George Washington Whitus and Nancy Lavina Puckett
George Whitus was the middle son of James Whitus and Jane McCoy. We have no idea how George and Nancy may have met--their social and economic backgrounds were rather different. The Whitus family lived very modestly, with no land of their own and no significant property. By contrast, the Pucketts were a comparatively more prosperous land-owning family in northern Bedford County, near the Rutherford line. However, by the time they married in 1867 in Bedford County, the Civil War had upended the social and economic structures in middle Tennessee, including Rutherford County, something that may have put them on a more equal economic footing. (See the reading list for suggested books on this topic.)
Both George and his older brother Robert enlisted in the Confederate forces at the outbreak of the Civil War, with George opting to join the cavalry (Company D, 11th [Holman's] TN Cavalry). He served for the duration of the war, often under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Along with others in his company, he surrendered to Union troops and took the oath of allegiance on 8 March, 1865. The card attesting that he took the oath also contains a description of George: he had brown hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and stood 5'10" tall.
We have been unable to locate George and Nancy in census records in 1870, but Nancy's 1906 pension application indicates they remained in the area. (The 1870 census is notorious for missing residents, in Tennessee at least.) All ten of their children were born in either Bedford or Rutherford Counties, and all but one--Hattie Jo--survived to adulthood.
The couple received a modest inheritance from the estate of Nancy's mother, Milly Manor, but ultimately opted to sell their small farm and move east to Morgan County. The 1890s was a time of economic hardship in the country, and it may be that George decided his prospects for employment would be better in the mines of eastern Tennessee. He was listed as a coal miner in the 1900 census, as were sons Charley and Edward. George died in August 1902, leaving Nancy with several children to raise. She applied for--and was granted--a pension based on George's Civil War service. Nancy herself died in 1930 of a stroke.
George Washington Whitus (b. 19 Jan 1845, Rutherford, TN - d. 12 Aug 1902, Morgan, TN)
m. 20 Sep 1866, Bedford TN
Nancy Lavina Puckett (b. 14 Apr 1850, Bedford, TN - d. 2 Jan 1930, Petros, Morgan, TN)
Children:
i. Anna Lou Whitus (b. 16 Aug 1867-d 27 May 1951); m. John Woods Rowland
ii. Jennie Elizabeth Whitus ("Bettie") (b. Jun 1869-d. 13 January 1963, Nashville, Davidson, TN); never married
iii. Robert Lee Whitus (b. 8 Dec 1871-d. 10 Jul 1965)
iv. James Walter Whitus (b. 1873-d. 25 September 1957, Nashville, Davidson, TN)
v. Hattie Jo Whitus (b. 1875-d. by 1880)
vi. Charles Richardson Whitus (b. 5 Sep 1877-d. 3 Dec 1925); never married
vii. Mary Ellen Whitus (b. Oct 1880, Rutherford, TN - d. 19 August 1955, Chattanooga, Hamilton, TN); m1. George W. Keith; m2. Burk Day
viii. Edward Holmes Whitus (b. 19 Jan 1884-d. 29 April 1936); m. Cora Koontz
ix. Beulah Estella Whitus (b. 19 Sep 1888-d. 11 March 1985); m. Charles Edmonds
x. William Gray Whitus (b. 10 May 1891-d. 5 December 1968); m. Mary [unknown]