John Wingate "Wingate" Truitt ⁷⁹⁷

  Research Notes:

From the research work of Ronnie Truitt of Walhalla, SC; received from Dale Truitt Jul 1996
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From: Bobby Hall, Lubbock, TX Aug 1997

My father's mother's name was Ila Mae Truitt. The hot topic among Truitt researchers is whether or not Tabitha, the daughter of Josiah Whaley, was indeed married to William Wingate Truitt. My cousin and her fellow researchers can't seem to connect George "The Immigrant" Truitt to William Wingate Truitt. They all feel certain that we do come from George.

Here is how I connect to William Wingate Truitt:

1. John Wingate Truitt m. Elizabeth Robinson b 24 Dec 1804
b. 19 Dec 1801 in MD d. 7 Oct 1880 in Morris Co., TX
d. 31 Dec 1876 in Morris Co., TX
(he was one of the first immigrants to Texas)

2. Wingate Henry Truitt m (1) Susan Elizabeth Clark b. 6 Oct 1853 in GA
b. 7 Jan 1847 in Titus Co., TX d. 30 Nov 1880 Morris Co., TX
d. 2 Sep 1936 Wise Co., TX

3. William Herny Truitt m Mattie Belle Irvin b. 4 Oct 1877 Cass Co.,TX
b. 15 Aug 1876 Morris Co., TX d. 30 Jul 1963 Cas Co., TX
d. 10 Aug 1963 Cass Co., TX

5. Ila Mae Truitt m Jesse Dixon Hall

Ila Mae is still living. She is 94 years old. Her oldest sister and a younger sister are still living as well. By the way William Herny Truitt named one of his sons Wingate.
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From: Jean Rush Jan and Jun 2003

We went to the site of the original Truitt cabin in TX yesterday (June 7, 2003) at the Truitt Reunion. The original log cabin, two rooms with a dog trot is still standing. It was built in 1840. It is in pretty bad shape, but the timbers on the two rooms are still good - 4 x 8 cypress logs. The Truitt Cousins (who hold the reunion each year) have bought the cabin and about an acre of land and plan to restore it, with the help, I hope, of the State of Texas. They say it is one of the oldest cabins with a dog trot in the state. It had been used for a barn.
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The cabin is located in a little community of Jenkins, about 3 miles south of Daingerfield in Morris County, Texas. John Wingate was granted 320 acres of land there when he entered Texas in Nov of 1839. He came from Smith County, Tennessee, then went to Etowah County, Alabama where his wife, Elizabeth Robinson, had Fite relatives. He left the family there, I guess because Elizabeth was pregnant, and he came on to Texas. He went back for them about 1841-2. The cabin is built of cypress, which he had to have cut and hauled out of the Cypress River Bottoms. I don't know who helped him, but someone had to have. I guess the same people who signed his survey helped him and he helped them. We took pictures of the cabin and I will send you a copy when I have them developed. Right now, all the Historical Society of Texas will let the Truitt Cousins do is to re-roof it and build a wall of some kind on the two sides which are exposed to the weather. After the Historical Society evaluates it, I assume they will tell the cousins what to do then.
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I think that probably all of John Wingate's children lived in the cabin. William Edward, b. 1828, Tn: Elijah Thomas, b. 1829, Sarah Ann, b. 1832, Edward Robinson, b. 1834 all b. in Tn. Matilda Ann, b. 1837 and James Leonard, b. 1840, b. in Ala. and Nancy Elizabeth, b. 1844, and Wingate Henry, b. 7 Nov 1847. These last two were probably born in the cabin. Then it was lived in by other members of the family, but I don't know who. My great-grandfather, Wingate Henry, built a cabin about a quarter of a mile from the original. It burned in the late 1950's. There is one section of land which has been in the Truitt family since 1839, but not my branch.
Elijah went to California in the Gold Rush, brought back gold sewn in a jacket which a descendent has. Elijah moved to Upshur County as did William (Bill).
My great-grandfather moved to Wise County, Nancy stayed in Morris County, Sarah Ann moved to Hopkins County, James Leonard stayed in Morris County, and Matilda moved to Upshur County, Texas. All of these Coounties except Wise County were adjacent to each other. As they were older, I don't think William or Elijah lived in the cabin for a long time. ¹⁶⁹⁶

John married Elizabeth Robinson on 19 Dec 1825 in Tennessee, USA.¹⁶⁹⁶ (Elizabeth Robinson was born on 23 Dec 1805 in Tennessee, USA,¹⁶⁹⁶ died on 7 Oct 1880 in Jenkins, Morris, Texas, USA ¹⁶⁹⁶ and was buried in Clark Cemetery (Jenkins, Morris, Texas, USA) ¹⁶⁹⁶.)