Whitehead, N. W.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 452.
Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.

Whitehead & Kent, planters, Thibodeaux, La.  N. W. Whitehead and Thomas D. Kent, who are numbered among the prosperous and very successful planters of La Fourche parish, La., are the owners of Abbey and Highland plantations, among the most productive and skillfully managed of any plantations in the parish.
These gentlemen purchased the former plantation in 1885 and the latter two years later, since which time many and vast improvements have been made on them.  Two years ago they put in a double mill, the sugar vacuum pans, and last year they made 1,250,000 pounds of sugar.  They are spending a great deal
of their time in improving and clearing their plantations and with what success may be inferred by a glance over their broad acres. 

N. W. Whitehead was born in East Feliciana parish, thirty-eight years ago, or on April 26, 1852, and is a son of Joseph and M. J. (Cobb) Whitehead.  The father is still living and resides in Chester, Tenn., where he follows the occupation of a cotton planter.  He resided in different sections of Louisiana until 1875 or 1876 and then moved to the Lone Star state, where he has since made his home.

During the Civil war he served in the Fourth Louisiana infantry and was in many battles east of the Mississippi river.  He was a heavy loser by that eventful struggle.  N. W. Whitehead spent his boyhood days at Clinton and in the Daniel's Academy in St. Helena parish.  On growing up he commenced his career as a planter and this has continued to be his chosen occupation since.

He came to La Fourche parish in 1871, commenced as overseer for John Williams, and in 1885, he and Thomas D. Kent purchased Abbey plantation.  Two years later they purchased Highland plantation.  They have exhibited unusual faculty for management, and pleasant and agreeable as they are in business affairs
they are equally so in social life.  Mr. Whitehead was married in 1882 to Miss P. I. Tompkins, daughter of Dr. Tompkins, and the fruits of this union were four children.  Mr. Whitehead and wife are members of the Episcopal church, and Mr. Whitehead is vestryman in the same.  He has shown his appreciation of secret organizations by becoming a member of the  I. O. O. F., the A. F. & A.M.,  the K. of H. and the K. of P.  He is a democrat in politics and takes a great deal of interest in elections.  He and Mr. Kent have a plantation store and are doing a fairly good business.