Whitehead Family History & Genealogy

This was just one story I found in the amazing book, "Whitehead Family Tree, Virginia Roots: 1600-1900" at www.virginiawhiteheads.com .

Murder of Catherine Whitehead and Children by Nat Turner. (The Nat Rebellion, aka the “Southampton Massacre”)

In August, 1831, a body of 60 or 70 slaves arose upon the white inhabitants of this county, and massacred 55 men, women, and children. The subjoined account of this event, known as the "Southampton Insurrection," was published at the time:

"The leader of this insurrection and massacre was a slave by the name of Nat Turner, about thirty-one years of age, born the slave of Mr. Benjamin Turner, of Southampon county. From a child, Nat appears to have been the victim of superstition and fanaticism. He estimulated his comrades to join him in the massacre, by declaring to them that he had been commissioned by Jesus Christ, and that he was acting under inspired-direction in what he was going to accomplish. In the confession which he voluntarily made to Mr.
Grey, while in prison, he says "That in his childhood a circumstance occurred which made an indelible impression on his mind, and laid the groundwork of the enthusiasm which terminated so fatally to many. Being at play with other children, when three or four yeras old, I told them something, which my mother overhearing, said it happened before I was born. I stuck to my story, however, and related some things which went, in her opinion, to confirm it; others being called on were greatly astonished, knowing these things had happened, and caused them to say in my hearing, I surely would be a prophet, as the Lord had showed me things which happened before my birth." His parents strengthened him in this belief, and said in his presence, that he was intended for some great purpose, which they had always thought from certain marks on his head and breast.

Nat, as he grew up, was fully persuaded he was destined to accomplish some great purpose; his powers of mind appeared much superior to his fellow slaves; they looked up to him as a person guided by divine inspiration, which belief he ever inculcated by his austerity of life and manners. After a variety of revelations from the spiritual world, Nat says, in his confession, that, "On the 12th of May, 1828, I heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me, and said the serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men; and that I should take it on and fight against the serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first -- and by signs in the heavens that it would make known to me when I should commence the great work -- and until the first sign appeared, I should conceal it from the knowledge of men. And on the appearance of the sign, (the eclipse of the sun last February, 1831), I should arise and prepare myself, and slay my enemies with their own weapons. And immediately on the sign appearing in the heavens, the seal was removed from my lips, and I communicated the great work laid out for me to do, to four, in whom I had the greatest confidence, (Henry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam). It was intended by us to have begun the work of death on the 4th July last. Many were the plans formed and rejected by us; and it affected my mind to such a degree, that I fell sick, and the time passed without our coming to any determination how to commence -- still forming new schemes and rejecting them, when the sign appeared again, which determined me not to wait longer." Nat commenced the massacre by the murder of his master and family.

He says: "Since the commencement of 1830, I had been living with Mr. Joseph Travis, who was to me a kind master, and placed the greatest confidence in me. In fact, I had no cause to complain of his treatment to me. On Saturday evening, the 20th of August, it was agreed between Henry, Hark, and myself, to prepare a dinner the next day for the men we expected, and then to concert a plan, as we had not yet determined on any. Hark, on the following morning, brought a pig, and Henry, brandy; and being joined by Sam, Nelson, Will, and Jack, they prepared in the woods a dinner, where, about three o'clock, I joined them. I saluted them on coming up, and asked Will how came he there; he answered, his life was worth no more than others, and his liberty as dear to him. I asked him if he thought to obtain it? He said he would, or lose his life. This was enough to put him in full confidence. Jack, I knew, was only a tool in the hands of Hark. It was quickly agreed we should commence at home, (Mr. J. Travis',) on that night; and, until we had armed and equipped ourselves, and gathered sufficient force, neither age nor sex was to be spared, (which was invariably adhered to). We remained at the feast until about two hours in the night, when we went to the house and found Austin; they all went to the cider press and drank, except myself.

On returning to the house, Hark went to the door with an axe for the purpose of breaking it open, as we knew we were strong enough to murder the fmaily, if they were awakened by the noise; but reflecting that it might create an alarm in the neighborhood, we determined to enter the house secretly, and murder them while sleeping. Hark got a ladder and set it against the chimney, on which I ascended, and hoisting a window, entered and came down stairs, unbarred the door, and removed the guns from their places. It was then observed that I must spill the first blood. On which, armed with a hatchet, and accompanied by Will, I entered my master's chamber; it being dark, I could not give a death-blow; the hatchet glanced from his head, he sprang from the bed and called his wife; it was his last word. Will laid him dead with a blow of his axe, and Mrs. Travis shared the same fate as she lay in bed. The murder of this family, five in number, was the work of a moment, not one of them awoke; there was a little infant sleeping in a cradle, that was forgotten until we had left the house and gone some distance, when Henry and Will returned and killed it; we got here four guns that would shoot, and several old muskets, with a pound or two of powder. We remained some time at the barn, where we paraded; I formed them in a line as soldiers, and after carrying them through all the maneuvers I was master of, marched them off to Mr. Salanthiel Francis', about six hundred yards distant."

They proceeded in this manner from house to house, murdering all the whites they could find, their force augmenting as they proceeded, till they amounted to fifty or sixty in number, all mounted, armed with guns, axes, swords, and clubs. They then started for Jerusalem, and proceeded a few miles, when they were met by a party of white men who fired upon them, and forced them to retreat. "On my way back, (says Nat,) I called at Mrs. Thomas's, Mrs. Spencer's, and several other places; the white families having fled, we found no more victims to gratify our thirst for blood. We stopped at Major Ridley's quarter for the night, and being joined by four of his men, with the recruits made since my defeat, we mustered now about forty strong.

"After placing out sentinals, I lay down to sleep, but was quickly aroused by a great racket; starting up, I found some mounted, and others in great confusion. One of the sentinels having given the alarm that we were about to be attacked, I ordered some to ride round and reconnoitre; and on their return the others being more alarmed, not knowing who they were, fled in different ways, so that I was reduced to about twenty again; with this I determined to attempt to recruit, and proceeded to rally in the neighborhood I had left. Dr. Blunt's was the nearest house, which we reached just before day; on riding up the yard, Hark fired a gun. We expected Dr. Blunt and his family were at Major Ridley's, as I knew there was a company of men there; the gun was fired to ascertain if any of the family were at home; we were immediately fired upon and retreated, leaving several of my men. I do not know what became of them, as I never saw them afterwards. Pursuing our course back, and coming in sight of Capt. Harris's, where we had been the day before, we discovered a party of white men at the house, on which all deserted me but two, (Jacob and Nat.). We concealed ourselves in the woods until near night, when I sent them in search of Henry, Sam, Nelson, and Hark; and directed them to rally all they could, at the place we had our dinner the Sunday before, where they would find me; and I accordingly returned there as soon as it was dar, and remained until Wednesday evening, when, discovering white men riding around the place, as though they were looking for some one, and none of my men joining me, I concluded Jacob and Nat had been taken, and compelled to betray me. On this I gave up all hope for the present, and on Thursday night, after having supplied myself with provisions from Mr. Travis', I scratched a hole under a pile of fence-rails in a field, where I concealed myself for six weeks, never leaving my hiding-place but for a few minutes in the dead of the night to get water, which was very near; thinking by this time I could venture out, I began to go about in the night, and evesdrop the houses in the neighborhood; pursuing this course for about a fortnight, and gathering little or no intelligence, afraid of speaking to any human being, and returning every morning to my cave before the dawn of the day. I know not how long I might have led this life, if accident had not betrayed me. A dog in the neighborhood, passing by my hiding place one night while I was out, was attracted by some meat I had in my cave, and crawled in and stole it, and was coming out just as I returned. A few nights after, two negroes having started to go hunting with the same dog, and passed that way, the dog came again to the place, and having just gone out to walk about, discovered me and barked, on which, thinking myself discovered, I spoke to them to beg concealment. On making myself known they fled from me. Knowing then that they would betray me, I immediately left my hiding-place, and was pursued almost incessantly, until I was taken a fortnight afterwards, by Mr. Benjamin Phipps, in a little hole I had dug out with my sword, for the purpose of concealment, under the top of a fallen tree. On Mr. Phipps discoveringn the place of my concealment, he cocked his gun and aimed at me. I requested him not to shoot, and I would give up, upon which he demanded my sword. I delivered it to him and he brought me to prison."

Nat was executed according to his sentence, at Jerusalem, Nov. 11th, 1831. The following is a list of the persons murdered in the insurrection, on the 21st and 22d of August, 1831:

Joseph Travis and wife and three children, Mrs. Elizabeth Turner, Hartwell Prebles, Sarah Newsome, Mrs. P. Reese and son William, Trajan Doyle, Henry Bryant and wife and child, and wife's mother; Mrs. Catherine Whitehead, son Richard, four daughters and grand-child; Salathiel Francis, Nathaniel Francis' overseer and two children, John T. Barrow, George Vaughan, Mrs. Levi Waller and ten children, William Williams, wife and two bosy; Mrs. Caswell Worrel and child, Mrs. REbecca Vaughan, Ann Elizabeth Vaughan and son Arthur, Mrs. John K. Williams and child, Mrs. Jacob Williams and three children, and Edward Drury -- amounting to fifty-five. [86]

name.PROFFESSOR GERMAN SIMS WOODHEAD.MD.FRCS.OBE.MBE.CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF ALL ARMED FORCES
WW1.DUE TO INVENTION OF CHLORINATED WATER SUPPLIED TO THE BRITISH ARMED FORCES AND USED THROUGH OUT THE WORLD TODAY PROF.WOODHEADS INVENTION OF CHLORINATED WATER HAS SAVED BILLIONS OF LIVES THROUGH OUT THE CIVILIZED WORLD.HE DIED IN 1922 HE WAS A GREAT FRIEND OF MY FATHER.
PRIOR TO WW1 ACTING AS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR"ROOM 24"CODE WORD FOR ADMIRALTY INTELLIGENCE.HE,PROF WOODHEAD WAS SENT ROUND EUROPE WHICH WAS REARMING AT THE TIME FOR WW1.
HE,PROF WOOHEAD ON REPORTING TO THE ADMIRALTY, PROF WOODHEAD,INFORMING THAT CERTAIN POISION GASES WERE GOING TO BE USED.THIS PRIOR TO WW1.PROF WOODHEAD BEING AN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIST
GOT THE JOB OF RESEARCHING ALL POISION GASES THAT MIGHT BE USED IN THE COMING CONFLICT.
SO WORKING WITH LOUS PASTURE,MADAM CURE AND HER HUSBAND PIERRE THEY RESEARCHED VARIOUS PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT ARISE IN THE USE OF POSION GASES AND AT A TOP SECRET MEETING IN WHITEHALL
THE PROBLEM OF GERMWARFARE AROSE.THIS TAKING PLACE AGAIN BEFORE WW1.IT WAS DECIDED THAT PROF.
WOODHEAD SHOULD BE PUT IN CHARGE OF THIS NEW GERMWARFARE PROJECT.TO DISGUISE THE FACT THEY WERE GERMWAREFARE LABORATORIES THEY WERE CALLED PATHOLOGY LABS.PROF WOODHEAD PROVIDE AT THE TIME SO OF THE MOST UPTODATE LABS.AT EDINBURGH,OXFORD,LONDON UNIVERSITIES.PLUS LEEDS UNIVERSITY WERE HE CARRIED VACINE RESEARCH IN HIS EARLIER DAY'S OF RESEARCH ON GERMS,BACTERIA,
VIRUSUS,ETC.HIS TEXT BOOK EVEN GIVES AN INSIGHT IN HOW TO MAKE A VACINE FOR HIV-AIDS.IT WAS CALLED "BACTERIA".THROUGHOUT WW1 HE MADE SURE THAT PROPER HYGIENE METHODS WERE USED.THUS SAVING,INCLUDING MY OWN FATHERS LIFE WHO FOUGHT IN WW1.A TRUE CHISTIAN ALL HIS LIVE,EVEN A LAY
PREACHER HE ATLAST BURN OUT FROM HIS FRANTIC LIFE TIME DIED AGE 65 IN 1922.A GREAT MAN WHO VERY FEW PEOPLE NEW OF.HIS RESEARCH IN WW1 PUT ENGLAND ON A RESEARCH FOOTING FAR BEYOND GERMANY HAD IN WW2.THE WHOLE WORLD OWES THIS MAN A DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR HIS VACINE RESEARCH
AND HIS INVENTION OF THE CLEAN CHLORINATED WATER WE DRINK EVERDAY.
HIS FATHER WAS EDITOR-OWNER OF "THE HUDDERSFIELD EXAMINER"A HUDDERSFIELD MEMBER OF PARLIMENT FOR HUDDERSFIELD FOR SOME YEARS.HE,WAS PROF.WOODHEAD THE FATHER OF GERMWARFARE-NERVE GASES USED STILL IN GERMWARFARE TO THIS DAY.

My Uncle Jesse Lee has often told the story of his familys move to Texas, he says a trunk was left with neighbors, Big John and Little John Whitehead. They were living at the time in Prescott Ark. I have searched the census of 1920 for Prescott,Ark and have found the father and son listed as neighbors to the Brown family. If you are a descendent of these Whiteheads I would love to talk to any of you who may have knowledge of this trunk or members of our family. Brown family, John D, wife Idella, children, Chester, Gracie, Jesse Lee, John D. Jr, Mae, and Flossie. Please contact me at [contact link].