BERTIE County    Garrett-White House

The Garrett-White house was probably constructed  around 1780 by Jesse
Garrett, a prosperous farmer of Bertie County.

At the time of the 1790 census, Garrett was the head of a ten-member
household and owner of twenty slaves.  When he died in 1797, Garrett seems
to have left his family in comfortable circumstances. Garrett's will
mentioined sixteen slaves by name and instructed his executors to provide
for the education of his children.  He left his wife "my manor plantation
and my grist mill with 400 acres of adjoining land.....whereon I now live,"
with the provision that it would eventually belong to his son Jesse.
(Bertie Co. Will Bk E pg 18. 13 Oct 1796. May Ct 1797)

Garrett's grist mill appears to have been located on Barbecue Swamp, which
formed the western boundary of his land.

The younger Jesse Garret seems to have been a prosperous farmer and small
slaveholder as in the 1800 census he is shown owning 15 slaves; in 1810 he
owned 11 slaveas and in 1830 he owned 10 slaves.

Jesse Garrett had died by Nov, 1841 when the Bertie Co Court ordered his
property of 940 acres divided among his heirs. Garrett's son, Richard drew
lot No 2 of the land dividions containing 170 acres and the house and
millpond on Barbecue Swamp.

In 1848 Richard Garrett sold the 170 acres and house to Willie D. Hays.

Willie D. Hays then sold the same 170 acres and house to Jacob White in
March of 1849. White immediately took up residence on the property as in
Sept 1849, he sold back to Hays a piece of land "in the northwest corner of
the Garden where I, the said White now reside, it being the land I purchased
of the said W.D. Hays containing one hundred square yards including the
Grave yard situated in said Garden.

Jacob White later purchased two other parcels of land adjoining his property
from Garrett heirs. In 1854 White deede one acre of his land to the trustees
of the Church of Christ at Philadelphia"....this is now know as Mars Hill
Baptist Church at Trap.

At the time of the 1850 census, White's 170 acres were valued at $700, and
he produced 425 bushels of corn, 100 bushels of sweet potatoes, and 50
pounds of wool on his farm.  In the 1860 census White's real estate was
valued at $684, and his personal estate at $1,200. Listed in White's
household was 70 year old Elizabeth White, possibly his mother;  her
personal estate worth $9,000 probably represented the value of her 15
slaves.  On the map of Bertie County made in 1863 by a Confederate Army
engineer, the house is identified as the home of "Mrs. White.".

Jacob White resided in the house until his death in 1872 when his property
was divided among his eight children.  His osn, Joseph J. White, received a
41 acres tract which included the house. Joseph J. White eventually
purchased the shares of his brothers, adding 173 acres to his property.
After the death of Joseph J. White and his wife, their son, Mayburn Hill
White received the farm and house, residing in it until his death.  His
widow was the occupant in 1979.

The Garrett-White house is a late-Georgian structure, relatively rare in
Bertie County, where Federal and Greek Revival period buildings predominated.
It is presently being restored (1999).

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Information provided by Eastern NC Archives office located in
Greenville, NC.
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