The Whitlatch Family

From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.

THE WHITLATCH FAMILY OF LEXINGTON

The first members of the Whitlatch family to settle in Lexington are believed to have been the family of Barnet Bond Whitlatch who arrived in April, 1831, aboard the boat Monogohea which docked at Lee's Landing near Madison, Indiana.

Barnet Bond Whitlatch, who was born in Harford County, Maryland, about 1765-1770, was the son of Charles Whitlatch. His father had emigrated from England with the Welsh Baptist migration to the United States. The family originally settled in Harford County, Maryland, before 1760 and later moved to Virginia and Green County, Pennsylvania, before coming to Indiana.

Barnet married Elizabeth Kimberlin, daughter of John and Ruth Jones Kimberlin, and had moved to Green County, Pennsylvania, by 1800. On May 2, 1833 he purchased 244 acres of land in Clark's Grant in Scott County and later in 1847 an additional 500 acres.

Barnet and Elizabeth had five children -- Ruth, Sarah, Charles K., Isaac W., and Barnet Reece. Ruth, of whom very little is known, married a Smith and her brothers passed the name "Smith" on to members of their own families.

Sarah, born April 16, 1801 in Virginia, married Elijah Gladden of Green County, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 1819. They had eleven children, six of whom were born in Scott County She and her family were instrumental in establishing the Baptist Churches of Kimberlin and Scottsburg. Elijah died on September 23, 1879. Both are buried in the old Kimberlin Cemetery.

Barnet Reece Whitlatch, born in Pennsylvania in 1810, married Sarah LaMaster on June 3, 1832, and they had at least three children -- Nancy A. (1852), Sarah A. (1855) and R. R. (1857). Barnet Reece, who was a school teacher, is buried in the old Kimberlin Cemetery.

Charles K. Whitlatch, born on March 10, 1812 in Pennsylvania, married Sarah Williams on June 30, 1833 and they had at least three children including William (1835-1848) , Isaac (1839-1840) and John Smith (1834-1863). Charles died on March 28, 1963.

Isaac W Whitlatch, born in 1816 in Pennsylvania, married Sarah Young LaMaster, widow of John LaMaster on April 30, 1842 and they had several children, among them--Harriet (1849), I. J. (1851) , Edward (1858) and Charles (1856). The date of Isaac's death is not known.

Isaac's son Charles, born March 20, 1856 in Scott County, married Louisa Phillips, daughter of Benjamin and Nancy Phillips, on December 28, 1882. His wife died on February 11, 1921 and he on April 4, 1926. They had six children--Janie who married Frank McAffry, Nora who married Ebert Hollenbeck, Maudie Mae who married Willie Robbins, Lena Ethel who married T. S. Warriner and Elbridge who married Alice Mae Gray.

Elbridge, born October 25, 1895, and his wife Alice Mae had five sons, one of which--Donald Lester -- died at the age of 16 months. Their other sons were William Lowell, born August 13, 1921, who married Margaret Louise Carver; Earl Leroy, born July 4, 1923, who married Ruby Mosley Asher; Elbridge, Jr. (Skippy), born July 14, 1925,and died August 21, 1970, who married Anna Louise McDowell; and Charles Wilson, born August 31, 1927, who married Ida Mae Bolley.

Elbridge and three of his sons--Lowell, Charles and Earl--served in the Navy and Earl went on to retire from the service after 30 years with the Navy and continued in a career as an aviation engineer which has taken him from the Far East to South America. Lowell, who owned and operated a local grocery store in Lexington for several years, is the present Postmaster of Lexington. Skippy who obtained an engineering degree from Purdue University settled in Ohio and Charles, an electrician, is presently working for International Harvester of Louisville, Kentucky.

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