Where's our David White? Is he David Fischer White?

Some branches of Henry and Mary White's family tree are actively researched. Ron Long is a wonderful authority on Henry White Jr. and Pernesia Jane Earley's branch. Ron solved the mystery of Pernesia's maiden name by DNA analysis. Ron also pieced Henry White's migration trail back to Shenandoah County, Virginia. This independent conclusion strengthens the theory that Henry White's wife was Mary Fisher from Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Possibly the most heavily represented branch of Henry White's family in the LDS IGI is Joseph and Sarah White's family through their son, Eli Perry White. For the time being, I'll set these two branches aside and focus on some lines that seem less commonly researched.

Henry and Mary Fisher White's son, David, disappeared after the 1860 census. While trying to find him, I stumbled across an interesting candidate: David Fischer/Fisher White.

In 1850, David was living in Henry White Sr.'s household in Henry County, Missouri.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Grand River, Henry, Missouri;
Roll: M432_401; Page: 27A; Image: 57.

Mary and Henry White passed away in the 1850's. In 1860, David lived with his brother, Jacob White in Osage Township of Henry County, Missouri. David was listed as a blacksmith, born in Ohio, age 29.

Year: 1860; Census Place: Osage, Henry, Missouri;
Roll: M653_622; Page: 826; Image: 340; Family History Library Film: 803622.

In the 1870 census, David vanished completely. He was nowhere in Henry County, Missouri. By 1870, Jacob White moved to St. Clair County, Missouri, just south of Henry County, Missouri, but David wasn't with him there, either.

St. Clair County, Missouri. Map from familysearch.

Enter David Fischer White. His whereabouts are unknown for the 1850 and 1860 censuses. However, Malinda Caroline Estes' family was in the 1860 St. Clair County, Missouri census. Did David meet Malinda in St. Clair County?

David Fischer White lived with his wife and children in Benton County, Arkansas in 1870. Benton County, Arkansas was not a familiar White family location to me. David was enumerated beside a Noah White who also seemed unfamiliar:

Year: 1870; Census Place: Round Prairie, Benton, Arkansas;
Roll: M593_47; Page: 314B; Image: 625;
Family History Library Film: 545546.

On the upside, David Fischer White was exactly the same age as our David White, and he was also born in Ohio. Not only that, he was a blacksmith. Interestingly, his two oldest children were named Henry Bluford and Mary Rebecca. Their middle names came from their mother's parents. Did their first names come from their father's parents?  

The death certificate for David's son, B. F. White, gave David's birthplace as Dayton, Ohio. The informant was H. B. White. I created a pink rectangle over Lanier township where Henry White was enumerated in 1830--the same year David was born. See anything interesting to the right of this rectangle?

Rough representation of Lanier Twp. in Preble County, Ohio

Another interesting tidbit turned up in Carey Bracewell's Family Tree Maker site. His information for David Fisher White is here. Carey Bracewell wrote that "According to Cora White Price [David's daughter] and the census schedules, David F. White was a blacksmith. Cora also says his middle name, Fisher, was his mother's maiden name."

I've theorized for weeks that David's middle name was his mother's maiden name. Now I know it's a fact--not just wishful thinking. I think we have our man. Carey, a former history major, also came to the same conclusion, attaching David Fisher White to our Henry and Mary White in his family tree long before my independent theory that Mary's maiden name was Fisher.

David's later censuses cloud the issue, sometimes giving other locations for his birthplace such as Alabama. For his parents' birthplace, he once listed Germany. Mary Fisher White may have spoken German since the Fisher's line emigrated from Germany and the Gochenour's, though Swiss, are thought to come from the German Palatinate.

Map of Benton County, Arkansas from FamilySearch

David Fisher White and his family moved on into Texas, but his niece, Margaret Lee Cavitt, spent her last days in Benton County, Arkansas. Maybe it was a White hangout, after all? And just who was this Tenessee Noah White who lived by David in 1870?

Does it come as any surprise to see a post end with a Noah White mystery?

Margaret White Cavitt

There are times when I wonder if Margaret and Rebecca White were the same person. 

• Margaret was missing from the 1850 census, but Rebecca was listed.
•  A few of these White's switched back and forth between their first name and middle name throughout their lifetimes. 
• She might be named after Mary Fisher White's sister, who is "Peggy" in her marriage record and "Rebecca" in the censuses.

A comparison of Rebecca in 1850 and Margaret in 1860 shows a three-year age difference and a different birth location. If the censuses were right, Rebecca and Margaret are definitely different people. After all, two young daughters were enumerated in Henry White's 1840 Randolph County, Indiana household. 

Lewis Cargel/Cargile married a Margaret White in Henry County on 13 December 1855. It appears he was back in his parents' home in 1860, without his Margaret. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with our Margaret White, but it should be mentioned. 

Ancestry.com. Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA:
Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.

What we do know is that Thomas M. Cavitt (b. abt. 1836, KY) married our Margaret White on 7 October 1856 in Henry County, Missouri. By the time the 1860 census was taken, they were living in Osage Twp. of Henry County, Missouri with one child, William W. 

Year: 1860; Census Place: Osage, Henry, Missouri;
Roll: M653_622; Page: 825; Image: 339;
Family History Library Film: 803622.

Thomas served in the Confederacy during the War, Missouri Company K, 7th Regiment.
He was imprisoned in Little Rock on 10 September 1863, and remained a prisoner of war until 20 May 1865. 

After the war, Thomas' reunion with Margaret didn't last long. Margaret died before the next census, and was possibly buried at White Cemetery in Fairview Twp., Henry County, Missouri. If so, she has no marker. Thomas was buried there not too many years later. Since Lilla/Lilly was born in 1869, Margaret must have died in 1869. Her son, William W. Cavitt also seems to have died before 1870. 

Year: l870; Census Place: Osage, Henry, Missouri;
Roll: M593_778; Page: 325B; Image: 659;
Family History Library Film: 552277.

Thomas Cavitt next married Elizabeth Wilkinson (b. 1 August 1846, MO) on 18 February 1870 in St. Clair County, Missouri. They were shown in the 1870 Henry County, Missouri census. Any child born before early 1870 (every child in the above census) belonged to Margaret, not Elizabeth.

Margaret's children:
William W.
Mary
Margaret Lee
Lilly May (She went by May instead of Lilly after childhood.)

Photo by Larry Spangler for Find A Grave,
Memorial #101788089

Thomas and Elizabeth Wilkinson had the following children:
Milly J.
Charles Benj
Thomas Marton

Thomas Sr. died about 1877. He was buried in White Cemetery with one of the few legible and whole markers in the cemetery. It only displays his initials. Henry County Probate Records show that Thomas left a will probated in 1877.

Elizabeth Wilkinson Cavitt next married Charles Foglesong (b. 8 June 1841, VA) on 19 March 1879 in Henry County and had two more children, Bessie and William Foglesong. Elizabeth Wilkinson Cavitt Foglesong died on 1 May 1932 in El Dorado Springs, Cedar County, Missouri, outliving Charles Foglesong by about 35 years.

Henry & Mary White's Children, 1850

Missouri Map from FamilySearch

In 1850, Henry White was enumerated in Henry County (highlighted in pink), not far from the Missouri state line. This was not just the Missouri border: it was also the boundary of the United States. Kansas became a territory in 1852: it did not become a state until 1861. In 1850, the White's lived on the edge of civilization, the frontier of the United States.

Map of Henry County, Missouri

According to the 1850 census, Henry was enumerated in Grand River Township, named for the largest river in Henry County. This township is now extinct, but it was originally located in the southeast corner of the county, now Osage Township. Three children were enumerated with Henry, but only two were the right age to be Sarah's children: David and Rebecca. For a theory on Oliver White's parents, see this post and this post.

1850 Henry County, Missouri

Henry White Sr.

Three White families lived near Henry Sr. The heads were John, Joseph, and Henry Jr. They are all found on the same census page as Henry Sr.

1850 Henry County, Missouri

John White 

1850 Henry County, Missouri

Joseph White 

1850 Henry County, Missouri

Henry White Jr.

The last paragraph on page 481 of The History of Henry County, Missouri by Uel W. Lamkin presents the only known biography of Henry White--in two sentences! The 1850 census shows Henry's birthplace as Virginia while this book says Pennsylvania. Many early families immigrated to Virginia from Pennsylvania on the Philadelphia Wagon Road, so either birthplace could be possible.

Also, according to this biography, Henry White had a son named Eli. He is nowhere to be found in Henry County, Missouri in 1850. The same paragraph later mentions that Eli was prospecting for gold in California in 1849.

The 1850 California census showing an Eli White came with a bonus--Jacob White. With this additional census, most of Henry and Mary's children are identified in 1850.

1850 Cosumnes River, El Dorado, California
Jacob & Eli White

Pieced together, the 1850 census gives the following information for Henry and Mary's children:
Joseph White, 35, Virginia;
John White, 29, Ohio;
Jacob White, 28, Ohio;
Henry White Jr., 25, Ohio;
Eli White, 25, Ohio  (the 1860 census says 34);
David White, 20, Ohio;
Rebecca White, 18, Ohio.

Consulting the 1856 list of plaintiffs/heirs, Margaret White and Noah White are the only two children who haven't been located in 1850.

Beniah, Oliver & Mary Ann White of Henry County, Missouri

In my last post, I suggested that Beniah Nelson White, Oliver P. White, and Mary Ann White might be siblings--Henry White's grandchildren. This might surprise some people because Oliver was living in Henry White Sr.' s household in 1850, and is sometimes thought to be his son. See last entry of census below. 

1850 Henry County, Missouri Census
Household of Henry White Sr.

According to her headstone, Henry's wife, Mary White, was born in 1791, making her about 52 when Oliver was born. This census shows her slightly younger, 48 at the time of Oliver's birth. Either way, I believe Mary was probably too old to be Oliver's mother. More likely, she was his grandmother. If so, where were Oliver's parents?

Henry County, Missouri Abstracts of Wills and Administrations 1835-1854, compiled by Jacqueline Hogan Williams & Betty Harvey Williams, 1968. p. 33.
COUNTY COURT MINUTES BOOK B
Christopher F. White. Died intestate Adm. Henry White appt. 3 May 1850, Sec. Frederick McNew and Henry Duning. 

Is this our answer?

The official 1850 census date was 1 June 1850. Christian White died before that, sometime before 3 May 1850. If his wife had predeceased him, their children would probably be living with relatives or friends. It seems quite possible that Oliver P. White could be Christian/Christopher's son.

Besides Oliver, were any other stray White children living in 1850 Henry County, Missouri? The 1850 census shows Mary Ann White in Henry White Jr.'s household. She was listed after a child who was much younger in age. This placement at the end of a family often indicated that someone was not a member of the immediate family. Henry Jr. also seems too young to be Mary Ann's father. To me, Mary Ann might be be a stray White in the 1850 census. See last entry in the census below.

1850 Henry County, Missouri Census

Household of Henry White Jr.

Finally, Beniah White was another stray without White parents in the 1850 Henry County, Missouri census. His name is spelled as it was probably pronounced at that time and in that locale, "Veniar". He is living with the James Teays family as a laborer. I haven't found any relationship to this family yet. See last entry below.

1850 Henry County, Missouri Census
Household of James Teays

But wait, there's more evidence that Beniah, Mary Ann, and Oliver seem to be Christian's children...Tune in later.

Henry & Mary White's Children, 1856

Henry White's living heirs in 1856 are identified through a lawsuit brought by his son, Jacob White. Henry's heirs were the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. I have added birth information inside brackets for each person listed in this lawsuit. Only the list of plaintiffs will be discussed today, but the entire court transcription is found here. 

Family History Library Film #946608,  Henry County Missouri,

Court Records Missouri. Circuit Court (Henry County) Vol A-B, 1835-1858

Henry County, Missouri County Court Minutes Book B--Jacob White vs Mary White et al, continued

p. 257

Adjournment May Term 1856

Jacob White [18 September 1823] Plaintiff

Against

Mary White [9 Dec 1891], 
Joseph White [1815], 
John White [abt. 1821],

Eli White [8 Oct 1827], 
David White [abt. 1830],

Noah White, 
Margaret White [abt. 1835],

Beniah N White [12 Mar 1835], 
Oliver White [abt. 1844], 

Mary Ann White [abt. 1839], 

Mary E White [1850]

and Mariah White [27 April 1853]

This list was not arranged in chronological order. If it had been chronological, Mary Ann White would be listed before Oliver White. Also, the last two names indicate that this list is not strictly comprised of Henry Sr.'s children. According to the 1850 and 1860 Henry County, Missouri censuses, Mary E. and Mariah White were grandchildren, daughters of Henry White Jr. 

Is this list first sorted into Henry's living children/children of Henry's deceased children, then male/female, then maybe local/non-local, then chronological order?

During the proceedings, Jacob White named Henry and Mary White as his parents. The first person on the plaintiff list, Mary White, was, of course, Jacob's Mother. The next names--her sons--were listed in age order, oldest first: Joseph White, John White, Eli White, and David White.

I'm not familiar with Noah White. Was he listed last because he was younger than David, or was he listed at this point because the other sons lived locally in Henry County, Missouri and he did not?

Sons, Christian and Henry Jr. had already passed away and were not listed.

Margaret White came next. According to the lawsuit, she was Henry White's daughter, and after Henry's death, Jacob was to care for her. She was the only child mentioned in this arrangement. Does her placement here indicate the last of Henry Sr.'s children? Margaret and Beniah N. White seem to be nearly the the same age: I don't know which one was born first.

Beniah N. White's parents have long been a mystery. Both Henry Sr. and Christian White had sons who were Beniah's age in the 1840 Census. Oliver White was listed next after Beniah N. My guess is that Beniah N. and Oliver were the sons of Christan White, grouped together as his male heirs. Mary Ann was listed after them, possibly indicating the last of Christian's surviving children. 

Mary E. and Mariah White appear at the very end of the list. Since their father, Henry Jr., was younger than Christian, I believe his children were listed last. 

Currently, I feel this list shows three families in 1856: Henry Sr.'s, Christian's, and Henry Jr.'s. Noah White is still not identified, but I have a favorite candidate to put forward in the future. 

Evidence might turn up anytime to prove me wrong. In the meantime, I welcome your suggestions if you have a different opinion on how to interpret this list.

Henry & Mary White's Children, 1830 & 1840 Censuses

It's hard to determine how many children Henry and Mary White had. (Henry is about 16 years older than Mary, so it's possible he was previously married with children, but I have no evidence of it.) I don't know of any White family Bibles, so we will have to rely on censuses.

Map of Indiana and Ohio from FamilySearch.

In 1830, Henry White was enumerated in Preble County, Ohio (highlighted in orange). In 1840, he was enumerated in Randolph County, Indiana (in pink), a different state, but not very far from Preble County.

 The censuses of that time gave only broad age ranges. You're already familiar with the 1830 Preble County, Ohio Census:

1830 Preble, Ohio Census

This census identifies 8 children, presumably 6 sons and 2 daughters. These censuses do not differentiate between immediate family members, relatives, visitors, workers, etc. They can inaccurately reflect how many children a couple actually had.

1830

"Sons": 2 males 0-4; 1 male 5-9; 1 male 10-14; and 2 males 15-19.
"Daughters": 1 female 0-4; 1 female 5-9.

1840 Randolph County, Indiana Census

The 1840 Randolph County, Indiana census shows 7 children: presumably 5 sons and 2 daughters.

"Sons": 2 males 5-9; 3 males 10-14.

"Daughters": 1 female under 5; 1 female 5-9.

There is very little overlap between the two censuses. The only children that carry forward ten years into 1840 are the 3 boys, 15-19. This doesn't quite jibe with the 1830 census information. Perhaps the boy listed in the 1830 census in the 5-9 category was placed in the 10-14 category in 1840, making a total of 3? The 2 girls from the 1830 census were either married, or passed away before 1840. We don't know their given names and since other White's lived in the same area, it seems impossible to identify them.

Christian White, over 20 and under 30, is enumerated just above Henry White in the 1840 census. I believe he is Henry's son since he relocated with the White's to Henry County, Missouri and Henry served as his probate administrator in 1850. 

Joseph White is enumerated just after Henry in 1840. I believe he is Henry's son, too. He also relocated to Henry County, Missouri and is found there in the 1850 census. His headstone indicates he was born in 1815, so he could be the younger of the two boys in the 1830 census listed in the 15-19 age range.

Fortunately, the names of many of Henry and Mary's children can be found in the 1850 Henry County, Missouri census.

Henry White's Son, Henry Jr.

Catch my mistake?

Henry County, Missouri Abstracts of Wills and Administrations 1835-1854, compiled by Jacqueline Hogan Williams & Betty Harvey Williams, 1968. p. 38.

[COUNTY COURT RECORD BOOK C]

Henry White. Died intestate Adm. Jacob White appt. 22 Nov. 1852 Sec. Frederick McNew and Joseph White  page 40.

I've assumed that the above entry was for Henry White Sr., but it finally occurred to me that there should be two Henry White entries, for both Jr. and Sr., listed in this probate book. There is only one Henry White in it. Is it possible that the two Henry's were accidentally combined and the earliest record date kept in the transcription? Does this explain the 1852 date given for Henry Sr. instead of 1853? Or is 1852 a typo? Was one Henry accidentally omitted? The court records will need to be consulted with these possibilities in mind.

On 16 Jul 1851, Henry White Sr. sold land to Henry White Jr., so Henry Jr. was alive on this date.

On 16 Feb 1853, Henry White by Admn. sold land to F. F. Summers, but the transaction wasn't complete until 15 March 1854. Was this sale made in behalf of Henry White Jr., since Henry Sr. didn't die until March 1853? The land description is hard to read, but it seems to be a different piece of property than the first, possibly indicating Henry Jr. still owned property when he died. 

It looks like there are more questions than answers again!

And in any event, whenever you catch my mistakes, please feel free to comment.