At least 6 Pettit Immigrants to Virginia and Maryland in the 1600s
At least 6 Pettit Immigrants came to Virginia and Maryland in the early to mid 1600s.
Pettit Family Genealogy and History
Pettit Family History, Genealogy, Message Board, Research Papers and Blog
James Pettit (1725) and Martha McCune Family Record Book
A James Pettit and Martha McCune Family Record Book was recently discovered which gives the names and birth dates of their children.
William H. Pettit and John W Pettit Family Bible From Gilmer Co., GA
This Bible record appears to have been the work of multiple generations of Gilmer County, GA Pettits. The handwriting of three different people can be easily distinguished. The note that accompanied these pages said that it was the record of William Henry Pettit and “John Waitsel Pettit, father of Morris Pettit”. It is possible the information was taken down by William Henry Pettit, John Waitsel Pettit and Morris Pettit.
Joshua Pettit, Increase Pettit and Martha Greene, a Rich English Lady from Barton Regis to Jamaica, NY
This folder contained a well preserved letter dated November 29, 1861, addressed to Mr. L. P. Nostrand in New York from a G. W. Pettit. It begins with a man named Joshua Pettit who was from Springfield, Long Island, NY. According to the letter, Joshua Pettit married a “rich English lady” and was the father of an Increase Pettit. In this paper we will compare this newly discovered letter to a deed found in Bristol England from the Ashton Court estate which may explain the source of some of these forgotten legends.
c.1785 South Carolina Surveyor Instructions
At the end of this document you will find the full text of the South Carolina General Assembly’s official instructions for the State’s Deputy Surveyors in place by 1785. Studying these brief instructions will help researchers properly interpret and understand the land warrant and survey process in South Carolina and contextualize early grants of vacant land.
Full Estate Records of Henry Pettit Sr 1763-1838
Though the will had been discovered many years ago, the estate papers of Henry Pettit Sr. (1763-1838) seemed to be missing. The record book, which was presumed to be lost, has been found in the state archives. It had somehow missed being microfilmed. The full estate papers of Henry Pettit Sr of Rutherford Co., NC are now available.
John Pettit (b. 1771) Son of Joshua and Rachel Pettit of Spartanburg Co., SC
“John But Not Forgotten” John Pettit Born 1771, Son of Joshua and Rachel Pettit of Spartanburg Co, SC This article will broadly cover the life of John Pettit the son of Joshua and Rachel Pettit…
Family Bible of John Pettit (b.1820) of Spartanburg Co SC, (Grandson of Joshua Pettit and Judith Poole)
John Pettit, grandson of Joshua and Judith Poole Pettit was born in 1820 in Spartanburg Co., SC. He married three times and had 20 children. His descendants are numerous and spread out to AL, MS and beyond. Some of them still own portions of the land that once belonged to his grandparents in SC. John is buried in the Thompson Chapel cemetery not far from the old Pettit land and near the Pettit family cemetery in SC.
Pettit Family Bible of James Pettet (b. 4-20-1798) and Eleanor Bennett married 1812 in NY
James Pettet was born in the town of Westfield County of Saraotga Washington N.Y. on the 20th day of April AD 1798. Eleanor Bennett was born in the town of Halfmoon on the 17th day of April AD 1803.
First Pettits in America Series #8 -Thomas Pettit/Petite Maryland 1639
Thomas Petite and his wife came to the Province of Maryland in the year 1639. In 1645 Thomas imported a child named Catherine Petite who is presumed to be his daughter though the record never explicitly declares this. By 1649 he had acquired the right and title to 450 acres of land near the lower Cedar Point on the north side of the Potomac River in western St. Mary County. His plantation was near what was once called Petite’s Creek.
Early Black Oklahoma Lawman Charles Pettit
“Unbuckle your gun belt carefully and drop your gun,” Pettit told him. Lewis unbuckled his gun and handed the whole outfit to me. Pettit reached for this handcuffs and just then the whole window burst out on him with shotgun shells. I covered Lewis and started for the door and at the same time Pettit went in through the window.
The Death of Old Joshua Pettit of Spartanburg Co., SC 1780~1786
Many people believe Joshua Pettit of Spartanburg Co died on September 15, 1786. In this paper we will look at where this date originated and why it is not likely the day he died. We will examine the documents that surround the final years of old Joshua Pettit.
First Pettits in America Series #7 -Francis Pettit Virginia ~1630s
A Francis Pettit was born around 1612 and was living in Northampton County, VA as early as 1636. He owned a plantation near Cherrystone Creek on the Eastern Shore. He was married to a woman named Ann and had at least one son named Francis. He was also related in some manner to Obedience Robins.
First Pettits in American Series #6 –William Pettit of Louisa Co., VA -Possible French Irish Immigrant ~1720
It is said that a William Pettit (born around 1697) migrated to Louisa Co., VA around 1720. Some researchers claim William Pettit’s land of nativity was Ireland while others state that he came from France. Though vastly different countries, these two origins need not be mutually exclusive. It is very possible he (or his parents) came to Ireland after leaving France in the protestant migration.
FOUND: Another Old Genealogy of John Pettit (1608) Hand Written by Elnora Pettit (1808-1886), Daughter of Dr. James Pettit (1777-1849) and Lucy Felt (1777-1859)
“In my possession is a record given by my grandfather Johnathan Pettit, taken from his lips by my brother William, about the year 1825, of which the above is a copy also that his ancestry were farmers, persons of information, and respectability…”
Benjamin Pettit of Essex Co., NJ: An Old Forgotten Land Map Discovered
Benjamin Pettit of Essex Co., NJ owned lot #45 on Stony Hill. This land is shown on an 1845 map produced by historian John Littell. Neighbors that can be identified on this map include the Badgley, Frazee, Valentine, and Willcox families.
Pettit Family Tree Index
This pages provides a link to name indexes for the Pettit family tree so our cousins can easily find which Pettit clan they belong to.
Henry Pettit (1689), Boston Sailor with a Surprising Origin
Wedding bells rang out on December 28, 1718, as Henry Pettit and Sarah Gibbs were married before the Reverend Sam Miles in Boston, MA. The Presbyterian marriage was just 3 days after Christmas Sunday. Sarah Gibbs was the daughter of John and Mary Gibbs of Boston. John Gibbs was a painter by trade, specializing in decorative staining and funeral escutcheons.
Pettit: Family Name Meaning and Origin
The origin of the Pettit family name. Who were the first Pettits and where did they come from?
Joshua Pettit of Essex Co., NJ: On the Map (Part IV)
Now it is time to take this data and plot it out on a map. In doing so we will identify the most likely location of Joshua Pettit’s land in Scotch Plains, NJ and see where it would be located today.
Joshua Pettit of Essex Co., NJ: Smallpox and Clinker Lots (Part III)
The Valentine family was decimated by smallpox in the late winter of 1766. Two minor Pettit grandchildren were named as heirs. The Valentine, Baker, Osborn and Pettit families lived very near each other in the Stony Hill and Scotch Plains area near the Green Brook.
Joshua Pettit of Essex Co., NJ: The Insolvent Debtor (Part II)
The reason Joshua Pettit’s petition cannot be found in the record books of the Court of Common Pleas is because he was not a free man. He was in one of the jails in Essex County for the “crime” of being an insolvent debtor.
Joshua Pettit of Essex Co., NJ: The Land (Part I)
The precise location of Joshua Pettit’s land in Essex County, New Jersey has long been a mystery. In this article we will attempt to determine where his land was relative to the geography of the 1700’s and where it can be found today.
First Pettits in America Series #5 –Joshua Pettit/Josue Petit, French Huguenot or Waldensian Refugee in Virginia in 1700
Joshua Pettit (Josue Petit) a French Waldensian or Huguenot, arrived in Virginia in September of 1700 as a colonist bound for Manakintown.
First Pettits in America Series #4 –John Petit/Pettit, a French Surgeon in Virginia, ~1638
John Pettit/Petit came to Virginia from France as early as 1638. He settled in the Charles River County area which would become York County. He was a surgeon. He petitioned the House of Burgese to become a ditizen in 1666. His will was written in 1669 and it revealed John Petit married a woman named Rebecca and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.
First Pettits in America Series #3 –Colonel Thomas Pettit/Petty/Pettus of Littletown Virginia, ~1641
NOTE: There is every reason to believe this man’s name was Pettus and not Pettit. Unfortunately there are a number of genealogists who erroneously mix Thomas Pettus with Thomas Pettit and his wife Katherine who lived in a different area of Virginia. The information in this article is provided in order to help researchers keep the two men and their lives separated.
First Pettits in America Series #2 –Thomas Pettit and Katherine of Rapp. Co., Virginia, before 1655
Thomas Pettit and Katherine his wife were in the Rappahannock River settlement in Virginia as early as 1656. They had one son, Thomas Pettit Jr and one daughter, Dorothy. It is likely that this Thomas is the ancestor of many of the Pettits in America today including those who trace their line back to Surry Co., NC.
First Pettits in America Series #1 –Richard Pettit; Virginia Immigrant in 1636
The First Pettits in America Series. In this installment we look at the documents surrounding the immigration of Richard Pettit to Virginia in 1636 by Alexander Stomer.
Monroe or No? Rachel Pettit -wife of Joshua Pettit (b. 1734)
Tracing the Rachel Monroe/Pettit legend down through the years and finding it’s surprising origin. What did the earliest Pettit genealogists think of this and why does it matter?
The Full List of Children of Joshua Pettit (b1734) and Rachel Pettit of Spartanburg, SC Based on the Best Supporting Documentation Available
We will attempt to list all the known children of Joshua and Rachel Pettit and their birth date and birth place.
That Christmas When Nathaniel Pettit Helped George Washington Cross the Delaware. 1776.
It was Christmas, 1776. Evening had just swept in. General George Washington looked out over the Delaware River as the first snowflakes began their gentle but ominous swirling descent into the darkening water below. He, like so many of the men under his command, had given up the warmth and comfort of his home to fight for a cause that now seemed desperately out of reach.
The TWO Bible Records of Benjamin Pettit (1769) of Spartanburg Co., SC and Their Whereabouts Today
The story of how copies of the Benjamin Pettit (1769) family bible records have come down to us through the ages is one of intrigue. There are actually two distinct bible records in circulation among researchers which contain similar lists of the births of Benjamin and Elizabeth Pettit’s children.
Nathaniel H Pettit b. 1813 and Nathan Pettit b. 1792. Which one is the son of Joshua Pettit Jr. and Judith Pettit?
Many genealogist who descend from Nathaniel H. Pettit innocently but erroneously claim Joshua Pettit Jr. and his wife Judith Poole as their ancestor. If you are a descendant of Nathaniel H. Pettit of South Carolina relax but please read carefully. You’re still connected to the SC Pettits, but probably not how you think!
The Family Bible of Adolphus Ellison and his wife Missourie Pettit
This Bible record was received from Jeff D. Hendricks of Independence, MO. He is the great great grandson of Missourie Pettit. I originally corresponded with Mr. Hendricks in 1998 via email. At the time he had reviewed the Bible but did not own it. I contacted him again in August of 2018 and he informed me that he was now in possession of the Bible
Examining the Henry Pettit Sr. Family Bible Record and the Record of his Father Joshua Pettit (as preserved in the National Archives)
On the 13th day of June in 1846 in Gilmer County, Georgia, John Pettit stood before his brother Henry Pettit Jr. (b. 1790), the Justice of the Inferior Court. His deposition that day was in regards to the settlement of the Revolutionary War pension account of his father Henry Sr. (b. 1763). John’s mother, Anna (Poole) Pettit, who had been in his care since the death of his father, had recently passed on as well.
From Virginia: The Pettit Family of Spartanburg Co., SC
Joshua Pettit traveled the South Branch, VA area and stopped in at the Steenbergen Ordinary at various times in 1767, 1768 and 1770. This Joshua Pettit was there in 1768 at the same time as Richard Pearis.