Something of the Pettijohn (Pettyjohn) Family

Something of the Pettijohn
(Pettyjohn) Family

WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE

to

the descendants of
James Pettyjohn
of
HUNGAR'S PARISH, NORTHHAMPTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA
_________

Compiled by Era Jane Pettijohn Chamberlain

of Buhl, Idaho,

and

Clive Abraham Pettijohn of Davenport, Washington.

_________



Privately Printed, 1948

_________


Copyright 1948

C. A. Pettijohn


COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY C.A. PETTIJOHN



All rights in this book are reserved by the author. It may not be used for dramatic, motion or talking picture purposes, without authorization from the author of these rights, nor may the text or any part thereof be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission in writing. For information address C. A. Pettiohn, Davenport, Washington.



PRINTED AND BOUND IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


BY

SHAW & BORDEN COMPANY

MANUFACTURING PRINTERS

SPOKANE, WASH.

E X P L A N A T I O N
No ATTEMPT has been made to compile a general family history and the narratives herein set forth have, of necessity, dealt with those members of the family whose records have been available, either through the personal knowledge of the compilers, or by the assistance of others whom the facts were known.

In our attempts to gather information we have found that people, as a rule, have little, if any, interest in their genealogical history, and in numerous instances have neglected to reply to inquiries directed to them, although postpaid envelopes were enclosed for that purpose. For these reasons we have been compelled to direct our attention principally to the descendants of our grandfather, Abraham Pettijohn (13), and more particularly, and in more detail, to that branch of the family headed by his son, Dyer Burgess Pettijohn (37), our father.

From the outset we have attempted to avoid being drawn into any controversy as to the proper spelling of the family name - whether "Pettijohn" or "Pettyjohn." That question has arisen on numerous occasions, and arguments long and loud have been vigorously waged in an attempt to prove a point and to convince an adversary, but after all was said and done the disputants were undoubtedly of the same opinion still. It should be sufficient to say in this connection that we have found in numerous instances that some members of the family employ the spelling "Pettijohn," while others of that same branch just as desperately cling to "Pettyjohn." To all such warning elements we simply say: "Go to it! It's a good and honored name, which ever way you spell it, and more power to you in its defense." An attempt has been made to preserve the spelling employed by the various branches of the family, but on account of the diversity of opinion even among members of the same branch, it has been difficult at times to do so.

We are not historians, and no literary merit is claimed for our efforts. We are simply setting forth a few facts, and some conclusions. which may or may not be of interest to members of the family. In gathering data it has often been difficult, and on occasion impossible, to decipher the long hand penmanship which has been sent in to us. We have done the best we could, with the means and information at hand, to avoid errors, and the indulgence of readers, if any, in overlooking and excusing mistakes and omissions, is earnestly requested.

If this work shall be of any interest as a source of information we feel that it will be largely from the Genealogical List of Names by which, through the system of numbering employed, the lines of descent and the relationship of the various members of the family to each other may be readily determined.

At different times during the last century various attempts have been made by interested individuals to commit to writing items of family interest, none of which, however, have been preserved in print save the "autobiography and Family Remniscences" written by Jonas Pettijohn (85) and published in Clay Center, Kansas, by the Dispatch Printing House in 1890, and the voluminous and well presented work by Mary Walton Ferris, entitled "Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines," copyright 1931, by Rufus C. Dawes, which, with the permission of the copyright holder, has been used as a source of information as to the early members of the family. We have also had before us the writings dated 1899, of James C. Pettijohn (221) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the compilations prepared by S. M. Pettijohn (441) of Muncie, Indiana, and Miss Margaret Pettyjohn (304), of [address omitted], Walla Walla, Washington, which have been drawn upon and have been valued sources of information. To the hundreds of persons who have answered our inquiries and have so willingly supplied such data as they could, we express our sincere thanks. Their very number prohibits a more specific mention.

ERA JANE PETTIJOHN CHAMBERLAIN (42),

CLIVE ABRAHAM PETTIJOHN (38).

Davenport, Washington,

March 31, 1948.