RODEKOHR ANCESTORS

William WHITE
1768-1838

This page last updated: 17 August 2007

William¹ WHITE was born, calculated, in 1768.[1]  There is a 1934 Boston Transcript genealogy query stating that William’s second wife was Dinah FLAGLER, and that they had children born in or near, Blandford, Massachusetts.[2]  Documentation has been found for only one Dina FLAGLER of the proper age, that of  Blandina FLAGLER, born in 1772, in Dutchess County, New York, daughter of Petrus FLAGLER.[3]   If this is our Dinah, she and William were married after October 1800, when Dinah was first mentioned as a widow.[4]  Another Boston Transcript genealogy query, in 1921, lists William’s children as Moses, Justus, Duty, William and John^.[5] 

Sometime before 1809 when son, Moses, was born, William and Dinah moved to Oneida County, New York,[6] however, no William WHITE is listed in the 1800 census for Oneida or Herkimer (just south of Oneida) Counties.  The 1810 census for Oneida County lists only the surname and initial and does not list any townships, the information being almost worthless.  There is a W. White listed as the last entry in the county (listed alphebetically) with a single male, “W”, age 26-45, and four females.  The ages of William, Dina and Electa  match the ages in this census, but no boys are listed, and there should be at least three sons, Duty age 10, Justus age 7 and Moses age 1.[7]  A William White is listed in Boonville, Oneida County 1814 census,[8] which is about 30 miles north of Rome, and a William C White of Rome made a $2 donation to the Oneida Bible Society according to their Annual Report on 17 January 1816.[9]

Short Tract, Granger, Allegany County, New York was first settled in February, 1816.  Historical records state “Wm. White settled near the central part in 1818.  He came from one of the New England states.”[10]^, [11]  Wm White is listed in the 1820 census for Nunda, Allegany County.  Nunda was named Grove in 1828 and Granger was taken off in 1838.  William, Duty, Justus, Moses and John match the ages of the males in the census.  It lists three females, other than the mother: two between that ages of 16 and 25, born between 1795 and 1804, one of which would be Electa, age 19, born in 1801; and one between the ages of 10 and 15, born between 1805 and 1810.[12]  Family history gives no indication that William and Dinah had daughters, however, circumstantially, there is evidence that there ware daughters (See Electa WHITE, below).  In 1830, William and Dinah are living in Grove Township with a male 15 to 19, which would be John, age 19; a male 20 to 29, which would be Moses, age 21.  Duty WHITE is listed on the same page.[13] 

William WHITE died 1 October 1838, age 70 years, and Dina died 8 February 1843, also 70.[14]  Both are both buried at Short Tract Cemetery in Granger.[15]  William’s grave stone is broken and extremely weathered, but reads:

WILLIAM WHITE - DIED - Oct 1, 1838 - Aged 70 years.  Short Tract Cemetery, Granger, Allegany Co., New York.  Photo by Liz Cornish, 14 Nov 2004.  

Next to William’s stone is the base of a missing stone, which is assumed to be the place of Dina’s burial.  Short Tract Cemetery transcriptions lists "WHITE, Dianah, spouse of William, died 2-8-1843, age 70y."[16]  This corresponds, within a year, of Blandina, born 1772.  Next to this is an extremely weathered stone where the inscribed face has fallen off and is un-readable.  This is could be Doty.  These stones are in a line with, and adjacent to, the stones of Caty and Florence WHITE.  Also in line with these stones are those of the Electa (WHITE) BULLOCK and some of her family.[17]

Blandina (Dinah) FLAGLER was born in 1772, probably in Charlotte Precinct (Township), Dutchess County, New York where, in 1771, her father, Petrus (Peter) FLAGLER (born about 1745 in Clinton, Dutchess County) had purchased 150 acres.  Peter’s wife was Maria OSTROM, born January 12, 1746/47.  Peter descends from Zacharias FLAGLER, born 07 October 1676 in Urphar, Weirtheim (District), Franckenhausen, in what is now Main-Tauberkreis District, Baden-Wurttembereg, Germany.  Zacharias was one of the German Palatines that fled war and religious persecution in Germany to England in 1709, and sailed to New York, arriving in 1710, settling at West Camp, Ulster County.[18]  The following is an excellent history of what led to the exodus of Germans from the Palatinate, by Jerry Turner.[19] 

 FLAGLER (FLEGLER) FAMILY OF NORTH AMERICA 

The Palatinate, or German Pfalz, were the lands of the Count Palatine, a title held by a leading secular prince of the Holy Roman Empire.  Geographically, the palatinate was divided between two small territorial clusters: The Rhenish, or Lower Palatinate, and the Upper Palatinate.  The Rhenish Palatinate included lands on both sides of the Middle Rhine River between its Main and Necker tributaries.  Its capital until the 18th century was Heidelberg.  The Upper Palatinate was located in northern Bavaria, on both sides of the Naab River as it flows south toward the Danube, and extended eastward to the Bohemian forest.  The boundaries of the Palatinate varied with the political and dynastic fortunes of the Counts Palatine.

The first Count Palatine of the Rhine was Hermann I, who received the office in 945.  Although not originally hereditary, the title was held mainly by his descendants until his line expired in 1155, and the Bavarian Wittelsbachs took over in 1180.  In 1356, the Golden Bull (a papal bull: an official document, usually containing commands from the Pope and sealed with the official Papal seal called a Bulla) made the Count Palatine an elector of the Holy Roman Empire.  During the Reformation, the Palatinate accepted Protestantism and became the foremost Calvinist region in Germany.

The Flegler name apparently derives from the "Flegler-Krieg" or Flegler War of 1412  wherein Count Gunther of Schwarzburg used nobles, who in turn recruited farm hands who used a flail or "flegel" (German) in the battle against the forces of Gunther's cousin Frederick I over the rights to the area known as Thuringin.  After an indecisive war, many of the veteran Fleglers settled down in the region of Allstedt and Frankenhausen in Thuringia.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther published his 95 theses on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg.  Subsequently many of his followers came under considerable religious persecution for their beliefs.  Perhaps for reasons of mutual comfort and support, they gathered in what is known as the "Palatine" forming a large Protestant enclave.

In 1525, Thomas Muentzer organized Thuringian peasants in the "Peasants' War".  From Allstedt came one Johann Flegler who became a devout supporter and "standard bearer".  After the Revolt was crushed at the battle of Frankenhausen on May 15, 1525, Muentzer was executed and Johann Flegler fled to Nuremburg.  Fleeing capture, he arrived at the town of Urphar, near Heidelberg and alongside the Main river.  He shortly married a local girl and settled down.

The oldest mention of "Urfare" (from the word crossing) dates back to the 8th century.  In 775, Charlemagne, who at the time was still king of the Franks, transferred the Benedictine monastery of Holzkirchen to the abbey of Fulda.  The cloister was founded by a man named Trund who was probably the district counselor of the then Walsassen district and then given to the monarch in 768.  Among the properties which the founder left to the cloister the name Urfare was mentioned in the documents. No further mention can be found of the village until later in the middle ages but the church, which still exists, began to be constructed  in the 9th and 10th century.

The Protestant Elector Palatine Frederick V (1596-1632), called the "Winter King" of Bohemia, next played a unique role in the struggle between Roman Catholic and Protestant Europe.  His election in 1619 as King of Bohemia precipitated the Thirty Years War that lasted from 1619 until 1648.  Frederick was driven from Bohemia and in 1623, deposed as Elector Palatine.  During the Thirty Years War, the Palatine country and other parts of Germany suffered from the horrors of fire and sword as well as pillage and plunder by the French armies.  This war was based upon both political and religious hatreds, as Roman Catholic armies sought to crush the religious freedom of the politically-divided Protestantism.

The village of Urphar was not spared from these tumultuous times.  Troops of soldiers passing through were quartered among the populace and increased tributes were paid their commanders leaving the submissive peasants with very little.  In addition there was a plague which also extracted its toll.  Many persons fled their native town, and in 1637 there lived in Urphar only 10 families.  The old church approached ruin.  

One of these families that remained was the Fleglers since the next historical reference to a Flegler was the birth of Viet Flegler in 1622 at Urphar.  Later in 1650, Hans Flegler was born and later married Margarette Goetz, who was also born in 1650 at Wenkeim (8 miles SE). Their first son, Zaccharius died very young but their second son Zaccharius Flegler was born Oct 7, 1676 at Urphar and on English arrival reports and government census documents it states that he was a teacher, carpenter and farmer.

The War of the Grand Alliance (1688-97) (War of the Palatinate as it was called in Germany) when the troops of the French monarch Louis XIV ravaged the Rhenish Palatinate and sacked every large city on the Rhine above Cologne, also badly battered the Palatinate.  In 1702, the War of Spanish Succession began in Europe and lasted until 1713, causing a great deal of instability for the Palatines as their lands lay on the western edge of the Holy Roman Empire and Louis sought to extend his hold right into the heart of the Palatinate.  In addition, the winter of 1708-1709 was the harshest in 100 years.  The scene was set for a mass migration.

At the invitation of Queen Anne of England in the spring of 1709, about 7000 harassed Palatines sailed down the Rhine to Rotterdam.  From there, about 3000 were dispatched to America directly or via England, under the auspices of William Penn.  The remaining 4000 were sent via England to Ireland.

The exodus continued and by early June, the number of Palatines entering Rotterdam reached 1,000 per week.  Later that year, the British Government issued a Royal proclamation in German that all arriving after October 1709 would be sent back to Germany. The British were finding that they could not effectively handle the number of Palatines in London and there may have been as many as 32,000 by November 1709.  They wintered over in England since there was insufficient transport to the colonies of North America.

In 1710, three large groups of Palatines sailed from London. The first went to Ireland, the second to Carolina and the third to New York with the new governor, Robert Hunter.  There were 3,000 Palatines on 10 ships that sailed for New York and approximately 470 died on the voyage or shortly after their arrival.  In New York, the Palatines were expected to work for the British authorities, producing naval stores (tar and pitch) for the navy in return for their passage.  They were also expected to act as a buffer between the French and Natives on the northern frontier and the English Colonies to the south and east.

After the defeat of Napoleon (1814-15), the congress of Vienna gave the east-bank lands of the Rhine valley to Bavaria.  These lands, together with some surrounding territories, again took the name of Palatinate in 1838. 

Of Urphar and the church?   It has been restored and we know from church records that Urphar citizen Georg Flegler had an organ built by Johann Conrad Wehr, in 1780.  The village cemetery and First and Second World Wars' monuments bear the names of many Fleglers.  The village phone book also contains the Flegler name several times so we can be assured that not all the Fleglers emigrated to North America.   Nevertheless practically all of the present day Flagler descendants can trace their North American origins back to Zaccharius and his arrival in 1710.  

Zaccharius left Urphar with his wife, Anna Elizabeth Ess, and three children arriving in England in May of 1709.  During the long delay aboard ship (first while the captains were sitting at anchor off Cornwall demanding an increased sailing bonus or secondly on the long voyage to America) his wife and two of his children died, presumably of typhus.  His older son Philip survived the voyage and it has been suggested that he may have even been on one of the other ships.

Zaccharius arrived in June of 1710 and with the others in the party proceeded up the Hudson River where they established East Camp and West Camp.  After Zaccharius' second marriage to Anna Gertruda Huns, in August of 1710, he and a few others went back down river to Dutchess County.  When his second wife died, he married Anna Elizabeth Hoofd (widow Schultzen) in May of 1711.  He died in March of 1720.

Philip Solomon Flegler was born in Urphar in Aug of 1701 and emigrated with his father.  He married Anna Margret Winegar (1692-1764) and died in Beekman, Dutchess County, New York on April 14, 1776.  Their tombstones are currently in the Flagler Family Burial Grounds at Greenhaven alongside Frog Hollow Rd.  This cemetery was established by their ancestor Jean Flagler Matthews who was a granddaughter of oil and railroad tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler.  Philip's half brothers were Zaccharius and Simon Flegler [RODEKOHR Note: Simon FLAGLER was the grandfather of Blandina FLAGLER].

Zaccharius' son, Solomon, is credited with changing the family name to Flagler and he also is a forefather of Henry Morrison Flagler.  Simon's son, Simon Flagler Jr., fled to Nova Scotia after the revolution and was granted loyalist status.

Philip's son, Philip F. Flagler Sr. was born Oct 11, 1731 and is also buried at Greenhaven.  It is reported that he refused to sign the oath of Allegiance to the Continental Congress while his brother, another Zaccharius, did sign and served the Americans during the revolution. Philip's son, Philip Flagler Jr. came to Adolphustown in Upper Canada with his wife Anna Dorland after the revolution but not in time to claim United Empire Loyalist status and settled near his Dorland in-laws.”   

Blandina (Dinah) FLAGLER first married Joseph Goulyder (Goulder / Golder / Golden) in 1792 when she was 20. They had a son, John, born in 1798.[20]  In 1790, Peter FLAGELER was living in Clinton Township, Dutchess County, New York as well as a John Goulder, but no Joseph Goulder.[21]  It is possible that both Dinah and Joseph were still living with their parents in 1790.  Maria (OSTRUM) FLAGLER [Dina’s mother], joined the New Hackensack Reformed Church, Dutchess County, 6 October 1800 and “. . . Dinah FLAGLER, his [Peter’s] daughter, and widow of Joseph Goulder, joined the same day.”  Joseph had died by October 1800.  There is no information on what happened to son, John Goulder.[22] 

There is evidence which supports that William may have come from Massachusetts.  There is a William White,  son of Dr. John White and Sarah Carnahan/Cannon of Blandford, Hampshire (now Hampden) County, Massachusetts, who’s siblings were born between 1761 and 1776, several of them in Blandford.   Tradition of Dr. White’s family is that this William White died in 1838, the same year as our William WHITE, born 1768.[23]  Another of Dr. White’s sons, John, had  sons, Lewis, Zenas and John, and a daughter, Clarissa, as did John, son of our William.   Another daughter of Dr. John’s son John, Laura, had sons named Zenas and John, as did our John WHITE.  Dr. John’s son John, also had a daughter named Electra, who was born in Oneida County, New York.  Our William had a daughter named Electa.  Another of Dr. John White’s sons, Vassell White, after dying in Litchfield, Herkimer County, New York, was buried in Utica, Oneida County,[24] which is just north of Litchfield.  At least two of our William’s children were born in Oneida County.  Blandford town records show Banns of Matrimony were posted for one William White and Anna Baird, both of Blandford, on March 23, 1793.  This is the only entry found for a William White in the Blandford vital records.  It is interesting to note, no entries were found for a Dr. John White, only a few for a John White, and Dr. John’s sons, Samuel and Vassell are only mentioned a few times..  No births are listed for John White.[25]  Future research will be conducted for William WHITE in the surrounding towns.  The 1790 Census for Blandford lists a John, John Jr., Samuel and Vassal [actual spelling] White, who are probably Dr. John White and his sons.  No William is listed, however, it is possible that, if William was unmarried, he could be living with his parents, as John Sr. shows two males over 16, and most other sons are accounted for in the census.  In 1790, Springfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, lives a William White, one male over 15, no males under 16 and one female, living in the same house as a Jeheil Chapin with one male over 16, one male under 16 and 3 females.[26]   In the 1800 census for Springfield, is Wd. [widow?] Ascenath Chapin, a female age 16-25 living with a male age 10 to 15; and on the next line is William White, age over 45, living with two females over 45.  Asenath is a more common spelling of this uncommon name.

There are no Bairds, by that spelling, in the 1790 Blandford census, however, there is a James Beard listed five lines from Samuel WHITE; Joseph Beard listed the next line after Samuel; an Ezra Beard, a John Beard listed five lines from Vassel White, and finally, a James Beard Jr.[27]  Beard may be the spelling given by the census taker as there were Bairds in Blandford at the time as shown by an historical building in Blandford that exists today called the Baird Tavern, built by James Baird Jr. in 1768.[28]  Internet ancestral files list a James Baird, born about 1692 with a son, John, born about 1730.  John Baird married Agnes Brown in Blandford on 27 Jun 1754.  They had several children born between 1760 and 1772, including an Anna Beard (note spelling), date of birth not listed.  Anna is shown to have married an Oliver Hamiltion in March of 1795, in Blandford.[29]   A James Baird and his family came to Blandford about 1736.  In 1795, a John Baird discovered silver ore to the north of Blandford.[30]  Vassal White, son of Dr. John White, purchased a one-hundred by fifty foot lot on Second Division Road in Blandford and lived there until 1794.[31]

Buried at Short Tract Cemetery where William and Dinah are buried, are other WHITEs that are related, Caty A. WHITE and Infant, Florence A. WHITE (2 months), and three more infants.[32]  Caty WHITE is Katherine A. (--?--), the first wife of Moses WHITE,[33] son of William WHITE.  Florence and the infants are Moses and Caty’s children.

Other Whites that are buried at Short Tract Cemetery, that may or may not be related: Acainja [Ascenath, Asenath?] (Oct 16 1913, 82); Asa (Jun 8 1873, 41); Doty (34); Elizabeth (Mar 24 1865); Evelyn (3); Florence (24); Geo. [Gurdon?] H.; Henry (Mar 2 1865, 90); Juliette Safford (Jan 9 1909, 70); Lydia (70); and Renda (Nov 10 1880, 49).[34]  Just across the cemetery road from Caty WHITE and her children, buried in one group, suggesting a family unit, are Asa White, Henry and Rinda White, Elizabeth White, Edward White Conable and Henry Hamline Conable.[35]  A Henry White, originally from Pennsylvania, came to Granger (Nunda was named Grove in 1828 and Granger was taken off in 1838), Allegany County, in 1833 by way of Groveland, Livingston County, New York, where, in 1817, he married Rinda Nowlen of Geneseo, Livingston County.  They had children: Amy S. who married Francis Conable; Elizabeth; Mary, who married a Mr. Gurnsey; Asa N., and Gurdon H., born in 1827.  Gurdon H. White married Juliet H. Safford in 1854.[36]  In 1880, Gurdon H. White is living in Granger Twp., age 53, born, calculated, in 1827, with his wife, Juliett, adopted children Jennie, age 18; and Volney E, male age 4, and Gurdon’s mother, Rinda M., age 89.[37]  Other early White settlers: “The settlement of Grove was commenced in 1818 by John White from Herkimer county, moving his family in with an ox team; cutting his own road from Nunda.  His house, a log structure, which he at once erected, was the first in town.”[38]; “Elijah White came to Grove this year [1819], and “White settlement” still retains his name.”[39]  To date, no family relationship has been established.

A White family with the same name pattern descends from Elder John White, born between 1595 and 1605, of Hartford, Connecticut.  His Great-Grandson, Jonathan White was born September 1700 in Hatfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts. Jonathan’s son, Asa White was born on 06 November 1743 in Hebron, Tolland County, Connecticut.  Asa’s son, John White, was born 05  February 1766 in Hebron, and had sons, Gurdon White, born 24 June 1791 and Asa White, born 13 October 1796 in Rome, Oneida County, New York.[40]  The 1820 Census lists a John and Gurdon White in Rome, Oneida County.[41]  Obviously, if the Whites buried in Short Tract Cemetery are related to these Whites, they are one or two generations removed. 

.There is another White family with similar naming patterns to those associated with the William WHITE (1768-1838) family.  There is one John White of Canaan, Columbia County, New York, who wrote his will on 26 May, 1800, probated 07 January 1801.  He mentions his sons Elisha, Asa, William and his wife Anna, and daughters, Sarah, Mary, Hannah, Lydia and Peggy.[42]  Another will, possibly that of the son of John White of Canaan, was made 18 July 1832  and probated 08 July 1837, by William White of Hillsdale, Columbia County.  This will lists William White’s daughters: Hannah, wife of Ira Sawyer; Lydia, widow of Hiram Hedges; sons William V., Elijah, Jonah, Calvin, Henry, Gerry, and Cornelius; and Grandson George A., son of Elijah White.[43]  Both Canaan and Hillsdale, which is eight miles south of Canaan, lie on the road that parallels the Massachusetts state line, about one mile to the east.  Connecticut lies about seven miles south/east of Hillsdale. This would suggest that the influence or origin of these early families came from Massachusetts or Connecticut, rather than from the Hudson River, about ten miles to the west.

Thankful (CLARK, wife of John) WHITE’s, niece, Emily Jane (CLARK) SQUIRES (b. 1818), wrote of Thankful’s father, Thomas, “ . . . Thomas and Samantha moved from Otsego to Conesus . . .”[44]  There is no evidence that Thomas lived in Otsego County prior to coming to Livingston County.  If she could have been mistaken that Thankful’s father came from Otsego County, and it could have actually been Thankful’s father-in-law.  There is a William White living in Burlington Township, Otsego County, in 1800, with two males under 10 that could be represented by Duty and an unknown male; two males 10 to under 16 that could be represented by William and Justus; a male between 26 and under 45 that could be William, age 32; two of three female children are unknown; and the female age 26 to under 45 could be Dinah, age 28.[45] There are no William White listed in Montgomery County (encompassing Otsego County at the time) in the 1790 census, nor the 1810 Otsego County Census.

In 1714, on a list of Inhabitants and Slaves in the County of Dutchess [New York], are Willem Wijt and John (Jan) OSTROM,[46]^, [47] presumably the grandfather of Blandina (FLAGLER) WHITE.[48]  There are several William Whites listed in the Dutchess County census’ for 1790,[49] three living in Washington Township: William White the 1^st is probably (1732-1821) the son of Benjamin (1702-1756);[50] William A. White is probably (1756-1802) the son of Abner (1725-1794);[51] and William White the 3^rd is probably (1760-?) the son of William the 1^st (1732-1821).[52]  There are no FLAGLERs listed in Washington Township.  All of these William Whites can be eliminated as our William.  There is another William White, living in Beekman Township, with two males age 16 or over, three males under 16 and 3 females.  This could represent sons William and Justus and unknown daughters.  Also living in Beekman are Zachariah FLAGELER [sic], Junr; Philip FLAGELER, who was probably born 30 May 1756; and Zachariah FLAGELER, who was probably born 1763 and died 1839.[53]  At the Beekman Town Meetings in 1794, 1795 and 1797, William White was appointed an Overseer of the Highways.[54]  No William White matches the profile of William in the 1800[55] and 1810[56] Dutchess County census, indicating that this William either died or moved..

Children of William¹ WHITE and (--?--) Unknown were probably::

i.    William² WHITE, born, say, 1795, is listed as a son  in a Boston Transcript genealogy query.[57]  No record has been found connecting a William WHITE as the son of William.  For research purposes, the 1850 Census for Amity Township, Allegany County, New York, lists a William White, age 55 [born about 1795], a carpenter, living with Lydia, age 51 and John E., age 10.[58] In 1860,  William White, age 65, a carpenter, is living at Stedman Post Office, Chautauqua County, New York, with a Betsey, age 65.[59] In 1870, William White, age 75, a carpenter, and Betsey, age 76, are living in Chautauqua County, Panama Post Office, .[60]

+ ii.    Duty WHITE, born circa 1800 in New York; married Samantha.

iii.    Justus WHITE, according to the Boston Transcript, was a son of William WHITE, stating that Justus died in South Carolina.[61]  No record can be found of a Justus WHITE that could be the son of William.  A grand nephew, Justin WHITE, was born about 1860 to Justus’ nephew, John WHITE and his second wife, Elizabeth (Badgley) (Murray).  A search under the name of Justin WHITE did not result in any information for a possible son of William.

+ iv.    Electa WHITE, born 1801 in New York; married Ephraim BULLOCk.

Probable children of William¹ WHITE and Blandina FLAGLER were as follows:

+ i.    Moses WHITE, born 23 August 1809 in Oneida County, New York; married, 1^st,  Katherine A.  He married 2^nd, Jane A. COOKE.

+ ii.    John WHITE, born 1811 near Rome, Oneida Co., New York; married, 1^st,  Thankful CLARK; he married, 2^nd, Elizabeth Orina (Badgley) Murphy.

Compiled by Edwin Charles (Chuck) Rodekohr
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