Descendants of Austin Pettit -The Lost Nathan Pettit (1775) Branch
Lost Pettit Lines Found
An entire branch of Spartanburg Pettits was missing and presumed extinct. Below is the brief story of how they were recently discovered alive and well.
If you are from this Austin Pettit line, this is the story of how your ancestor was rediscovered. After reading, please please contact The Pettit Research Project here! You have cousins who have been looking for you!
Austin Pettit (1828-1912) Descendants
Austin Pettit was the son of Thomas Pettit who was the son of Nathan Pettit born in 1775. Nathan’s father was Revolutionary War Patriot Joshua Pettit who lived in Spartanburg County, SC.
Austin’s line looks like this:
Austin Pettit Oct 1828 SC- 1912 AR + Mary A. CLEM
- Hiram F 1858 IL?
- Nancy Rebecca 1862 – 1897 IL
- Benjamin Riley Nov 27, 1863 Edgar, IL- Jan 24, 1951 Springfield, MO + Martha Isabelle HOUCHINS
- Pearl Auston 1889-1968 + Rosa A Gallagher
- Rolla B 1912-1913
- Donald R 1913-1994
- Donald Lee 1937-2003 + Scharon K. ALLENSWORTH
- Richard V 1944-2023
- Jerold R 1943-2025 Charlotte BROWN
- Waunetta
- Carolyn
- Christina
- Kathy
- Ethel
- Marguerite
- Edith
- Bertha Lee
- Myrtle Mae
- Cora Ellla
- Thomas Dewey 1898-1961
- Pauline R
- Carl
- Eva
- Anna Mae
- Kenneth Clarence
- Thomas Duane Jr
- Virgil Wilsey 1911-1983
- Robert
- John
- Pearl Auston 1889-1968 + Rosa A Gallagher
- William Austin 1864- 1948 + Elizabeth Jane CUMMINGS
- Mildred Elizabeth 1902-1991
- Charles Alred Oct 13m 1869 IL + Mary Elizabeth WEBB
- Amanda Rosella 1874-1962
Spartanburg Pettit DNA Results
Representatives from the other sons of Revolutionary War patriot Joshua Pettit have participated in the Pilgrims Pettit Y-DNA Project Project. This includes living descendants of Henry (b1763), Joshua Jr (b~1765), Benjamin (b1769) and John (b1771). Nathan Pettit’s branch is the only one that is not represented. This was because his male line was previously believed to be extinct. With the latest discovery we are hopeful that one of Nathan’s descendants will see this message and consider doing a y-dna test. Adding this missing family to the tree is so important that the first Pettit male from this Austin Pettit branch to step forward will have his testing costs completely covered by a donation by one of his Pettit cousins.
If you are from this long lost line of Pettit cousins, please contact The Pettit Research Project using this form: The Pettit Research Project Contact Form. You’ll get an email reply with contact information for one of your Pettit cousins in Oklahoma who would love to speak with you.
The Not-So-Extinct Line of Nathan Pettit (b.1775)
Nathan Pettit was born to Joshua and Rachel Pettit of Spartanburg Co., SC on September 12, 1775. On January 13, 1829, he sold his land there and disappeared from the record in South Carolina forever. For decades, researchers pondered what became of Nathan and put forth several theories about he and his family’s and disappearance. Nobody knew who his wife was or the names of any of his children. It was assumed that he had likely died sometime before 1830 because he was not found in the Spartanburg County census or in the records of any neighboring states after 1829.
In 2012, researcher Mel Brashears, discovered Nathan Pettit had not died or moved to a nearby state. Instead he uprooted his family and moved way across the country to Hancock Co., IL. A will box with estate papers for Nathan Pettit was found which also provided a complete list of Nathan’s children.
Out of the 5 sons that Nathan fathered, only Thomas had children that might have carried on the name. The list of heirs in the probate record noted that Nathan’s son Thomas was dead by 1856 but he left “one or two heirs in Ohio.” The gender was not specified.
“Thomas Pettit dead leaving one or two heirs.”
From the Handcock Co, IL probate records of Nathan Pettit b1775.
However, elsewhere in Illinois probate file one these two possible children of Thomas Pettit was mentioned by name: Oscar Pettit (see image above). Though promising, after years of searching, no matching Oscar Pettit could be found anywhere in Ohio or anywhere else in the country. Based on the probate information, the consensus among researchers was that Oscar had died and the Nathan Pettit’s line had “daughtered out” –there were no males to carry on the surname.
The Nathan Pettit line was, therefore, presumed to be extinct.
But unanswered questions about Oscar Pettit always lingered…
There was not enough information to close the door on Nathan’s line but no compelling reason to keep it open either. So Nathan was set aside and work was done on other families. Then, on June 19, 2025, a unexpected query was posted on The Pettit Genealogy Forum that thrust this family back onto the proverbial genealogical stage.
From Oscar to Austin
A curious researcher posted a query seeking information about an Austin S. Pettit who was thought to have a DNA connection to Pettits in Spartanburg, SC. The details of how that conversation unfolded are recorded on the message board (and can be read by clicking here). Suffice to say by the time we worked through all the intricacies, it was determined that Oscar Pettit, the grandson of Nathan Pettit, and this mysterious Austin Pettit were one in the same. Previous searches for Oscar were unfruitful because that name was phonetically similar but spelled much differently than what it actually was. Thomas Pettit’s son was actually Austin Pettit born 1828 in South Carolina, not Oscar.
Moreover, the “1 or 2 heirs” was also affirmed to be not one but 2. Austin had a brother named Benjamin F. Pettit.
After making this connection it was realized that Nathan Pettit’s line lives on in a number of Pettit men today.
Book on Austin’s Grandfather Nathan
Prompted by this great revelation, a formal research paper was started with the goal of chronicling the entire life of Austin’s grandfather Nathan Pettit. The Pettit Research Project has now completed what turned out to be a small book about Austin’s grandfather Nathan Pettit. This work covers his childhood during the Revolutionary War in backwoods South Carolina and his pioneer days that eventually led him Hancock County, IL. If you know descendants of Nathan Pettit, please share this with them. It is their family history presented free of charge by The Pettit Research Project.
Download the complete book for free from The Pettit Research Project here:
Nathan Pettit 1775-1855 of Spartanburg SC and Hancock, IL, Book.PDF
This book has also been adapted for the web in a three part blog. You can get started reading that at the following link:
Nathan Pettit (b1775) son of Joshua and Rachel Pettit of Spartanburg Co., SC Part I
If you found any of this info helpful, please leave a comment below.