James Whitall

James Whitall¹

• Birth*: 4 November 1717; Gloucester Co., New Jersey; <4th day 9th mo 1717>
  In the Haddonfield records the month is clearly written as '9th'; In the Woodbury records, made years later, "born ye 4th day of the then 7th Month O. Stile 1717 - (the month call'd Septemb)"^1,2
• Marriage*: 23 November 1739; <9th mo 23 day 1739>
  Stewart, Intentions: 8th mo 1739
  Smith's book: 9th month, 23d, 1739
  Asa Matlack: 9 mo 1739
  Hinshaw Index: 10-10-1739 reported married; Spouse:Ann Cooper^3,4,5,6
• Death*: 29 September 1808; Gloucester Co., New Jersey²
• Burial*: Woodbury Friends Burial Ground. "Whitall, James b. 9/4/1717 d. 9/27/1808 West side next to stone wall with his wife Ann Cooper Whitall"⁷

Parents:

Family:

Ann Cooper b. 23 Jun 1716, d. 22 Sep 1797

• Marriage*: 23 November 1739; <9th mo 23 day 1739>
  Stewart, Intentions: 8th mo 1739
  Smith's book: 9th month, 23d, 1739
  Asa Matlack: 9 mo 1739
  Hinshaw Index: 10-10-1739 reported married; Spouse:Ann Cooper^3,4,5,6

Children:

Zathu Whitall^8,4 b. 27 Oct 1740
James Whitall+^8,4,9 b. 22 Feb 1741/42
Job Whitall+^8,4,9 b. 27 Mar 1743, d. 11 Sep 1797
Hannah Whitall⁸ b. 5 Dec 1744, d. b 1752
Benjamin Whitall+ ^8,4,9 b. 3 Dec 1747, d. 13 Sep 1797
Joseph Whitall⁸ b. 9 Mar 1750, d. 6 Dec 1779
Hannah Whitall^8,4 b. 16 Aug 1752, d. 20 Jan 1797
Sarah Whitall^8,4 b. 6 Dec 1754, d. 22 Dec 1796
John S. Whitall+^8,4 b. 31 May 1757, d. 13 Dec 1843

Notes

• Note*: Regarding sources for the list of children:
  The Woodbury DAR document lists all these children, with year of birth.
  The Asa Matlack manuscript lists all the same children, except not the first Hannah, nor Joseph.
  James Whitall's will names sons Job, James and Benjamin, and Matlack grandchildren.
  Marriage certificates of James, Job & John S. in the Haddonfield and Woodbury meeting records identify their father; the lists of their children also identify their mother.^8,4,9
• Note: Regarding children's birth dates:
  Birth dates, with month and day, for the children of James & Ann Whitall are available only from secondary sources, and present issues with regard to translating month numbers to month names prior to 1752. This compiler has elected to treat the month names given in the bibles in the Plankenhorn book as representing post-1752 month ordinals, thereby reconciling to the Quaker format birth dates for the two children, James and Job, given in the Haddonfield and Woodbury meeting records. The GCHS article dates are treated as Quaker format dates.^{10,8,11,12,13,14}
• Note: DAR Patriot: "James Whitall Sr: b 9-4-1717 NJ d 9-29-1808 NJ m Ann Cooper PS NJ"
  
  Correspondence from the DAR noted Patriotic Service, Committee of Observation and Correspondence, citing Robert W. Harper's Old Gloucester County and the American Revolution, 1763-1778, p. 30.
  
  Harper's book simply says "On December 12, 1775, the Committee of Observation and Correspondence of 'Old Gloucester County' met and the following patriots were chosen from these townships:", followed by a list of eight townships and four to eight persons per township, including James Whitall for Deptford.^15,16
• Note: The Woodbury Creek Dam was constructed by James Whitall, William Wood, John Sparks and others, and was allowed to stand per a 1760 act of the Colonial Assembly. The purpose of the dam was to convert tidal marshes bordering the Delaware River and its tributaries into agricultural land. A six foot high bank was built for nearly two miles along the river front, faced with large stones, and for a half mile along the creek, as well as a dam across the creek mouth. The legislative act set a framework for resolving the legal disputes with other residents along the creek.¹⁷
• Note: 1763 Clerk of the Board of Freeholders, Gloucester Co.¹⁸
• Note: Will of James Whitall, yeoman, of Red Bank, Gloucester Co. N.J.
  Will written 28 Oct 1797, probated 4 Oct 1808.
  
  Names son Job, his widow Sarah, and their children John Gill, Mark, Joseph, Marcia, & Charles; grandchild Hannah Reeves; son James, deceased, and his sons James & William; son Benjamin, lately deceased, his widow Elizabeth, and their sons Joseph & Samuel; and grandchildren James & Mary Matlack. Executor son John S. Whitall. Witnesses Franklin Davenport, James Taylor, Rhodi Sweeten.
  
  Profits of Red Bank farm to Sarah Whitall widow of deceased son Job for education of Job's children John, Mark, Joseph, Marcia & Charles, until son John Gill Whitall is 21.
  
  Red Bank plantation, except shad fishery, to grandsons John Gill Whitall & Charles Whitall; the half next to the river to John, and the half adjoining grandson William Whitall's land to Charles. Red Bank farm profits used for education of minor children of Job.
  
  John Gill Whitall to convey the real estate inherited from his father to his brother Mark Whitall. He also to pay his mother Sarah £25 yearly. He also to put £75 out to interest yearly, to be divided between Hannah Reeves, Mark, Joseph & Marcia when 21 or marry.
  
  John Gill & Charles Whitall also to receive one half of two tracts of cedar swamp; the other half to grandsons James & William, sons of James.
  
  To grandsons Joseph & Samuel, sons of son Benjamin, a tract of farm land where Joseph resides, and a 12 acre lot of meadow on Woodbury Creek. Each to pay £10 yearly to their mother Elizabeth, widow of son Benjamin.
  
  Lots of land in the town of Woodbury to grandson James Matlack. £100 to granddaughter Mary Matlack.
  
  The shad fishery to son John S Whitall during his lifetime, then to John Gill Whitall. About 11 acres near Woodbury adjoining the Brick Yards to son John S. Whitall, as well as remainder of estate real & personal.
  
  Abstracted by compiler, viewed on FHL microfilm 533,167. NJ Index of Wills 2725H. See also NJA 40:371.
• Note: James Whitall is named the guardian of several children:
  
  1) Guardianship, Gloucester Co. 22 February 1763. James Whiteall of Deptford Twp., Gloucester Co. N.J., guardian of Mary and Ann Hopkins, both under 14 years, daughters of Ebenezer Hopkins, deceased, late of Newton Twp. Gloucester Co. and his widow Sarah. John Estaugh Hopkins guardian of Sarah Hopkins, his sister, age 14, dau. of Ebenezer & Sarah. Bond of £2000 each child posted by James Whiteall & John Estaugh Hopkins. [Abstracted by compiler, viewed on FHL microfilm 533,152, file 828H. See also NJA 33:201-3.]
  
  2) Will of George Ward Jr of Deftford Twsp., Gloucester Co.: "Executors...to whom I commit my son, Josiah, to be placed with James Whiteall". NJA 30:512.
  
  3) Guardianship, Gloucester Co. 631H. 28 Sept 1758. James Whiteall of Deptford Twp., Gloucester Co. N.J., guardian of Jese Richardson, under 14 years, son of Edward Richardson, deceased, of Gloucester Co. £1500 bond by James Whiteall and James Cooper. [Abstracted by compiler, viewed on FHL microfilm 533,150, file 631H. See also NJA 32:267.]