WHITEHALL-Nicholas - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Nicholas WHITEHALL, farmer and mechanic, Newtown. Great grandfather of Nicholas Whitehall, citizen of Fountain County, Indiana was born and married in England; came to this country as plenipotentiary under King George III. As to the exact year in which he was sent we have no definite record, but from the account the family record sent gives of the children born in America know that it was a few years before the commence of the revolutionary war. Although born under English skies, raised in theranks of England's nobility, and sent to this country as agent acting for royalty, his innate love of liberty was such that after mingling with the sturdy spirits that were braving the hardships of pioneer life in the forest wilds, among savage tribes, his interests soon became identified with them; and he espoused the cause colonists at the cost of personal and social ostracism and confiscation of his English property and estates. Following this outline of his introduction to America, we will relate an incident which still further illustrates the firmness and indomitable perseveres of his character and although it is not recorded in the annals of the early history of our country, still live sin the memory of the descendants of the pioneer settlers of NC, and the place is still pointed out to visitors to that section as among the points of interest associated with the revolutionary struggle. in the early part of the war he was stationed at what was then Currituck Inlet, in Currituck Co, NC. News came to him that the British commander had ordered a regiment of soldiers to march down from Norfolk, VA to the Inlet and take charge of that point. Gathering together a small squad of men, numbering 63 intrepid souls, full of zeal, armed with such weapons as they could muster, they marched to a place called Great Bridge, protected by a small mound at the south end of the bridge. He stationed his men behind this, throwing up some earthworks as further fortification. Here he waited until the British soldiers crowded upon the bridge near the end where his men were place, then ordered them to fire in platoons and kept it up so incessantly, and with such telling effect, that the red coats were compelled to retreat with al loss of about 200 men. The Americans were so pleased and protect that they lost but 3 killed and a few wounded. Thomas Whitheall, grandfather, was born in NC Jan 1, 1777. He was twice sheriff of Currituck County and was justice of the peace when he died. The father, Alexander LeGrand, was born Jan 27, 1799 and was married June 25, 1821 to Elizabeth Newbern a descent of a Scotch family who settled and named the town of Newbern, NC. He moved to this county in 1832 in company with Thomas Poyner, Adley Woodhouse, William Voliva, Jefferson Voliva and Nathan Voliva, all of whom were heads of families. Reddick Hunnings and Thomas Whitheall, who were young men were also in the party. The journey was made in vehicles, consisting of 3 wagons of rude and primitive make and four carts and the trip over the mountains occupied several weeks and was attended with no little danger and many privations. Alexander LeGrand Whitheall had 9 children, of whom Nicholas, Alexander L, Thomas and Sarah were born in Carolina. The remainder, James, Mary, Martha, John and Fruzie were born in Fountain County. Nicholas Nicholas Whitheall was born Dec 4, 1823 and was married to Amelia Stevens Sept 26, 1844; was married a second time, Jan 21, 1864 to Melissa J. Cook, both of Fountain County. By the first wife he had 7 children: Alexander LeGrand, Eliza, Curtis and Columbus, twins, William, Elizabeth and John; two by the second wife, Amelia and Osie. He served an apprenticeship of one year as wagon maker and worked about six months at his trade before his first marriage. He has worked in wood and iron more or less ever since. He was one of the first men in assisting to make and introduce into use in Fountain County the first scouring-plows. Being by nature's close student and observer, he saw the great need of an improvement in a certain class of agricultural implements, which were of crude and imperfect device, and early turned his attention to the invention and construction of such improvements as he deemed would be of advantage. As a first result of these early years of arduous application and experiments, his inventive genius has given to the agricultural and mechanical world such practical improvements as entitle him to a high rank among the true benefactors of his fellow men. The following is a brief outline of his invention sin the order in which they were developed and a short history of his efforts to have his inventions recognized as their practical worth merited. He commenced studying and frequently talked with his brother, Dr. Whitheall, upon the practicability of cultivating corn and other vegetables on both sides of the row at the same time. His brother having been raised on a farm and having clear ideas as to the practicability of the above form of cultivator, gave him all the encouragement he could. These consultations were held and the ideas advanced as early as 1850. He began practically experimenting in 1854 with a double plow for the cultivation of corn on both sides of the row at the same time, known as the straddle-row plow. In 1855 his brother, Alexander L, went to Washington and obtained letters patent, which were granted July 5, 1855. Nicholas Whitehall also had the undivided one half of said patent assigned to this brother. This patent is the first that was granted in the US that gives lateral and up-and-down motion tot he plow or cultivator so as to enable the plowman to give with precision and ease all the necessary movement that is required to enable him to cultivate both sides of the corn at the same time. In 1857 he obtained another patent upon the same device, which showed great improvement over the first. At this time, he insisted upon his brother, Alexander, setting for the claim and through his skill a claim was formulated and set forth so as to give the inventor the full advantage of his invention and which we deem not out of place to set forth at this point, namely, "I claim providing a double cultivator, the middle of which is elevated to pass over the corn, with a compound evener suspended upon 3 points for the purposes set forth", and we can safely and positively say here that there has not been a practical cultivator made since that is not an infringement on the '57 patent and of which Nicholas Whithehall is not virtually and in fact the original inventor. He made an effort to get an extension on said patent but owing to the combined efforts of the infringers and fraud, it was refused by the commissioner of patents. Since this refusal his brother has been knocking at the door of congress for several winters and has twice succeeded in getting a favorable report but through the causes above named has failed to get a vote on either of the reports. In the meantime he has not allowed his inventive mind to rest; he has since obtained four other patents; one May 17, 1859 called Improvement in Seeding Cultivators; one August 31, 1869 called Planter and Cultivator; one August 29, 1871 called Sulky Cultivator and one Feb 6, 1879 called Convertible Seeding Cultivator. He has attached to those improvements a planter and drill, and also a wheal drill, all of which work with as much accuracy and precision as any in use, resulting in great saving to the farmer. he was nominated in 1880 for auditor of Fountain County by the national Greenback party with which party he is at present identified.