Will the real Hezekiah Whitt please stand up?

I wrote a previous blog entry about the relationship between the orphan Thomas Bailey Christian (TBC) and his adopted father Capt. Thomas Mastin.  Old family stories that TBC was the son of Shawnee Chief Cornstalk appeared in conflict with DNA testing of his descendants.  Well, things get even more confusing when a friend of Thomas Mastin, Hezekiah Whitt, is added to the mix. Hezekiah Whitt served in the American Revolution with the Virginia militia under Capt. Thomas Mastin as described in Hezekiah’s application for a military pension:

“… In the month of March and he thinks in the year 1770, he went as a volunteer under Captain Thomas Mastin upon the expedition against the Cherokee Indians to Tennessee, called the "Chickamaugy Expedition". The point of rendezvous was at Colonel Campbell's in the County of Washington, Virginia. The men were marched to the big Island of Holston, where they were incorporated into the regiment of General Evan Shelby. From thence they marched against the Indian towns, but found upon entering them that they had already been abandoned by the Indians. This declarant was three months in this service having left home in the early part of March and returning after the troops were disbanded sometime in June.”

So Hezekiah Whitt served under Capt. Thomas Mastin in the Chickamauga Expedition.  Some researchers think this was when Thomas Mastin brought TBC back to Virginia as his adopted son.  Here’s what TBC has to say about that in his deposition for Hezekiah Whitt’s pension application:

“In addition to the certificate given by this affiant, he would state that this affiant was raised from childhood (being Left an orphan) by Captain Thomas Martin [Mastin], whom he has often heard say, that Hezekiah Whit [Whitt], the applicant for a pension in the foregoing declaration, was a soldier under him in the Cherokee Expedition into Tennessee. This affiant knew the said Whit at that time and has known him ever since. This affiant knows nothing of any other service stated by the said Whit, but he believes them to have been performed as stated. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year above written in open court.”

So TBC declares that he was an orphan raised by Capt. Thomas Mastin (whose name was sometimes misspelled as Martin) and that he had known Hezekiah Whitt since the time of the Chickamauga Expedition.

If this isn’t confusing enough for you, an Indian researcher named James Red Wolf writes several researchers about his family’s oral history of the relationships between TBC, Thomas Mastin and Hezekiah Whitt:

“I have seen your web page. You have researched well, but are missing some information. You have a number of Hezekiah Whitts listed, one is in question. You have the one who was a son of Elinipsico. Raised to manhood by Thomas Mastin. Check your research and all your sources, you have already found what you need, it was in front of you overlooked.”

So James Red Wolf claims that there was more than one man by the name of Hezekiah Whitt associated with Thomas Mastin.  And one of them was the son of Elinipsico, son of Chief Cornstalk of the Shawnee.  This Hezekiah Whitt was another orphan raised by Thomas Mastin in Virginia.

A researcher asked James Red Wolf about Hezekiah Whitt, the friend and military colleague of Thomas Mastin:

“Dear J. Red Wolf, Sir I hate to send you more questions, but my GGG Grand Father is Hezekiah Whitt from Montgomery County. He married Rachel, Do you know it to be true that she was a daughter or grand-daughter of Chief Cornstalk?”

And James Red Wolf dropped this bomb in response:

“You will find no birth record nor a baptismal record, not a christening, nor any other for this Rachel Skaggs as a daughter of or other blood relation to any Skaggs family. Be aware that she was not of the Skaggs blood, instead, a Shawano. A Cherokee by the tradition of carrying her mother’s clan, but Shawano by the blood of her father. You can only find her “name change” on record, a legal change from her Indian name to Rachel Skaggs. This will give proof to you of her relation to the Cornstalks. Look for her in Montgomery County. She was NOT a Skaggs, keep this in mind.

Also remember this, a Whitt can be whitty, he can also mislead, so you must search carefully to find him. Be this in the case of the other Whitt, Hezekiah N. Whitt…”

So after the dust settles, James Red Wolf claims there were two Hezekiah Whitts, one who was the friend of Thomas Mastin and the other who was the adopted son of Thomas Mastin.  And the Hezekiah Whitt who was friend of Thomas Mastin married a Rachel Skaggs who was not of the Skaggs family but an Indian.  Some people confuse this Rachel Skaggs with the Rachel Skaggs who married William Lester, but they are different women, one was Skaggs and one was Indian.  If you’re still with me you probably aren't reading closely enough and should read this again because it's like trying to unravel a bowl of spaghetti.

James Red Wolf further explains the situation:

"There are two Hezekiah Whitts. One was the friend of Thomas Mastin who signed for Thomas Christian pertaining to his adoption by Thomas Mastin and being an orphan.
The other was Hezekiah Whitt (Low Hawk Cornstalk) who was born of the Cornstalk clan and was also adopted by Mastin and given the name Hezekiah Whitt in honor of Mr. Mastin's close friend Hezekiah Whitt.

The Hezekiah Whitt who was the friend of Mr. Mastin married a Cornstalk woman named Rachel. She was a daughter of Chief Cornstalk and took the surname Skaggs in honor of William Skaggs who led an expedition with Hezekiah Whitt. So the younger Hezekiah was a nephew of Rachel and named after Rachel's husband." 

So James Red Wolf claims that an orphaned daughter of Chief Cornstalk called Rachel Skaggs, named in honor of the William Skaggs who went with Hezekiah Whitt on the Chickamauga Expedition, married Hezekiah Whitt, Thomas Mastin’s friend and military colleague.  So that’s how she got the last name Skaggs!

If you check the Revolutionary War pension applications for William Skaggs you find he does have an application for service in the Chickamauga Expedition:

“…The said William Skaggs further states that in the year 1779 in the spring of the year the month not recollected he enlisted in the Virginia militia in the state of Virginia and near the head of Clinch River in a company commanded by Captain Mastion [Mastin] in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Shelby [Isaac Shelby] and served a tower [tour] under the last term of enlistment of three months. Immediately after his enlistment Colonel Shelby together with his Corps made a tower [tour] I water down to the Chickamauga towns on the South side of the Tennessee River which town was entirely settled by the Cherokee Indians: which they invaded, killing many Indians; after they put to flight & destroyed the inhabitants of the place.  They put fire to the town and entirely consumed it when the destruction of the town was completed Captain Bean proposed raising a scouting party for the purpose of searching for some of the inhabitants of the town who had made their escape. Some 30 of the soldiers joined Bean among whom was the said William Skaggs. They left the main Army and marched a north course across the Cumberland mountains: shortly after they had crossed the mountains they discovered an encampment of the Indians which they immediately invaded and killed three of the Indians and took three prisoners the said William states that in that attack he had the good fortune to take a squaw as prisoner…”

So William Skaggs did serve under Captain Mastin along with Hezekiah Whitt in the Chickamauga Expedition, like James Red Wolf claimed in his statement about Hezekiah’s wife Rachel.  William Skaggs’ pension deposition states he captured a “squaw” during the campaign.  Perhaps she was Rachel Skaggs or maybe even a long-time white prisoner such as Ruth Skaggs Bishop?  There is an opportunity for original research here.  Who were the prisoners taken by the Virginia militia in the Chickamauga Expedition?  TBC, Hezekiah "Low Hawk" Whitt, Rachel Skaggs the Indian, Rachel Skaggs, Darky Gothrin, Ruth Skaggs Bishop and who else?  Old Peter Skaggs perhaps?  Maybe Martha Cothon?  There is some work to do here.

Finally, in 1815 Hezekiah N. Whitt, “Low Hawk” who was raised by Thomas Mastin, wrote a will in which he named his “brother” as Thomas B. Christian.  They were likely not blood brothers but both orphans who were raised together by Thomas Mastin as “brothers.”

In summary, this wacky dog's breakfast of old family stories and actual evidence seems to indicate that Thomas Mastin adopted Thomas Bailey Christian and Hezekiah N. Whitt as orphans from the Chickamauga Expedition:

• Hezekiah N. Whitt, an orphaned grandson of Chief Cornstalk, was named after Thomas Mastin’s friend and military colleague, Hezekiah Whitt
•  Hezekiah N. Whitt considered Thomas Bailey Christian to be a “brother” in his will
• William Skaggs also served with Hezekiah Whitt under Thomas Mastin in the Chickamauga Expedition
•  Hezekiah Whitt married an orphaned daughter of Chief Cornstalk, Rachel Skaggs, named after the soldier William Skaggs
• William Skaggs claimed in his pension deposition that his party took three prisoners in the Chickamauga Expedition, including a "squaw"

There's a lot of loose ends here, since all this information raises more questions than it answers.

• Could some of the prisoners taken at Chickamauga have been captive whites, e.g. Ruth Skaggs Bishop?
• Could Rachel Skaggs Whitt actually have known Rachel Skaggs Lester in captivity at Chickamauga?
• Are Whitt descendants really related to Chief Cornstalk, either through Hezekiah N. Whitt or Rachel Skaggs Whitt?
• Are there any other Revolutionary War pension depositions of Chickamauga veterans that could yield more first-hand testimony of what happened?