Whitwell Family History

In Anglo-Saxon the name “Whitwell” meant “shining stream.” The earliest written form of the Whitwell name is found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 942 AD as the name of an area of Derbyshire where a village named Whitwell celebrated its 1,000th anniversary in 1986. Per the famous Domesday Book of 1086 there were also villages named Whitwell in Norfolk, Rutland and Yorkshire and by the year 1300 they are found throughout England and in Scotland as well.

Beginning with Miles Whitwell of Kendal in 1556 there are sufficient wills, church records and tax documents extant to prove a continuous line to the present Whitwells in Texas as detailed in one of the family history books available on this site.

Finding the link between the Whitwells of Colonial America (initially congregated in Boston, Virginia and Tennessee) and England proved difficult not only because 18th century emigration records are very incomplete but because our English family were Quakers and their records, such as they are, are outside the normal traditional record keeping institutions in England. Nonetheless, through painstaking research conducted over five decades, David Whitwell finally found the link, which took place in 1775, when two brothers, Robert Whitwell and John Whitwell sailed from England and landed in Boston.

The Whitwell family, in all of its branches, has notably played an active role in civic life. For example, of the twenty-three primary members of the Sons of Liberty, the civic group that took the lead in secretly planning and carrying out the Boston Tea Party (1773), two were Whitwells. One of them, Samuel Whitwell, was a respected Boston merchant who was also in charge of The Alms House in Boston, a philanthropy which gave people facing life difficulties or tough transitions a few months board and food.

There are many examples of Whitwells who fought for the liberty we now enjoy, two among them being Thomas Whitwell, Sr., who died in 1775 in the first battle of the Revolution and Thomas Whitwell, Jr, 1774-1826, who fought in the Battle of New Orleans, in the War of 1812. There are many others who enlisted and served their Country. We remain grateful for their service.

There are also a number of farmers and ministers in our lineage, among them: Pleasant Whitwell, born in 1803, Perry County Clerk, who was a well-known orator and farmed 1,000 acres in Tennessee. John Randel Whitwell was a school teacher and farmer. Elbert Whitwell, my paternal grandfather, born 1899, was a well-known preacher in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma and actively farmed his backyard until he was well into his 90s. 

Continuing in the oratorical footsteps of his predecessors, my Father, David Whitwell, was an accomplished musician, wind ensemble conductor, lecturer, author and composer and has either guest lectured or guest conducted in 25 countries and 42 States in addition to the District of Columbia.

An early motto associated with our family line is Aquila non captat muscas, “An eagle doesn’t capture flies.” This reminds us that we need to choose our focus carefully in life and not give our attention to trifling matters. With forefathers who set a high bar, I have a lot to live up to, and given that my chapter is nowhere near complete, I shall let the next generation summarize what I do or do not accomplish in favor of remaining focused on the future and all the work currently on my plate.

I hope you enjoy this site and find one or more books that made your visit here worthwhile. Whether you are a Whitwell or not, I would encourage you, as I do everyone, to learn more about your parents, your uncles and aunts, their grandparents and their predecessors, for the stories that emerge are often humbling and inspiring and help us appreciate all that those before us have done to pave the way for us today. The best way to honor their sacrifices is to be clear about our priorities and make sure we allocate our time to things that matter. Alas, it would be a misallocation of God's given resources if Eagles focused on flies.

Sempter Avante.

Stefan Whitwell

Austin, Texas

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