There are many legends surrounding this family, most of them not true. Of the families I’ve worked with, none are subject to so many faulty legends, erroneous “facts”, and misleading published genealogies as the WItts. This is also a family which, unfortunately for genealogists, lived its first few generations in localities with significant record losses.

The papers below were originally written between 1975 and 1999 and originally published in 1999 in the original Bob’s Genealogy Filing Cabinet website.

The Early Generations

• Some Early Witts in 17th Century America — who are apparently unrelated to the immigrant John Witt

• The immigrant John Witt (c1645 – by1715) — a paper on our ancestor who immigrated to Charles City County, Virginia about 1670.

  • Correcting a Faulty Legend:  Were the Witts Huguenots?
  • Some details of John Witt’s use as a headright.
  • Another Faulty Legend: “John Whitt” of Stafford County
  • Inspecting a modern “legend”:  Was Thomas Harbor’s wife a Witt?
  • Another Faulty Legend:  The wife of his son William Witt
• John Witt II (c1675 – by1751) — son of the immigrant John Witt, and his family
• John Witt III (c1700 – c1779) — son of John Witt II and his family

Some background on the Daux family:

• The family of Walter Daux, father-in-law of John Witt I. In Search of the Ancestry of Walter Daux is a similar paper but adds some information on a brief search for his father Richard Daux in England.

Descendants of Charles Witt of Halifax County, Virginia

• Charles Witt (c1715-1781) and family

  • Legend: Tennessee Land Grants by the sons of Charles Witt
  • Legend: Were His Three Sons Revolutionary Soldiers?
  • Legend: Was Charles Witt married to Lamina (or Lavinia) Harbour?
  • Problem:  Who was Charles Witt’s Father?
• Joseph Witt (c1749 – 1819) — oldest son of Charles Witt, who settled in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

  • Yet Another Faulty Legend: Two Supposed Children of Joseph Witt
• Nathaniel Witt (c1782 – 1826) — son of Joseph Witt, who settled in McMinn County, Tennessee.

Witts of Titus and Morris Counties, Texas

One son of Nathaniel Witt moved to Titus County, Texas in 1846.  I am descended from two of his sons — one is a great-great-grandfather on my mother’s side and the other is a great-great-great-grandfather on my father’s side.

• William M. Witt (c1820-1871) — a son of Nathaniel Witt, who moved to Titus County, Texas before 1850 and established the Witt family there.
• James Houston Witt (1845-1899) — my great-great grandfather, a son of William M. Witt, and his family.
• George Washington Witt (1853-1943) — my great-great grandfather, another son of William M. Witt, and his family
• Andrew William Witt (1874-1965) — my maternal great grandfather,a son of George Washington Witt, and his family