Robert White

Robert White (1688–1752) was an early American physician, military officer, pioneer, and planter in the Colony of Virginia.

White was born in Scotland, the son of John White, a physician practicing in Paisley, Renfrewshire. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and later served as a surgeon with the rank of captain in the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Great Britain. He relocated to the Thirteen Colonies between 1720 and 1730, first to Delaware, then Pennsylvania, and finally as a "pioneer settler" in present-day Frederick County, Virginia between 1732 and 1735. White was one of two physicians practicing in Frederick County, and conducted his practice from his residence near Great North Mountain. White was part of a larger wave of Scottish physicians who settled in Virginia prior to the American Revolutionary War.

White was the progenitor of the White political family of Virginia and West Virginia. He was the father of Alexander White (1738–1804), United States House Representative, and the grandfather of Virginia judge Robert White (1759–1831) and United States House Representative Francis White (1761–1826).

Early life and education Robert White was born in Scotland in 1688. He was the son of John White, a physician practicing in Paisley, Renfrewshire who died in 1742. White's lineage was of both Scottish and English origins, descending from Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement during the 17th century. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland, and graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree from the institution.

Royal Navy service Following the completion of his education, White served as a surgeon with the rank of captain in the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Great Britain. While it is not known for certain why White resigned his commission, White family tradition held that he left the Royal Navy after he engaged in a duel with another officer. During this move to Virginia, White was accompanied by his elderly father-in-law William Hoge, who settled three miles south of Winchester on Opequon Creek. White and Hoge, along with other families, established the Opequon Meeting House, the oldest Presbyterian congregation formed west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

White was one of two physicians practicing in Frederick County along with Daniel Hart (died about 1748). White practiced from his residence near Great North Mountain, and one of his more notable patients was Colonel James Wood, founder of Winchester, Virginia. White was part a larger wave of Scottish physicians who settled in Virginia prior to the American Revolutionary War. White's alma mater, the University of Edinburgh, was a leading center of medical education and research, and the school trained more physicians than were needed in Scotland. Unlike White, the majority of Scottish physicians practiced in the main centers of population in the colonial port cities. By 1855, a tree was located at White's burial site in the eastern corner of the cemetery, and the same tree remained at his burial site in 1891.

Marriage and children White married Margaret Hoge, the eldest daughter of his uncle William Hoge and his wife, Barbara Hume. White and his wife, Margaret, had at least eight children together:

Name Birth date Death date Spouse John White Isaac Julian, married on 10 September 1741 in Frederick County 9 March 1734 1738 19 September 1804 Elizabeth WoodSarah Cotter Hite, married on 10 June 1784