Pettit Family Genealogy and History

Expect to walk away from this read with a deeper understanding of not only Richard Pearis and Jacob Hite, but also the entire misunderstood and oft forgotten world in which they lived. If you are interested in Virginia or South Carolina colonial or Revolutionary period history, the fine details of Indian trade and traders, the dark and dirty deeds of Loyalists and Patriots in the struggle for independence, and the ultimate fate of those who were exiled from the United States, I strongly recommend these books.

Did Joshua Pettit (b1734) of Spartanburg County, SC speculate land in Effingham County, GA in the year 1784?

At least 6 Pettit Immigrants came to Virginia and Maryland in the early to mid 1600s.

A James Pettit and Martha McCune Family Record Book was recently discovered which gives the names and birth dates of their children.

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.

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.

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 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…

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The origin of the Pettit family name. Who were the first Pettits and where did they come from?

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 (Josue Petit) a French Waldensian or Huguenot, arrived in Virginia in September of 1700 as a colonist bound for Manakintown.

We will attempt to list all the known children of Joshua and Rachel Pettit and their birth date and birth place.

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

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.