Gen. James Bryan Whitfield

Among Bryan's children was James Bryan Whitfield (1809-1841) a state senator & brigadier general in the North Carolina Militia. He married Sarah Elizabeth Wooten & they lived near Seven Springs. They had seven children.

Another Whitfield ancestral home in Johnston County was Spring Hill, located two miles south of present La Grange, N. C. Spring Hill was owned by Bryan Whitfield, born in 1794, who inherited Rockford from his father, Bryan Whitfield, Sr., son of William Whitfield, III. William Whitfield, III, is recorded in the Whitfield genealogy as having been married four times, and the father of twenty-nine children in his first three marriages.

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Lenoir County, NC - DIVISIONS - DOWERS - PROVISIONS, 1868 - 1924

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/lenoir/court/dower01.txt

WHITFIELD, General James B. dec'd - division of lands - home place Rockford tract Winiford B. BLOUNT, Richard A. WHITFIELD, James G. WHITFIELD, Lucy W. WHITFIELD, Nathan B. WHITFIELD, Sally E. WHITFIELD, Bryan WHITFIELD Winniford B. BLOUNT is wife of H. W. BLOUNT - 26 Nov 1853 - in 7 May 1883 J. R. CROOM, James DAVIS, Calvin ROUSE, and Willis PIPKIN are dead; they helped set apart above lands. [The North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Registervol. 1 #4 Oct 1900(pg 573)-]

FOLDER 1796, 1803, 1838

INDENTURE

2 April 1835 - JAMES B. WHITFIELD and wife SALLY E. WHITFIELD of Lenoir Co to ALLEN W. WOOTEN - $1,250 – SS Neuse, ES Jumping Run - adj BEXLEY’S Landing, South Branch of Neuse, corner of a patent to CHARLES CAVIN of 20 April 1745, to line of CROOM’S former corner, division line of said SALLEY W. WHITFIELD and said ALLEN W. WOOTEN - 223 ½ acres - being part of the patent granted to aforesaid CHARLES CAVIN and also the lower part of a survey of 200 acres granted to TIMOTHY GOODMAN on May 1772 - being all the land that said SALLY E. WHITFIELD inherited from her father, ALLEN WOOTEN, dec of Lenoir County

both signed

WIT T. A. ANDREWS, JAMES B. WHITFIELD, JAMES GRISWALD

To Wayne Court April 1835 on oath of ROBERT STRANGE SALLY E. WHITFIELD was examined

Enrolled Lenoir County 9 Sept 1820 J. BRIGHT, Regr

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INDENTURE

11 April 1835 – NATHAN BRYAN WHITFIELD to JAMES BRYAN WHITFIELD – all of Lenoir Co - $20,000 – several tracts – first tract: both sides of Neuse, both sides of Bear Creek – N. Bank of River, corner between NATHAN B. WHITFIELD and his brother GEORGE WHITFIELD, adj JESSE LASSITER formerly STEPHEN LASSITERS, up Bear Creek to a corner of 20 acres purchased of GEORGE WHITFIELD by NATHAN B. WHITFIELD on 20 Sept 1830, to LEWIS WHITFIELD’S corner, JOHN JONES patent, line of THOMAS JONES’ patent, to a corner between sd NATHAN B. WHITFIELD and JOEL WARTERER, corner of JONATHAN STANLEY’S patent, corner of JOHN CURLS Patent, patent line of 250 acres granted to BRYAN WHITFIELD on 26 Nov. 1793, adj JOHN RACHEN’S Patent, SARSNET ROACH, RICHARD CASWELL’S patent of 388 acres, Boot Swamp

second tract: in Wayne Co – Greenfield or JAMES GREEN’S land, on river, through WILLIAM WHITFIELD’S 100 acres, RICHARD ARSNET’S patent, adj JAMES FOREHAND, ROBERT ARGOE’S corner

third tract: SS of the River opposite Rockford – 10 acres

All are lands devised to NATHAN B. WHITFIELD by the Will of his deceased father GEN. BRYAN WHITFIELD, lying in Lenoir and Wayne Counties plus land that said NATHAN purchased from BLOUNT COLEMAN called the NED MOZINGO land, land NATHAN purchased of JOHN GATLIN called the PEARCE MOZINGO land and 20 acres on ES of Bear Creek which he purchased of Brother GEORGE WHITFIELD

Total of 4000 acres

WIT ALLEN W. WOOTEN, JOSHUA MOSELEY

To Court July Term 1835 LEWIS C. DESMND, CK Enrolled 2 Oct. 1835 J. BRIGHT, Regt

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INDENTURE

1 April 1836 – JOSHUA MOSELEY of Lenoir to JAMES B. WHITFIELD - $3,000 due by three notes on the first of April 1836, 1 April 1837, 1 April 1838, 1 April 1839 – tract NS of the Neuse, WS Bear Creek – adj head of Boot Swamp, GEORGE WHITFIELD, JESSE LASSITTER – 800 acres

WIT. J. GREEN

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FOLDER 2 - 1840 - 1850

INDENTURE

7 Sept. 1840 - JAMES B. WHITFIELD of Lenoir Co to ALLEN W. WOOTEN of same - $4,300 - tract in Lenoir - SS Nuse between Trotters and Panther’s Creek beginning at mouth of Panther’s Creek where it empties into Trotters creek- up Panther to mouth of Halfway Branch - adj Canaan Land to old ford known as PIPKIN’S ford, WILLIS PIPKIN, Poly Bridge Branch down to where it empties into Trotter’s creek - excepting a small piece at the end of the Milldam which NEEDHAM WHITFIELD deeded to THOMAS ROUSE - the above describes the land deeded to JAMES B. WHITFIELD by NEEDHAM WHITFIELD on 30 March 1837 - 900 acres

WIT WILLIS PIPKIN, GEO. WHITFIELD

To Court June Term 1842 W. A. LOFTIN, CC Enrolled 27th Jan. 1842 CH. E. METTS, Regr

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AGREEMENT

1 Feb. 1841 - JAMES B. WHITFIELD and JACKSON ROLLINS – ROLLINS agrees to oversee the negroes and farm of WHITFIELD on SS Neuse in Lenoir Co - plant and cultivate crops, keep up negroes, stock, hogs etc - WHITFIELD to pay ROLLINS $11 a month and 300 pounds of good pork, three barrels of corn, a house for himself and family, and one acre for a potato patch and garden

both signed

• ****************************************************

ESTATE OF JAMES B. WHITFIELD

GAVIS WHITFIELD - balance of note made by JAMES B. WHITFIELD on 29 Sept 1834 for $1000 payable to RICHARD CROOM on 1 Jan. 1839 – note placed by BOAZ WHITFIELD in hands of JAMES B. WHITFIELD for Collection - $285.10

BOAZ WHITFIELD gave oath this was correct in Marengo, Co, Ala on 30 Nov. 1842

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Account of Sales of the hiring of Negroes and renting land belonging to minor children of JAMES B. WHITFIELD, dec hired the 16th of December 1848 by their Guardian ALLEN W. WOOTEN

Claib - note on JESSE PRICE Sam - ALLEN W. WOOTEN Drusilla - note on JNO CAPPS Sukey and Virgil - note on Wiley Rouse Mary, Emanuel, Daniel & Amy Ann - JESSE LASSETTER Passon ?? - EVERRITT SMITH Wiley - EVERRITT SMITH Caesar - note on EDWARD O. PIERCELL Allen - note on HAYWOOD WHITFIELD Wright - note on JAS MCDUFFIE Bryan - note on WINNRIFRED QUIN Kiziah - note on ROBERT SOUTHERLAND Charlotte - ALLEN W. WOOTEN Simon - ALLEN W. WOOTEN Jane - note on DANIEL PIPKEIN Barbara - note on BENJAMIN ROUSE Chelly - ALLEN W. WHITFIELD Maria - JESSE LASSITER Softon??, Green, Ben, Joshua, Chelly and Harriet - JESSE LASSITER Henderson - not on DAVID REUSES William - ALLEN W. WOOTEN Sally & Anthony - note on BENJAMIN ROUSE Charity & Walter - note on JOHN CAPPS Civil - note on THOMAS HARDISON Nelly - note on COUNCIL DEAL Jinny - note on GABRIEL EDWARDS Cherry, Lucretia & Phebo - JESSE LASSITER Salina, Georginanna, Virginia - ALLEN W. WOOTEN Mary, Jim, Robert & Edmund, Lizzie - note on THOMAS DAIL Norris - A. W. WOOTEN Jim & Junsy ?? - SALLY E. WHITFIELD Betty, Jacob, Lucacy & Tom - Do Olive, Richard, Dick, Anthony, Bollin ?? - Do Julia, Hannah & Diannah - Do Polly - Do Epen - DO Esther & Fanny - Do Somersette, Sarah, March - A. W. WOOTEN Daniel, Ellen & Joe - THOS. ROUSE Alsey - A. W. WOOTEN Cathy - A. W. WOOTEN Big Hannah - Dr. BENJ HARVEY ?? Charles - note on GABRIEL EDWARDS Old Alsey, Lord, Betsy & Phillis - JOHN SMITH Alexander - note on N. B. WHITFIELD Simon - note on NEEDHAM WHITFIELD Margaret, Flanders, & Maree ? - Do Liddia - ALFRED DAIL JOHN - note on DANIEL JORNEGAY Joannah, Matilda, Alice & Louisa - B. H. HOWELL

Below appears to be the land Mill - A. W. WOOTEN Kentucky field - DO Big Field - SALLY E. WHITFIELD Fell ?? Field - note on ERVIN JONES Turpentine Borces - Wm. KORNEGAY Benton Field - ALLEN TINDAL

Copy found at Heritage Place, Lenoir County Community College, Kinston, North Carolina - Vertical File Whitfield 2359-18. We thank the staff at LCC for their permission to copy selected documents from their files to place on the internet. It is requested that researchers give appropriate credit when using these documents. Permission to combine said documents together in printed form is not given. This letter was loaned to LCC by Charles Bell, Jr. for copying purposes.

On board Steam boat E.D. McNair Waynesboro 23rd Feb. 1839

My Dear Brother,

Before leaving this place, I drop you a few lines to let you know that my health is restored and that I have solved the problem of successful steamboat navigation on Neuse river. The River is in its volume low water stage and we found some difficulty with the logs, sand ___, bridges, but we overcame all them and made the trip from Newbern to this place in about 40 hours running. We were unable to get under the ______ bridge and have to take it down the ___ We reachedthis place at a propitious time for yesterday they celebrated the arrival of the Railroad cars. I have no doubt that it was one of the grandest celebration that was ever witnessed in NC. Our arrival was greeted with the greatest enthusiasm and is considered the greatest wonder of the time. I suppose that there must have been no less that 2500 visitors on the boat in the course of yesterday. That this boat will succeed on this river, I have no doubt and I am sanguine in this hope that at ordinary winter stages of the River, she will make the trips from Newbern to Waynesboro and back in a week that 3 trips will pay for the boat. We will start the boat this morning for Rockford when I depart to have her machinery overhauled and every thing ready by the time it rains and raises the River.

On my way up I stopped 2 days at home and left my family tolerably well. I think that my wife's health improves. Our friends below are as well as usual. Our brother has not recovered from pluerisy. We know that he has been quite sick. But his health was improving at the last date. We hear through him that Sister Winifred has another son. It has been some time since I received a letter from you and I hope to find one when I reach home. There is so much confusion here this morning that I must conclude this with a promise to write you again soon. You will get a more private account of the celebration from the newspapers than I can give. Give my love to your family and believe me .

Your affectionate brothers James B. Whitfield

Attached to this letter was a clipping from the Mount Olive Tribune, Vol. 91, Number 39, Friday, August 12, 1994. This article was by Claude Moore in a column called Our Heritage. The title of the article is: James B. Whitfield "The Neuse River was used by the Indians for small craft and rafts and then during the entire colonial period the river was the chief means for transporting goods down to New Bern.

Rafts for transporting naval stores and logs were widely used. Lands adjoining the Neuse River were the first to be settled. Several steamship companies were chartered in North Carolina from 1815-1825. In 1818 the Neuse Navigation Company was chartered and operated a steamer from New Bern to Elizabeth City for several years. The upper Neuse river was shallow and had logs and other debris in it.

It is believed that James Bryan Whitfield (1809-1841) was the first to make the trip from New Bern to Waynesboro with a steamboat. This James B. Whitfield was the son of Captain Bryan Whitfield, an officer of the American Revolution, who owned an extensive plantation a few miles east of Seven Springs on the Neuse River called Rockford. His family cemetery may still be seen on the left after one crosses the river at Rockford. He and his father operated a store on the river. Captain Whitfield was a state senator from Wayne and a trustee of the University of North Carolina, 1805-1808. "

Moore goes on to say that he was given a copy of the letter (transcribed above by CPM) that was written by James Brayan Whitfield in 1839 to his brother, Nathan Bryan Whitfield of "Gaineswood",Demopolis, Alabama.