Philmer/Philomon Whitworth Overview
Philmer Whitworth was enumerated on the Franklin Co., Virginia Tax Lists for the
years 1802 through 1805. Other Whitworths that appear at some time on the tax
lists from 1805 through 1814 were Thomas, Abraham, William and Elizabeth. The
absence of Philmer/Philomon on the 1810 Franklin County census provides addition
confirmation that Philomen
and Mary Woody Whitworth had left that area. In fact, they do
not seem to be in the 1810 or 1820 censuses for VA, NC or KY. The supposed father of Philemon was Thomas
Whitworth found in Franklin Co. Tax Lists. Based on online genealogies,
most of the family seems to have moved to Breckinridge & Green Counties KY
very early; however, I have seen material that disputes this. At any rate, Philomen is not found in KY.
However,
a Philemon is found in 1816 Montgomery Co., TN as an overseer of road
construction. He is also in 1820 Montgomery Co. census and in 1830 Rutherford
Co. census. The last listing I can find is in 1841 Montgomery Co. voter list.
The
"Whitworth Family", a short article found on Montgomery Co. GenWeb site states that
Fendal Whitworth settled in Montgomery/Cheatham Co., TN before 1800 with two
sons, Philmon & John. They were supposedly from Lincoln Co., NC. By 1840
the family had dispersed to Shelby Co., TN, Mississippi, Missouri & Texas.
Also,
there were a lot of Whitworths in Rockingham Co., NC about 1800. By 1820, all
the males were gone. Rockingham is on the NC/VA border across from
Henry/Franklin Co., VA
I
suspect that the TN Philomen is our lad. He may not have been the son of Thomas
at all, but the son of a someone in Rockingham or Lincoln counties. The court
& land records in Montgomery Co., TN might yield some useful information.
I
would appreciate any leads or suggestions concerning this couple.
Revised Jan 14, 2012