Edwin Whiting was born September 9th, 1809, Lee Co., Mass. When a small boy, his father moved to Ohio, were they resided until Edwin was married to Elizabeth P. Tillotson. She too, was born in Mass., Apr. 15th, 1814, town of Tyringham. Her parents also moving west in an early day. They were married in 1833 & lived in Nelson, Ohio, until 1837.

In the autumn of that year they moved to [Missouri], settling in Clay Co. Soon after uniting their fortunes with the Latter Day Saints, they were forced to leave that State, and all their possessions, among which was a nice young orchard which Father had been at great pains to plant. They went with the Saints to [Illinois], and made a home with the branch of the Church in Lima. Here they again planted an orchard and after living there four years, the spirit of mobocracy again was brought to bear, and another expulsion had to be endured by the Saints. Mother was permitted to take her youngest child who was very sick, and a bed, and as many of her household goods as she could into a corner of the lot while they burned the house. Father had to flee for his life, as the mob had sent them word, if any men were seen, they would be shot. In the meantime, teams arrived from Nauvoo, and the homeless Saints were removed to that place for the winter, with the understanding that they were to move on in the spring. Soon after their arrival in Nauvoo, their 8th child, Lucius, was born.

In January 1846, they entered into the Celestial Order of Marriage. Almira Palmer, a widow, and Mary Elizabeth Cox being sealed to Father. In April, of 1846, they took up a line of march for the then unknown regions of the great west, but stopped at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, three years, preparing for their farther move, with the church, which had now located in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. In 1849, with a family now numbering fourteen, they started with ox teams to travel across the plains, the journey occupying six months. On the headwaters of the Sweet Water, the company encountered a horrible snow storm, during which many of their cattle died. As their teams were already weak, the remainder of the journey would not have been accomplished, only for the wise precautions of President Young in sending teams out to help them into the Valley. This company brought word that Father and family were chosen to go with a company in charge of Father Morley to settle in Sanpete Co., which they accordingly did, settling in Manti, Utah, after an extended journey of three weeks time from Great Salt Lake City.

It was snowing part of the time and the roads had to be made causing many delays in pioneering new country. When later in November they reached Manti, they were glad to hastily dig in on the South side of the stone quarry, a few dugouts, and move their scant household goods into them, their winter home. Walkers band of Indians were their only neighbors.

The following spring, the town was laid out, and Father prepared to move into a City lot by first transplanting his little trees, which he brought in a small box on the side of the wagon from the States, being very choice, but some had died. However, with all the care they had received, a few still lived and grew. They soon had to move into Forts in order to protect themselves from Indians who had become hostile. In 1855, Father was called on a mission to the States, and the next summer, we were visited by the dread scourge, the grasshoppers. They came in numbers sufficient and took all the growing crops in Sanpete County, leaving the people entirely destitute of support. It took the united efforts of the family to keep the ”wolf from the door.” Pigweed greens, together with a small piece of corn and graham bread, sparingly dealt out to each, was the living of the family. Mother nobly and with the greatest patience, looked after and planned for the welfare of all during this trying time of scarcity.

Father, after three years absence, returned to find all prospering, and as he had brought a collection of choice fruit trees and shrubs of different kinds home with him, after trying faithfully for twelve years to raise fruit with very little success, concluded to move to Springville which he did in 1860. There, he went into the nursery business successfully. Trees from his nursery are scattered over all parts of this territory.

Father died in Springville in December 1890. Mother, who had suffered many years with asthma, lived little more than a year after. She died February 4th, 1892. Our oldest brother, William, died Sept. 20, 1888. Mother’s descendants, thus far, are: 11 children, 6 of whom are living; 57 grandchildren; and 28 great grandchildren. Father’s children, 35, twenty seven of whom are living; 140 grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren. We think Father and Mother lived lives above reproach, as near as mortals can, and both lived the lives of latter Day Saints, and both bore faithful testimonies to the truths of the Gospel, as revealed to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, with whom they were both well acquainted in the last years in his life. All of which we feel to bear testimony too. Composed by the six living children of Edwin and Elizabeth Whiting.

-Amelia Buchanan
-Sarah E. Snow
-Lucius Whiting
-Oscar N. Whiting
-Louisa N. Johnson
-Caroline F. Bromley

March 18, 1892

Note: This history was written on March 18, 1892, in Springville, Utah, two years after the death of Edwin Whiting. It was written by his six surviving children from his first wife, Elizabeth Partridge Tillotson, who died only one month before this history was written on 4 February 1892. The six authors of this history and their ages at the time of writing are as follows: Amelia Whiting Buchanan, 56; Sarah Elizabeth Whiting Snow, 52; Edwin Lucius Whiting, 47; Oscar Newell Whiting, 44; Louisa Melitia Whiting Johnson, 42; and Caroline Fidelia Whiting Bromley, 39. Source: The Marie Whiting Collection. All spelling and punctuation original. The information was divided into paragraphs to make it easier to read. Some of the information given here differs from other accounts.

 Edwin Whiting was born in Massachusetts, September 9^th, 1809. Though not a pioneer of Springville, he passed through here in 1849 with the colony that settled at Manti. He came to Springville in the year 1861 and his coming marked an era in the culture of finer fruits and ornamental shade trees. He gave impetus to the trans-planting of the evergreen from its native haunts in the mountains, to “making glad waste places”. He died at Mapleton. December 7^th 1890.

 From a biography in Marie J. Whiting Collection

Source for the whole article is : http://www.fold3.com/page/283366385_samuel_kendall_gifford/

There are entries on pg. 9, 10, 14, 16, 17, 20 and 33 specific to the Whiting story that have been identified in this account. The time spent at Mt. Pisgah, the chair shop, Manti history are helpful in telling the Whiting story. I have selected the Whiting stories  and have underlined the name Whiting for easy retrieval. There are several accounts of the activity of Edwin Whiting, one of William Whiting and one of Mary Cox Whiting in this journal.  

 Pg.9

I then returned to Mt. Pisgah to make a fitout for the Mountains.

This was the winter of 1847-8. I again went into the chair shop with the Whitings, with whom I had labored in Illinois. After I had been here some time, Old Mother Head, who was then the wife of Father Elisha Whiting, took sick and died in one week from the time she took sick.

A short time after Father Whiting died also with one weeks sickness. The old gentleman was fixing to go to Quincy, Ill., where we had a regular market for our chairs, hoping to sooner get a fitout for the mountains. But death deprived him from going any farther with the Saints in their western journey.

I stayed in Mt. Pisgah and worked in the chair shop until the fall of 1848 when I married Lora Ann, daughter of Freeborn and Ann (Anna) Knight DeMill. Anna was the daughter of Joseph and Polly Knight. We were married by President Edwin Whiting on Sunday the 1st day of October, 1848.

 Pg.10

In the spring of 1849 our President, Brother Edwin Whiting, started for the Valley of the Mountains. I said to him, “Edwin, (I had been used to calling him by his name) I am making four hundred chairs this year and go to the Valley next year.” His answer was, “You can’t do it.” I said, “I will do it.” The emigration for the California gold mines was passing through pretty briskly. Hay had raised from $2.00 to $20.00 per ton and corn from ten cents to $3.00 per bushel. Mechanics like myself had to buy both hay and corn to feed. President Whiting, just before starting on his journey, advised the Saints to not sell for high prices to their brethren who were obliged to buy corn, hay, etc. There were two men that listened to his council. If it had not been for those two men of whom I bought my corn, I could not have come to the Valley the next year as I had declared I would. The names of those men were Freeborn DeMill and Josiah Perry. God bless them.

 Pg. 14
The Indian troubles, known as the Walker War, then commenced. A strong guard had to be placed around our town. I was then Orderly Seargent of Captain Edwin Whiting’s Company, the first military company that was organized in Sanpete.

Pg. 16

June 21, 1856 Edwin Whiting was elected Major of Sanpete Militia in place of Nelson Higgins who was called on a mission to Carson Valley. Brother Whiting is on a mission to Ohio but is expected home soon. Elijah Averett was elected Second Lieutenant of Company B the 24th of August 1856. Major Edwin Whiting got home from his mission to Ohio. Sunday, Brother Whiting preached a noble Gospel discourse.

Pg. 17

August 30, 1856 I attended Court Martial. Sunday 31st, Inst. Brother Elisha Edwards got home from his mission to Ohio. Preached in the forenoon and Father Morley and Edwin Whiting preached in the afternoon. Their instructions were excellent. Thursday, Sept. 4, 1856 I attended Fast Meeting.

 Pg. 20

Drove to Ft. Ephraim and Bishop Kafod joined us the next morning with about 30 wagons with tithing for the city. Tuesday 3rd, bad crossing of Sanpitch on account of broken ice but got across without any damage. Drove to the Duck Springs and camped for the night. Wednesday 4th, started early in the morning and drove to the Uinta Springs and stopped to water our teams, after which thirty-three men were selected to drive on and break the road across the divide. Bishop Snow took the lead, I was one of the number. The remainder stopped for the night. We drove about two miles when the snow began to crust over so we were obliged to stop. It was then sundown. We fed our cattle. Some of us went about a half mile for wood. The snow was about two feet deep and we broke through about half of the time. After returning to our wagons and warming ourselves a little, for it was very cold, Bishop Snow, Father Israel Shoemaker, William Whiting, (Note: The oldest child of Edwin and Elizabeth) D. D. Washburn and myself started afoot to break the road. We all took hold of hands, forming a line across the road and jumping upon the crust so that the wagons were able to follow up with some four to seven yoke of oxen to the wagon. When we were about half way across the divide we met Elder Hyde going to Sanpete. His carriage was so light the crust bore it up. Neither did the horses break through so we went over safe. We were joined by the others who assisted us in breaking the crust by jumping upon as before until we got over the divide, some five or six miles.

Pg. 33

Typical of Mormon colonies, the education of the young was not to be neglected. The first school classes were held in the cabins of the Saints, but soon a small log schoolhouse was erected and Jesse W. Fox was installed as the Pioneer teacher. He was soon followed by Mrs. Mary Whiting. Samuel Kendall Gifford was a learned man for his day and read extremely well. He became a teacher on an elementary level soon after his arrival in Manti. He taught the Gospel whenever possible and was a teacher in the first Sunday School organized in Manti.

Source: Diary of Samuel Henry Gifford http://www.fold3.com/page/283366385_samuel_kendall_gifford/

He was always in a hurry. He was a man of few words.

Grandfather traded for an ox and later decided he had not paid enough so sent Uncle Al (Albert Milton, a son) with 10 bushel more of wheat.

When he tried to get his sons out of bed when they were sleeping in the shed. He climbed a ladder and used a raker (a rake).

Source: Elda Whiting Brown from Arizona, 1985

Edwin and the Buffalo

As the company of Pioneers were traveling toward the West there were many buffalo in great herds. They were dangerous.

One day a group of wagons was starting the make camp when they saw a herd of buffalo coming straight to them. Edwin stood on a one of the wagons tongues with a large buck whip and with others swung those and yelled so the Buffalo parted and went on each side of the camp. No one was hurt.

 Source: Elda Whiting Brown, Arizona, 1985

 An Incident With the Bull Whip and Edwin

An incident in the life of Edwin Whiting as told by his son, John Whiting of Charleston, Utah.

Ren (Lorenzo, a son) and the boys were up the canyon with father. Ren took the Bull whip and flipped it around fathers ear and cut it. Father wasn’t one to swear but his Yankee spirit couldn’t be squelched and he remonstrated, “Hell and Judas, cut a fellow’s ear off.” Then they they tittered as the rode on down the canyon, he added, “You’ll titter and he and haw, and don’t give a damn.”

Source: A hand written scrap of paper in the handwriting of Marie J. Whiting in her collection of the Life of her Grandfather.

 A Physical Description of Edwin Whiting

Edwin’s build – No picture shows him as a large men. As to height he has both tall and short sons but none heavy. Someone has stated he held himself straight and walked with his hands behind himself. None of his sons are very bald. He was never bald in any pictures.

Source: A handwritten note by Marie J. Whiting in her Collection