ELISHA WHITING, Jr. & SALLY HULET WHITING
compiled from the collected writings of Martha Whiting Brown, Ruth Brown Lewis, other family writings, & historical writings as noted in text1997 revision
Elisha's father, Elisha, was born November 21, 1762, at Hartford Connecticut. He married Susannah Butler March 25, 1784, at West Hartford.
Elisha was a sea captain who died, leaving his wife alone to care for their three small children in Hartford. Elisha Jr. had two younger sisters, Polly and Susannah.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Although we do not have a death date for Elisha Sr., we know he died at a young age, probably around age 28, and near the year 1790. Their last child was born about 1789, and Susannah married her second husband, Reuben Simmons on May 1, 1796, indicating that Elisha and Susannah were married far less than twelve years, and probably closer to six years.
Revolutionary War Records, Connecticut, page 541: "Elisha Whiting, Private in Captain Ozias Bissell's Company." His birth date is listed as November 21, 1762. The war was fought between 1775 and 1783, indicating that Elisha was somewhere between thirteen and twenty one while serving in the Revolutionary War.
- Elisha Jr.'s early years
- Sally Hulet's background
- Missouri 1833
- Far West, Missouri
- Battle of Crooked River, Caldwell County, Oct. 25, 1838
- Illinois, 1839-1845
- Narrative Poem
- Exodus
1 ELISHA Jr.'s EARLY YEARS
Without her husband's income, Susannah was very poor. Not knowing what else to do, she eventually bound Elisha out to an old Quaker to learn the carpentry trade. Though Elisha worked hard, the Quaker was very mean to him, sometimes hitting him and doing other cruel things.
Elisha was very unhappy. He was resentful of his mother and to all concerned that such a thing had happened to him. He never got over those feelings and his children and grandchildren knew that his lips were sealed so far as any experiences of his youth were concerned.
Cordelia Perry, his granddaughter, told Martha Whiting Brown the following:
His feelings were so badly hurt that he never wanted to speak of it. One day at his chair and wagon shop in Manti, Ohio, a stranger came in and brought up the subject of being a relative from his early days. Elisha flew into a rage and refused to listen to him, then ordered him to leave his shop at once.
So we, his children's children, will never know, I guess, just what he went through, being sent from home by his mother, after his father's death. They say he was bitter about it until the day he died.
Elisha Meets Sally
Although he was afraid of the old Quaker, Elisha ran away to make his own way in the world. He went to Lee, Massachusetts, where he met Sylvanus Hulet, a wheelwright (one who makes repairs of wheels and wheeled vehicles) who lived on a farm. Elisha asked Sylvanus for a job, assuring him that he could do carpentry work and make chairs and furniture, so he was hired.
There he met Sylvanus' daughter, Sally, a real pretty girl, the oldest of the seven Hulet children. She was part Indian and had dark hair and dark eyes. Elisha soon fell in love with Sally who was not quite seventeen years old; he was not yet twenty.
They were married September 18, 1805. Lee, Massachusetts was their first home, where their first four children were born. It was a sad day when their first baby died the same day it was born in 1806. A year later William was born, followed the next year by Edwin, our ancestor, their third child. Two and a half years later Charles was born. The next two children, Catherine and Harriet, were born in ???, their second place of residence.
Nelson, Portage, Ohio, 1817
When little Edwin was six, the family traveled over the Mohawk Trail to Nelson, Ohio, which was then the western frontier, probably the very place Elisha wished to be to get suitable timber for his carpentry trade, to support his growing family.
Elisha built a log cabin on a quiet sloping hill that looked out over the valley. He built an open fireplace where Sally cooked. An iron crane protruded from the side where Sally would hang a kettle from the crane and push it back over the fire. When she wanted t bake bread, she put the dough inside the kettle and put red hot coals on the flat top.
Around the room were beds, a table and a cupboard After all, her husband was a carpenter who learned to do beautiful work while he was with the old Quaker. He made a handsome black walnut bureau for Sally that she was very proud of. The girls slept in a trundle bed that was pulled out from under their parent's bed. They soon built another section onto their log cabin. One side they lived in; the other side was a wagon and carpentry shop At night they lit tallow candles and burned knots from pine trees in the fireplace while they told stories.
The last six of their twelve children were born in Nelson, Portage, Ohio: Emeline, Chauncy, Almon, Jane, Sylvester, and Lewis. Their education was limited, but they were all taught "the three R's: Readin', Ritin', and Rithmetic."
We are told that Sally Hulet Whiting was a wonderful woman and that she was very gifted in writing prose and poetry, a characteristic bequeathed to many of her Whiting descendants. Sally and Elisha were some of the most respected citizens of Nelson. They were honest, generous, and firm in their convictions.
Three Stories About Catherine
Catherine was the fourth child of Sally and Elisha, a sister to our ancestor, Edwin. Catherine spent a lot of time with her relatives, especially her grandmother, Mary Lewis Hulet, and her aunts and cousins.
A Trip Through the Woods
One day Catherine went to visit her aunt who sent her on an errand to borrow a pattern from a friend who lived about a mile away, straight through the woods. She knew she wouldn't get lost, but it was kind of scary to go into the woods alone. She wanted to please her aunt so she tied on her sunbonnet and began her errand. As she went along she saw some snakes, but she was used to them, they did not frighten her. She saw plenty of rabbits and squirrels and other little animals. The forest was beautiful and interesting and she was having a good time.
She soon reached the aunt's house, got the pattern from her and started back. When she was almost home she saw a big, black bear. Upon seeing Catherine, the bear rose to his hind feet! Catherine was nearly paralyzed with fear, so frightened that she could not move. After the bear watched her for a little while it dropped down on all fours and lumbered away with a growl. She ran the rest of the way home.
The Chiefs Son
Sometimes the Indians came to see the people. When Catherine Whiting (sister of our ancestor, Edwin Whiting) was a little girl, an Indian chief came with his little son. He had shining black eyes, copper colored skin, and his father was very proud of him. Because the father was a chief, both were dressed in colorful beads, earrings, brooches, and elaborate clothes.
The chief thought Catherine was so cute that he told her he would give her one of his brooches if she would kiss his little son. She really wanted that brooch, but she did not want to kiss the boy. The chief was quite offended; he thought she should be very proud to kiss his son, but she would not kiss him.
After the Indians went away, Sally, Catherine's mother, was afraid they might come back and do some harm, but they never did.
Bedtime Fright
One evening while their father (Elisha) was away, the family sat around the fire talking. Catherine became sleepy but she did not want to take a candle up the stairs, so she went up in the dark and got ready for bed. She put her hand down to turn the covers back and felt a big, hairy head. "Oh!" she screamed, and fled down the stairs crying, "There’s a man sleeping in my bed!"
Her mother was alarmed but bravely flew into action. She took a broom in one hand and a candle in the other and dashed up the stairs, followed by her boys who held clubs at the ready. They all rushed into the room to find out WHO WAS SLEEPING IN CATHERINE'S BED?, just like the Three Bears and Goldilocks.
When they held up the candle, they saw their old dog, Paint, under the covers. The boys laughed and teased Catherine!
Edwin & the Gun
In the Whiting family, no one was allowed to hunt on the Sabbath. One Sunday morning Edwin decided he wanted to go hunting, so he tried to sneak his gun out of the house by drawing it through a crack between the logs. The gun got caught, fired, and wounded his left arm. That was a lesson to keep the Sabbath day holy that he never forgot. He retold this story to his children and grandchildren many times.
Source: Louine Berry Hunter