Individual Details
Thomas Witten
(10 Sep 1719 - Abt 1794)
1749; Thomas Witten was in Frederick Co., Maryland living near his wife's cousin, Samuel Cecil. Some say he was her brother, he was not. William Cecil, Grandfather of Elizabeth and Samuel lived in the area. In 1766, Joshua Cecil, brother of Elizabeth, bought land in the area. This land is located near present day Highway I-270 at the Montgomery/Frederick County lines. In Nov. 1762, Thomas sold his land in Frederick Co. in 4 tracts. (Liber H, folios 222, 224, 225, 237). This was in the area of Sugar Loaf Mountain. They were in Virginia in 1777 when Thomas and his son Thomas took the oath of allegiance to Virginia.
Thomas came to Virginia c. 1772 from the Maryland colony. With him came Samuel W. Cecil. Each of these men had ten children, five of each family intermarrying.
Pioneer of SW Virginia; "Crab Orchard" at head of Clinch River was the first pioneer settlement in today's Tazewell County. The name Crab Orchard (Pisgah) was derived from a wild crab apple orchard found there when first surveyed. Today there is a pioneer park there with a reconstruction of Thomas Witten's blockhouse. In "American Forts Yesterday and Today", Ft. Witten is no. 57 in western Virginia near Tazewell. It marks the first settlement in this section of Clinch Valley. It was built by Thomas in 1767 and has been reconstructed. Originally it was a community fort, a place of refuge for settlers from Indians.
A list of persons who hath sworn allegiance to the state 1777 on 30 Sep 1777 includes Thomas Witten, Sen'r. (first name on list), Thomas Witten, Jun'r., James Witten, William Cissel, and John Greenup. These names were taken from page 46 of "Montgomery Co., Virginia - The First 100 Years"
Ancestry of Thomas is unknown according to Elise Jourdan, an expert on Maryland Genealogy.
Thomas came to Virginia c. 1772 from the Maryland colony. With him came Samuel W. Cecil. Each of these men had ten children, five of each family intermarrying.
Pioneer of SW Virginia; "Crab Orchard" at head of Clinch River was the first pioneer settlement in today's Tazewell County. The name Crab Orchard (Pisgah) was derived from a wild crab apple orchard found there when first surveyed. Today there is a pioneer park there with a reconstruction of Thomas Witten's blockhouse. In "American Forts Yesterday and Today", Ft. Witten is no. 57 in western Virginia near Tazewell. It marks the first settlement in this section of Clinch Valley. It was built by Thomas in 1767 and has been reconstructed. Originally it was a community fort, a place of refuge for settlers from Indians.
A list of persons who hath sworn allegiance to the state 1777 on 30 Sep 1777 includes Thomas Witten, Sen'r. (first name on list), Thomas Witten, Jun'r., James Witten, William Cissel, and John Greenup. These names were taken from page 46 of "Montgomery Co., Virginia - The First 100 Years"
Ancestry of Thomas is unknown according to Elise Jourdan, an expert on Maryland Genealogy.
Events
| Birth | 10 Sep 1719 | Maryland | |||
| Marriage | Abt 1742 | Maryland - Elizabeth Cecil | |||
| Military | Revolutionary War - Crab Orchard Fort, erected by Thomas Witten on the Crab Orchard Survey Tract. A garrison was stationed there in 1774, Montgomery Co., Virginia |  | |||
| Death | Abt 1794 | Wythe Co., Virginia | |||
| Burial | Amhurst Co., Virginia |
Families
| Spouse | Elizabeth Cecil (1720 - 1796) |
| Child | Elizabeth Cecil Witten (1743 - ) |
| Child | Susannah Witten (1745 - ) |
| Child | Phillip Witten (1747 - ) |
| Child | Jeremiah Witten (1749 - 1845) |
| Child | Keziah Witten (1751 - ) |
| Child | Thomas Witten (1753 - 1841) |
| Child | Nancy Ann Witten (1755 - ) |
| Child | William Witten (1758 - 1758) |
| Child | James Witten (1759 - ) |
| Child | William Hanley Witten (1761 - ) |