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A M I L Y H I S T O R Y |
The
following is an overview of the White Family History written
by George A. White, who compiled this information from both oral
and written sources. George has shared this fascinating account of
his
family tree so that everyone may have the opportunity to meet his
family and understand their contribution to the city of Rock Hill,
SC. All following
information is © George A. White - 2005 and is reproduced here
with his express permission. The original formatting has been altered
slightly from the printed version for viewing
on the web.
A History of the White Family
by George A.
White
(Compiled
from a number of sources, including oral and written histories,
for the purpose of generating support for pubic use preservation.)
© George
A. White, 2005. All rights reserved
The White Home
A New Life
December
14th, 1837 - George Pendleton Stewart White married Ann Hutchison,
daughter of magistrate David Hutchison.
George, in his late thirties, was a partner in a well-established
tailoring business in the village of Fort Mill. Oral history says doctor’s
orders motivated the couple’s move to the country. Without
its fresh air, George’s life could likely be cut short. Back
to Top
The New Farm
In the Scots-Irish tradition, the newlyweds began payment on a small
cabin and 180 acres, with intentions for a larger home.
Located just off Nations Ford Road, the area’s main thoroughfare, the plot proved a prime location for transporting crops and other supplies southward to Columbia.
There was one catch, however. Very little of the land, labeled
"the Black Jacks" by locals, was considered adequate for farming. That is, until
a simple discovery was made. By adding a little potash, the soil became some
of the best farmland in the piedmont. George and Ann were off to a good start. |
The original cabin
on the White property.
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Alexander T. Black
King’ s Mountain fifer
and nephew of James
Wilson, signer of the
Declaration of
Independence.
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The farm that extended from what
is now the Highland Park Mills area was purchased from Alexander Templeton Black. The large landowner leased the tract from the Catawba Indians for the standard ninety-nine years. At the request of the
Indians, a treaty was signed in 1840, establishing a reservation. All the "Indian Land" was deeded to the white man.
With the news, unoccupied lands sold quickly. |
A
New House For A New Family
The
couple’s first child, Mary Elizabeth - born in 1838, enhanced the need for a larger dwelling. The house was completed the following year. A typical
"hall and parlor" folk victorian style structure was built on a knoll just in front of the cabin.
The cabin was turned into a detached kitchen with a narrow
walkway curved to shed rain. It led to a long dining room at the rear of the
house. 1840 brought the first born male, bearing the name David White. Unfortunately,
he
lived less than a year. In 1841, James S. White was born followed by Andrew,
named for Ann’s brother who died the
same year - 1843. Adeline was the youngest, born in 1847, two years before tragedy
hit the household.
Railroad Brings Tragedy
In
1845, a drought hit hard. Crops failed. But there was hope. A segment of the Charlotte-Augusta railroad was slated
to cut through the nearby town of Ebenezer. Citizens protested, saying the new transportation would scare their cattle and
kill their children and slaves. George, seeing the value of the fast new transportation,
offered his farm for the rails and began supervising the new addition, along with a road from his house. The work proved
too much. In 1849, George caught pneumonia and died.
Ann’s brother Hiram, a wealthy banker, quickly stepped
in, offering money and advice. He even asked to raise her youngest son Andrew,
changing his name to George White Hutchison or David White Hutchison. Ann refused. Back
to Top
Two Views In Shaping A Town
The
construction and operation of the new railroad brought its downside. Essentially a drop-off point for
cotton, the area could be a little rough. Barrooms and the problems they bring were plentiful. But Ann set out to change things.
Just before George’s death, she set aside a room called the Prophet’s Chamber, modeled after the Biblical account
of the women of Shunen who reserved a room for the prophet Elisha. This common practice of Ann’s day offered passing
ministers of all denominations a warm place to stay. With them came moral education, news and positive role models
for the family and burgeoning town.
Nov. 6, 1851, A. T. Black began developing lots. Ann followed
a year later. The line separating the two tracts was soon known at the Black
and White line. As the town progressed, Ann had her own vision of growth. In
1854, she began organizing a school in a pine
grove off the edge of her farm. Sundays, it would serve as a Methodist meeting
house. Back
to Top
Change Is Inevitable
In
1856, brother Hiram paid off the final installment of Ann’s
farm and provided for the children’s education. Months
later, Hiram died. As a result, Ann received money that would
prove very useful in the years ahead.
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Westward
expansion, brought on by the gold rush of 1848, had highlighted
the issues of slavery. Then in 1852 a new novel hit the scene,
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. For the next decade the distance between
the Piedmont and Washington would get wider and wider. |
The War Years (1861-1865)
Both
the Whites and the Hutchisons were patriotic supporters of the U.S. Ann’s
grandfather, Alexander, was killed at the Battle of Hanging Rock. Soldiers in
George’s family included cousin Andrew Jackson. Both of their fathers worked
for the government as agents to the Catawba Indians.
Despite their loyalty, the family was realistic. Early on, Ann’s father David, in one of his many poems, predicted the new country would be short-lived.
Nullification Quilt
In
1832, anti-tariff sentiment was so high a protest meeting was held in Ebenezerville. Women were urged to wear homespun dresses. To commemorate the event, Ann’s sister, Polly, gathered scraps
from the clothing to be fashioned into a quilt. The quilt was passed down to namesake Mary Elizabeth. Well into the Civil War, ‘Homespun’ was the fashion of the times, attested by numerous spinning wheels still prominent in the home.
Early On
When war broke out in 1861, Ann’s brother Adolphus Eugene exemplified
the Hutchison will, organizing the first local militia bound for Charleston.
Ann’s youngest son, Andrew – a teenager – was
sent to the Charlotte Military Academy, created by D. H. Hill in 1859. When war
broke out, Hill, appointed by North Carolina's governor to organize the first
state militia, appealed to his
young students. 150 enlisted. Andrew wasn’t among them. Ann would send
her youngest son first to the Arsenal in Columbia then onto a new school called
the Citadel Academy.
Meanwhile, in 1862, Ann’s oldest son James cut short
his senior year at the South Carolina College to join a former teacher of his
Village school days, John M. White. Throughout the war, led by Micah Jenkins
under Hood, the regiment would encounter
some of the war’s most noted battles.
In July of 1863, Andrew met action. Citadel cadets were enlisted to defend Charleston. Standing on a wharf in the
harbor, 20-year old Andrew awaited a boat bound for Morris Island. The last minute, new orders redirected the cadets to
remain in the city.
Homefront
During
these early years, this back-country region served as a haven
for war refugees fleeing coastal fighting. Ads announced homes
and plantations for rent. With money scarce, bills were often
paid with personal possessions.
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Still
in the home today, low-country rice bowls, silver platters
and furniture attest to these unfortunate visitors. On
one occasion, silver spoons found stuffed in a mattress relayed
the gratitude of a new mother.
Another time, the wife of General Wade Hampton
reportedly stayed in the home. Her request for linen
was answered with a stern reprisal. Linen was used for bandages. Mrs. Hampton
would have to sleep
on cotton like everyone else.
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Ann
Hutchinson White |
Ann
and her daughters led the way in caring for the soldiers. With
no hospitals in the area, the ladies opened their home to nurse
the wounded. Often bearing soldiers, troop trains stopping
at the depot were met with food, fresh water, and encouragement.
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War's End
As
war progressed, hatred for South Carolina swelled
in both Union and Confederate regiments. During the burning
of Columbia,
small bands of soldiers on both sides fanned
out to
pillage less populated areas. One such Union regiment
was sent by
Kilpatrick from Lancaster. Its prominent
location
made the White Home an inevitable target. Ann
greeted the oncoming commander with her |
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| husband’s
Masonic ring. Finding common ground, he ordered his men to
turn around, leaving the area untouched. |
During
March of 1865, James was encamped in Northern Virginia. Care
packages from Ann were regular. Gloves. Soap. Coffee. Even
money. But hearing of the devastation in his home state,
James prompted his mother to redirect her gifts to the numerous
needy
in South Carolina. Ironically, James urged his brother Andrew
to protect his mother and sister from Confederate scavengers
as best he could. A month later, James would lay down his
rifle at a little known spot called Appomattox. |
Soon,
a train rushed through the edge of Ann’s plantation.
On it, an officer bearing a simple white flag. The war was
over. A short time later, a southbound train rushed through
the landscape with the Confederate treasury and the first
lady, Mrs. Jefferson Davis. |
It
was now time for a welcome change. |
After The War (1865-1900s)
With
the war over, Rock Hill began to move once more. Her children grown, Ann’s family would have more influence
than ever over the quality of growth the new town would experience. The area had little wealth. Even the town’s
founder Alexander Black was penniless.
Elder
Son James Takes Up The Cause
Following
the war, Ann sent her elder son James to the University
of Virginia where he soon made a name for himself in philosophy.
After graduating Columbia Seminary in 1871, he accepted
his
first pastorate in Americus, Georgia, married and started
a family. |
Rev.
James
Spratt White |
In
the 1870s, with the convenience of the railroad and the invention
of the jigsaw, the
White
Home
took on a new look. Adorned in
victorian scrollwork, it earned the nickname the "Gingerbread
Palace". |
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The Gingerbread Palace in 1872 |
Another
photo of the Gingerbread Palace |
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As
the decade progressed, Ann’s pine grove school would
call a young music teacher. The daughter of a Confederate
surgeon from Yorkville. Her name was Hattie Isabella Lindsay.
Her job would last but a year. She caught the eye of Andrew
and a wing was added to the house in 1878 for the newlyweds.
For the next two years, the couple would help Mary Elizabeth
care for their aged mother. Ann suffered paralysis and died
in 1880. The town of 809 residents would miss her greatly.
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Serving
churches in Chester, James suffered health problems that same
year and returned to Rock Hill, moving his family to a home
near what is now the Episcopal Church. Here, he would carry
on his mother’s vision for the city. Trade street had
eight saloons. Saturdays, children were kept in their yards.
Rowdy drunkards could be seen riding up and down the streets.
Fighting. Shooting their guns. The town had a police department
of one. Still mainly a depot to transport cotton to larger
cities, Rock Hill was notably rough around the edges. Serving
several local churches and missions, James led the
town’s first Sunday school, organized its first public school, started
a Library, even put in the town’s first cement
sidewalks. But he wasn’t alone. Brother Andrew and sister Mary were right
by his side, serving on boards; and donating land, homes and money to help
shape the future of the town around them. |
Early
one morning in January of 1891, James’ son George heard
his father leave the house. After contacting his Uncle Andrew,
a search party was organized. The body of James was found
in the well of a nearby windmill. For the funeral, the town
shut
down. Businesses closed. And 300 school children led the
casket to the grave. One month later, his wife Caroline died
of a
broken heart, leaving four young children to the care of
sister Mary Elizabeth. |
Progress
Has Just Begun
Andrew
and Mary would continue building the community. An overseer
ran the farm, freeing Andrew for other pursuits. He headed
the state’s Masonic lodge and agricultural society and
served in the constitutional convention of 1895. During his
two terms as the city’s intendant, his title was changed
to mayor and Rock Hill soon became one of the first cities
in the nation to adopt a council style of government. As
president of the volunteer fire department, his first order
of business
was a new place to meet. The old one had burned.
His white linen suit and panama
hat were often spotted around town. He helped organize an
electric
company and served as Lieutenant
Colonel of the Catawba Rifles, the town’s militia. |
Andrew
Hutchison
Stewart White
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Realizing
the depot already attracted cotton from a wide area, the
White and Hutchison families created Rock Hill’s first cotton
factory, serving as stockholders and board members. Their
interest in other industry followed. Among them, the Rock
Hill Buggy
company. They were its first investors.
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One
January night in 1903, walking home with his pastor from
a session meeting Andrew sat bedroom to
rest. He spoke briefly to his wife and died before the pastor
reached home. At ag oldest living male native
to Rock Hill. Mary would live until 1923, continuing her
tireless church work. Back
to Top
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by the fire in his
e 60, he was the
and community |
Modern Times
After
Mary’s death, Andrew’s son Hiram Hutchison White moved his family into the home from across the
street. He turned the kitchen into a storehouse and eliminated the hall breezeway and the stairway to the
Prophet’s Chamber. Downstairs, hardwood floors replaced the wide pine boards of the past.
Hattie Isabella still lived in the wing. She was fond of throwing parties for the local children
and teaching her grandchildren classical music and literature. A holdover from her days as a teacher at Ann’s Pine Grove School.
In the 1920s, Rock Hill was growing with a population of about
10,000. A surveyor by trade, H. H. White and his brother, attorney Beatty Jennings,
began
turning the remaining farmland into lots. Experience for the task had started
early. Both helped W. W. Miller survey land for a new monument commissioned
by
the US Congress in 1906. It would honor those who had fought at
King’s Mountain. Among them, an ancestor of the two young men.
Hiram’s equal interest in landscape architecture prompted him to join his cousins, Joseph Rawlinson and David A. Bigger. The group introduced the azalea to the Upstate, in part creating what is now Glencairn Gardens.
For most the latter half of the century, son William Crawford White and his family have lived in the main section with brother Andrew Lindsay White living in the wing until his death in 1998.
In 1974, the home was placed on the National Register of Historic
Places. Until 2005, its walls continued to preserve stories and artifacts from every period of American History.
On January 17, 2005, the home’s four remaining owners
sold
the residence to Historic Rock Hill for the purpose of preserving its structure
and grounds for future generations.
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