Person:Isaac White (32)

Parentage

According to "Memoir of Colonel Isaac White of Knox County, Indiana", by George Faultleroy White, Isaac White's father was "probably of English origin, was a man of education and good family, and prior to his settling in Virginia had held a captain's commission in the British merchant marine service. Surrendering this office, he purchased a large tract of land in Prince William county, and successfully devoted himself to farming until the war of the Revolution begain, when taking up arms against the tyranny of the British government, he lost his life near the end of the war nobly fighting for the independence of his adopted country. The old house where this patriot lived - a substantial, roomy, stone structure, indicating in all its arrangements that it was the home of a cultured and hospitable gentleman - it still standing, in an excellent state of preservation, near Brontsville, the county seat of Prince William county. In this house Isaac White was born, as well as his older brother, Thomas, and one younger sister, Katie, and here he continued to live with his mother, assisting her, as he grew in age and experience, in the management of the estate, until he had nearly reached his twenty-fourth year...". Unfortunately Faulteroy's manuscript does not identify the name of his parents. Additional research is needed.

Will Transcript

In the name of God Amen, I Isaac White of the ___ United States Saline, do make Ordain and Declare this Instrument which is Signed with my Own hand to be my Last Will and Testament, Declaring at the same time that is the first and only One that I have made, All my Debts of which there are but few, and none of Magnitude, are to be Punctually Paid and the Legacies hereafter bequeathed are to be Discharged as soon as Circumstances wil Permit, And in the manner directed hereafter ~

To my Dearly Beloved Wife Sarah White I give and bequeath all my houshold and Kitchen Furniture all my Live Stock and Farming Utinsils, and all my Negores Except as in hereafter Excepted, to her and heirs forever, I also give to her during her Natural Life the Tract of Land which I Purchased of Daniel Smith and George Leech Containing Two hundred Acres, but if my Wife Acceeds to this my Will, It is also my Will that she shall raize my three Children George Washington White, Harriet G. White and Juliet G. White, without any Expense to my Estate Except so much as will pay for their schooling.

It is my Will that my son George have a Classical Education, that he be Taught fencing, Dancing and that he be sent One year to a Military School, and that after he be so taught, that he be Allowed to follow the Profession or Occupation that he himself may choose.

It is further my Will that my Daughters Harriet and Juliet have a good English Education.

I give and bequeath to my son George Washington White all my Estate Real and Personal / Except that part which I have given to my Wife and as is hereafter Excepted, he paying to his Sister Harriet at the time she becomes of Age or gets married fifteen hundred Dollars, and unto his Sister Juliet One thousand Dollars at the time she becomes of Age of gets Married, After paying for their Schooling ~

I give and bequeath to my Nephews Charles White & John Justice a Tract of Land Containing Four hundred and Sixty four Acres and Seventy Poles ~ One Moiety to Each of them, to be Divided According to quality and quantity, Provided that after John Justice goes to School this year, he goes home and Continues to Live with his Aunt Sarah White untill he is twenty One years of Age ~ if not the Moiety that was intended for him to revert back to George W. White ~

I give and bequeath to my Neice Betsey White, Daughter of Thomas and Maream White One Mare, Saddle and Bridle, to be worth One hundred Dollars, Also One Hundred Dollars in Cash to be paid when she becomes of Age of gets Married ~ Should it so happen that any of the Legatees Except George W. White, should die before they are by this my Will to receive their Legacies that then and in that case the whole of the said Legacies are to revert to the said George W. White. But should it Please God that he should Die before he becomes of Age, or After he Becomes of Age without Issue, I will that then and in that case the whole of the Estate both Real and Personal is to be Divided Equally between his Sisters Harriet G. and Juliet G. White.

I give and bequeath to Francis Leech all my Books, Maps and Backgammon Table ~

It is further my Will that my Executors Collects all the Debts that are due me, together with what may hereafter become due me and After paying my Debts &c. to vest the Ballance in Bank Stock ~ Should Thomas White wish to Improve the tract of Land which I have given to his son Charles, I hereby request my Executors to devide it in the manner before mentioned ~

I give and bequeath to George Leech Junior my two year old Colt called the Pheaton ~

I Constitute George Leech, John Marshall and Francis Leech or any two of them Executors of this my Last will and Testament.

In Witness of all and each of the things herein contained I have Set my hand and Seal this 23rd day of May 1811 ~

The Tract of Land which I have bequeathed to my Nephews Charles White and John Justice lies on the South side of White River and is the one that I purchased of Tousaint Dubois.

[Signed] Isaac White

In Presence of:

G.C. Harlt?

Francis Leech

Indiana Territory, Knox County}

Be it Remembered that on the 9th day of December 1811, Personally came Francis Leech one of the Subscribing Witnesses to the Last Will and Testament of Isaac White late of Knox County Deceased, And on the 25th day of February 1812 Personally came George C. Harrt? the other Subscribing Witness to the same Will, and Severally made both on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God that they did see the Testator therein named Sign and Seal this Will, and they heard him Publish, Pronounce and Declare the same to be his Last Will and Testament that at the time of his so doing, he was to the best of their Apprehension of sound and disposing Mind, memory and Understanding, and that they Respectively subscribed their names as Witnesses to this Will in the Presence and at the request of the Testator, and in the Presence of each other Sworn to Before me Robert Buntin Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for Said County the day and years first above written ~

[Signed] R. Buntin clerk C.K.C.

Letters Testamentary Granted to the Exors therein named on the 23rd. Feby 1812}

and Approved, March Term 1812 Common Pleas }

1.   Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source).

   https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/80478538/person/380035716436/facts

2.   Genealogy.com.

   White Co., Indiana was named in honor of Col. Isaac White who sustained mortal wounds during the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was b. abt 1776 in Prince William Co., VA.
   
   In 1809 Benjamiin Davis was born in Loudoun Co.,VA, s/o Howell Davis & Sarah White. On 25 Aug 1830 Benjamin Davis m. Sarah White, a niece of his mother-in-law, d/o William & Nancy White. Howell Davis remained in Loudoun Co. He was a brother of Abel Davis who settled in White Co., IN in 1835 and died there in 1847. Abel m. Mary Huffman late 1780's and lived in MonongaliaCo., VA &Champaigtn Co., OH before settling in white Co. Mary Huffman Davis d. mid 1820's in OH. In 1828 Abel m. Catherine Kirkwood in OH who preceeded him in death in White Co. I beieve Abel Daviswas buriewd in the small burial plot on the farm of his son Isaac Davis north of Sitka.I hope to determiine if Col. Isaac White was related to the large White family group of Loudoun Co. Descendants of this Davis family were present in White County well into the 20th century and may still be there.
   
   Juliet Greenville White, d/o Col. Isaac White, m. James Huffman. James Huffman & Juliet are mentioned in The Standard History of White Co. IN on pages 21. Was he related to Mary Huffman Davis?
   
   https://www.genealogy.com/forum/regional/states/topics/in/white/261/

3. ↑ Illinois, United States. Illinois, Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999. (Ancestry.com [database on-line]).

   Name Isaac White
   Residence Date Abt 1811
   Residence Place Saline
   Will Date 23 May 1811
   Probate Date 23 May 1811 [s/b 9 Dec 1811]
   Probate Place Randolph, Illinois, USA
   Inferred Death Date 1811
   Inferred Death Place Illinois, USA
   Item Description Wills, Vol C-E, 1850-1885
   Household members
   Name Age
   Isaac White
   Thomas White
   Harriet White
   Charles White
   John Justin
   Betsey White
   Marcasa
   George Washington White

4.   Colonel Isaac White, in Sandham, William R. and Roedel, Carl. Colonel Isaac White. (Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), Vol. 10, No. 2 (Jul., 1917), pp. 260-262)
   Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), Vol. 10, No. 2 (Jul., 1917), pp. 260-262.
5.   SKETCH OF COL. ISAAC WHITE by George F. White, in TNGenWeb - Tennessee Genealogy.

   It is gratifying to know that the county was named in honor of so brave a gentleman as Col. Isaac White, an interesting sketch of whom has been written by his grandson, George F. White. As stated by the author, "much of the information was gained orally from his father, some from his cousins in Virginia and some from old letters."
   
   The article follows: "Isaac White was born in Prince William County, Virginia, shortly after the beginning of the Revolutionary war. The exact year is not known, but from the record of his initiation in 1811, as member of Vincennes Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M., in which he states his age was then thirty-five years and from certain interesting family notes written by Mrs. Sarah M. Hayden, it is likely he was born in 1776. His father was probably of English origin and was a man of education, refinement and good standing for before he settled in Virginia, he held a captain's commission in the British Merchant Marine Service. Surrendering this office he purchased a large tract of land in Prince William County, and devoted himself to farming until the Revolution began when he took up arms with the colonies and lost his life, near the close of the conflict, nobly battling for his country.
   
   "The old house where he lived, a substantial stone structure, indicating a home of refinement and luxury, is still standing in an excellent state of preservation, near Brentsville, Virginia, the county seat of Prince William County. In this home Isaac White was born as was also his elder brother, Thomas, and one younger sister, Katie, and here he continued to live with his mother, assisting her as he grew in age and experience until he was past twenty-three years old, when an unhappy event in his mother's life impelled him and his brother Thomas to seek a more adventurous career in the great Northwest Territory.
   
   "It seems that one day when the two sons and all the male tenants of the plantation were absent, a strange man called at the house and asked for something to eat, and in accordance with the hospitality of those days, his request was at once granted but, not satisfied with such kindly treatment, he demanded of her the keys to the drawers where the family treasures were kept. She refused and he tried to get them from her by force. Her screams attracted the attention of a neighbor who, as the account states, was 'a bachelor gentleman,' on a hunting expedition, who rushed in and brained the would-be robber at once. For this chivalrous act he was arrested, tried, acquitted and wholly exonerated from all blame. As stated, he was 'a bachelor gentleman,' she a widow. His was a heart innocent, confiding and susceptible, while she, like most widows, was conversant with all the wiles and snares which so beset the pathway of bachelors. He was weak. She was strong. He surrendered: they were married and 'lived happily ever after.'
   
   "Of course her two sons, Thomas and Isaac, objected to this union, but to no avail. However, they remained with their mother until their sister Katie was married, and then with only a small amount of money left home and went to Vincennes, which was soon to become the Capitol of the Northwest Territory. This was in the early part of the year 1800. His appearance at Vincennes created some excitement, as he was full of spirit, well bred, dashing and a general favorite with all, but especially with the young ladies. Mrs. Hayden's notes are full of references to the family of Judge George Leech, then living at Vincennes, and especially of his oldest daughter, Sallie, who soon succeeded in capturing the heart and affections of our hero.
   
   "Such, in brief, is the account coming to us from Mrs. Hayden, whose mother was formerly Miss Amy Leech, a sister to Sallie, who became the wife of the subject of this article. This Amy Leech subsequently became the wife of the Hon. John Marshall, for many years President of the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, Illinois.
   
   "Isaac White was somewhat aristocratic, his wife seems to have been an honest well-meaning backward girl of her period, but their marriage was a most happy one. It is thought Judge Decker officiated at the wedding which was some event as the wedding dinner is said to have been quite an elaborate affair.
   
   "This gentleman, Judge George Leech, into whose family Isaac White married, had emigrated from Louisville, Kentucky, to Vincennes, in 1784, and the members of his family had each selected homesteads in Knox County, but after three years of hardships among the Indians, all except Francis Leech, who had died, moved back to Louisville, but nine years later, in 1796, Judge Leech moved back again to Vincennes, but the Governor of the Northwest Territory refused to allow him to re-occupy his old home, though it was vacant, and he was compelled to occupy the land which had been his brother's. After William Henry Harrison was appointed Governor of the Northwest Territory, Judge Leech was granted one hundred acres more land which he gave as a marriage present to his daughter, and to this day it is known as the 'White-Hall' farm in Knox County, Indiana, and this was the nucleus of a very considerable estate which Isaac White acquired subsequent to his marriage.
   
   "They were encompassed with the many hardships incident to pioneer life, but they were surrounded by good neighbors and when their home was destroyed by fire, these good friends rebuilt for them a substantial log residence in which their only child, George Washington Leech White, was born. That the family of Isaac White was refined and highly respectable is proven by the fact that a strong friendship was cemented between it and the family of Governor Harrison which has been transmitted to their successors.
   
   "On April 30, 1805, Governor Harrison appointed Isaac White Agent for the United States at the Salt works at Saline Creek, Illinois, contiguous to the village of Equality in Gallatin County, Illinois. Here Isaac employed John Marshall, a man of sterling character, who afterward became a banker and acquired a splendid reputation in Indiana and Illinois. The following year Mr. Marshall married the younger sister of Mrs. White, Miss Amy Leech. This wedding occurred October 21, 1806, and the day following both White and Marshall, accompanied by their wives, departed for the Salt works. On September 8, 1806, Gov. Harrison appointed Isaac White Captain of the Knox County Militia and on September 10th, of the same year, his oath of office was taken before 'William H. Harrison.'
   
   "The Salt works did not long survive. The Act of Congress of March 3,1803, authorized the leasing of the springs belonging to the government and White, in 1807, had acquired an interest in the Salt works which he held until just before his death, when he disposed of it to Wilkes, Taylor & Co., and returned to Vincennes.
   
   "While living at the Salt works he had two daughters born to him, Harriet Grandison, June 12, 1808, and Juliet Greenville, on July 30, 1810. While he was employed at the springs, White was commissioned a Colonel, probably in the Illinois Militia, which organization was perfected under the Act of Congress of February 3, 1809. This commission is now lost but there is little doubt of its having been issued to him. Shortly after he was commissioned Colonel, occurred one of the most important incidents connected with his life. Duelling was at that time, not uncommon, especially in military circles, but Col. White had a great antipathy to that method of settling differences that arose between men. On May 23, 1811, he wrote a tender and pathetic letter to his wife saying that on the next day he would fight a duel with one Captain Butler, who had offended him, and when his offense had been resented had challenged him and he had accepted. He tells his wife in this letter to sell 'Sukey and the children' and from the proceeds buy a slave in the Territory and then having written his will, bids his wife a tender farewell.
   
   "Their meeting took place on time at a place now called Union Springs, Kentucky, opposite Shawneetown, Illinois, but the result was somewhat different from what might have been expected. By the rules governing the code the challenged party could choose the weapons and the distance; availing himself of this privilege, Col. White chose horse pistols at a distance of six feet. Captain Butler protested, saying that it meant certain death to both, but White insisted that he had the right to name the weapons and fix the distance whereupon Butler left the field and the little affair of honor was ended. In view of the Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited Slavery in the Northwest Territory, it may seem strange that he would advise his wife to 'sell Sukey and the children' and invest the proceeds in a slave in the Territory, but it is a fact that Slavery existed for many years in the Territory and in that part which is now comprised within the limits of our own state.
   
   "The records of Vincennes Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M., disclose the fact that on September 18, 1811, Isaac White was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in said lodge, by Joseph Hamilton Daviess, Grand Master of Kentucky. Daviess was a Major from Kentucky, who had come to Vincennes to offer his services to Gov. Harrison, in his projected campaign against the Indians, in the Wabash Valley. With the consent of his friend, Major Daviess, White joined the expedition in the capacity of a private soldier, which accounts for his name being on the south tablet of the Battle Ground Monument, among the 37 privates killed in this battle. His is the last name but one on this tablet. They left Vincennes on September 26, 1811, and on their departure, Daviess and White, notwithstanding one was a Major, and the other a private, exchanged swords, and when they were afterwards found on the battlefield, each had the other's sword. Lieut. George Leech, brother-in-law of White, says both were buried in one grave under an oak still standing not far from the grave in which the other dead were placed and some logs were hastily rolled over the grave and burned that the Indians might not be able to discover and loot the grave, but all to no avail, for as soon as the soldiers left, their bodies were exhumed by the Indians and left to wither and rot on the ground. Isaac White was thirty-six years of age when he met his death, yet he left, what for that period, was a considerable fortune, for notwithstanding his well known liberality, he died seized of several thousand acres of land in addition to a fair amount of personal property. He was a man of chivalrous manner, kindly and generous disposition and well beloved by his associates. In 1816, his widow married for her second husband, Samuel Marshall, brother of John Marshall, with whom she lived until her death in 1819.
   
   "Isaac White left three children, one of which, George Washington Leech White, afterward became a prominent citizen of Indiana and served his country in the Black Hawk War;
   
   "Harriet Grandison White, who married Albert Gallatin Sloo, at 'White-Hall' farm in Knox County, and Juliet Greenville White, who married James Huffman. From Isaac White's son, who marriage Miss Eliza Griffin Fauntleroy, of Kentucky, have descended many quite prominent people.
   
   "By his Will, written with his own hand the day before his duel was to have been fought with Captain Butler, he ordered the payment of all his debts: to his wife he gave all his household and kitchen furniture and two hundred acres of land, in the same item charging her with the proper rearing of his children, and expresses the hope that his son, George, be given a classical education and especially that he be taught fencing: as to the two girls, they were to be given 'a good English education.' He gives to his neighbors, Charles White and John Justice 464 acres and seventy poles of land, one moiety to each, with certain restrictions, and also 'To my niece, Betsey White, one mare, saddle and bridle,' to be worth in cash $100. Let us indulge the hope that Betsey fully enjoyed her equine gift.
   
   "The will then gives to his son George all the residue of his estate out of which he is to pay to his sister Harriet, at her majority or marriage, $1,500 and to his sister Juliet on the same contingency he is to pay $1,000. This Will is dated May 23, 1811, and is duly witnessed by G. C. Harlt and Francis Leech."
   
   Several counties in this state are named in honor of those who were engaged in the battle of Tippecanoe, and when White County was organized in 1834, it took its name from Isaac White, the subject of this article. On November 7, 1836, the twenty-fifth anniversary of this battle, John Tipton, who then owned the Tippecanoe Battle Ground, and who was also present in the engagement, conveyed the grounds to the State of Indiana, and the constitution of our state makes it obligatory on the Legislature to forever maintain it in memory of those who participated in the battle. For many years efforts were put forth by various organizations to induce the state and Federal governments to erect a monument over the graves of those who were buried there; but not until November 7, 1908, were their efforts crowned with success. On the last named date, being the ninety-seventh anniversary of the battle, was unveiled the splendid obelisk which now towers over the graves where in solitude and silence for more than a century, have lain the bodies of those, who fell in this action. It was, judged from the men engaged, a mere skirmish, but in its results, it was one of the most important battles ever fought on this continent.
   
   May we ever hold in loving memory the hero after whom our goodly county is named!
   
   http://ingenweb.org/inwhite/history/chii.htm