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.

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.

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.

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 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.