From The Pettit Correspondent, Volume 4, Number 1, page 163

Pettit - Hoppin Bible

What follows is taken from the February 1988 issue (Volume 31, #1) of "Footprints", the newsletter of the Ft. Worth Genealogical Society, a copy of which was received in 1988 from Bonnie Bartlett. There is much more to the article. First, I have deleted many of the compiler's comments. As well, I have not included much of the additional material, some of which was provided by the compiler, including entries from "Cemetery Inscriptions, Eastland County, Texas", "New Encyclopedia of Texas", and a newspaper clipping.

However, there is a portion of a letter, evidently written by a professional researcher, unknown to the compiler of the article. Much of it follows as an introduction to this family.

From the letter (author and date unknown):

The late Charles Thaddeus Pettit, only son of John and Permelia Hoppin Pettit, was born at Kalamazoo, Michigan, November 4, 1840, and died at Eastland, Texas, in 1911. From his mother's family bible it appears that his father, John Pettit, was born May 19, 1807; married Permelia Hoppin in 1839, and died (killed in a forest accident) March 31, 1841. On May 14, 1846, his widow, Permelia, married for her second husband William Miller Adams, of Pennsylvania and Michigan; and no children having been born to this marriage, Charles Thaddeus Pettit was reared by them as an only child.

Though an eager inquirer in his latter years as to his wife's and his mother's lineage, Charles Thaddeus professed to know no more of John Pettit and his family, other than that John Pettit came from Canada to Michigan, alone, shortly before his marriage to Permelia, whose family had removed to Michigan in 1836 from Hanover, New York. But among old family letters, preserved by his kindly foster father, are two from his paternal grandmother, and others from her children and grandchildren, written from Delhi, Simcoe, and Long Point, all in Norfolk County, Upper Canada (Ontario) which shed more light.

The first of these, from the pen of Phidelia Pettit, writing for herself and husband, John Pettit, was dated February 25, 1856, and, after acknowledging a letter from Permelia, of date Febuary 16, continues: "Was glad to hear you got home safe..." And adds, "The old man and I respect you and Charles as our own dear children, and the children all respect you as a kind sister. Let Charles come to see his old grandfather as often as you can make it convenient."

From these letters, all carefully dated in 1856, it appears that John Pettit was far advanced in years; that his children all resided within a ten or fifteen mile circuit in Norfolk County, Ontario; some in the neighborhood of Delhi, and others at Long Point. These letters refer to children and grandchildren of John and Phidelia Pettit, about as follows:

  1. Irene; m. ____ Wade (Son William, daughter Catherine)
  2. John, 1807-1841; m. Permelia Hoppin (Son Charles Thaddeus)
  3. William; m. Annis ____ (Son Charles)
  4. Ruth; m. William Hunt (Daughter Mary Jane)
  5. Amos; m. Sarah ____ (Daughter Cynthia Pettit)
  6. Nathaniel; m. (wife's name not given)
  7. David (may have been a grandchild)
  8. Jacob (wife's name not given)
Introduction to the Footprints article

Two Pettit bibles, with Hoppin family data on a separate sheet, found in one of the bibles. Submitted for publication by Shirley Brittain Cawyer, Stephenville, Texas, through the courtesy of Margaret Corbell, volunteer, Eastland Memorial Centennial Library, Eastland, Texas. Prepared and annotated for publication by Nancy Timmons Samuels. Editorial comments, within the bible records and quoted material, are enclosed in brackets.

First Bible

Family Register / births.

[Two separate pages, which contain essentially the same information. The following is a combination of the two. The last two names are on the Register only.]

Deaths

Marriages

Hoppin Family

[On an old ledger sheet, found in the bible; very old handwriting, not like any in the bible record] "family record of Samuel Hoppin."

Second Bible

Marriage Page

This is to certify that Charles Thaddeus Pettit and Elizabeth Erixine McKnight were united in Holy Matrimony at Sarcoxie, Mo., on the 16th day of December in the year of our Lord 1868.

Births


Deaths					[born]		[died]
Permelia Pettit Adams			1817		1900 June 22
Permelia Pettit				1871		1874
Lula Belle Pettit			1887		1895 Oct 10
John Henry Pettit			1885		1904 Oct 17
Samuel Pettit	born and died				
Karl M. Pettit				1895		Nov 4, 1906
William A. Pettit					1933	
Charles Thadeus Pettit			1840		1911 Aug 2
Elizabeth E. Pettit			1852		1937 Dec 5
Joel Hamilton Horton			1866		1912 Oct 9
Edna Neal Pettit
Marriages