THE NAME AND FAMILY OF WHITEHEAD

THE NAME AND FAMILY OF WHITEHEAD

THE NAME AND FAMILY OF WHITEHEAD

The name of WHITEHEAD is derived from the white or blond hair of its first bearer. It was originally used as a nickname, and was first taken as a patronymic by the sons of those so called. In ancient English and early American records the name appears in the various spellings of Whytehead, Whythead, Witheved, Wytehead, Whitehede, Whytehed, Whiteheued, Whiteheved, Whittehed, Whithed, Whitehed, Qwytheued, Qhwiteheved, Whythead, Whithead, Whitehead, and others. Of these, the form last mentioned is that most generally found in America today.

Families of the name were early seated in the English Counties of York, Huntingdon, Hampshire, Lancaster, London, Cambridge, and Gloucester. Records indicate that they were in large part of the British landed and educated classes.

The earliest records of the name in England include those of Roger Whitheved, of Huntingdonshire, in the year 1273; William Whitheved, of Cambridgeshire, about the same time; and Adam Whiteheued, Johannes or John Whittehed, Robertus or Robert Qwytheued, John Qhwiteheved, and Rauf or Ralph Whytehed, all of Yorkshire, in the year 1379, and shortly thereafter.

According to one authority Robert Whytehead, who was living at Titherley, in Hampshire, in the time of King Richard II (circa 1377-1399), was the father of a son named John, who was the father by his wife Katherine of Morris Whytehead, of Titherley. The last had a son named George, who was the father by his wife Jane of a son named Augustus, who was married toward the end of the Fifteenth century to Julian, daughter of Richard Waller. To this union were born at least two children, Richard and Ann.

According to other historians, the Hampshire or Southampton line of the family was represented in the early fifteenth century by Robert Whithed, of Titherley, who married a Miss Cowdray and was the father by her of John, who married Catharine Tame and had a son named Morris. The last is believed to have had no issue by his first wife, a Miss Hampton, and to have had by his second wife, a Miss Mompeson, a son named George. This George married Jane, daughter of Richard Waller, and had issue by her of two children, Richard and Jane.

However this may be, it is known that the last-mentioned Richard Whitehead was the father of his wife, Christian Jephsonn or Christiana Johnson, of Sir Henry, Ellenor, and Elizabeth. Of these, Sir Henry had issue by his first wife, Anne, daughter of James Wilson or Weston, of Richard and Christiana, of whom the son was the father in the early seventeenth century by his wife, Margery Culliford or Mary Sulliford, of three children, William, Mary, and Frances. By his second wife, Constance, daughter of Sir Richard Norton, Sir Henry had further issue of Ralph, Henry, and five daughters, Katherine, Mary, Anna, Honor, and Elizabeth.

Ralph Whytehead or Whitehead, son of Sir Henry and Constance (nee Norton), died in Lancashire in the year 1637, leaving, among other children, a son named Richard, who resided at Claughton, in the County of Lancaster. The last was the father of four children, Thomas, Richard (died young), Dorothy, and another Richard, of whom the son Thomas married Elizabeth Berthos about 1672 and was the father by her of Richard, Thomas, Joseph, Benjamin, Jane, Elizabeth, and Rowland. Of these, Richard had a son of the same name and two daughters, one of whom was named Ellen; while Thomas resided at Forton Hall, Lancashire, and left issue there by his wife, Isabella Cole or Coul, whom he married in 1698, of three sons, Thomas, Alexander, and Richard.

Another branch of the family in Lancashire, probably related to the before-mentioned lines, was that represented toward the end of the sixteenth century by Richard Whitehead of Garstang. He married Alice Taylor in 1588 and was the father by her of Gabriel, Thomas, and Janet. Of these, Thomas left issue at Garstang by his wife Elizabeth of Gabriel, Edward, Alice, and Agnes, of whom the first died about 1671, leaving issue by his wife Jane of five children, Thomas, Richard, Joseph, Gabriel, and Elizabeth.

The Yorkshire branch of the Whiteheads was represented in the early seventeenth century by one William Whytehead, of that county, who married Esther Heywood. He had issue by her of John (said to have died in the Barbadoes), William, Joseph, Edmund, Mary, Alice, Esther, and others. The last-mentioned William was the father of two sons, William and Thomas, of whom the first was Lord Mayor of York in 1734 and the latter was Chief Magistrate of the borough of Scarborough in 1737. Thomas was the father in 1697 of a son named Thomas, who married Jane, daughter of William Ogle, and had issue by her of two sons, William and Henry.

Another early English line of the Whiteheads traces its descent from William Whytehead, “gentlemen”, a native of Reading, in Berkshire, who is said to have been descended from a family anciently seated in Nottingham. His son, William Whytehead, was born in Sussex and made his home at Hemsley. By his wife Elinor, he was the father of Henry, William Elinor, John, and Thomas, of whom the second and youngest sons made their homes in Yorkshire. Of the last-mentioned brothers, Henry was the father of Michael Whitehead; William was the father by his wife, Margaret Wood, of Thomas, William, Dorothy, Michael, and Margaret; John probably died young; and Thomas left issue by his wife, Jane Farside, whom he married in 1690, of Ursula, William, Thomas, and Mary.

One of the first of the name in New England was Samuel Whitehead, who was living at Cambridge, Mass., in 1635 and later made his home at Hartford and New Haven, Conn. He married the Widow Sarah (nee Gregson) Gilbert in 1676 and had issue by her of two sons, Samuel and Stephen, both of whom left issue at New Haven of sons bearing their Christian names.

John and Thomas Whitehead, the sons of one Elizabeth (nee Alcock) Whitehead, of Wiltshire, England, were brought to America by their uncle, George Alcock, about the year 1639, while still quite young. No record has been found of the family of Thomas, but it is known that John made his home at Branford, Conn., and was married about 1661 to Martha Bradfield. He was the father by her of Mary, Hannah, John, Martha or Mercy, Damaris, Samuel, Eliphalet, Elizabeth, and Thomas Whitehead. Of these, John was married in 1704 to Mehitable Bishop and died a few years later at New Haven; Eliphalet died between 1695 and 1707, unmarried; and the records of Thomas are not in evidence.

Isaac Whitehead settled at New Haven, Conn., about 1643 and removed about the year 1666 to Elizabeth, N.J. His children were Susanna, Isaac, Mary, Sarah, Samuel, Joseph, and Grace.

From the last-mentioned line was descended Isaac Whitehead, of New Jersey, who was the father in the first half of the eighteenth century of two sons, Onesimus and Joseph. Of these, Joseph left issue by his wife Sarah of Samuel (died young), John, Joshua, another Samuel, Sarah, and Ruth; while Onesimus (b. 1742) married Rebecca Condit and was the father by her of Ezekiel, Silas, Huldah, Asa, Isaac, Elizabeth, Hannah, Abner, and Ruth, of Morristown, N.J.

John Whitehead, of Woodbridge, N.J., in the latter eighteenth century, was the father by his wife, Jemima Marsh, of, probably among other children, a son named John, who made his home at Paris, Me.

Daniel Whitehead resided at Hampstead or Newtown, L.I., as early as the year 1647 and died in 1668, leaving four sons, Daniel, Jonathan, David, and Adam. Of these, Daniel settled at Jamaica, L.I., and had issue by his wife, Abigail Stevenson, of at least two sons, Jonathan and Thomas; while Jonathan is believed to have married a Sarah Opdyck and to have resided either at Newtown or Jamaica, but the names of his progeny are not available.

Others of the name who emigrated to America in the seventeenth century, but left few records of themselves and their families, were George Whitehead, of Virginia, in 1635; James Whitehead, of James City County, Va., in 1638; Richard Whitehead, of Windsor, Conn., in 1640 (who married Mary Hopkins and probably had several children); Arthur Whitehead, of Northampton County, Va., and William Whitehead of Northampton County, Va., in 1655.

Richard Whitehead, who was living in Gloucester County, Va., in 1699, may have been descended from one of the before-mentioned Virginia lines, but no definite connection has been established. He left at least two children, Philip and Mary, of whom the son made his home in King William County, Va.

Although the connection is not in evidence, it is probable that the family of the name in Amherst County, Va., was of common origin with that last mentioned. This line was represented about the middle of the eighteenth century by John Whitehead, who was born (parentage unknown) in 1735. He married Sarah Burcher and had issue by her of sixteen children, Burcher, Wyatt, John, Richard, Cary, Bertholomew, James, Eddy, Sarah, Betty Ann, Rhoda, Nancy, Mary, Susan, Frankie, and Marble.

The Whiteheads may be described as generally vigorous, active, and sociable, and possessed, in many cases, of imagination and high idealism. They have been best known in public service, not only in military and political lines, but also as educators and humanitarians.

Among those of the name who served as officers in the Continental Army during the American Revolution were Lieutenants James and John Whitehead, of Pennsylvania. There were also numerous others of the family in the ranks of the various State forces of that period, including Barton Samuel, John, Robert, Samuel, and William Whitehead, of Virginia; Aaron, Abner, Daniel, David, Jacob, James, John, Moses, Onisius, and Samuel Whitehead, of Massachusetts.

Robert, John, George, Richard, Henry, Joseph, Samuel, Isaac, Jonathan, Thomas, Stephen, James, and William are some of the Christian names most favored by the Whiteheads for their male progeny.

A few of the Whiteheads who have distinguished themselves in America in more recent times are the following:

Cortlandt Whitehead (1842-1922), of New York, Protestant Episcopal bishop.

Alfred North Whitehead (b. 1861), of England and Massachusetts, philosopher,

Educator, and author.

Edwin Kirby Whitehead (b.1861), of Michigan and Colorado, humanitarian.

Joseph Whitehead (b.1867) of Virginia, congressman.

Robert Frederick Whitehead (b.1869), of Virginia and Washington, D.C., solicitor of the

United States Patent Office.

John Boswell Whitehead (b.1872), of Virginia and Maryland, electrical engineer.

Henry C. Whitehead (b. 1873), of Washington, D.C., army officer.

Harold Whitehead (b.1880), of England and America, author.

An ancient and well-know Whitehead coat of arms is described in heraldic terms as follows (Burke, Encyclopedia of Heraldry, 1844):

Arms—“Azure, a fess between three fleurs-de-lis or.”

Crest—“A wolf sejant argent.”

Motto—“Virtute et valore.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Harrison. Surnames of the United Kingdom. Vol. 2. 1918.

Bardsley. English and Welsh Surnames. 1901.

Berry. Hampshire Genealogies. 1833.

Foster. Lancashire Pedigrees. 1873.

Harleian Society. Hunter’s Familiae Minorum Gentium. 1894.

Chetham Society. History of Garstang, County Lancaster. 1879.

Burke. Encyclopedia of Heraldry. 1844.

Burke. Landed Gentry. 1853

Burke. General Armory. 1884.

Poulson. The Seignory of Holderness. Vol. 1, 1840.

Shepard. John Whitehead. 1902

Savage. Genealogical Dictionary of New England. Vol. 4 1862.

Hatfield. History of Elizabeth, New Jersey. 1868.

Riker. Annals of Newtown, New York. 1852.

Greer. Early Virginia Immigrants. 1912.

J. H. and E. Condit. Genealogical Record of the Condit Family and Others. 1885

C. W. Opdyke. The Op Dyck Genealogy. 1889.

Lapham and Maxim. History of Paris, Maine. 1884.

William and Mary Quarterly. Vol. II. 1902-1903.

Bruce. History of Virginia, Biography. 1924.

Burgess. Virginia Soldiers of 1776. 1927.

Heitman. Officers of the Continental Army. 1914.

Gwathmey. Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution. 1938.

New Jersey in the Revolutionary War. 1872.

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. 1908.

The Encyclopedia Americana. 1932.

Who’s Who in America. 1922-1923. 1934-1935.