Capt. Henry (Heinreich) Whitener (Weidner) 1717-1792 Heinreich Weidner arrived in the port of Philadelphia on the ship “Molly” on October 17, 1741. The various spellings of his name are, Heinrich Weydner, Heinrich Weidner, Heinrich Weidener, Henrich Widener, Henry Weitner, etc., and finally became henry Whitener, all meaning hunter. Many German names were anglicized in those early days, and through usage over the years, our name came out in its present form, “Whitener”.
The name in its numerous forms of spelling is prevalent in many parts of Pennsylvania today. The records of the Geological [actual misspelling] Section of the Library of Congress gives the names of the heads of a number of families by the name of Weidner, Weidener, etc., in Pennsylvania.
The records also show that Henry Whitener made his first trip to North Carolina [Actual Misspelling] on horseback sometime during the year 1742, and that he hunted for furbearing animals in what is now known as the Catawba County, and westward. He is said to be the first white man to settle in that part of the state he hunted and explored the valley of the great Catawba River westward to the Blue Ridge Mountains, trading and making friends with the Cherokee Indians.
It is said that the Indians were afraid of Henry’s six-foot barrelled “Thunder” gun which he had made before he left Philadelphia. The United States Records of 1790 lists Henry Whitener as a Trader.
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