"More people of Irish descent live in the United States than in Ireland itself" claims DK Publishing's Eyewitness Travel Guide for Ireland. Although not yet proven, our family's oral history says our lineage is Irish. On the 1900 Franklin County, KY Thornhill Precinct, Census of Population (Vol 23, ED 73, Sheet 4, Line 50) beside the entry for Thomas Lee White there was a notation in the "where are you from" column reading Ireland. Contributing researchers Diane R. Prewitt (White) and Pam Dale (White) have traced family roots back to Virginia in 1805 with hope of extending that to the late 1600's. Further links in Virginia are being researched and the jump to Ireland is yet to be discovered. The Surname White, present on the Mayflower and in Virginia and Massachusets early history makes research quite challenging. In a recent visit to the Library of Virginia I discovered that there were 32 John White's wills recorded in Colonial Virginia. A John White, who was an Irish artist, came to America with Sir Walter Raleigh. Also a John White was responsible for settling the Roanoke Colony and there are many references to him which clutters any attempt to find our Col. John White, the current search focus. The surname White is documented in Irish history to 17th Century Ireland in Counties Down, Kildare & Sligo. Richard White, an Irish war hero, was named the first Earl of Bantry in the late 1700's. The inscription on the crest "deFaoite" is the Galic pronunciation of White.