This page last updated February 29, 2004.
The only certain thing that is known about Catherine Whitten of Edgefield District, South Carolina is that she died in 1843, leaving two sons: Austin and Pleasant Whitten. Beyond this fact, one can only make educated guesses and assumptions. There is a Caty Whitten listed as the female head of the household in the 1840 Abbeville, SC census. This Caty Whitten listed one female age 40-50, one female age 30-40, one male age 15-20, and one male age 10-15. The ages for the two males correspond with the dates of birth for Austin (1820) and Pleasant (1824), making one believe that this Caty could be our Catherine. My guess is that Catherine is the younger female, maybe in her early 30's, while her mother is the older female, maybe in her late 40's. This is purely speculative, but if this were so, Catherine's dates would be circa 1805-1843.
Catherine's death in 1843 is fairly certain. On Nov. 27, 1843, in Edgefield District, Charles Freeman was appointed the administrator of the estate of Catherine Whitten, who had died intestate. The property was appraised on Dec. 13, 1843. In 1845, Freeman swore that he paid Austin Whitten for a part of his distributive share of the estate on Dec. 30, 1844. Then later, on Dec. 25, 1848, Freeman paid Pleasant Whitten in full for his distributive share of the estate and also paid Pleasant the balance of Austin's share of the estate. Pleasant and Austin Whitten were the only heirs to receive a distributive share of her estate. Perhaps they were her only surviving heirs? The estate of Catherine Whitten is recorded in the Edgefield District, South Carolina Probate Records in Box 52 Package 2196.
The husband of Catherine Whitten and the father of Pleasant and Austin Whitten is not known for sure. Two likely candidates are Elijah Whittten, who can be found on the 1820 Abbeville, SC census, and Eli Whitten, who can be found on the 1830 Edgefield, SC census. Personally, I believe these are both the same man. William C. Whitten, in his Whitten and Allied Families, second edition, proposes that Elijah may be the brother of Elisha Whitten and Austin Whitten, both of whom can be found on the 1820 Abbeville, SC census. These three men may all be the sons of Austin Whitten, who can be found on the 1800 Edgefield, SC census. For more details, I will refer the reader to Chapter 11, pages 338-342 of Whitten and Allied Families, second edition, by Virginia Wood Alexander and William C. Whitten, Jr. (copyright 1984, self-published).
Elijah? Whitten
Born: circa 1800, probably in the Old 96th District, South Carolina
around Abbeville or Edgefield
Married: Unknown, probably circa 1820 in South Carolina
Died: 1830-1840, probably near Edgefield, South Carolina
Buried: Unknown, probably unmarked near Edgefield, South Carolina
Father: probably Austin Whitten (I call him Austin I)
Mother: Unknown
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Catherine Whitten -- maiden name unknown
Born: circa 1800-1810
Died: 1843 in Edgefield District, South Carolina
Buried: Unknown, probably unmarked in Edgefield, South Carolina
Father: Unknown, but W.C. Whitten has guessed possibly Pleasant
Searles
Mother: Unknown
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William C. Whitten is my main source of information on the parents of Pleasant and Austin Whitten. His research on this family can be found primarily in his Chapter 11, "Austin Whitten of Abbeville and Edgefield Counties, South Carolina". Mr. Whitten once cautioned me (and I now caution my visitors) that there is no surviving documentation to prove that this Austin Whitten is the grandfather of our Pleasant and Austin Whitten. However, I have transcribed the census information from Mr. Whitten's chapter on my page titled "Austin Whitten I of Abbeville and Edgefield Counties, South Carolina".
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Mary K. Johnson
Look4Whittens@yahoo.com
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