Caldwell-Daviess County MO Archives History .....WHITT FAMILY  
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 4, 2008, 4:57 pm

THE WHITT FAMILY OF DAVIESS AND CALDWELL COUNTIES
	Narrators:  Members of the Whitt Family

     The first Whitt pioneer of this section was Elijah Whitt (1799-1879) who 
located in Daviess county in the south part not very far from the Caldwell 
county line 1844, and stayed there till his death at the age of 80 years.  At 
his funeral, there were 90 children grandchildren, and great grandchildren who 
followed him to his grave in the Whitt cemetery in Daviess county.
     This large number of progeny is not strange, considering the fact that he 
had 4 wives and had 26 children.  Since several of his sons and grandchildren 
lived in or near Hamilton, we become concerned with the family.
     One of his oldest children was James T. Whitt.  He died 1904 at Hamilton, 
having been born in Lexington Ky 1834.  Jim Whitt or Elder Whitt as he was 
often called was quite a religious character, from youth up.  When he was a 
youth, he was a Baptist, but becoming convinced of the truth of 
the "Cambellite" church, he became a member of the Desciples and stayed that 
till he died. 
     When he first came into Daviess county, he farmed for others, was a store 
clerk, and teamed from the Missouri river to Gallatin, a necessary calling 
those days when freight came by river.
     He moved to Winston for a while as a clerk in a store and a farmer.  He 
was in Hamilton during the 60s and clerked for James Kemper in his dry goods 
store on Main street.  Mrs. Hattie Lamson, who with her husband lived above 
the store, recalls how he always sang religious songs around the store, but 
declared that it was sinful to have an organ in the churches.
     In 1848, he married Nicie Ann McDow of Kentucky and they had a big 
family - 5 girls and 5 boys.  Kentucky was the native state of James Whitt 
also, having been born there and he went back after his girl when his folks 
moved to this state.
     Besides the Kemper store in Hamilton, he clerked also for the Rohrbaugh 
firm who followed Kemper on the same corner, for Stone and Meneefee Implement 
Company over in the present iron clad building on north Main.  He also was on 
call for extra service in other stores, for every one knew him as a clever 
clerk.
     During all these years of work and business, he never forgot his 
religion.  He preached in private homes, country school houses and churches.  
He took no pay for his work.  In his old age, when really too feeble to do so, 
he attended church, sitting near the pulpit and often gave a brief talk or 
prayer.  His favorite song was "The Half Has Never Been Told."  His name is 
involved actively in the building up of the Christian church in the early days 
of Hamilton, when the sect was commonly called "Campbellite."  In 1874, he 
with P.R. Claypool, Wm. McCoy, John Sigman and others, organized the First 
Christian Church in Hamilton.  He was first an elder and in 1878 was set apart 
by the congregation as a minister and served without pay.  The church building 
then stood in the east part of town north east of the back end of the school 
lot.  This old church was remodelled into a home.  The new church is on north 
Broadway.
     James Whitt at his death was survived by 8 children:  Mrs. Rogers, Elijah 
(Lige) of Calif., L.L. Whitt (Lewis) of Chicago, Mrs. Gertrude Alsup of St. 
Joseph, William Whitt of Gallatin, Mrs. E.R. White of Calif., Mrs. Taylor 
Allee of Hamilton, and Oliver Whitt of Daviess county.
     Another son of old Elijah Whitt who would interest local people was Henry 
Whitt who used to drive the stage coach between Hamilton and Lexington during 
the Civil War.  He spent the night in Hamilton between the stages.  He married 
Sarah Place of Daviess county where he finally settled down as a farmer.  He 
had the following children:  Ida, Eva, John & Joseph, Sarah, George, Henry, 
Linna, Arvel.  
     A third son of Elijah, the pioneer was John T. Whitt, a well known farmer 
south of Hamilton for many years.  John Whitt also was a stage driver between 
Lexington and Hamilton, and Gallatin and Hamilton during the war, serving 9 
years as a stage coach driver.  He married Belle Claypool, daughter of the 
pioneer Perry Claypool at the Claypool Hotel.  He got acquainted with her 
while staying here at night between the stage coach work.  They had two 
children Walter who married Belle Shively, and Molly Wines.
     Interview  1933-5.


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