William Whitaker

Born around 1700 to Jane Parker and Joshua Whitaker, probably in Lancashire, England
Married Elizabeth Carleton 13 February 1722 in Chester County, Pennsylvania
William-Susannah-Boyd-Nancy-Charles-Charles William-Fenly-Clifford
Died

William's father Joshua died in England, although there are many questions about his death and who his parents were.  You can read much more if you click on Joshua's name above.  William's mother, Jane, went to America, although I don't know if it was with her children, although all four of her children ended up in America.

The following information comes from this website and  this website; the second describes its main source this way:

The earliest written account of the Whitaker family is found in a manuscript entitled Record of the Whitaker Families of North Carolina dated March 29, 1874, compiled by Henry Whitaker (1811-1883) of Fairview, Buncombe County, North Carolina, who was assisted by his nephew Henry Jenkins (1839-1919) and his son-in-law Jesse Garren (1828-1892). The account was compiled in behalf of Henry Whitaker's older brother James Whitaker (1805-1892) of Willard, Box Elder County, Utah, an early convert of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In January, 1939, Lorah Jerusha Whitaker Beeks prepared a typescript of this manuscript family history.

William's family moved to Ireland in about 1716 or 1717The first record of William is in Dublin from the minutes of a meeting of the Society of Friends in 7 April 1719:

At Mens Monthly Meeting, Dublin 7 d, 2 mo, 1719, William Whitaker, who formerly lived at Timahoe, and now in this City, having desire to go to Pennsylvania, it is desired that William Brookfield, Henry Martin, and John Stevens doe enquire into his conversation and cleanness in relation to marriage and give a certificate, if needful, before next Men's Meeting and get some friends to sign it...A certificate was given of his cleaness on account of marriage and going away clear.

William's uncles John and James had already come to America.  William was received by Kennett Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on 2 December 1721.  It appears that William and his brother, Peter, came first, followed by their mother, Jane, and brother and sister Katherine and Robert.

William married Elizabeth Carleton a few months later on 13 February 1722.  They were married in the Old Kennett Monthly Meeting House near Hamorton, but later moved their membership to Bradford Monthly Meeting near Marshallton.

In December 1739 William and Elizabeth's home was destroyed by fire, although they were able to save a few things, including this Bible. The family had been preparing to move back to Kennett Square and the Kennett Meeting.  After the fire, there was some confusion about who ought to help the Whitaker family:

It appears that there was some dispute between the Kennett and Bradford Meetings regarding which meeting was responsible for the family's relief. On March 20, 1739 (20 d, 4 mo, 1739), the minutes of the Bradford Monthly Meeting reported that the Kennett Meeting had been advised of the circumstances of William Whitaker's family and that they were in danger of wanting relief. The Bradford Monthly Meeting minutes of June 19, 1740 (19 d, 4 mo, 1740) recorded that "Phinehas Lewis reports that he went to William Whitaker and found him and family likely to want bread soon if not relieved also this meeting is informed that friends at Kennet has their case under consideration, but that they may not suffer this meeting desires Aaron Mendenhall to supply them with Breadstuf for the present and make report the next meeting." The following month on July 17, 1740 (17 d, 5 mo 1740), the minutes show that "Aaron Mendenhall reports that he hath supplyed Wm Whitaker with one hundred & half of midlings as ordered by last meeting and several friends from Kennett being here it appears that they have the matter under their consideration soe it is left at present for a further Conference and in the interim Aaron Mendenall is desired to continue to take care of him." William Whitaker and his wife obtained a certificate of transfer from the Newark (Kennett) Monthly Meeting on September 4, 1740 (4 d, 7 mo, 1740), and were received by the Bradford Meeting two days later (6 d, 7 mo, 1740). Records of the Bradford Monthly Meeting show that an arrangement for the relief of the Whitaker family was reached between the two meetings on September 17, 1741 (17 d, 9 mo, 1741), whereby Kennett would pay 3/4 of the relief money, and Bradford would provide 1/4 of the sum as condition for acceptance of the family into the Bradford Monthly Meeting. Their membership was finalized on June 17, 1742 (17 d, 4 mo, 1742), the minutes indicating that "A Certificate from Newark (Kennett) Monthly Meeting for Wm Whitacre & his wife was here read & accepted on the terms formerly agreed on between the two meetings." More monies were collected for the Whitaker family on December 16, 1742 (16 d, 10 mo, 1742) and October 18, 1744 (18 d, 8 mo, 1744); however, the Kennett Preparative Meeting revoked its agreement to send more money to the family on October 15, 1747 (15 d, 8 mo, 1747). 

On 20 June 1751 William and Elizabeth asked for a certificate of removal so they could go to North Carolina, and it was approved on 15 August 1751. However, it wasn't approved for their son, Mark.  Thomas Carleton, Elizabeth's brother, wrote about Elizabeth and William's moving to North Carolina in a letter to Ireland:

My eldest Sister Elizabeth with her husband & family (they haveing 7 Children alive when they left these parts) are removed to North Carolina, a Country that is Setling pretty fast, where they say land is Cheap, they removed from these parts last summer was a Year. I had a Letter from her last Spring they were then well.

William and Elizabeth traveled with most of their children and other others, using the "Great Wagon Road" between Philadelphia through the ShenandoahValley to Salisbury, North Carolina.  While they were stopped for a time in Virginia they met a group of Baptists traveling from Hopewell and joined them for the rest of the trip.  They don't seem to have joined a Society of Friends Meeting in North Carolina, although there are conflicting opinions whethere there was a meeting near them; they appear to have joined the Baptists in North Carolina.  Their daughter, Susannah, had already left the Society of Friends when she married Hugh McCrary in Pennsylvania; her son, Boyd, married Anna Merrell who was from the Hopewell families.

There isn't much more known about William and Elizabeth after this.  He is on a tax list in Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1759. It is also not known when they died.