Pettit Family Genealogy and History
Pettit Family History, Genealogy, Message Board, Research Papers and Blog
This old Pettit family record from Gilmer County, GA begins with the families of Joshua and Rachel Pettit and William and Elizabeth Poole of Spartanburg County, SC. Though we do not know for certain, the evidence suggests this record was written down by someone in the family of Rev. John Fulton Pettit sometime shortly after May 21, 1898.
Did Joshua Pettit (b1734) of Spartanburg County, SC speculate land in Effingham County, GA in the year 1784?
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.
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 of Spartanburg Co., SC who was born on September 2, 1771. Sadly, his existence has somehow gone unnoticed for many…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
We will attempt to list all the known children of Joshua and Rachel Pettit and their birth date and birth place.
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.
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!
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.
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.