Pioneers of Ellis County Nelson G. Whitten   Nelson G. Witten, of Files, Hill County, was born in Miller Co. Missouri, June 7, 1836, a son of John and Isafena Witten. His paternal grandfather Samuel C. Witten, was of English descent, and his maternal grandmother was a member of the well known Greenup family of Kentucky. John Witten  first married Miss Isafena McKenzie, a daughter of John McKenzie, a native of Scotland. After his second marriage to Agnes Gipson, of South Carolina, they moved to Missouri. By this union there were eleven children, ten of whom grew to maturity: Nelson G., our subject; James, who died at Corinth, Mississippi, (CSA); Samuel C., of Eastland County, Tex.; John M., (d. Missouri); Fountain S. (killed at Corinth. Miss. - CSA); Daniel M., Benjamin F. and George, of Atascosa County, Tex.; Thomas R., of Eastland Co. Tex.; and Goran G., who died when young. John Whitten and family moved to Wise County, Tex. in 1859, where he died in 1863. Mrs. Whitten now [1892] lives in Atascosa Co.; age seventy-six years. Nelson Witten, came to Texas in 1854, first locating in Wise County, where he farmed and engaged in the stock business. He remained there until the war, when he enlisted in the State service (Throckmorton's Regiment) for protection to the frontier. The entire community was enlisted into companies, commanded by Throckmorton, and called the State Rangers. The command was divided into four parts - each spending equal time in service. After four years of service, the War closed, and afterward the Indians became more troublesome than ever. As a result, in 1866, settlers were driven out of Wise County and  Mr Witten moved to Ellis County where he bought a 221-acre farm from James McCulloch. Nelson Whitten married Miss Margaret Miller, a daughter of Captain William Miller, ( native of Virginia, who moved to Missouri and died there in 1878, age eighty-three years). Mr. and Mrs. Witten had six children: Bonny T. (born Dec. 1860; d. 1872) ; Boyd M. W. (b. Feb. 1862; d. age one year); James F. J. (b. June, 1863); Samuel A.(b. March, 1865); Fanny R. (b.April, 1866, married J. F. Martin, Justice of the Peace, in Greer County [Tex]; and Pat S., (b. Dec. 4, 1868, who still lives at home). Mr. Witten has served as School Trustee, is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, Royal Arch and a Democrat. His wife is a member of the Christian Church. Actually the old home place was in Ellis County in front ot the McCulloch Witten Cemetery on Hwy 66, about 2 miles east of Files. [Source: Memorial and Biographical History of Ellis County; Lewis Pub. Co., Chicago, Ill., pub. 1892]   Copyright © 2004-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:30:17 MDT