William Whitley, Sr.

Whitley Family History

The County of Yorkshire, in England, is divided into four sections named as East, West, North, and South. Much of North Yorkshire includes the lovely dales immortalized by James Herriott in his veterinarian books. West Yorkshire has much the same topography and has been used for grazing for centuries, ever since the vast forests were destroyed by early dwellers for shipbuilding and for charcoal. Sheep were the main commodity in West Yorkshire, and their wool was an important trading item as well as the raw material for a thriving local weaving industry.

Long before the Industrial Revolution, many people made their daily living through their own cottage industries, weaving being the most widespread in England, particularly the weaving of hose. There were no knitting machines, and if one wanted warm leg coverings then one had to purchase hand loomed stockings. Competition was fierce, and the prices were kept down because there was always someone willing to sell something a little shoddier for a lesser price. As a result, weavers seldom became wealthy but managed to eke out a living of sorts. The center of the weaving industry in West Yorkshire was the town of Wakefield, located about half-way on the main north-south trading route from London to Edinburgh. Trade was brisk and the cottage industry thrived for centuries. The local church, All Saints, has recorded births, marriages, and deaths for all these years, and the name of Wheatley or Whitley is present in the lists from the earliest date. Other than for clothing, Wakefield is noted as the home of Robert Fitzooth, alias Robin Hood, who lived there in the 1200’s. One of his escapades was a battle with the Pindar (cattle pen tender) of Wakefield. Robin died there, in 1247, with the reputation of taking up for the weak and poor. The Whitley family and the name are both very ancient, dating to the earliest days of England. “Whit” comes from the Old English word for active, strong, bold, and brave; it was probably a personal name from the dark ages. Wheatley and Whitley seem to have been used interchangeabley over the years. The first family record found in All Saints is for the christening of a Thomas Wheatley in 1330. Most of the early records are gone, so it is likely that there were many more before Thomas. William Whitley was recorded in town records as a weaver in the 1500’s. However, by 1630 the cloth trade began to decline due to cheaper foreign imports. The weavers began to move away. [Source: Wilson Daily Times Online, January column 1999, by Henry Powell.]

The following lineage came from Family Tree Maker, Ancestry Online, and Wilson Daily Times Online, January 1999 and May 18, 1999: Randall Whitley was born about 1600 in England. His son, John Whitley/Wheatley, Sr., was born 1628 in England, died February 21, 1669/70 in Isle of Wight Co., VA, and married Ann Moss around 1650. John arrived in Old Rappahannock Co., VA, in 1650 from England as a headright for Silvester Thatcher and Thomas Whitlock. Thatcher and Whitlock each got a parcel of land for bringing Wheatley to Virginia, while Wheatley got some land after working off his indenture (passage fare) advanced by his sponsors. The normal term of service (farm work or similar) was seven years to settle an indenture (so called because there was a contract between parties that was cut raggedly across the bottom). The headright kept the bottom, which he presented to gain freedom when his indenture term was finished, provided the cut marks (indentures) matched the top portion. By 1664, John Wheatley had moved south in Virginia to Isle of Wight County where he bought land from Anthony Fulgham on the Western Branch of the Nansemond River. This land was possibly near Joyner’s millpond. John may have been married when he arrived in Virginia at the age of 22 (he signed a statement that he had been born in 1628), as we find no marriage record in either Rappahannock or Isle of Wight Counties. Upon his death in 1670, he left his estate to his wife Ann, his sons John, Thomas (our ancestor), and William, and a daughter Elizabeth. John Jr. was listed as a weaver on a deed of sale in 1705.

Thomas, born in 1658, married Mary Street, and they had five sons and three daughters. Before 1742, their son William (b. 1690) moved to Northampton Co., NC, on the Meherrin River just south of the Virginia line. His neighbors were John Dew and John Barnes. William died in 1751, leaving his estate to wife Julian, sons Jacob, James, William Jr., Arthur (our ancestor), Joseph, Nathan, and daughters Elizabeth (married Joseph Barnes), Julian (married Jacob Barnes), Susannah, Bridget, and Mourning. Arthur Whitley married Sarah Barnes and moved to Edgecomb (Wilson) County where his descendants still live, many around Gardner’s School and Holden’s Crossroads. Arthur was born about 1730 in Northampton County, NC. His wife Sarah was also born in Northampton County. They moved to Edgecomb County after 1750 and settled in what is now the Gardner’s Township area of Wilson County, SC. Arthur and Sarah had several children: 1.Sion (the Welsh form of the Irish Sean, pronounced “shon”) was our ancestor. Sion’s wife’s name was Prudence. Their children were: David (marrid Nancy Johnston), Josiah (married Lucy Wilson), Susan, Charlotte, Sion Jr., Littleberry (our ancestor), Lawrence N.B. (lived in Natchitoches, LA), and Charity. Sion died November 1840 in Edgecomb, SC 2. Jonas (see story on next page) 3. Josiah, married Rachel Taylor 4. Mary Ann 4. Benjamin 5. Lucretia 6. Mildred

http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/bienville/history/whitleyfam.txt

Will

Original data: Grimes, John Bryan. Abstracts of North Carolina Wills. Raleigh, NC, USA: North Caroline Department of State, 1910. < AncestrySharing >

Name: William Whitley
Location: Northampton County
Will Date: 15 Aug 1751
Probate Date: - Apr 1759
Will: Sons: Jacob, James, William, Arthur, Joseph.
Daughters: Elizabeth, Julian and Susanna.
Wife and Executrix: Julian.
Witnesses: James Gay, Elisha Darden, Charles Barnes.
Clerk of the Court: I. Edwards.

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