"Well our grandfather John White died at Embreeville 1850. He was about 75 or 80 years old. His first wife was Mary Odell." ~written by grandson David Jonathan White
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Bio Researched and Written by B. Bradford-Pytel (5G Granddaughter) ~~updated 1/15/2023.
John White was born about 1770 on his parents' farm in Fairplay (8 miles south of Hagerstown), Frederick Co. (now Washington Co.), Maryland and was most likely the first born of Christian White Jr. and Elizabeth Stonebraker. Although census records show that John was noted being born in both Pennsylvania and Virginia, the timeline of when his father married his mother from Funkstown, Maryland and acquired land in Water Sink at Fairplay places John's birthplace in Maryland. It was not until 1772, his father sold the land at Watersink and moved the family down to Middle Fork of Sleepy Creek in Berkeley Co., VA (now West VA for a time). In 1779, his father sold land in Berkeley, West VA and the family moved father south on the Great Wagon Road to Harrisonburg area of Rockingham, Virginia. Sometime after 1800, John migrated with his parents and some of his siblings from Rockingham Co., VA via the Great Wagon Trail down to Washington Co., Tennessee and settled in the Telford (Leesburg) area. The Christian White clan lived near Rev. War Patriot, Jacob Brown and Elizabeth Artmire / Admire family. John remained a bachelor for some time. In 1805, at age 35, he courted Nancy Brown (d/o Jacob Brown and Elizabeth Artmire) and she became pregnant. John abandoned the responsibility of taking care of his daughter Elizabeth born in 1806 *see note. There is no documentation to help us understand their relationship and how long they were together. John left the relationship abruptly which leads me to believe he was already married or betrothed to Margaret Odell / Odle at this time because of the birth year of his son, Jesse, he sired with Margaret. It's clear, Jacob Brown was not going to tolerate John White not paying his obligation of child support and thus filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter in Washington Co., TN seeking damages "Nancy Brown vs. John White." In the August 1806 Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, the court ruled that John pay $45 child support for 3 years as follows: $20 dollars the first year, $15 the 2nd and $10 the 3rd. Despite the court order, John refused to pay and in November 1806, the Washington County court issued a Writ commanding the Sheriff of Washington Co., Joseph Brown, to arrest John White and keep him safely in jail until the next hearing session in February 1807. It's unclear if Sheriff Brown was related to plaintiff Nancy Brown. John White fled the county over to neighboring Carter to avert paying the judgment. There is no marriage record found for John White and Margaret Odell, the daughter of Rev. War Veteran, Sgt. Abraham Odle / Odell and Mary Castleman. But I believe he was already married or betrothed to her at the time he sired daughter Elizabeth with Nancy Brown based on the birth year of his first born, Jessie White, born around 1805/1806 (according Jesse's age declarations in the 1850 and 1860 censuses). In May 1809, the Washington Co. court issued an order to the Sheriff of Carter Co. demanding $16.40 payment in the matter of Nancy Brown. A levy of 400 pounds of iron was sold off for $10.50, deposited to the court to settle the balance due with the Brown family.
* NOTE: In 1986, Mr. Dykes researched information regarding Nancy Brown and her daughter Elizabeth White and wrote a letter detailing his findings from the Washington Co., TN Courthouse, the County Clerk's office and the Archives of the Appalachia at East Tennessee State University.
In December 1814, John White purchased a 100 acre parcel on the Indian Creek starting on the side of Iron Mountain, adjacent to John E. Brown's property for $400 from David Haines (Haynes) with his father-in-law, Abraham Odle / Odell as witness along with George Swingle. This area is about 15 miles on the other side of the Nolichucky River from Telford / Leesburg where his parents settled. This would be the first of many land transactions for John. On June 29, 1824, Washington Co., TN Grant #13680, John White acquired 50 acres in Greasy Cove on the waters of the Indian Creek, adjoining Jesse Brown's property and on August 4, 1824, Grant #10786, he acquired an additional 16 acres at 12 1/2 cents per acre. In 1822 he paid tax on 120 acres and in 1840, he paid tax on 216 acres (120A and 96A). John and Margaret Odell-White had 9 children and she died around 1825. Widower John then meets Rosie Tipton (d/o Wiley Tipton and Anna McKinney of Yancey Co., NC) and they marry abt. 1828 (no marriage record found) and start a family. They had 6 children together covering a period between 1829 and 1840. John is noted in the 1830 and 1840 Washington Co., Tennessee censuses with his aged widow mother, Elizabeth Stonebraker-White, living with him. In the 1850 Washington Co., TN Census, John White was noted age 80, born in Virginia and residing with his children. Rosie Tipton-White already died and son Jacob White was listed as the head of household #1423. The 1850 census commenced on November 12, 1850, performed by Marshall J. P. S. Rhea, so John must have died shortly afterwards which negates the alleged death date of August 1850. At the time of John's death, he acquired 640 acres which the courts had to settle since he left no Will. D.J. stated that "John White died at Embreeville" which is about 15 miles west on the other side of Greasy Cove from the John White estate. John's younger brother Jacob had a farm in Embreeville and thus John was probably staying with him just before he died. In the 1850 Washington Co., TN Agriculture Census dated November 6, 1850, the area where John White owned property, he is not found, but Jacob White is listed as head and enumerated next door to Ezekiel Birchfield/Burchfield. I believe this is the account of John White's estate and his son, Jacob, is the head who took over managing the farm which coordinates with the 1850 household census with Jacob as the head. This agriculture census showed 640 acres total, 100 improved and 540 unimproved with a value of $1,500 along with scheduled livestock and grains. Ezekiel Burchfield's 230 acre parcel was near Limestone Cove (part of Carter County at that time) and recorded in the Washington Co. agriculture census. Therefore, Burchfield's property most likely straddled county lines and John White's was not too far away.
John White died sometime after November 1850 and before the Spring of 1851 when his Estate went into probate and an inventory of his personal items were sold off on March 15, 1851 totaling $87.47. Ezekiah Ezekiel Burchfield was the court appointed administrator for the Estate of John White. Upon John White's death, he left 4 minor children: (Joseph (17), Samuel (13), Ann (12), Phebe (11) and the court laid off one year provisions for their support and appointed Charles Longmire as the legal guardian. John White's real estate was divided into 16 parts among all his children (see timeline of land division). A 45 acre parcel was given to daughter Margaret White (D.J.'s mother) but by the time the division of the property commenced, she already died in 1854 so her 45 acre parcel would go to her 5 children: Mary Ann, David Jonathan, Katherine, Sara "Sadie", Phoeba Ann. The exact burials of John White and his two wives, Margaret Odell and Rosie Tipton are unknown, but John and Margaret are most likely interred at the Embree Family Cemetery.
TIMELINE OF JOHN WHITE'S LIFE WITH RECORDS:
https://www.tngenweb.org/unicoi/david_jonathan_white/john_white_1770-1850_timeline.html
"Well our grandfather John White died at Embreeville 1850. He was about 75 or 80 years old. His first wife was Mary Odell." ~written by grandson David Jonathan White
===============/
Bio Researched and Written by B. Bradford-Pytel (5G Granddaughter) ~~updated 1/15/2023.
John White was born about 1770 on his parents' farm in Fairplay (8 miles south of Hagerstown), Frederick Co. (now Washington Co.), Maryland and was most likely the first born of Christian White Jr. and Elizabeth Stonebraker. Although census records show that John was noted being born in both Pennsylvania and Virginia, the timeline of when his father married his mother from Funkstown, Maryland and acquired land in Water Sink at Fairplay places John's birthplace in Maryland. It was not until 1772, his father sold the land at Watersink and moved the family down to Middle Fork of Sleepy Creek in Berkeley Co., VA (now West VA for a time). In 1779, his father sold land in Berkeley, West VA and the family moved father south on the Great Wagon Road to Harrisonburg area of Rockingham, Virginia. Sometime after 1800, John migrated with his parents and some of his siblings from Rockingham Co., VA via the Great Wagon Trail down to Washington Co., Tennessee and settled in the Telford (Leesburg) area. The Christian White clan lived near Rev. War Patriot, Jacob Brown and Elizabeth Artmire / Admire family. John remained a bachelor for some time. In 1805, at age 35, he courted Nancy Brown (d/o Jacob Brown and Elizabeth Artmire) and she became pregnant. John abandoned the responsibility of taking care of his daughter Elizabeth born in 1806 *see note. There is no documentation to help us understand their relationship and how long they were together. John left the relationship abruptly which leads me to believe he was already married or betrothed to Margaret Odell / Odle at this time because of the birth year of his son, Jesse, he sired with Margaret. It's clear, Jacob Brown was not going to tolerate John White not paying his obligation of child support and thus filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter in Washington Co., TN seeking damages "Nancy Brown vs. John White." In the August 1806 Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, the court ruled that John pay $45 child support for 3 years as follows: $20 dollars the first year, $15 the 2nd and $10 the 3rd. Despite the court order, John refused to pay and in November 1806, the Washington County court issued a Writ commanding the Sheriff of Washington Co., Joseph Brown, to arrest John White and keep him safely in jail until the next hearing session in February 1807. It's unclear if Sheriff Brown was related to plaintiff Nancy Brown. John White fled the county over to neighboring Carter to avert paying the judgment. There is no marriage record found for John White and Margaret Odell, the daughter of Rev. War Veteran, Sgt. Abraham Odle / Odell and Mary Castleman. But I believe he was already married or betrothed to her at the time he sired daughter Elizabeth with Nancy Brown based on the birth year of his first born, Jessie White, born around 1805/1806 (according Jesse's age declarations in the 1850 and 1860 censuses). In May 1809, the Washington Co. court issued an order to the Sheriff of Carter Co. demanding $16.40 payment in the matter of Nancy Brown. A levy of 400 pounds of iron was sold off for $10.50, deposited to the court to settle the balance due with the Brown family.
* NOTE: In 1986, Mr. Dykes researched information regarding Nancy Brown and her daughter Elizabeth White and wrote a letter detailing his findings from the Washington Co., TN Courthouse, the County Clerk's office and the Archives of the Appalachia at East Tennessee State University.
In December 1814, John White purchased a 100 acre parcel on the Indian Creek starting on the side of Iron Mountain, adjacent to John E. Brown's property for $400 from David Haines (Haynes) with his father-in-law, Abraham Odle / Odell as witness along with George Swingle. This area is about 15 miles on the other side of the Nolichucky River from Telford / Leesburg where his parents settled. This would be the first of many land transactions for John. On June 29, 1824, Washington Co., TN Grant #13680, John White acquired 50 acres in Greasy Cove on the waters of the Indian Creek, adjoining Jesse Brown's property and on August 4, 1824, Grant #10786, he acquired an additional 16 acres at 12 1/2 cents per acre. In 1822 he paid tax on 120 acres and in 1840, he paid tax on 216 acres (120A and 96A). John and Margaret Odell-White had 9 children and she died around 1825. Widower John then meets Rosie Tipton (d/o Wiley Tipton and Anna McKinney of Yancey Co., NC) and they marry abt. 1828 (no marriage record found) and start a family. They had 6 children together covering a period between 1829 and 1840. John is noted in the 1830 and 1840 Washington Co., Tennessee censuses with his aged widow mother, Elizabeth Stonebraker-White, living with him. In the 1850 Washington Co., TN Census, John White was noted age 80, born in Virginia and residing with his children. Rosie Tipton-White already died and son Jacob White was listed as the head of household #1423. The 1850 census commenced on November 12, 1850, performed by Marshall J. P. S. Rhea, so John must have died shortly afterwards which negates the alleged death date of August 1850. At the time of John's death, he acquired 640 acres which the courts had to settle since he left no Will. D.J. stated that "John White died at Embreeville" which is about 15 miles west on the other side of Greasy Cove from the John White estate. John's younger brother Jacob had a farm in Embreeville and thus John was probably staying with him just before he died. In the 1850 Washington Co., TN Agriculture Census dated November 6, 1850, the area where John White owned property, he is not found, but Jacob White is listed as head and enumerated next door to Ezekiel Birchfield/Burchfield. I believe this is the account of John White's estate and his son, Jacob, is the head who took over managing the farm which coordinates with the 1850 household census with Jacob as the head. This agriculture census showed 640 acres total, 100 improved and 540 unimproved with a value of $1,500 along with scheduled livestock and grains. Ezekiel Burchfield's 230 acre parcel was near Limestone Cove (part of Carter County at that time) and recorded in the Washington Co. agriculture census. Therefore, Burchfield's property most likely straddled county lines and John White's was not too far away.
John White died sometime after November 1850 and before the Spring of 1851 when his Estate went into probate and an inventory of his personal items were sold off on March 15, 1851 totaling $87.47. Ezekiah Ezekiel Burchfield was the court appointed administrator for the Estate of John White. Upon John White's death, he left 4 minor children: (Joseph (17), Samuel (13), Ann (12), Phebe (11) and the court laid off one year provisions for their support and appointed Charles Longmire as the legal guardian. John White's real estate was divided into 16 parts among all his children (see timeline of land division). A 45 acre parcel was given to daughter Margaret White (D.J.'s mother) but by the time the division of the property commenced, she already died in 1854 so her 45 acre parcel would go to her 5 children: Mary Ann, David Jonathan, Katherine, Sara "Sadie", Phoeba Ann. The exact burials of John White and his two wives, Margaret Odell and Rosie Tipton are unknown, but John and Margaret are most likely interred at the Embree Family Cemetery.
TIMELINE OF JOHN WHITE'S LIFE WITH RECORDS:
https://www.tngenweb.org/unicoi/david_jonathan_white/john_white_1770-1850_timeline.html
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