Notes for William TROTTER

Notes for William TROTTER Doug & Nancy Russell's Homepage

Notes for William TROTTER

Trotter Family History

James Trotter of Scotland emigrated to Brunswick County Virginia, where he
married Ann about 1743. They had five sons and one daughter. The two oldest
sons, George and Isham were Revolutionary War heroes and are chronicled in
Virginia archives. William, the third son, born in 1753, moved to Person
County, North Carolina in 1784, one year after the death of his father
James. William and his wife Nancy had ten children. The oldest son James was
grandfather of V.J. Trotter, who built the Trotter House in Monticello.
James was originally a schoolteacher and then became a farmer. It is notable
that this wife, Mary Draper, was the granddaughter of Solomon Draper, an
Englishman, who at age eighteen was deported to Virginia as a felon for
stealing a horse. After 14 years of servitude, Solomon immediately bought
300 acres of farmland, suggesting that he may have married the daughter of
his indenturer. The James Trotter family moved to Summerville, Tennessee in
1836 where they had a farm about twenty five miles east of Memphis. James
himself died in 1840, and it was rumored that he "died the death of a
drunkard", however, this is not confirmed. James's son, Henry J. Trotter,
then assisted his mother, Mary (Draper), in running the farm. Besides Henry
J., there were nine other children, William B., Maritia, Ann, Solomon, Mary
M., Green, Cornelia, Elizabeth-Susan, and Thomas. In 1852 Mary and all the
family except William B. left the farm in Tennessee with the intention of
settling in Daingerfield, Texas with her daughter-in-law's family, the
Orange Connors. (Orange was so named because of his Protestant Irish
origins.) Unfortunately, the Saline and Quachita Rivers were continuously
flooded for a two year period. The Trotter family stopped north of
Monticello, but when the flood waters did not recede they decided to
homestead in Arkansas. Their farm about 6 miles north of Monticello raised
mostly cotton. Henry J. was an energetic entrepreneur and soon bought a
cotton gin which serviced many of the local farms. The cost of this gin was
$500 as attested by a bill from the Memphis dealer! Henry J.'s wife, Malvina
Connor, was a strong believer in education and well read in the classics.
There were six children, John Rufus, William Cicero, Henry Juan, Virgil
Josephus, and Mary Caledonia. Although the nearest rail or steamboat access
was fifty miles away, three of the sons graduated from college, a very
unusual occurrence at that time. Cicero received an M.D. from the University
of Louisville, Henry Juan a doctorate of religion from Vanderbilt, and John
a degree in Latin from Vanderbilt. It is ironic that Virgil went only
through the fifth grade, but later was to be president of Monticello School
Board. Henry J. (the elder) was a practical man, but like his father and
grandfather was heavily involved with the Methodist Church. Each generation
had given land to the church in their respective states of North Carolina,
Tennessee, and Arkansas for a "meeting house". When the Civil War broke out,
he forbade any of his sons entering the military, stating that "the South
should listen to Lincoln, and free the slaves". He himself did have several
slaves, and the fact that they kept the Trotter name indicates they were at
least decently treated. One of the best known slave descendants was Wiley
Trotter, a black veterinarian who lived in Drew County for over 100 years!

The Trotter House was built by Virgil Josephus Trotter shortly before his
marriage to Willie Ada Ford in 1896. He had left the farm and joined in
partnership with J.D. McCloy in Monticello. The mercantile business which he
co-founded in 1887 remained in continuous business until sold to the Van
Atkins chain in 1962. The original house was twice enlarged as the family of
eight children required more space. The house was said to be the first in
Monticello with an indoor sanitary sewage system, and at one time was
lighted by illuminating gas. The original heating was by individual
fireplaces in the various rooms, and these were still used until about 1950
when gas heaters were installed. The large attic was once used as a roller
skating rink by Juan and Henry, and it was not unusual to find the boys
running about on the roof of the adjacent carriage house. A fig tree in the
back yard sank its roots beneath the original three-holer toilet in the
carriage house, and still bears fruit today. Virgil Josephus Trotter lived
to age 100, dying at the home in 1956. None of his direct descendents are
now living in Drew County, although there are grandchildren of his Uncle
Green Trotter still in the area, and a grandson, Henry Trotter, runs the
Ford dealership in Pine Bluff. The oldest son of V.J., Virgil Juan lived in
the Trotter House from birth in 1897 until his death September 25, 1994. A
grandson, Reginald Trotter, who now lives in France, is a frequent guest at
The Trotter House.

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Genforum
Postingby EJ
ejspealy@@aol.com

My g-g-g-grandfather was William Joseph Trotter, b-1760 in Scotland, d-1830 in Enterprise, Wayne, IL. He married Sarah King 1790 in Barren County, KY.
They had 11 children:
Charles Otis b-1791 in SC; d-1857 Wayne Co.IL
Elisha B., b-1801 NC; d-1865 Wayne Co.IL
Susanna, b-1803 KY; d-1825 Appanoose Co.,IL
James F, b-1804 KY; d-1875 Fulton Co.,IL
Rebecca Trotter, b-1806 KY; d-1879 Wayne Co.
Thomas Archibald, b-1807 NC; d-1858 Hamilton
Co., IL
William, b-1813 KY
Mary, b-1814 KY
Isham, b-1815 KY; d-1888 Belle Prairie, IL
Robert, 1815 KY,
Shirley Jasper, b-1821 Compton, Hart, KY;
d-1899 Rinard, Wayne,IL
George, b-?

My direct line is through Charles Trotter and his son James Harvey Trotter, then through his daughter Lucy Ann...who died in 1906 in Essex, Stoddard, MO.

I can share more if this fits your line.

EJ

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