John Henry WHITAKER b. 07 Aug 1846 probably Smyth Co. VA d. 20 Sep 1928 Baptist Valley, Tazewell Co. VA: Appalachian Aristocracy

1846 - 1928 (82 years)

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Name	John Henry WHITAKER
Born	07 Aug 1846	probably Smyth Co. VA [1]
Gender	Male
_UID	20A2EAFE738344A7B0B19D71F8C5CAC04179
Died	20 Sep 1928	Baptist Valley, Tazewell Co. VA [2]
	Virginia, Deaths, 1912?2014. Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia Name: John Whitaker Gender: Male Race: White Age at Death: 82 Birth Date: 7 Aug 1846 Death Date: 20 Sep 1928 Death Place: Tazewell, Virginia, USA Registration Date: 9 Jan 1930 Father: James Whitaker Mother: Nancy Petts Certificate Number: 1928030285
Buried	Whitaker Family Cemetery, Cedar Bluff, Tazewell Co. VA
	Grave location and tombstone photo: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20664369
Notes	Civil War veteran. Lived with Bill and Susie Whitaker until he died. CENSUS RECORDS 1850 United States Federal Census Name: Jno Whitaker [John] Age: 4 Birth Year: abt 1846 Birthplace: Virginia Home in 1850: Western District, Tazewell, Virginia Gender: Male [in household of James and Nancy Whitaker] 1860 United States Federal Census Name: John Whitaker Age in 1860: 14 Birth Year: abt 1846 Birthplace: Virginia Home in 1860: Western District, Tazewell, Virginia Gender: Male [in household of James and Nancy Whitaker] Post Office: Baptist Valley Had attended school with the census year. 1880 United States Federal Census Name: John Whitaker Age: 35 Birth Year: abt 1845 Birthplace: Virginia Home in 1880: Maiden Spring, Tazewell, Virginia Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Self (Head) Marital Status: Married Spouse's Name: Nancy Whitaker Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's Birthplace: Virginia Occupation: Farmer Household Members: John Whitaker 35 Nancy Whitaker 34 James Whitaker 11 Jeremiah Whitaker 10 Lilly Whitaker 5 1900 United States Federal Census Name: Jno Whitaker [John] Age: 53 Birth Date: Aug 1846 Birthplace: Virginia Home in 1900: Maiden Spring, Tazewell, Virginia Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Head Marital Status: Married Spouse's Name: Nancy Whitaker Marriage Year: 1868 Years Married: 32 Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's Birthplace: Virginia Household Members: Jno Whitaker 53 Nancy Whitaker 54 Robert L Whitaker 16 Edna M Whitaker 14 Walter Whitaker 8 1910 United States Federal Census Name: John Whiteaker Age in 1910: 54 [64] Birth Year: abt 1846 Birthplace: Virginia Home in 1910: Big Creek, McDowell, West Virginia Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Head Marital Status: Married Spouse's Name: Nancy Whiteaker Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's Birthplace: Virginia Household Members: John Whiteaker 54 [64] Nancy Whiteaker 62 Lee Whiteaker 22 Walter Whiteaker 18 CIVIL WAR SERVICE In the Fall of 1862 at Dry Fork, John enlisted, along with his father James and his older brother William James to fight for the Confederacy. John served in Co. E of the 34th Virginia Cavalry under Col. W. A. Witcher until the war ended at Appomattox in April, 1864. He was about 16 years old when he became a soldier. 34th Virginia Cavalry (CSA)was probably the most distinguished confederate unit in West Virginia history. The 34th Virginia Cavalry's core company, Company A, was formed in Wayne County. Buchanan County Men in the Civil War: "The 34th Virginia Cavalry came into being in September, 1861. Early in the war, the 34th operated mostly in the region between Grundy and Piketon (Pikeville). Many times,the 34th won the distinction of being the advance guard on operations involving numerous units, including the Confederate armies advance into Pennsylvania. The 34th fought an engagement within 2 miles of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in late June, 1863. The 34th then fell back and occupied the city of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, before being called to Gettysburg. The East Cavalry Battlefield is generally credited as a Union victory because the goal of the Union Cavalry to delay Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Cavalry on July 3rd was accomplished. On the morning of the 4th of July, 1863, it was Lt. Col. Vincent Addison Witcher of the 34th VA and General Stuart who walked the battlefield. The Western Virginia men of the 34th, along with only a portion of the rest of the Brigade, had fought the 1st New Jersey, 3rd Pennsylvania, 5th Michigan, and the 7th Michigan led by newly promoted Gen. George Armstrong Custer. The 5th Michigan was armed with the 7 shot Spencer repeating rifles. Witcher later wrote: "the 34th Battalion, which had alone rallied with me, opened upon the 5th Michigan, sweeping down its ranks with a most deadly fire, killing its Major, capturing its colors, and covering the ground with the killed and wounded men and horses of the 5th Michigan. I was within 30 yards and saw the Major fall, a gallant and heroic man he was." General Stuart said "the34th had made the worse massacre of Alger's command and had piled more dead and wounded men and horses on as little space as he had ever seen on any field." The 34th had dismounted that morning with 332 men. After the war, Witcher wrote: "I shall never, no never, forget that eventful night when accompanied by one courier, my Adjutant Edwards and Sergeant Major, both being wounded, I full of grief and bitterness, rode to the barns in our rear and saw with tears in my eyes, my brave fellows from away over the mountains in West Virginia, laid out in windrows, torn and bleeding. I shall never forget that night or the next mornings parade when I could muster but 96 enlisted men. Brave fellows, not a slave holder among them." [John Whitaker in his 1923 Civil War pension application he said, "I was in the battle of Gettysburg three days and nights, and if I never performed any other military service for the state of Virginia, this baptism of fire and shell should certainly be sufficient credit for my eligibility rolls, at least it seems so to me after 57 years have passed by. I am old and worn out and tired. Have perhaps lived beyond the allotted time already, and if the pension does not come pretty soon. I will not need it."] The 34th was also given the honor of leading Lee's Army back into Virginia. "The Virginians, and they were almost all that, whether from the counties of Southwest Virginia or the mountain counties of the new state of West Virginia, left knowing they had fought with honor."
Person ID	I65	Master File
Last Modified	30 May 2015

Father	James S. WHITAKER, Jr., b. Abt 1815, Smyth Co. VA , d. 1863, Tazewell Co. VA (Age ~ 48 years)
Mother	Nancy PETTS, b. Jul 1824, Wythe County, VA , d. Bef 1910 (Age ~ 85 years)
Married	27 Feb 1843	Smyth Co. VA [3]
	One record puts marriage in 1838, and another the month of Dec. 1843. Source: Virginia Marriages, 1740-1850 Groom Name: James S. Whitaker Bride Name: Nancy Petts Marriage Date: 27 Feb 1843 County: Smyth State: Virginia Original data: Dodd, Jordan R., et al.. Early American Marriages: Virginia to 1850. Bountiful, UT, USA: Precision Indexing Publishers.
Family ID	F26	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Nancy NUCKLES, b. Nov 1846, Tazewell Co. VA , d. Bef 1920, Tazewell Co. VA (Age ~ 73 years)

Married 14 Sep 1867 Tazewell Co. VA

Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940
Name: John Whitaker
Birth Date: 1846
Birthplace: Tazewell County, Va
Age: 21
Spouse's Name: Nancy Nuckles
Spouse's Birth Date: 1847
Spouse's Birthplace: Tazewell County, Va
Spouse's Age: 20
Event Date: 14 Sep 1867
Event Place: Tazewell, Virginia
Father's Name: Jas Whitaker
Mother's Name: Nancy
Spouse's Father's Name: Calvin ... Nuckles
Spouse's Mother's Name: A
Spouse's Marital Status: Single
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:M01695-4
System Origin: Virginia-EASy
GS Film number: 34214
Reference ID: Page 25Line88

Children

+	1. James Morgan WHITAKER, b. Jul 1868, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 1945, Virginia (Age ~ 76 years)
+	2. Jeremiah WHITAKER, b. 14 Dec 1869, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 18 Nov 1900, Tazewell Co. VA (Age 30 years)
+	3. Sarah Bell WHITAKER, b. Apr 1874, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 20 Apr 1944, Greenbrier Co. WV (Age ~ 70 years)
+	4. Lilly WHITAKER, b. 6 Apr 1878, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 19 Jul 1942, Greenbrier Co. WV (Age 64 years)
	5. Doctor Hufford WHITAKER, b. 16 Jun 1878, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 24 Mar 1954, Big Creek, McDowell Co WV (Age 75 years)
	6. Thomas W. WHITAKER, b. Nov 1883, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 6 Dec 1922, Tazewell Co. VA (Age ~ 39 years)
	7. Robert Lee WHITAKER, b. 14 Sep 1884, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 10 Jan 1931, Whitaker Ridge, Tazewell Co. VA (Age 46 years)
	8. Edna Mae WHITAKER, b. Apr 1886
+	9. Walter WHITAKER, b. 17 Apr 1893, West Virginia , d. 15 Sep 1929, McDowell Co., WV (Age 36 years)

Last Modified 19 Feb 2014

Family ID F32 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Sources

[S11] 1910 Federal Census, Tazewell County, VA, Maiden Spring District.
[S2] Pack Family Bible, Possession of Ella Mae Pack Whitaker.
[S10] Smyth County, Virginia Marriage Licenses 1832-1850.