This page was created by the late Bill Darnell.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WHITLOW FAMILY
Submitted by David Cagle
AUGUSTUS FITZELLEN WHITLOW FAMILY
From Left to Right:
Wheeler Milton Whitlow, b. 1886, d. 1930's
Augustus Fitzellen Whitlow, b. 1850, d. 1907
Otis Adolphus Whitlow, b. 1882, d. 1956
Charley Augustus Whitlow, b. 1889, d. 1973
Nora Fitzellen Whitlow, b. 1880, d. 1965
Margaret Fowler Whitlow, b. 1856. d. 1947
Ulva Lenoir Whitlow, b. 1888. d. 1955
Augustus Fitzellen Whitlow, b. 1850, d. 1907., was
married to Margaret C. Fowler, b. 1856, d. 1947. The
marriage record was recorded as follows: A. F. Whitlow
married to Maggie Fowler with the license being obtained
and the marriage occurring on the same date, 8 January
1880. Witnesses: A. F. Whitlow and E. D. Alexander.
Official: D. A. Baxter, J. P.
Augustus, "Gus" was born on the family farm at his
father's residence which was located where the old
Savannah-Carrolsville Road crosses Indian Creek near the
confluence of Whitlow and Indian Creeks. The Whitlow
family had settled at that particular site because Gus'
grandfather, Henderson Whitlow was a miller and ginman
and operated a water mill and a cotton gin at this site.
The first mill in Hardin County operated by Henry Garner
and the first cotton gin in the county operated by
Harrison Tompkins were located on what was eventually to
become the Whitlow farm. Henderson Whitlow eventually
took over the operation of the above mentioned
facilities. The first school in Hardin County was also built
on Whitlow Land near Cross Roads.
After Gus' grandfather died in 1841, his father, Milton,
continued the family business and over the next 40 years
established a large farm operation which eventually
included more that 800 acres on both sides of Indian
Creek near where Popular Springs road now crosses said
creek.
Being born in 1850, Gus was too young to fight in the
Civil War. His allegiances were not known, however as
with the young men of his age, he may have leaned to the
Union side. His oldest brother, Oscar Edwin, and
brother-in-law, G. W. Blackwelder, joined the Confederate
army in 1861 and were both dead within three months.
In 1863, a second brother, Granville, joined the Union
Army and was stationed with the 2nd Mounted Infantry at
Clifton Tennessee. This change of allegiance may have
been brought about by the fall of Shiloh which brought
Hardin County under Union Control very early in the war.
He may have been influenced by his brother-in-law, Samuel
R. Allen, who was surely pro-union with sons being named
Sherman and Grant.
In 1870 Milton Whitlow died and Gus became the head of
household at the age of 19. Living there also was an
older sister, Emily, a younger sister, Amanda, and a
younger brother, James Buchannon, who was an invalid as
the result of a fall from a horse. The 1870 census of the
14th Civil District of Hardin County shows this household
and others of his family as follows:
73 Augustus Whitlow 19 TN
Emily 26 TN
Amanda 15 TN
Buckhanon 12 TN
68 Granville Whitlow 24 TN
Calista 24 TN
Geroge Blackwelder 8 TN
71 Lewis Owens 28 TN
Sally (Whitlow) 28 TN
Martha 9 TN
William 5 TN
Amos Duckworth 34
72 Samuel Allen 39 KY
Harriet (Whitlow) 35 TN
Milton 11 TN
Sally 6 TN
Sherman 4 TN
Grant 1 TN
In the 2nd Civil district
01 M. J. Whitlow 21 TN
Sarah W. (Alexander) 18 TN
03 Margaret W. Polk Whitlow age 49 is shown living with
her son-in-law, James C. Wells. Margaret was the
widow of Thomas A. Polk who had married Milton
Whitlow shortly before he died in 1870.
The next decade saw many changes in the family. On the 8th of January
1880, Gus married Margaret Catherine Fowler, the daughter of Sterling and
Eliza Bain Fowler of the Mt. Herman community. In 1870, Amanda Whitlow
married Perviance Alexander and they moved to llinois where their oldest
child, Florence, was born in 1871. However, they moved back to Tennessee in
1874 where their two sons, Oscar and Uley T., were born. Also, in about the
year 1870, Emily Whitlow married Amos Duckworth. In about 1880, Samuel R.
Allen and wife, Harriet Whitlow Allen, moved across the Tennessee River to
the Hookers Bend Community and about a year or so later, Milton J. Whitlow
and Winnie Alexander Whitlow moved to Arkansas. Also, Lewis Owens and
wife, Sarah Whitlow Owens, aunt of Augustus Whitlow, moved to Arkansas.
The 1880 Census of Hardin County the family as follows:
In the 2nd Civil District
7 Margaret Whitlow 59 NC NC NC
Elizabeth Wells 35 TN TN TN daughter
Uriah C. Wells 10 TN TN TN g/son
9 Granville Whitlow 34 TN SC TN
Killister 37 TN TN KY
James B. 24 TN SC TN brother
George Blackwelder 19 TN NC TN nephew
Florence Alexander 8 IL TN TN neice
Oscar 6 TN TN TN nephew
Uley T. 2 TN TN TN nephew
11 Amos Duckworth 46 TN IRE IRE
Emily C. 35 TN SC TN
Susan M. 9 TN TN TN
Henneritia 11/12 TN TN TN
In the 5th Civil District
104 Milton J. Whitlow 31 TN SC TN
Sarah J. 27 TN TN TN
Eliza M. M. 10 TN TN TN
Nancy I. 7 TN TN TN
William G. 4 TN TN TN
Darsey P. 2 TN TN TN
105 A. F. Whitlow 29 TN SC TN
Maggie 24 TN TN TN
In the 12th Civil District
10 S Samuel R. Allen 49 KY KY KY
Harriet W. 45 TN SC TN
James 21 TN KY TN
Sarah 16 TN KY TN
William 14 TN KY TN
Grant 12 TN KY TN
Effie 7 TN KY TN
Wilburn 5 TN KY TN
Gus was influenced by his older brother Granville, who was a Merchant and
farmer. Gus and a partner, perhaps a relative, established a store at Wells
Landing on the Tennessee River. The business failed, the partner skipped
and Gus was was left to pay the debt--which was done.
Between 1880 and 1890, Gus and Maggie had 6 children, 5 of
which live to adulthood. In order they were: Nora, b. Oct. 1880; Otis, b.
Sept. 1882; Ulva, b. Nov. 1884; Wheeler, b. July 1886; Charley, b. Oct., 1,
1889; and Charley's twin, Barney who survived birth by about a month, died
Nov. 1, 1889 and is buried at Harmony Cemetery.
Gus and his family lived at Cross Roads until 1900 at which time they sold
their property there and moved to a 300 acre farm on Turkey Creek located
about 4 miles east of Savannah. When Gus sold out at Cross Roads, he
excluded from the sale a one acre tract to be used by the community for a
School. The site today is used by the Union Church, the school being
abandoned many years ago.
Gus did not live long on his Turkey Creek farm. In 1907 he died from
complications of heart disease leaving his widow and children to run the
family farm.
The oldest child Nora, born 01 October 1880, died 09 August 1965, attended
Freed Hardeman College, and was a school teacher in the Porters Community.
She was married six times. The names of here husbands were: Levin Banks,
David Jerome Porter, Hardeman Perkins, John Hoover, W. Gentry Hester, and
Dr. Sam Noel. Aunt Nora did not have any children.
The oldest son, Otis, born in September 1882, attended Freed Hardeman
College and Vanderbuilt University, became a Doctor and had a practice at
Cerro Gordo and then Savannah in Hardin County until his death in 1956.
About the time he began pratcice, he married Mamie Callens, born 1889, died
1991. They built a white frame house at Cerro Gordo which is now owned by
Clytie Fitts Jennings, a second cousin of Dr. Whitlow. Uncle Otis and Aunt
Mamie moved from Cerro Gordo to a house on the family farm on Turkey Creek
in the teens. They had children named as follows: Raymond, Murray, unnamed
son, Barney, Gus, Martha and Margaret.
Ulva Whitlow was the third child born in November of 1884. Ulva was married
to Thella Hitchcock, born 1888, died 1955. The couple had 5 children:
Hubert, Alton, Glenn, unnamed daughter, and Ancil Whitlow. Uncle Ulva was a
farmer, worked as a clerk in Hughes' store and in later years became active
in local politics. He served as the Hardin County Court Clerk for several
years before his death in 1955.
Child number 4, Wheeler Whitlow, born in July of 1886, was married to Belle
Paulk. Uncle Wheeler, at a very young age, became ill and was not able to
work on the farm. The family built a store south of the Old Town Road
about 100 yards east of the Old Whitlow home place which was run by Uncle
Wheeler until his death. After Wheeler's death, Aunt Belle moved to
Savannah where she was a school teacher for many years. They had children
named as follows: Unnamed son, Delia, unnamed daughter, and Fanny Whitlow.
Twins were born to Gus and Maggie on October 1, 1889. Charley A. and Barney
L. Whitlow. Barney died on November 1, 1889.
Charley Augustus, born 01 October 1889 and died 20 November 1873, was a
soldier in World War I, spending time in France. After the war, he was
married to Elzie Mackie Reynolds, born 13 January 1898 and died 31 Dec.
1988. Their children were: Mable who married Burnace Cagle (my parents);
Ollie who married Lowell Cagle; Wheeler Milton who married Janice Graham;
and Ruby who married Max Seaton. Charley was a Presbyterian, a republican,
a sawmiller, a school teacher once year in the 1920's, and a farmer. He was
born at Cerro Gordo in 1889 and moved to the Turkey Creek Farm with his
parents in 1900 and lived there the next 73 years.
It appears that the Whitlow experience in America began with John Whitlow,
an indentured servant, on the Rappahannock River in east central Virginia in
1650. John and his family moved south to the Henrico County Virginia area
near Richmond by the early 1700's and remained in that area for about 75
years, the line running, John, William, William and William. The
migration continues as Whitlows moved to the southern counties of Virginia
and the northern Counties of North Carolina. Our ancestor next in line,
Darby Whitlow, in about 1778 went to North Carolina, but settled in
Charlotte County Virginia in the 1780's. Between 1790 and 1810, Darbey's
son, Henderson Whitlow, moved to Laurens County South Carolina. By 1820,
Henderson was in Hardin County Tennessee where many of his descendants
remain, while others scattered to Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas,
Oklahoma and elsewhere. The latest directory handed out by Ma Bell lists 11
Whitlow families living in Hardin County Tennessee today, September 10,
1997.
If we have all the generations, my line runs: John, William, William,
William, Darby, Henderson, Milton, Augustus, Charley, Mable Whitlow Cagle,
David Cagle.
David Cagle
605 Court Street
Savannah, Tennessee 38372
901-925-2069
dcagle@centuryinter.net
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