There are several stories about my 4th great grandfather Joseph Whitaker. It is said that Joseph was born at sea around 1755 and that both his parents died before arriving in America. Young Joseph was taken to North Carolina by some friends and “bound out.” Not sure when he was bound out as he was just a little baby!
Also, The History of Mercer County (WV) states that Joseph was “reputed to have been a courier for George Washington during the Revolutionary War.”
Joseph married Obedience “Biddie” Perdue in 1776. They had about 12 children, and I am descended from his son Nathaniel born in 1795. Joseph died in 1838 in Wythe County, Virginia, around the age of 83.
Ancestors Across the Ages 