridge. The records of his matriculation are as follows:

Whiteacre, Mark
Adm. sizar at EMMANUEL, Nov. 27, 1693. Of Yorkshire. S. of Thomas, of Thornhill. Bapt. Nov. 8, 1677. ' Matric. 1697. (J. B. Peace.)

[Note: "Sizar" is an undergraduate at Cambridge University, receiving financial help from the college and formerly having certain menial duties.]

Emmanuel was the seminary school for Church of England Priests/ministers.

--------

Why did Mark Whitaker immigrate? The educated and religious class in England had a secure life and had little desire to leave that life for one of danger and struggle. On the other hand, England was desperate to secure educated and church trained immigrants to the Colonies. We may never know the reason. His father, Thomas, died in 1684 and we don't his mother's name or death at this time. His only surviving sibling, George, died in 1698. With no surviving family and possible inducements from the Church of England for a responsible position in a church in the colonies, Mark may have decided to immigrate. There may not have been many opportunities for church positions in Thornhill or Dewsbury or advancement may have been limited. We may never know the true reason, but the Colonies may have offered an opportunity he couldn't refuse.

In the period of 1670-1700, the Colonial Parish Church was both the church and the local government. The vestry house was used to hold civil trials, as a jail, record wills and deeds and keep records of business transactions with England. Church records show Mark was a Vestryman. Crops, primarily tobacco, were harvested and shipped to England. The merchant would pay the church and the funds would be dispersed to the farmers after debts were settled. This position required an educated and a trusted man by the inhabitants. Many deed and wills were witnessed by Mark, another indication of trust in the man.

----------

Beaumont W. Whitaker, "The Whitaker Family of Baltimore County, Maryland, 1677-1767" Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 79 (Summer 1984), pages 165-182

"Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759"

He appears in the Tax rolls of Spesutia Hundred for 1702, 1703, 1704, 1705 and 1706.

Mark Whitaker & Elizabeth his wife, Baltimore Co., MD (Ellerton) 500 acres, 1 Nov. 1725, Reference PL6/143; ILA/636 Emerson, Anne & Rachel: Baltimore Co., MD (Ellerton), 500 acres; 1 Nov. 1725.

3 Mar 1713, Robert & Sarah West, planter, of Baltimore Cp., Maryland to Mark Whitaker, planter, of same, 2,500 pounds of tobacco, 100 acres...Deer Creek. Signed Robert (X) West. Wit: John Miles and Gregory Farmer.

3 Mar 1713, John & Mary Miles, carpenter, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to Thomas Cullin, shoemaker, of same, 100 acres. Signed John Miles. Wit. Mark Whitaker and Gregory Farmer.

3 Aug 1715, John & Mary Miles, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to Robert Hawkins, planter, of same, 2,800 pounds of tobacco, 100 acres. Signed John Miles and Mary (X) Miles. Wit: James Isham and Mark Whitaker.

June 1718 Mark Whittaker appointed overseer of the rolling road from Deer Creek to the rolling house of John Hall, Esq., and the other roads from said creek to the main road through the county or to the water.

14 Aug 1718, Robert West, planter, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to John Hall, gentleman, of same, 78 acres...Dear Creek. Signed Robert (X) West. Wit: John Deavor, Marke Whiteaker and Thomas Bucknell.

1722, Thomas & Mary Tully, gentleman, of Baltimore Co., Maryland and Jane Thomas, of Anne Arundel Co., Maryland to Samuel Howell, of Baltimore Co., Maryland, 24 lbs., formerly owned by Richard Freeborne, deceased of Baltimore Co., Maryland. Signed Thomas Tolley, Mary Tolley and Jane Thomas. Wit: Mark Whiteaker and John Stokes.

20 Jul 1725, Samuel & Mary Brown, planter, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to John Durbin, gentleman, of same, 200 acres...head of Bush River...except part sold to Charles Whiteacre. Signed Samuel Brown. Wit: Mark Whiteakers and Thomas Jones.

----------

WITNESS TO DR. EVANS' WILL

Page 101. Evan EVANS, D. D.. St. George's Parish, Baltimore CO; 25 may 1721;
10 Nov 1721. To Rev. Geo. ROSS, of New ___ ___, for preaching funeral sermon, 2 guineas; eldest son of only dau. Mary (wife of Rev. Thos. LOYD, of Denbigh CO, England), proceeds from sale of 2 tracts of manatiane, Philadelphia CO, PA, viz. 600 A. "Rhydyearn" and 400 a. "Trevaglnys"; sd au. Failing male issue, to her eldest dau, rs. Int. of proceeds for use of wife Alice, during widowhood, to revert t hrs of dau. Mary as afsd; wife Alice, rents & profits due from living at Sutterton, CO Lincoln, and 1/3 int. in mortage on est. of Wm. ROBINSON, Esq, CO Denbigh, during life; dau Mary afsd, res. Of sd. Mortage, w/reversion of third beq. Wife; Mr. Charles READ, mercht, in Philadelphia, 5 lbs; Edw. HALL & Roger MATHEWS, exs, personalty. Test. Directs he be buried a n. end of the altar table in st. George's Church. Test: Mark WHITAKER, Chas. BAKER, Obidiah PRICHARD.
Maryland Calendar of Wills: Volume 5

PROBATE

Prerogative Court Abstracts 1728-1734
MARK WHITAKER 15.452 BA (Baltimore) L50,186 June 14, 1729 Apr.18, 1730 Appraisers: Antel Deaver, Richard Deaver
Creditors: Jon. Middlemore, Tim Keen
Next of Kin: Flowers Swift [husband of Elizabeth; son-in-law of Mark Whitaker] Administrex: Elizabeth Taylor. widow of Mark Whitaker. She married Francis Taylor.Mark Whitaker died intestate.

CHURCH HISTORY

St. George's Episcopal Church is also known as Spesutia Church is located in Perryman, Harford County, MD. Detailed church records exist going back to the 17th century. It is the oldest Episcopal parish in MD.

Founded in 1761, the original wooden church was built in what is now part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, about 2 miles away from its current site. In 1718 the parish moved to the current location with the present church constructed in 1851. It is the third to be built on the site. The cemetery dates from 1718 when the second church was built on the same site.

Source: Maryland Historical Society, "The Migrations of Baltimore Town."
http://www.mdhs.org/migrations-baltimore-town

Rev. S. W. Crampton, in 1851, published an account of St. George's Parish, in which he states, " The first Church stood near Michaelsville, at a place called "Gravelly." Here are the almost obliterated remains of the Log Church where the first founders of this Parish worshiped, while the sunken graves on every side mark their last earthly resting places. A bridge near this locality called 'Church Bridge,' corroborates this evidence."

In the journal of Freeborn Garretson in 1809, he wrote, "As the country became more settled and probably with a desire
to reach a less miasmatic region, James Philips, Esq., the
ancestor of the Philips already mentioned in the epitaph, gave in 1718, two acres of ground to the vestry of St. George's Parish, at what is now known as " Spesutia Church," and about that year, six years after the decadence of Old Baltimore, the remains of the dead with their tombstones were probably removed to the new burial ground about seven miles westwards.

The monuments in the Spesutia ground are of a historical
character, representing generation after generation. Among the names I recognized, was that of Giles, a family recorded among the earliest settlers of Baltimore County. Edward Giles married Cordelia, daughter of James Philips.

There is belonging to the vestry of this parish a parchment
Registry of births, marriages and deaths, and the first name recorded is John Cook, son of John Cook, born at Bush River, 25th September, 1681. The record of Vestry Acts is unfortunately lost."

-----------------

The St. George's Parish Vestry House, also known as Spesutia Vestry House, is a small structure of Flemish bond brick construction dating to about 1766. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Although it was built after Mark Whitaker served as vestry clerk, the building he used was a meeting place to conduct parish business and to perform certain civil duties, particularly the monitoring of the moral codes of the day and the administering of justice for violations in colonial Maryland. Vestry Houses were often used as schoolhouses, school being conducted by the clergyman or a member of his family, or someone else hired by the parish for the purpose.

According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, the church had its final service in December 30, 2012.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/publications/the-aegis/ph-ag-st-georges-0102-20121230-story.html

A Pentecostal congregation now uses church, but churchyard remains Maryland diocesan property of the Episcopal Church.

AREA HISTORY

Harford County Maryland was explored in 1608 by Captain John Smith of the Virginia Colony, when he mapped the upper country and its islands and shores. Colonel Nathaniel Utie came from Virginia to explore the upper bay region and find a place to settle around 1649, and he was granted an island located a few hundred yards south of Havre de Grace. He named it Spesutie, using the Latin Spes-Utie, meaning Utie's Hope. The spelling was later changed to Spesutia. When the Church of England became the established church in Maryland, Spesutie Parish was divided into St. George's and St. John's Parishes. The Spesutia Church of St. George's Parish was erected near Perryman, where it still stands today. Until 1773 it was part of Baltimore County.

Source: THE MIGRATIONS OF BALTIMORE TOWN, Maryland Historical Society

http://www.mdhs.org/migrations-baltimore-town


In 1659, Baltimore County was established, including not only Harford, Cecil and Kent, but all the Western Shore north and northwest of Anne Arundel County. Baltimore County was divided into Hundreds. The site of our present Baltimore City was in Deptford Hundred (then Patapsco Hundred), Gunpowder, Middle River, and that part on Bush Neck up to the Susquehanna River was known as the "Baltimore Hundreds."

The " Hundreds" included so many able-bodied men, and
their history would furnish a most interesting chapter extending back to their introduction into England by Alfred the Great, derived by him from Denmark, where they yet exist. "Old Baltimore" was, in 1674, "New Baltimore." It became old when its Court House was removed to Forster's Neck, on Gunpowder River, in 1700, at which time the ground probably reverted to the original proprietor.



Birth:
James Drew-Whitaker and Christopher Richards were the sources for this information.

Christened:
Source: Thornhill Registers: Yorkshire Parish Registers,
Edited by John Charlesworth,1907, Vol 1 Page 202.

"Marke the sonne of Mr Thomas Whiteakers junior of Thornhill bapt 8 Nov 1677"

He was baptized by Rev. John Savile rector of St. Michael All Angels (1671-1701).

---------------
Source: West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812
Name Marke Whiteaker
Father Thomas Whiteaker
Baptism 8 Nov 1677 - Thornhill, St Michael and All Angels
Vital 8 Nov 1677 - Thornhill, St Michael and All Angels, Yorkshire, England

Name:
He spelled his name Marke Whiteakers when he signed documents.

Buried:
Memorial Marker and photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=81096764&ref=acom

Inscription:
MARK WHITEAKER
MARK WHITAKER
1677 - 1729

Marke was christened "8 Nov 1677 the sonne of Mr. Thomas Whiteakers junir of Thornhill by Dewsbury, Yorkshire England."'

He was admitted "sizar"[an undergraduate at Cambridge University receiving financial help from the college and formerly having certain menial duties] to Emmanuel college, Cambridge University on 27 Nov 1693 and matriculated in 1697.

Mark first appears on the 1702 tax rolls of Spesutia Hundred: present day Harford County MD.

3 mar 1713: Mark Whitaker planter, bought from Robert West for "2500 pounds of good tobacco" 100 acres in a tract called Westwood.

Vestry records say "1726 by an order to Mark Whitaker for his "sallery being clk of the vestry . . . . "

Mark died 1 May 1729, his grave is lost to time.


Died:
Now in Harford Co. MD, formed in 1773 from Baltimore Co..

Mark married Elizabeth Empson 13 Feb 1717, St. George Parish, Baltimore Co. MD. Elizabeth (daughter of James Empson, III and Rebecca) was born 1700, St. George Parish, Baltimore Co. MD; died 1746, Rowan Co. NC. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Need more research to substantiate this line as the ancestors of Richard Whitaker of Washington, Co. VA.

6 Oct 1729, Elizabeth Whiteacre, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to Francis Taylor, of same, 500 acres... Deer creek ...purchased of Thomas Thurston, by James Simpson. Signed Elizabeth (X) Whiteacre. Wit. John White, John Deaver and Edward Hall.

A record at St. George's Parish, Maryland, June 1733, reads: "Francis Taylor is indicted for not taking care of Mark Whitaker's orphans.

24 Nov 1735, Francis & Elizabeth Taylor [Elizabeth Whitaker, widow of Mark Whitaker, married Francis Taylor], planter, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to Jacob Giles, merchant, of same, 73 lbs., 200 acres...north side of Deer Creek...patented by Cornelius Poulson, John Hawkins and Mark Whiteacre. Signed Francis (X) Taylor and Elizabeth (X) Taylor. Wit: Edward Stapleton, Gregory Farmer, Jr., and Alexander (X) Maccanley (McComas?)

28 Jul 1746, Francis & Elizabeth Taylor, of Baltimore Co., Maryland to John Risteau, of same, L30, 50 acres...Pipe Crrek. Signed Francis (X) Taylor. Wit. Samuel Oowings and William Howell.

She came to Rowan Co. NC from Maryland with her second husband, Francis Taylor.

Notes:

Married:
Barnes, Robert, compiler. Maryland Marriages, 1634?1777. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 1975
Name: Mark Whitaker
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth Emson
Marriage Date: 13 Feb 1717
Marriage County: Baltimore

John married Sarah Welsh 01 Oct 1695, Anne Arundel Co. MD. Sarah was born 1674, St. James, Ann Arundel Co. MD; died 1733, Baltimore Co. MD. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Married:
Barnes, Robert, compiler. Maryland Marriages, 1634-1777. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 1975.
Name: John Giles
Spouse's Name: Sarah Welsh
Marriage Date: 1 Oct 1695
Marriage County: Anne Arundel