TENTH GENERATION

1012. John WITHERSPOON ⁽⁴⁵⁸⁾ was born in 1670 in Scotland. ⁽⁴⁵⁹⁾ He resided before 1695 in Begardie, Glasgow, Scotland. ⁽⁴⁶⁰⁾ He resided in 1695 in Knockbracken, Parish of Drumbo, County Down, Ireland.⁽⁴⁶¹⁾ He resided in 1734 in Williamsburg, SC. ⁽⁴⁶²⁾ He emigrated on 17 Sep 1734 from Williamsburg, SC. ^(463)(464) On September 17, 1734, a band of colonists set sail from Belfast for Williamsburg on the ship "The Good Intent". These were John Witherspoon (1670 -1739), his wife Janet (1670 - 1734), his sons, David and James, his daughter, Janet and her husband, John Fleming and their families. After a stormy voyage, the Witherspoon colonists landed at Charleston about 1 Dec 1734; and after suffering many hardships, of which we have a vivid account written by one of the participants, they finally reached Kingstree in Feb 1735, only to find it a small collection of clay-chinked huts and the country a timbered wilderness infested with howling wolves and peopled by savage Indians.

In the course of the voyage, Janet, wife of John Witherspoon, died on 30 Sep 1734, two days out from Belfast.. She was buried at sea; and shortly after landing at Charleston, Sarah, the two year old daughter of James Witherspoon, second son of John, died and was the first person buried in the First Presbyterian (Scotch) Churchyard there. He died in 1737 in Boggy Swamp, Williamsburg District, SC. ^(465)(466) The History of Williamsburg, by William Willis Boddie, 1923, on page 30 states: "John Witherspoon (1670 - 1737) settled on Boggy Swamp in Williamsburg (District, South Carolina) in 1734, and died in the fall of 1737. He was the first person buried at the Williamsburg (District, Sourth Carolina) settlement and was also the first person buried at the Williamsburg Meeting house. He was born near Glasgow (Scotland) in 1670, moved to County Down, Ireland, in 1695, from whence he came to this country. He was a great great grandson of John Knox (1505 -1572) and his second wife, Margaret Stuart (1548 -1612). From his Stuart great great grandmother he drew some of the blood of Robert Bruce as well as that of other Scotsmen of great strength and power - even from the Laird who became Shakespeare's Banquo's Ghost."

Wardlaw's Genealogy of the Witherspoon Family, published in 1910, states that: "John Witherspoon, son of David, son of Rev. James Witherspoon and Lucy Welch, died of rose-in-the-leg (crysipelas) in Williamsburg township in the fall of 1737. He is the recognized head of the family and all manuscripts since R.S. Witherspoon's of 1890 speak of him as "John". He was of medium size, light complexioned and fine constitution. He was eminently pious and given to prayer. He aided in building the original church near Kingstree, SC. He was buried in 1737 in Williamsburg, SC.⁽⁴⁶⁷⁾ He was a Weaver. In the first Genealogy of the Witherspoon Family (in America) by his grandson, Robert Witherspoon (1728 - 1788) states, under date Williamsburg, S.C., May 1780: "My Grandfather and Grandmother were born in Scotland about the year 1670; they were cousins and both of one Sir Name, his (given) name was John, and hers was Janet; they lived in their younger years in or near, Glasgow (Scotland) at a place called Begardie; were married in 1693 and in 1695 they left Scotland and settled in Ireland in the County of Down, Parish of Drumbo at a place called Knockbracken, where he lived in good circumstances and in good credit until the year 1734. He then removed with his family to South Carolina."

"Witherspoon is an old Scottish name and is frequently mentioned in accounts of ancient battles. A description of the coat of arms may be found in Burke's Armory. The cross and cresents thereon indicate crusader ancestry, and the engrailed cross denotes possession of landed estates. Dr. John Witherspoon (1722 - 1794), President of Princeton, member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence was a (grand) nephew of (Janet, the wife of) John Witherspoon, original settler in Williamsburg, SC, in 1734. He was married to Janet WITHERSPOON in 1693.⁽⁴⁶⁸⁾

1013. Janet WITHERSPOON was born in 1670. ^(469)(470) She died on 30 Sep 1734 in Atlantic Ocean.^{(471) (472)(473) (474)} Janet died two days after the beginning the voyage from Belfast, Ireland to Charleston, SC and was buried at sea. Children were:

i. Janet WITHERSPOON was born in 1695.⁽⁴⁷⁵⁾ She emigrated in 1734 from Charleston, SC.⁽⁴⁷⁶⁾ She died in 1761 in Williamsburg, SC. ^(477)(478)
ii. David WITHERSPOON was born in 1697 in Ireland. ^(479)(480) He signed a will on 9 Jan 1759 in Charleston, SC.⁽⁴⁸¹⁾ (Will 1757 - 60, page 233, Probate Court, Charleston, SC), leaves his wife, Anne 1/3 of estate, two daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth, fifty pounds each; Executors, Son, David and two sons-in-law, Wm. Pressley and Joseph McKey. In the presence of Jas. McCelland, Robert Wilson, and John Witherspoon. He died on 9 Oct 1759 in Charleston, SC.^{(482) (483)}
504 iii. James WITHERSPOON.
iv. Elizabeth WITHERSPOON was born in 1703 in Ireland. ^(484)(485) She died in 1750 in Williamsburg, SC.^{(486) (487)}
506 v. Robert WITHERSPOON.
vi. Mary WITHERSPOON was born in 1707.⁽⁴⁸⁸⁾ She died in 1765.⁽⁴⁸⁹⁾
vii. Gavin WITHERSPOON was born in 1712.⁽⁴⁹⁰⁾ He died in 1773.⁽⁴⁹¹⁾