John White

GEDCOM Note

[White3.FTW]

John White and the Preponderance of Evidence

It is my belief that John White was the son of Joseph White and Sarah Noyes of Newbury VT. I believe that he was among the younger members of the family born after 1764. Vital records can be found for Plaistow, NH which list all of the older siblings. These include Sarah born 27 February 1758, Joseph born 14 September 1759, Mary born 12 April 1761, Nicolas born 4 February 1763 and Elisabeth born 18 September 1764. The younger children for whom I have names are, in no particular order, John, Hannah, Lydia, Sally, Abigail and Lucy.. Of this number I can reasonably verify John and Hannah on the preponderance of the evidence. In the absence of vital record information from the town records of Newbury VT the others present more of a problem.

Norman Crowder in his book Early Ontario Settlers (page 89) indicates that the 1784 provisioning list for the 12th of October show the family as consisting of 10 persons. These included Joseph and his wife Sarah Noyes, one girl under the age of ten, six girls over ten and one boy under ten. In the remarks column the list notes that a woman, a boy and three girls remained at St. Johns. This would suggest quite a substantial family with 12 or 13 children depending on the relationship of the woman at St. Johns. Of this number 10 or 11 appear to be female and 2 boys. Joseph White Jr. is listed separately in the provisioning list as a volunteer so is unlikely to have been included with the family. I also believe that he was by this time married to Mary Ompstead. Nicholas White would be 21 years of age in 1784 and is unlikely to have been the boy left behind at St. Johns. I believe that the boy under ten may be John White or possibly another male child of the family. John White's wife to be was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1773. If John White was born in 1772 or 1773 he would be eleven or twelve years of age at this time. However, if he was born in 1775 he woudl have been 9 years of age. John White's petition for land signed the 5th of July 1790 indicates that he had been a resident of Upper Canada for four years. This suggests that some members of the family may not have joined their mother and father until 1786. On the other hand, a later petition dated 16 May 1797 says that "your petitioner came to this country in company with his father a suffering Loyalist in 1784." It is possible that the "woman" at St. Johns was an older sister left behind to care for the younger children one of whom may have been John White. It is equally possible that John White came with his father and mother in 1784 and was the male child under 10.

The White and the Kilbourn family seemed have formed a fairly close connection and this is substantiated in the extensive Kilbourne family history written by Payne Kenyon Kilbourne. (The History and Antiquides of the Name and Family of Kilbourn). On page 169 of this source #130 David (Kilborn), b. in Litchfield, Feb. 31, 1767 is said to have married "Hannah White, daughter of Joseph White, a loyalist of New Hampshire.." On page 171 #133 Lucy (Kilborn) b. in Litchfield March 17, 1773 is shown as married to John White, of Leeds Co., C.W. The reference goes on to say that "Mr. White was brother to Hannah White, who married David Kilborn."

The Kibourne genealogy is further substantiated by Thad W. Leavitt in his History of Leeds and Grenville, page 68. Here John Kilborn talks about his grandfather Benjamin Kilborn and his father David Kilborn. "My father David Kilborn ... married Hannah White, daughter of Joseph White a U.E. Loyalist."

Additional clues to support my contention that Joseph White was in fact a younger son if not the youngest son of Joseph White and Sarah Noyes can be found in the names of John White and Lucy Kilborn's children. The youngest son of John and Lucy was named James Noyce. The Noyce name being taken from the last name of Sarah Noyes the mother of John White. I suspect that it was the intent to name this child Sarah if it had been a girl but as it was a boy they had to settle for mother's maiden name. Included in this family were also Joseph born in 1802, Mary, Lucy, Elizabeth and Abigail. These are all names which can be found in the family of Joseph White and Sarah Noyes. It is possible that all of these sisters of John White had not survived and that is why he chose to remember them in this way.

John White died in 1817 or 1818 as on the 1819 census of Augusta, Lucy White is listed as a widow. He would only have been 45 or 46 years of age. Lucy lived on until 1856 or 57. She is buried on Lot#5, 10th concession of Elizabethtown in Bolton's cemetery once known as Whitehurst cemetery. She lies next to her son Joseph. Her stone reads Lucy, wife of John White died (dates missing) age 84 years.

The final word on this subject rests with the town records of Newbury VT. I have not to date located these but am in the process of looking.

13 October 1998

1806 Census (Reel C-1345) Augusta

1 man 1 woman 2 male children 5 female children

1813 Census (Reel C-1345) Augusta

1 woman 1 male child 3 female children

1823 Cenus

Lucy White -1 4 2 _ _

1824 Census

Lucy White - 2 2 2 6 Joseph White

JOHN WHITE approx 1770 - approx 1817 to 18l8

Pioneers John White, Lucy Kilborn Launched Family in Leeds, Grenville. John White, born about 1770 in Newbury, Vermont, (USA) son of Major Joseph White Sr., U.E.L. and Sarah Noyes married Lucy Kilborn, born March 17, 1773 in Litchfield, Connecticut, (USA) and came to Canada before 1790 with her parents Lucy Bishop and Lieut. Benjamin Kilborn U.E.L. The marriage of John and Lucy in the early 1790s united two of the pioneer families of Leeds and Grenville, the Whites and the Kilborns. Both John and Lucy received crown grants as a son and daughter of United Empire Loyalists. John received his crown grant of 200 acres, lot 14, 3rd concession of South Crosby on June 30, 1801 and Lucy received her grant of 200 acres, lot 15, 3rd concession, South Crosby on June 30, 1801. John and Lucy did not live in South Crosby but sold their property there in 1811. John and Lucy were pioneers of the Fourth concession of Augusta Township, east of Algonquin. The family was listed in the census of April 05, 1796, with two children, a boy and a girl. The boy apparently died young as he was not listed in the 1801 census. Their children were Mary, Elizabeth, Lucy, Joseph, John Eli, Amelia, Abigail, Henry Rueben Sherwood, and James Noyce White. Five of John and Lucy's children Eli, Henry Rueben Sherwood, Abigail, Lucy and Amelia were baptised on October 24, 1814 by the early Brockville missionary preacher, Rev. William Smart. Lucy and John raised their nine children in Augusta Township, Grenville, County, Ontario, Canada. They appeared on the census rolls of Augusta for over 20 years. Lucy's husband John White died around 1817/18. The 1820 census listed Lucy as a widow. A few years after John's death, Lucy and her sons moved to the northeast comer of Elizabethtown Twp., Leeds Co. bordering Augusta Twp. Her sons Eli and Henry R S. White settled on Lot #9, 9th concession of Elizabethtown near Jellyby. In later years this area became known as White's Corners. Their brother Joseph settled in the I0th concession on Lot #3 of Elizabethtown . Lucy Kilborn White lived with her son Joseph and when he became ill he wrote his will dated November 25, 1834. In this will he gave the maiden names of both his mother Lucy Kilborn and his wife Mary Berry. This valuable piece of information allowed Lorraine Hammond Latimer of Brockville to trace her Kilborn line. The Kilboms go back to Thomas who arrived in New England (USA) from London, England on the ship "Increase" on April 15, 1635. On Lot #5, 10th concession of Elizabethtown is situated a small well kept cemetery. It is known as the Bolton Cemetery but at one time it was called the Whitehurst Cemetery. It is here that Lucy and two of her sons are buried. Her grave and Josephs lie side by side. Her gravestone lies flat in the ground and reads Lucy, wife of John White, died (dates missing due to deterioration of the stone) age 84 years. Just a short distance away is the grave of her son Henry R S. White who died on January 06, 1857 in an accident while hauling a load of logs at Mud Creek.

John White, born ca late 1760s in Newbury Vermont was a son of Joseph White Sr Esq. and Sarah Noyes. John's father and his eldest brother Joseph Jr came to Canada during the revolutionary war and joined the British Secret Service, serving under Captain Justus Sherwood. After the war was over Joseph Sr returned to Vermont and brought his family back to Canada. They settled on lot #36, 4th concession of Augusta twsp, Grenville, Ontario, Canada.