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James "Tiago" White
Born 1736? King & Queen Co. VA
Died Dec 21, 1783 Natchez District

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Father
Mother

SPOUSE	CHILDREN
Jerusha Davenport m. by 1765 b. 1744? Hanover Co. VA d. after Jan 31, 1785 Natchez District	Thomas b. 1764? SC ?k. Aug 30, 1813 ?Baldwin Co. Miss. Terr.	Reuben b. 1765? SC d. 1828? Catahoula Parish LA	Matthew "Mateo" b. 1767? SC d. aft. Dec 28, 1793, bef. May 17, 1795 Natchez Dist., Miss. Terr.
	Sarah b. 1768? SC	James Taylor (or Jr.) b. 1770? SC? d. 1842? Rapides Parish LA	Marcus b. 1772? SC d.
	William b. 1776? ?SC d.	?Dempsey b. 1778? ?SC d. aft 1816 Bef 1820 ?Claiborne Co. MS	?Benedict b. 1780? ?Washington Co. NC d. after 1810 ?Claiborne Co. MS
	?Robertson b. 1782? ?NC d. after 1830 ?LA
The immigrant history of the White, Holloway and Loving familes is a mystery. They may have known each other in Virginia. The forenames of all three families indicate their early immigrant ancestors came over to Virginia, which included what became the Carolinas, and not the Northern Colonies. A Study of Forenames compares the forenames of Roanoke Island and Puritan New England. Roanoke Island, near the present North Carolina and Virginia borders, was a settlement founded by a John White, that supposedly vanished by the time White returned. The ancestry of John White is not known but ship list arrivals to the Island contain persons named White and Taylor. Recently (in 2015), evidence has been unearthed that indicates that Roanoke Island settlers may have survived and moved inland.
Father James was most likely named for James Taylor (1635-1698), a wealthy and powerful leader of King & Queen County, who owned land next to his grandfather, Thomas White. On Oct 20, 1689 Taylor was involved in a land patent of 209 acres in St. Stephen's Parish, "on the North side of Mattapony River, beginning below James Taylor's plantation, ... to Thomas White's."
Dedication of Memorial Tablet to James Taylor, June 6, 1933 at the King and Queen County courthouse.
King and Queen County Virginia was formed in 1691 from New Kent County. Map of Virginia about 1676 shows the location of New Kent County between the York and James Rivers.
There are court records that survived from King & Queen County Virginia that show that the Poe and White families lived in the part that became Caroline County in 1758. In 1732 and 1733, a John Pickett was involved in trespass suits with James and Benjamin Poe, probably Elizabeth's sister and the son of Samuel Poe. Caroline County Virginia was formed in 1727 (see present day map for location), from northern and western parts of King and Queen, King William and Essex counties, about the same time James and Elizabeth Poe were married.
Caroline County Virginia was formed in 1728 from northern and western parts of King and Queen, King William and Essex counties. See map of Eastern Virginia in early 1700s. See present day map for location of Caroline County, and present day map for location of Essex County.
Culpeper County Virginia was formed in 1748 (see present day map for location), and was bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. The Rappahannock River forms one of its eastern boundaries.
1725 English Map of South Carolina Province showing location of Craven County and the Pee Dee (Peede) River flowing into the Winyah Bay (spelled "Weenya Bay" above map's identification).
The land granted in SC is in what was once Craven County, one of the three original parts of the English colony of "Carolana". By 1760, the White family was attending the Cashaway Baptist Church near the Pee Dee River just east of present-day Society Hill SC.
According to the Cashaway Baptist Church minutes of Saturday Nov 22, 1760, "a Church Meeting Day", it was decided "The Mr. James White for excess drinking do be suspended from this Church until satisfaction be given."
Historical Marker of the Cashaway Baptist Church built in 1758, and located at the eastern end of the bridge over a bend of the Great Pee Dee River. The marker is on Cashua Ferry Road (State Highway 34) east of Darlington SC. View of the river looking south from the bridge in Sep 2015.
James' father James Taylor White and brothers William and Reuben, along with brother-in-laws John Holloway, and William Loving were members of a SC militia defeated at Marr's Bluff SC, at the hands of Regulators, on July 25, 1768. Brother William White was wounded, losing use of his right arm so that he could not continue his trade as a cooper (barrel maker). Excerpt from the book The South Carolina Regulators by Richard Maxell Brown gives a background and summary of the incident.
August 15, 1770 petition by brother William White seeking government relief for him and his family. That year, brother Reuben apparently bought William's land in St. David's parish, Craven Co, SC so that William could pay off his debts. William is in jail for debt in Cheraws SC in 1774. He later turns his life completely around in NC by the end of the century (see below).
Modern Map of South Carolina Counties showing the 18th Century Parishes. Welch Neck and Cashaway Neck were in St. David Parish. Prince George Parish was to the South and included the Pee Dee River basin from Lynches Creek down to Winyah Bay. Map taken from DMK Heritage (website).
James and his brother William White each married daughters of Thomas Davenport (1711-1809), also an uncle of brother John White's wife Sarah Gambill. James married Jerusha Davenport by 1765, and William married Sophia Davenport about 1752.
From 1772 until 1881, the following land transactions involving the White family occurred in the Pee Dee River area of Craven County in chronological order: Sep 17, 1772 - James Taylor White, 300 acres Craven on south side of Swift Creek, adjacent to lands of William Standard, George Kings, and land laid out for William White; District Surveyor: John Henderson. Plat Book v. 21:426. Oct 10, 1772 - James White, 200 acres Craven County Polk swamp, adjacent to John Baxter and John Holloway [James' brother-in-law] and vacant land; District Surveyor: Thos. Powe. Plat Book v. 21:424 [Vineyard, p. 105]. Dec 10, 1772 Reuben White, 600 acres Craven in fork of Little Pee Dee and Drownding Creek on Bell Swamp: District Surveyor: John McCall. Plat Book v. 21:431. Jun 14, 1773 - Reuben White, 500 acres Craven on North side of Little Pedee adjacent to Hugh Thompson. District Surveyor: Thos. Powe. Plat Book v. 21:431. Oct 9, 1881 - Reuben White, 300 acres Craven on the Beaver dam, waters of Jeffereys Creek adjacent to John Ward, Connels land, Reuben White and vacant land. District Surveyor: Thos. Powe. Plat Book v. 21:433. [Note that a possible relative of James Taylor White's wife is listed as the surveyor on several of these records.]
While in South Carolina, the White family was not sympathetic to the American Revolution and left a trail of litigation in the state. The family moved to what is now Burke Co NC, then split with some members moving to Natchez Territory (now Mississippi) and the rest remaining in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. The split appears to have occurred when son Reuben was killed by indians in 1777 at Pleasant Gardens NC. James and son William opted for the patriot side and stayed in Burke Co. During the American Revolution, Mississippi and Louisiana districts were havens for Loyalists.
There is a record of brother Reuben White being in Globe, Burke Co. NC in 1772. Reuben entered Captain McDowell's SC Militia in 1776 and was killed at Pleasant Gardens NC in October of that year. He left his land in SC to sister-in-law Sophia, wife of his brother William, in a deed of gift dated Dec 13, 1773 that was filed in SC in 1777.
North Carolina Counties at beginning of 1775 and at beginning of 1780 showing creation of Burke Co.
In late 1780 sister Elizabeth and her husband John Holloway and family, decided to go to Washington Co. NC (now TN) and eventually to Natchez, then in French-Spanish territory, "in order to escape the Revolution".
The family of brother John White was on a List of Flotilla Captains from the journal kept by Col. John Donelson during the voyage to the Cumberland Settlement in Washington Co. NC (now middle TN) which lasted several months into the spring of 1780 and endured a brutal winter, Indian attacks, hunger and smallpox. On Apr 12, the Whites were among at least 16 families, about 80 persons, to leave the expedition and settle 9 miles up from the Cumberland River along the Red River, settling at Fort Union, which became known as Renfroe's Station. The Donelson flotilla reached its final destination (Nashborough) 12 days later.
Photo of a Map showing the Route of the Donelson Expedition on display at the Tennessee State Museum. John and James White and their families likely joined the Flotilla after it passed Knoxville, and left it at the Red River near Clarksville.
James and Jerusha White left Washington Co. NC (now TN) by May 1782 for Ohio on a flatboat up the Cumberland and Tennessee (known as the Cherokee River). When they reached the mouth of the Ohio River, they could not go up it and went instead down to Spanish-held Natchez on the Mississippi River in a party of 11 individuals and 1 slave under the entry "Tiago White, wife and children" according to Spanish Records, arriving by May 17. A total of 13 families were recorded by Spanish authorities as arriving together including families of brother John White, and of William Dewitt and his wife Catherine White, the daughter of brother William White.
On Jun 1, 1782 James White sold his slave, a negro woman named Bertha, aged 40, native of Barbados to widow Anne McIntosh in Natchez for $300 paid in cows and horses. Witnesses were Francis Farrell and Silas Crane [McBee, Natchez Court Records, Book A, p. 101].
In May 1782, brother John White also moved with his family to Natchez District. Son Reuben White and his mother, Mrs. [James] White, said John, during the "latter part of 1781", was living in Washington Co. NC [now part of TN]. The deposition, given Jan 31, 1785, pertained to a transfer of slaves entered in Burke Co. NC between James' niece Catherine White Dewitt and her husband William Dewitt, who was in debt at the time. The transfer of slaves was proved to be a forgery and his debts settled by the Spanish Tribunal. The deposition also noted that James White was deceased. [Natchez Court Records, Book E, p. 38].
By 1785, of James Taylor White's six known children, two would be dead, two would be living in Spanish territory, and two would remain settled in the North Carolina mountains.
Son Reuben was also old enough to give a deposition at Natchez in Jan 1785. This Reuben White moved to Rapides Parish LA and showed up in the land claims there. He was counted in the Catahoula Parish 1820 census. James T. White, his brother born about 1770 married Mary Paul and also showed up in early Rapides Parish land claims.
The 1792 Census of the Natchez District was translated from the Spanish handwritten records. In the "Second Y Sandy Creek" subdivision that is now in Adams and Franklin Co. MS. there was a "Mateo White" [son Matthew] household with 3 whites, 9 blacks on 2000 arpents of land [approx. 1680 acres]. In the "Bufalo Creek" subdivision there was a "Lily White" household with 2 whites, no blacks, and no land. This area is now included in Wilkinson and Adams Co. This was Thomas White, who came to Natchez about that time.
Son Matthew bought 160 arpents of land on Jun 1, 1784 on St. Catherine's Creek, one half league [1 or 2 miles] from the Fort of Natchez. The month before, son Marcus White had purchased personal property from a public sale to pay creditors of George Rapalje. In Dec 1784, Matthew received the slave "June", aged about 40, and $38 as a creditor of William Dewitt after he was convicted of evading payment of debts [McBee, Natchez Court Records, Book A, pp. 185, 194, 206-7].
In 1788, son? "Thomas White" and "Isabel Morgan" baptised children "Isabel" and "Ana" in the Tombigbee District [Tensaw Settlement ..., ancestry.com]. That same year, on Nov 17, "Juan Lee" and possible aunt "Isabel White" baptised their three children there [Records of Old Mobile Parish 1781-1850]. In 1810 Baldwin Co.(AL), the family of "Thos White" had: 3 males over aged 21 [son? Thomas & Solomon and Joseph who have familes in 1820], 2 males under 21, 1 female over 21 [wife Isabel Morgan], 3 females under 21, and 14 slaves. In 1797 a "Thomas Wheat" was one of those who had a Spanish land grant on the west side of the Tombigbee River [Wash. Co. Hist./Geneal. Soc.]. The "Thos White" household was listed near possible cousin William Holloway's household on page 5, line 19 in the 1810 Census for Baldwin Co., next to another large household of "Reuben Thompson". In 1816 there are "Wheat" households in the index to the census in Washington Co. Miss. Terr., created in 1800, and bordering Baldwin Co. and containing the Tombigbee District. In 1820 the "J Wheat" household has two adult males (Thomas?) next to a "S Wheat" household. Richard and John Morgan families were also listed. A "Juan Morgan", aged 43, household was one of 44 in the 1789 Census of the Tombigbee District with no spouse information [Love's Legacy, ancestry.com, "Tensaw Settlement Part 3"].
Son Thomas probably married Isabel Morgan in Natchez by 1785, because there are two Morgan households, both located in "Second Y Sandy Creek" in the 1792 Census of the Natchez District. Only one, "Tomas Morgan" had a family [of 5]. Thomas White would be about 25 years of age by the time his two daughters were baptized in the Tombigbee District earlier in 1788. John Morgan, aged about 43 then, may be an uncle who possibly moved with them. In 1790 in Natchez, Thomas Morgan was recorded producing 3,600 pounds of tobacco in a letter dated Mar 2, 1790, from Carlos de Grand-Pré, Natchez to Governor Don Estavan Miro. [MS Dept of Archives & History, website].
Baldwin Co. was formed from the southern part of Washington Co. in the Mississippi Territory on Dec 21, 1809. Washington Co. was formed by Jun 1800 and included the Tombigbee Dist. 1801 Map of the Mississippi Territory shows Washington Co. northeast of Mobile Bay and west of the Tombigbee River, where sister Elizabeth White Holloway and her second husband, John Stillee, had lived from 1788 to 1795.
Image of original Sep 10, 1811 deposition signed by son? Thomas White [Baldwin Co. Arch.& Hist., "Misc. Court Records 1801-1825"].
On Aug 30, 1813 during the Creek Indian War of 1813-14, Fort Mims, about 40 miles north of Mobile Bay was attacked by the Creek faction known as the Redsticks. About 250 civilians, including most of the women and children and in the fort died in the massacre [Fort Mims and the Indian Creek War, 1813-14 historical marker, photos of side one, side two]. According to the 1927 Fort Mims National Historic Site Marker 900 people died there, the "worst massacre that has ever occurred on American soil" [Alabama Historical Society].
According to a letter written by Harry Toulmin in 1813 after the Fort Mims massacre, "about 24 familes, 160 souls... almost all who perished... About 100 slaves, most of whom died. 247 bodies buried". Not all who died are known.
The wife of son Matthew is identified as Elizabeth Hampton on Apr 26, 1788 when they mortgage their whole estate, including the plantation on St. Catherine's Creek, 2 miles from the Fort, for over $4000. The mortgage was later annulled [McBee, pp. 51, 65].
Son "Matheu White" reported producing 18,600 pounds of tobacco in 1790. There was a contract for producing indigo between Matthew and Alexander Moore, dated Dec 28, 1793. By May of 1795, both are deceased. Wife Elizabeth and her two sons John Hampton and Charles B. White are executors [McBee, pp. 115, 284].
In the mid-1790's, sons Reuben White and James T., along with John and James Holloway, sons of sister Elizabeth, moved into northeastern Rapides Parish LA, which became known as Holloway Prairie, where they obtained Spanish land grants and engaged in the cattle business. Many of the Anglo families of the Deville area came there from Natchez. Mississippi was not admitted to the Union of States until 1817.
Son James Taylor White married Mary Paul about 1787.
In the 1816 Claiborne Co. MS Census, there are 5 households named White: Sarah (widow), Dempsey, Larkin, Reuben, and Thompson. In the 1810 Tax Roll for the county are Reuben, Dempsey, Nelson, Larkin, and Benedict White. Larken and Nelson (possible twins) and Thompson are sons of Thomas White [MSGenWeb, 1816 Claiborne Co. Census].
Son James Taylor White is listed in the 1830 Rapides Parish Co. Census, page 92a, page 92b, near younger cousin John Holloway. James is head of a household of 6 members: 1 male aged 50 and under 60 (James born 1770-80), 1 male aged 5-10, (?Louis Belk White, b. 1816), 1 male aged 10-15, (?Alexander White, b. 1818), 1 male aged 15-20, (Davenport White, aged 38 in 1850), 1 female under age 5 (?), 1 female aged 60-70 (2nd wife Isiah Belk?), and 3 slaves: 1 male age 10-24, 1 male age 55-100, and 1 female aged 10-24.
SOURCES: Adams Co. Mississippi Genealogy & History Network, "1792 Census for Natchez District (under Spanish Government control)", 2009, 1792 Census. Alabama Genealogy, "1789 Spanish Census for Tombigbee District", website, posted Aug 22, 2022. Baldwin Co. AL, "1810 Citizens of Baldwin County, Mississippi Territory", Genealogy Trails website. Baldwin Co. AL, "1816 Citizens of Baldwin County, Mississippi Territory", website. Baldwin Co. Archives & History, "Misc. court records pertaining to what is now Baldwin Co. AL 1801-1825", image of original Sep 10, 1811 deposition by Thomas White, Baldwin Co., Miss. Terr. Christenson, Elroy, website, John Hollaway Family. Clark, Walter, State Records of North Carolina Vol XVII 1781-1785, Broadfoot Publishing, Wilmington NC, 1994, pp. 287-8, 294. Genealogical Register, vol. VIII, No. 3, Sep 1961. John Stillee Bible, recording birth of Eliz. Houton, Erica, "John White, Sarah White", Geni, website, trans. from Spanish, St. Martin of Tours Church, St, Martinville LA, record no. 263, image uploaded Jan 19, 2019. McBee, Mary Wilson, Natchez Court Records 1767-1805, Abstract of Early Records, Greenwood MS, 1953, Book A, p. 101, pp. 14, 51, 65, 115. Marlboro County SC Churches, website, Cashaway Neck Baptist Church Record Book, 1756-1778, contributed by Glenn Pearson, May 2000, webpage. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, rootsweb, "Americans Arriving in Spanish-Held Natchez 1780-1790"; and "Early Mississippians in Spanish Natchez". MSGenWeb, Claiborne County Co. Census, from 1917 MS State Centennial Edition, website, submitted by Sue Moore. Northern Neck Grants, Virginia State Archives, Book G. Records of Old Mobile Parish 1781-1850, Sec. 8, Bk 2, record nos. 125,126, transcribed from original photocopy in Spanish (signed by Rev. Miguel Lamport) by Bernadette Mathews, Archivist, The Catholic Center, Mobile AL, Feb 11, 1999. "The Tensaw Settlement Part 3 1788-1799", baptisms recorded from Love's Legacy on ancestry.com. Poe, Allan, "The Records, From Virginia to Old Burke Co. N.C.", publ. in Wm Wiseman & the Davenports, Pioneers Of Old Burke County, North Carolina, v.2, by M.L.Vineyard & E.M. Wiseman, Franklin NC, 1997, pp. 105, 107-110. Pre-Revolutionary Plat Books, SC Archives Dept., vol. 21, pp 424-433. Vineyard, M.L. & E.M.Wiseman, Wm Wiseman & the Davenports, Pioneers Of Old Burke County, North Carolina, v.2, Franklin NC, 1997, pp. 86-90. Virginia Land Patents, Book 8, p. 16. Washington Co. AL, "1816 Citizens of Washington County, Mississippi Territory", website. Washington Co. Historical/Genealogical Society, "1797 CLand Grants in Washington Co., Mississippi Territory", website. White, Gifford, "James White and John White", Wm Wiseman & the Davenports, Pioneers Of Old Burke County, North Carolina, v.2, by M.L.Vineyard & E.M.Wiseman, Franklin NC, 1997, pp. 86-96, 107-112. White, Gifford E., James Taylor White of Virginia and some of his descendants into Texas, Austin, TX, April 1982.