Photographs
John Collett Map: 1770
Price Strother Map: 1808
Price Strother Map: 1808
This highly respected map shows "Whitefield" on the south side of Neuse River at the intersection of a number of important roads. Details for this map were probably gathered in the 1760s. It is significant that our ancestor was identified by name on this map. It was a rare occurrence for a specific individual to be named.
Price Strother Map: 1808
Price Strother Map: 1808
Price Strother Map: 1808
The Price-Strother map of 1808 is significant because it is the first map of North Carolina that was drawn from an actual survey. Inexplicably, it shows Bryan Whitfield on the south side of Neuse (he lived on the north at Rockford) and Whitfield's Ferry at Rockford. There may well have been a ferry at Rockford, but Whitfield's Ferry is most often associated with the ferry at Whitehall, two miles upstream.
Riding Chair: Colonial Williamsburg Collection
Riding Chair: Colonial Williamsburg Collection
Riding Chair: Colonial Williamsburg Collection
Riding chairs could travel country lanes and back roads more easily than bulkier four wheeled coaches. They typically had two wheels, seated one or two people, and were more comfortable than riding a horse. They were also easier on the horse, which didn't have the weight of a human on its back. William was one of the few residents of Wayne County who owned one; indeed, he may well have been the only one.
Riding Chair: Colonial Williamsburg Collection
Riding Chair: Colonial Williamsburg Collection
Riding Chair: Colonial Williamsburg Collection
A 1769 list of taxables for Dobbs County lists William Whitfield II as the owner of "one riding chair." No other person on the list owned one, so riding chairs must have been scarce in that part of North Carolina. And because they were apparently taxable, they must have been considered a luxury item. William's last will and testament also lists one riding chair. Of interest is the fact that George Washington also owned a riding chair, and Mount Vernon exhibits a fine example of one in their display.
Memorial Park at Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
The cemetery containing the graves of William II, William III, Needham and their wives has been expanded fairly recently into a memorial for U.S. veterans.
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Photo of the stones erected to mark the graves of William II, William III, Needham Whitfield and their wives at the family cemetery along the banks of Neuse River in Seven Springs.
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
A view of part of the memorial park with the graves in the distance.
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
This is a more distant view of the cemetery.
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Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
This sign stands in the middle of the cemetery for William Whitfield II and his sons, William Whitfield III and Needham Whitfield, along with their wives.
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Closeup of the stones marking the graves of William II, William III, Needham Whitfield and their wives.
DAR Plaque at the Cemetery at Seven Springs
This plaque sits at the base of the memorial stones for William Whitfield II, and his sons, William Whitfield III and Needham Whitfield, along with their wives.
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Stone marking the graves of William Whitfield II, Needham Whitfield, and their wives. It was placed there sometime in the 20th century.
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Stone marking the grave of William Whitfield III. It was also placed there sometime in the 20th century.
Needham Whitfield
Portrait of Needham Whitfield (1758-1812), sixth child and third son of William Whitfield II. Needham inherited his father's plantation at Whitehall . He married four times and had thirteen children. He is buried with his father and brother, William III, in the Seven Springs cemetery beside the Neuse River.
Main Street: Seven Springs
The Neuse River Bridge: Seven Springs
The Neuse River Bridge: Seven Springs
This photograph of the Main Street in Seven Springs was taken from atop the hill where the Church on the Hill is. It is looking to the north.
The Neuse River Bridge: Seven Springs
The Neuse River Bridge: Seven Springs
The Neuse River Bridge: Seven Springs
This is the newest of several bridges that have spanned the Neuse at Seven Springs over the years.
Neuse River: Seven Springs
Neuse River: Seven Springs
Neuse River: Seven Springs
Photograph of the Neuse River from the bridge at Seven Springs. The water level is quite high.
Neuse River: Seven Springs
Neuse River: Seven Springs
Neuse River: Seven Springs
Photograph of the Neuse River near Seven Springs at an extremely low water level.
Rockford Cemetery: Two Miles South of Seven Springs
Rockford Cemetery: Two Miles South of Seven Springs
Rockford Cemetery: Two Miles South of Seven Springs
The cemetery located under these trees near William Whitfield II's Rockford plantation is two miles south of Seven Springs on the north bank of Neuse River at the intersection of Rockford Church Road (County Road 1313) and County Road 1002.
Rockford Cemetery: Grave of General Bryan
Rockford Cemetery: Two Miles South of Seven Springs
Rockford Cemetery: Two Miles South of Seven Springs
A memorial stone has been erected at the Rockford cemetery for General Bryan Whitfield (1754-1817), son of William Whitfield II, and his wives, Nancy Bryan and Winifred Bryan, who were both his cousins. General Whitfield lived in his father's first home here at Rockford. Locals say that he is actually buried some distance away on private property and this marker was erected only to preserve his memory.
DAR Plaque at Rockford
DAR Plaque at Rockford
DAR Plaque at Rockford
This plaque sits at the base of the memorial stone for General Bryan Whitfield at Rockford, suggesting that the Ecor Rouge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution actually placed that memorial stone there. This DAR chapter is from Baldwin County, Alabama, interestingly enough. General Bryan Whitfield was the father of Nathan Bryan Whitfield. Nathan immigrated to Alabama and built a very successful plantation home called Gaineswood in Marengo County, Alabama. We have many Whitfield relatives in Alabama and no doubt some of them in Baldwin County wished to honor the father of their Alabama progenitor.
Rockford Bridge
DAR Plaque at Rockford
DAR Plaque at Rockford
William Whitfield II and his wife, Rachel, first settled along the north bank of the Neuse River around 1743 here at Rockford. Some 18th century maps indicate that William operated a ferry here at Rockford, although most maps and written accounts place the primary ferry two miles upriver at modern-day Seven Springs. This photo was taken from the south bank looking north. The memorial stone for General Bryan Whitfield is located in a cemetery where the trees are in the photo on the left side after you cross the bridge.
Grave of Lewis Whitfield
The Church on the Hill: Seven Springs
The Church on the Hill: Seven Springs
The stone reads:
Rev Lewis Whitfield
Born June 23, 1766
Died Oct 20, 1849
The gospel was his joy & song Even to his latest breath
The truth he had proclaimed so long was his support in death
(Take Washington Street [County Road 1603] west out of LaGrange and turn left onto New Hope Road [County Road 1003] shortly before Washington crosses over 70 Bypass). New Hope dead ends but the graveyard is within sight a short distance)
The Church on the Hill: Seven Springs
The Church on the Hill: Seven Springs
The Church on the Hill: Seven Springs
This house of worship, affectionately called the "Church on the Hill," overlooks Seven Springs from its perch on Highway 55. The hill was occupied by Union soldiers during the Battle of Whitehall in 1862, and the church was built in 1874 on land donated by "Billy" Whitfield. After falling into disrepair, the church was renovated in the 1940s and is still in use today. It is the town's most historically significant structure and is so much a part of Seven Springs that it is included prominently in the town's official logo. Many Whitfields are buried in the church cemetery.
Ninth Springs Hotel Building: West of Seven Springs
Ninth Springs Hotel Building: West of Seven Springs
Ninth Springs Hotel Building: West of Seven Springs
"One-half mile above Seven Springs are two...springs known as the "ninth" and "tenth" springs, respectively. A hotel is located here, also, medicinal properties having been ascribed to the water. This property is owned by Mrs. Fannie B. Ham. Water from...the "ninth" and "tenth" springs has been bottle and sold to a limited extent. " Excerpt from North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey , Volume III, Part 2, The Coastal Plain of North Carolina, 1912.
Ninth Springs Hotel Building: West of Seven Springs
Ninth Springs Hotel Building: West of Seven Springs
Ninth Springs Hotel Building: West of Seven Springs
The Ninth Springs Hotel operated in the early 1900s on land owned by William Whitfield II until his death in 1795. William referred to this plantation as "Pleasant Plains." Both photographs were taken in the 1990s and it is unknown as to whether any of the buildings remain standing.
Plaque at the Cliffs of the Neuse
Plaque at the Cliffs of the Neuse
Plaque at the Cliffs of the Neuse
The Cliffs of the Neuse is a state park located a few miles west of Seven Springs, North Carolina. It is comprised of property that was once owned by William Whitfield II, and then later his son, William Whitfield III. The highlight of the park is the series of cliffs overlooking the Neuse River that have been carved on the south bank due to the forces of erosion over time. The cliffs extend for 600 yards and rise 90 feet above the water. Camping, hiking, swimming, and picnicking are also available within the park. This plaque was placed in the park to commemorate the gift by Alonzo and Elizabeth Whitfield Davis of acreage for the park.
Seven Springs Flood
Plaque at the Cliffs of the Neuse
Plaque at the Cliffs of the Neuse
This magnificent old home sits abandoned just off Main Street in Seven Springs, North Carolina. The poor town has been devastated multiple times in the past 20 or so years, as the Neuse River has overflown its banks. Many residents have left their homes, never to return. Some hardy souls still remain, however.