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Charles Whitten was a pewter caster, and the earliest yet identified member of his branch of the Whitten family. He was born about 1736; his wife, about 1740. Some think her name was Nancy. Although we do not know where either was born, they lived in Virginia before moving to South Carolina in about 1784, for early census records show the two sons who moved with them were born in that state. Typical families of the time had several children, and this was true of Charles Whitten and his wife. The 1790 census of Spartanburg District has them with three males and four females. Unfortunately, we can positively identify only sons John and Charles Jr., born 12 April 1762 and 18 January 1769, respectively, somewhere in Virginia. They married sisters, Mary and Millicent Reagan, who were born in 1766 and 1769, respectively, in Stafford County, Virginia. Both were daughters of James Reagan, veteran of the Revolution, and his first wife, Elizabeth Hayes. This book is about John and Charles Jr. and their descendants.

From the Foreword: "As descendants of John and his brother, Charles Whitten Jr., were identified, I tried to discover their roles in the settlement of lands that became the South. Typically Europeans and Africans, coming ashore at East Coast ports, settled nearby, started families, and put down roots. Subsequent generations moved south and west seeking more and better land, leaving behind relatives, records, and real estate that can still be found by those who wish to find it. Our Whittens were among them, leaving the mountains of Virginia for the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. In the process, four Whittens left South Carolina and become several thousand by the time I stopped searching."

This book is divided into four sections. Book I: Earliest of These Whittens is devoted to James Reagan; Book II: John Whitten and His Descendants includes James Whitten, Charles Whitten, Elizabeth Whitten, Nancy Whitten, Silas Reagan Whitten, Alfred Whitten, Isaac Smith Whitten, Mariam Whitten, and Ranson Whitten; Book III: Descendants of Charles Whitten Jr. includes Albert Whitten, Nancy Hollan Whitten, Alvin Earle Whitten, John R. Whitten, Mariah S. Whitten, Zachariah Whitten, William S. Whitten, and Silas Reagan Whitten; and Book IV Texas Pioneers. Entries contain varying amounts of information; several are augmented by transcripts of letters. A full-name index adds to the value of this work.