during the american civil war, white was concerned for the safety of the county's records and proceeded to load land registration records ledger books onto wagons and had them transported for safekeeping. because of white's efforts, hampshire county land records survived the war, while those records that remained in the courthouse were destroyed. white was threatened by occupying union army forces to either vacate his residence in romney or face arrest because of his confederate sympathies. white relocated to richmond and served in the confederate states department of the treasury.