| HISTORY: |
The
plantation house now known as Myrtle Lawn stands on land once owned by John
Whitaker, a wealthy planter and member of a family that has long been
prominent in the history of Halifax County John Whitaker bequeathed 440
acres to his son Absalom Benton Whitaker in 1816 and shortly afterwards
Absalom built the earliest portion of the house now standing. A. B. Whitaker
built up a sizable estate with several plantations in Halifax County and at
least one in Florida. His will (probated 1845) indicates generosity towards
his wife and compassion for his slaves, but he obviously expected some
conf1ict between his widow and his sons, John B. and Wilson H. Whitaker. To
his wife he left a number of slaves upon condition that she not charge her
children any board for living in the house. John and Wilson received several
horses, but the widow was to have use of them "as long as the boys stay with
her." A codicil to the will emphasized that "the Land that my wife takes she
is to have only her life time then it is to return back to my children."
This was in addition to the normal statement of dower rights mentioned in
the original text of the will.
Signs of family strain were evident in that A. B. Whitaker did not bequeath
any real estate to any of his six children. His wife was given a choice of
the homeplace along with the Bird Plantation or the
Sands Plantation. The
rest was to be sold by John Beavans, his son-in-law and executor. Apparently
the widow took the Sands Plantation because Beavans sold the homeplace and
the Bird Plantation to Absalom's brother, Wilson Cary Whitaker, on November
3, 1845. W. C. Whitaker, although a substantial planter, never lived in the
house known as Myrtle Lawn. During his ownership, however, the core of the
present Whitaker's Chapel appeared on the land near the Absalom Whitaker
home. There is some question as to whether he built a new structure or
substantially remodeled the older building on the site, but he was
responsible for the chapel (minus the wings) that appears today.
W. C. Whitaker died in 1850 and the old Absalom Whitaker homeplace passed to
his son, Ferdinand H. Whitaker, who possibly lived in the house prior to his
father's death. In 1881, he moved Whitaker's Chapel from the north to the
south side of the road and enlarged it through the addition of a front
vestibule and a rear wing containing classrooms. F. H. Whitaker occupied the
premises for nearly half a century, a period that spanned the Civil War.
While that conflict brought financial ruin to many of his neighbors,
Whitaker seemed to weather the storm and rebuilt his estate through farming
adjustments and investment in the re-emerging banking industry. Other
plantations owned by the Whitaker family in Halifax County includes
that of Wilson's son, Montgomery T. Whitaker, who was the owner of nearby
Delphi Plantation, and
Rose Hill, which was the home of James Whitaker (1773-1825), the son
of John Whitaker, b.1747. Rose Hill was
later purchased in 1859 by James Henry Parker. I'm including the info
for James Whitaker's Rose Hill Plantation
below.
John Whitaker was the son of Richard Whitaker and Elizabeth Cary,
and he was the brother of Cary Whitaker (1749-1816), the owner of
Strawberry Hill Plantation. Many of the
Whitakers are buried in the Whitakers Chapel Cemetery
RICHARD WHITAKER FAMILY:
Richard Whitaker (1720-1794)
Wife: Elizabeth Cary (1725-1800)
Children:
John Whitaker (1747-1816) m: Christian Benton
Cary Whitaker (1749-1816) m: 1st) Penelope Carter; 2nd)Sally Knight
Martha Whitaker (1750-?) m: Cornelius Carter
Temperance Whitaker (1751- ?)
Richard Whitaker (1752-1840) m: Rachel Bentley
Elizabeth Cary Whitaker (1755-?) m: Edward Morris
Nancy Ann Whitaker (1760-1797) m: John Pope
Matthew Cary Whitaker (1762-1814) m: Elizabeth Anne Coffield
---------------
John Whitaker (1747-1816)
Wife: Christian Benton (1755-1841)
Children:
Eli Benton Whitaker (1771-1841) m: Mary Crowell Bradford
James Whitaker (1773-1825)
Elizabeth Whitaker (1775-1835) m: David Coffield
Richard Whitaker (1777-1797)
John Walton Whitaker (1780-1870) m: Frances W. Formby
Cary Whitaker (1782-1858) m: Martha Susan Baker; Harriet Joiner
Martha Whitaker(1785-1823) m: William Taylor
Absalom Benton Whitaker (1787-1844) m: Margaret Sands
Wilson Cary Whitaker (1789-1851) m: Elizabeth Ruffin Barrow; Agnes Olivia
Hannon
Margaret "Peggy" Green Whitaker (1793-1855) m: Spencer D. Cotton
---------------
Absalom Benton Whitaker (1787-1844)
Wife: Margaret Sands (1791–1868)
Children:
Margaret Green Whitaker (1811–1874)
Elizabeth Cary Whitaker (1813–?)
Bainbridge Whitaker (1815–?)
Christian Benton Whitaker 1816–1863)
Wilson Henry Whitaker (1819–1891)
John B. Whitaker (1822–1890)
Caroline Virginia Whitaker (1831–1913)
---------------
Wilson Cary Whitaker (1789-1851)
1st Wife: Elizabeth Ruffin Barrow (1800-1822)
Children:
John Cary Whitaker (1817- ?)
William Ruffin Whitaker (1820-1822)
Bartholomew Barrow Whitaker (1822-1822)
2nd Wife: Agnes Olivia Hannon (1802–1883)
Children:
Montgomery T Whitaker (1825–1888) m: Sarah E. Whitaker {d/o L.H.B. Whitaker
Ferdinand Hannon Whitaker (1828–1896) m: Louisa Elizabeth Sarah Deberry
Thaddeus E Whitaker (1830–1852)
Theodore Lucian Whitaker (1832–1913) m: Mary S. Crowley
Anne Olivia Knight Whitaker (1835-1897) m: Benjamin F. Whitaker {s/o L.H.B.
Whitaker
Sarah Louisa "Sadie" Whitaker (1838-1914) m: William Henry Knight
|
| SLAVE POPULATION: |
In 1860
Ferdinald had owned 29 slaves who were quartered in 12 slavehouses.
From Will of JOHN WHITAKER, 1816-
To wife CHRISTIAN WHITAKER:
WILL and his wife MAMEY, MOSES & his wife SILVY, HANNAH and her two sons
JACOB and LANDON and her daughter DELPHINA & child ELIJAH, MARTHA & LETTY,
MINNA.
Little WINNEY
To son ABSALOM BENTON WHITAKER:
LIBBY the Elder, SIPIO, DAPHNEY, JACK
To son JAMES WHITAKER:
NED & SAM
JACOB, after wife's death
To son CARY WHITAKER:
woman FANNY
Little WINNEY, after wife's death
To son WILSON CARY WHITAKER:
MINGO & his wife JUDAH
(big) LANDON & his wife NANCY
To daughter ELIZA COFFIELD:
Little LANDON, after death of my wife
To daughter MARTHA WHITAKER:
ANACHY, HARRY & his wife FEREBY, man ALTIMORE
To daughter PEGGY GREEN COTTON:
ELBECK & his wife TREASERY
To grand daughters NANCY B. & ELIZABETH WHITAKER daughters of my son JAMES
WHITAKER:
AMEY & BEN children of SAL
******************
From the Will of A.B. WHITAKER, Probated 1845-
To wife:
TOM
MINGO
JAMES
WILLIS
AMY and her children
OLIFF and her children
Records of Estates 1843-1849, Page 217
May Court 1845
Sale of Property belonging to the Estate of ABSOLOM B. WHITAKER, dec'd, made
by JOHN BEAVANS his Executor on the 18th March 1845:
Slaves:
Man MINGO - to WM. W. TAYLOR - $300.00
Man JIM - to E. FOREMAN - 350.00
Boy JACOB - to L.H.B. WHITAKER - 454.25
Girl REBECCA - to P. SUGG - 364.25
Girl AMANDA - to E. WHITLEY - 375.00
{following purchased for MRS. WHITAKER by TAYLOR}
Woman OLIFF & 2 Children - to WM. W. TAYLOR - 521.00
Boy CALHOUN - WM. W. TAYLOR - 320.00
Boy WILLIAM - WM. W. TAYLOR - 283.00
Girl JOANNA - WM. W. TAYLOR - 252.00
Boy ISAAC - WM. W. TAYLOR - 111.00
Woman LOZY - WM. W. TAYLOR - 20.00
Man TOM - No bid
Man CHARLES - No bid
Later in Sale:
Man CHARLES - to L.H.B. WHITAKER - $1.55
Man TOM - to MRS. WHITAKER - $.25
******************
List of Slaves from Will of W.C. WHITAKER in 1850-
to my wife AGNES O. WHITAKER:
SPIER
THOMAS
HENRY
BETSY
WILLIE
ALBERT
ALLEN
LOUISA
ROBIN
MILLY
JESSE
WINNY & her children -RACHEL, DELPHA, MARY, WINNY & SALLY
To my son MONTGOMERY T. WHITAKER:
PETER
AUSTIN
LOVENIA
PINK & her children-REDDICK, SUSAN, SABARA, FELMA
To my son FERDINAND H. WHITAKER:
CHARLES
KINCHEN
CHLOE & her children- LAURA, HAYWOOD, DANIEL, EPSIE, TURNER, & JOHN ANTHONY
To son THADEUS E. WHITAKER:
DICK
ALFRED
NANCY & her children- WILLIAM, QUINNY, JUDGE, MAHALA, SYLVESTER
To my son THEODORE L. WHITAKER:
JACKSON
ROSE & her children- BENJAMIN, ELIAS, ELI, TABITHA, PETER & MINERVA
To my daughter ANN O. WHITAKER:
ISAAC, ELIZA, SILVY & her children to wit, DAVID, MARTHA, RHODA, JENNY &
JAMES
to my daughter SARAH L. WHITAKER:
LEWIS, PENNY & her children to wit, ADALINE, FRANSINA, EMMA, MILLY,
ISABELLA, JO, GEORGE, ELLISON & DON
BANACK & CATO may be sold to be with their wives if they wish.
Division of the Slaves not already distributed:
February Court 1852
Inventory:
NANCY
GILBERT
CATOR
HARRIET
PRIS and Child, ROSETTA
POLLY
WILLIE
CAROLINE
LANDON
ANNA
FANNY
HILLIARD
REBECCA
NANNY
To son MONTGOMERY WHITAKER:
HILLIARD, val at $500
Lot No. 1-
GILBERT, POLLY & WILLIE valued at $900
To son FERDINAND WHITAKER:
NANNY valued at $275
To daughter ANN WHITAKER:
Lot No.2-
ANNA and HARRIET valued at $855
To daughter SARAH WHITAKER:
Lot No.3-
CATO, PRISS & Child valued $900.
To son LUCIAN WHITAKER:
Lot No.4-
CAROLINE and ROSETTA valued $925
To son FERDINAND WHITAKER:
Lot No.5-
FANNY and LONDON valued $825
To son THADDEUS WHITAKER:
Lot No.6-
LUCINDA and REBECCA valued $1000
*******************************
ROSE HILL PLANTATION
Halifax County, North Carolina
*******************************
From Will of JAMES WHITAKER, 1825 (son of JOHN WHITAKER)-
To daughter NANCY B. SIMMONS:
girl LIBBY
man CATO
To daughter ELISABETH:
NED, his wife ESTHER, son LUKE
To 3 sons ELI B., JOHN and JAMES C. WHITAKER:
OLD BOB
LONG BOB
OLD SAM
LINAH [SINAH?]
JERRY
To 5 sons RICHARD HENRY, CAREY, WILLIAM BRADFORD, ABSALOM and THOMAS:
OLD AMEY
JENNY and MALISSA her daughter, DAVID her son
SAM the son of OLD VENUS
To three youngest daughters SARAH, CHRISTIAN EMMA & MALISSA:
OLD VENUS and MINGO her son
JUDAH and YOUNG VINEY, her daughter
YOUNG AMMY and CAROLINE daughter of OLD AMEY |
