The White Family - Part 3

(The following was written by Dexter White, and is reprinted from “Reflections II”, a collection of local stories available at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum. Any opinions made in the article are from the author.)It was the brother and two grandsons of Alexander White II that were the patriarchs of the three early Grove City area White families. The migration west started soon after the Revolutionary War with Alexander and brother, Sam moving to Hardy County, Virginia in the late 1700s. Many descendants of Sam are still in the area. Next to come to Ohio was William Paxton White, a grandson of Alexander William Paxton arrived in the Grove City area, and married Elizabeth Gantz. She was the first of 14 children of Adam and Catherine Gantz that had settled at the present site of Gantz Park. Alexander II died in Virginia in 1814. His son named George Beavers White had a son named Thomas Benton White that was the third White to migrate to the Grove City area. Thomas B. White married Lydia Gantz, the fifth child of Adam Gantz. The son of Thomas B. was the Edwin White that lived just north of Concord for many years. Dr. A.B. White of Grove City was the son of that Edwin White.When I was still quite young, I remember the old saying that everyone in Grove City was related to everyone else in Grove City. At that time I did not take it seriously, but after years of research of old census reports, reviewing many books in the State Archives in several states and, looking through the many books written about the early population in this great country of ours, I now realize that, perhaps the old saying had some credence.(The conclusion of this story in the next blog entry).