Burrell Whittinghill, Mary Elizabeth Pate, and their Ancestors

By Stephen Szabados

Burrell Whittinghill and Mary Elizabeth Pate do not appear in history books, but they and their ancestors were an important part of history. Their ancestors came to America from Germany, England, Ireland, and Scotland starting in the early 1600s and continuing into the 1700s. Additional surnames in their family tree include McDowell, McKinney, Ray, Gabbert, Gebhart, Cooper, Reade, Barrett, and Royal. I have compiled this information from many online sources. I have also found many fascinating stories and brave ancestors who fought Indians when settling in Virginia and Kentucky and patriots who fought in the American Revolution and War of 1812. Most were farmers who settled in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina and then migrated westward into Kentucky and Indiana. Most had small pioneer farms, but some had large plantations in Virginia. Most of our immigrant ancestors came from poor or modest backgrounds and were primarily farmers here in America. One branch of our Pate family descended from King Edward I of England and Charlemagne. We are also cousins to President George Washington (3rd cousin, seven times removed). DNA testing from Ancestry.com indicates the Whittinghill and Pate families belong to a Genetic Community that centers around the Potomac River Valley and Central Kentucky. Immigrants to this area came for various reasons. Some came from affluent English families and were sent to the American colonies to seek their fortunes. Others came from poor or moderate families in England, Germany, and other countries. They sought better lives and hoped to obtain some of the available lands in North America. Finally, many others came from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to avoid the English Penal Laws that suppressed these groups' political and economic freedoms and growth.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CDNM83FN
• ISBN13: 9798856112510
• Release Date: August 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 282 Pages
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.6" x 8.5"