Wednesday, September 30, 2015

{History of Mapleton} The Little Town of Mapleton

This was found in The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 184.

The Little Town of Mapleton

by Louisa Meletia Whiting Johnson
(1910)

There’s a pretty town in Utah,
Beneath a mountain high,
Where breezes from the canyons,
Cool, refreshing, ever sigh.
Once the Red Man built a teepee
On this, our unknown land.
Where rabbits and coyotes,
Roamed undisputed, free
Now stands the Town of Mapleton,
That’s good enough for me.

In the modest Town of Mapleton,
Goodfellowship is found
Among friends and peaceful neighbors.
If you’ll only look around.
Alfalfa fields abundant,
Rich fields of beets and grain,
Small fruits and yellow peaches
Are shipped from here by train.
And rosy cheeked ripe apples
In orchards here we see,
In the fruitful Town of Mapleton,
That’s good enough for me.

Here bright eyed, romping children,
And lads and lassies meet,
At Sunday school and mutual
Or on the quiet street.
At basketball or social,
Or in the mazy whirl,
Each lad is gentle, courteous
Seeing safely home his girl.
And the music of our orchestra,
Makes happy moments flee,
In the opera house of Mapleton,
That’s good enough for me.

When the Bishop makes an urgent call
The Elders are on hand
To guide aright the people,
Dwelling in this quiet land.
Where the Mutual and the Boy Scouts
Meet promptly once a week
Each ernest youth or maiden
Culture and wisdom seek.
And Relief Society sisters
Aid all distress they see,
Of the pleasant Town of Mapleton
That’s good enough for me.

Monday, September 7, 2015

{History of Mapleton} Amos Benoni Warren (1853-1903)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 182-183.

Amos Benoni Warren was born October 31, 1853 at Springville, Utah. His father, Amos Sweet Warren was an early settler in the Hobble Creek area as well as a carpenter, blacksmith, farmer and bookkeeper. He also spoke the Ute dialect like a native and helped keep the peace with hostile Indians many times while acting as interpreter. Indians were always welcomed at the Warren home and part of the yard was set aside for a camping ground.

As a youngster, Amos B. and his brother John were kept busy with the usual farming routine. He also learned that the trades his father was skilled at but formal education was limited.

On July 23, 1876, Amos Benoni or “Noan” as he was called, married Caroline Lucy Fullmer, daughter of John Solomon Fullmer and his third wife, Sarah Ann Stevenson Fullmer. Caroline or “Caddy” came from a family of three children. She was born March 20, 1860 in Spanish Fork, but her mother soon moved to Springville to join the other two Fullmer families.

In 1880, A. B. and Caroline moved to Union Bench and built a home on a forty acre farm located at 600 East Maple. Their first daughter, Arlie May, died within a year after moving to Mapleton. Their other children were: Amos Wellington, Jesse Benoni, Lucy Deseret, Myrtle Ann, Altha Estell, Tehodore, Kenneth, Aarus Elmer, Leo LaVour, Laurena and Leonard Wesley. The entire family crowded into a three-room home equipped with an attic where the boys slept.

Benoni was described as a jolly person who usually sang or whistled when he worked. He was the director of the dance hall in Mapleton and was an expert caller or “prompter.” He was granted the first contract to carry the U. S. mail from Springville to Mapleton. He was a common sight during harvest season working on the horse-power thresher for Whiting and Haymond. He also served in the local ward as deacon’s advisor. At 49 years of age, Benoni died of pneumonia on February 6. 1903. He was a vital, active man to die so young, but the family carried on in his absence. The children rallied around Caddy who took in ironing and charged 1¢ for each piece of laundry. In this and other ways they were able to make a meager but adequate living. The whole family joined together to run the farm.

In 1912, Caroline sold her farm in Mapleton, and with five of her children she moved to Groveland. After eleven years’ absence she moved back to Mapleton to live with her daughter Ariel. She also spent time with her other children who lived in various western states. She passed away at her daughter Ariel’s home on May 25, 1924.

{History of Mapleton} Oscar M. Whiting (1891-1982)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 181-182.

Oscar Whiting was born November 22, 1891 in a white two story house that still stands on 300 West in Mapleton. He was the fifth son and eleventh child of Albert Milton and Harriet Susannah Perry Whiting. At an early age Oscar worked in the beets and the grain with his brothers. His older brothes took most of the responsibility of the farm since their father had a weak heart. Oscar shared in the responsibility of the farm work more and more as he grew older. He helped by driving the family cattle to the bench area near Hobble Creek Canyon to graze. When Oscar was eleven years old, his father died of a heart attack. Oscar’s family was very close. They were L. D. S. and active in the church. Each week they would gather around the pot belly stove in the kitchen to sing and play games.

At a young age Oscar showed a better than average ability in sports. He was a whiz at marbles, good at basketball, ice skating, and he was best at baseball. Oscar had a strong left arm which made him a natural pitcher. In 1910-1911 Oscar attended B. Y. Academy where he was back-up pitcher for the baseball team. During the time at the academy, Oscar and his brother, John, lived in a small basement room in Provo. He and John would travel home to Mapleton by hopping a train at the Provo Railroad Depot, and jumping off near the Evergreen Cemetery. They then walked the two miles home.

After a year at the Academy, Oscar went to Midway where he played baseball for the town team. He worked at the Hot Pots hot spring resort to save money for a mission. He served a mission in the Southern States from 1911 to 1914. He served in Virginia for most of that time. He spent the winters in the larger cities such as Richmond and Petersburg. During the summers he and his companion would go into the rural areas to teach those on the farms. The people they met provided most of their meals.

While in Richmond, Virginia, Oscar met the Sullivan family. He later married Mary Sullivan, who had moved to Utah four years before they were married. Oscar and Mary were married in 1918. They moved to a piece of property that Oscar had purchased. The property was on about a quarter of a mile west from his childhood home. They had seven children: Thora, Ray, Juan, Gary, Joyce, Virginia, and Marilyn. Oscar followed the farming life, acquiring a large farm that he and his boys ran. He served on the water board, and in 1920-1921 he served as President of the Town Board. In 1929 Oscar and his family moved to a larger home on 600 North and 300 West. He and his wife and Virginia still reside in this home. The Whitings managed to make it through the depression despite many trials.

From 1943 to 1951 Oscar served as bishop of the Mapleton ward. In 1951 he was released and called as patriarch of Kolob Stake. When a stake was created in Mapleton in 1975, Oscar was called again to serve as patriarch. In 1968 Oscar and Mary celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary. For many years they have been stalwarts of Mapleton.

{History of Mapleton} Leonard Jotham Whitney (1842-1921) and Tryphena Roseltha Perry Whitney (1847-1924)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 180-181.

Leonard Jotham Whitney

Leonard Jotham Whitney came west with a wave of “gold seekers” during the gold rush of ’59. He was born in Hinesburg, Vermont, on July 9, 1842. His parents were Jotham and Sarah Lucy Smith Whitney. His mother died when he was four years old, and a neighbor couple charitably raised him as their own. The family moved to Wisconsin and then Iowa. At 17, Leonard headed for “gold country” in search of his fortune. He crossed the plains with the U. S. Army, and reached his destination—Eldorado country—in July, 1859. In California, he worked at various jobs, but left for Virginia City, Nevada, when he realized there was no fortune in prospecting. Drawn to the military, he joined the Nevada volunteers and became a commissioned First Lieutenant. Three years later he was ordered to Camp Douglas, Utah. On June 6, 1865, he was sent in command to Duchesne County to move the Ute Indians to the Uintah Reservation. At the close of the Civil War he left the Army and joined the Jesse P. Steel Company in the Black Hawk War.

He met Tryphena Perry in Springville, courted her, fell in love, and proposed marriage. After their marriage they went to the Strawberry Valley where Leonard ran a saw-mill for the government. Returning to Springville, the Whitneys commenced a family which eventually grew to six children. Still interested in prospecting, Leonard went to Tintic where he helped discover and develop a claim which yielded a small fortune. An investment in a merchandise business failed. In 1877 the Whitneys sold their home in Springville and bought a farm in Mapleton. There the family struggled along in a partially finished adobe home. The ceilings were covered with a carpet and the adobes were wrapped in newspaper to protect them against the weather.

Forced to work away from home, Leonard went to St. George to work on the Temple. Next he went to Alta where he worked on a saw-mill, and then he traveled to Park City where he hired on as a carpenter. The family always accompanied him in his travels.

Finally, he returned to Mapleton. Tradition declares that he suggested the name “Maple Town or Mapleton” when a citizens committee petitioned the state to incorporate the Union Bench into a town. He was very active in its development. He helped survey and lay out the town platt, assisted in the building of schools, constructed numerous homes, and was active in the survey and promotion of the Strawberry Canal across the east bench. He was a tireless worker and held many positions in the church and community. His natural leadership qualities aided tremendously in establishing Mapleton as a permanent town.

A skilled carpenter, he was often called upon to make caskets for the dead. Tryphena made the linings. At the close of his active, full life, he returned to Springville where he died November 13, 1922.

Tryphena Roseltha Perry Whitney

Tryphena Roseltha Perry Whitney was born at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, on June 19, 1847. She was the second child of Stephen Chadwick Perry and Anna Marie Hulett. When she was two, the family began the arduous journey across the Midwest with the Captain Bennett Company. On reaching the Salt Lake Valley, the Perrys were sent to settle in Springville.

As a young girl, Tryphena experienced all of the tasks as well as joys of pioneer life. There were babies to help care for, clothes, to wash and mend, and countless chores around the house which needed to be done. At 14, she began working for other people and was seldom home after taking her first job. She later worked for Lyman S. Wood, a Springville merchant, and was in his employ when she met Leonard J. Whitney. A romance developed and they were married on Christmas day in 1866. Her husband traveled much in his search for employment and she faithfully followed.

The Whitney family consisted of six children. Leonard Nelson Whitney died in childhood; Lilly Semyra Whitney, Harvey Alonza Whitney; Lewis Jotham Whitney; Anna Tracy Whitney; and Jessie Colista Whitney.

Dangerously ill at the birth of her last child, Tryphena was struck with spinal meningitis. Death seemed inevitable. She fought back, however, and after a determined, sustained effort she regained her health. A short time afterward, she applied with the State of Utah and successfully acquired her license in “Mid-wifery.” Her records show more than 500 deliveries, most of them without the aid of a doctor. She was also a skilled nurse and assisted many families during severe illness. When she died December 18, 1924, she was honored as a faithful wife and mother, a talented nurse, a spirit motivated by the principle of love, and one of the most venerated women in town.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

{History of Mapleton} Howard Stewart Whiting (1895-1964)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 180.

Howard S. Whiting was born October 4, 1895 at Mapleton. He was the son of Albert M. Whiting and Harriet Susannah Perry. He attended local public schools and spent much time working with his father on the farm. Howard was a youngster when his father died. He and the other Whiting children learned how to work hard to provide for themselves.

During World War I Howard enlisted in the army and served part of his enlistment in France as a member of Company E of the Engineer Replacement Regiment. While in France he helped create many of the war records that were being shipped back to the states. After the war he returned to Mapleton where he went back into farming.

Howard married Martha Cook on February 5, 1920 in the Salt Lake temple. She was the daughter of Mark Cook and Irene Blanchard Cook. She was born in Springville on December 19, 1900. Martha was an enthusiastic young woman and played an active role in Mapleton in both church and civic organizations. She and Howard had two children: Stewart C. Whiting, who later served as bishop of the First Ward, and Marjorie Whiting (Cox). Martha and Howard also raised a granddaughter, Kristine, who became a fine musician, teacher and social worker.

Howard served as a member of the town board for two terms. He earned his livelihood as a farmer and stock raiser. He was one of only a few men who maintained a successful sheep feeding operation despite set-backs and market fluctuations. Howard was also a fluent story teller. He often stopped at the blacksmith shop to gab with the other farmers who gathered there. In 1922, Howard gave up farming for a year and worked at Winter Quarters in the mines. Needless to say, he soon resumed farming.

Martha served both in Primary and Relief Society. She also assisted Howard with the paper work portion of his cattle business. She also enjoyed the time she spent in D. U. P., the garden club and quilting club. They built a brick home adjacent to the A. M. Whiting estate at 930 North 300 West. Howard lived there until his death on December 10, 1964. Howard and Martha, who is still living, represent the stalwart, steady people of which farming communities are made.

{History of Mapleton} Harriet Susannah Perry Whiting (1855-1935)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 179-180.

Harriet Susannah Perry was born in Springville, Utah on November 29, 1855. She was the daughter of Stephen C. Perry and Margaret Eleanor Stewart. During her youth she worked for Kate Dougal and was paid ten cents a week for helping care for her children. She attended school while living with the Dougals for three years. At fifteen Harriet went to work for her sister, Tryphena Whitney, in Tintic. Mrs. Whitney operated a boarding house and taught Harriet how to do the various household chores, as well as how to sew, darn, knit and tat lace.

Harriet married Albert Milton Whiting who lived across the street from her Springville home on December 22, 1873. They spent a short time in Springville, moved to Arizona to help settle a town there, and then in 1877 they moved to Mapleton, Utah. It was here that Harriet bore and raised the majority of her sixteen children and became an established member of the town.

Her work days were long, since there were sixteen young people to rear. Still, she seldom complained and even after the death of her husband when she still had eleven children at home she served as a model mother. Thirteen of her children attended Brigham Young University. All of them became respected members of the communities in which they lived. Many of them and their families have held important positions in their church and in local and state government. When her youngest daughter, Lorna, graduated from the BYU Harriet was selected as the Mother of the Class and was congratulated by LDS Church president Heber J. Grant.

Harriet’s life was a busy one from her youth to her old age. She died November 17, 1935 a respected member of the hard working Mapleton community. In her pocket was two yards of tatted lace and her lace shuttle.

{History of Mapleton} Charles Leonard Whiting (1886-1961)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 178-179.

Charles Whiting was the eighth of sixteen children born to Albert M. and Susannah Perry Whiting. He was born on January 21, 1886 at Mapleton. He was educated in the Little Red Schoolhouse and the North and Central schools through various stages of his childhood. When he was eight years old, he became a herd boy. He herded the cows for 2 ½ cents per cow. Charles and the other boys that herded with him would earn about 15 cents per day. They drove the cows to Ether Mountain, East of Mapleton, watched them during the day, and brought them back to town at dusk. During the day while the cows grazed, Charles and the other boys would play around the hills. Charles gained a love for the hills from these early experiences.

Charles farmed during the summers when he grew older. In his spare time he would go into the hills for timber. Spanish Fork, Hobble Creek, and Maple Canyons were very familiar to him, and her preferred being there than anywhere else.

When Charles was twelve years old he went to Little Diamond to work at a sawmill with his father. When Charles was fifteen, he went to Clear Creek with his Uncle Lon Fullmer where he worked in the timber for two summers, receiving $1.50 per day. At age sixteen he worked on the railroad at Cryden, up Weber Canyon. He was sent to Aspen, Wyoming to help repair a tunnel and there he became very ill, along with several other men, because of some bad water they drank. Charles had to return home.

In 1910 Charles went to work in a blacksmith shop in Winter Quarters, Carbon County, Utah. He married Olive Carleton on January 25, 1911 in the Salt Lake Temple. Charles and Olive lived in Winter Quarters for the rest of the winter and then moved back to Mapleton. Olive had been a resident of Mapleton since 1903. She was born May 1, 1891 at Bear Lake, Manistee, Michigan. She was the daughter of Franklin and Ellen Delilah Bourn Carleton. She was teaching school in Mapleton when she met Charles. When Charles and Olive moved back to Mapleton, they stayed with Charles’s mother for a short time and, later in the summer, they left for Clear Creek where Charles worked in the timber, getting out props for mines.

After the summer, Charles and Olive again returned to Mapleton. It wasn’t long before Charles purchased a piece of land on 300 West and had a home and blacksmith shop built. On November 27, 1911 their first child, Leonard, was born. They raised ten children in the home on 300 West, and Olive still resides there.

In the Spring of 1938 Charles was stricken with pneumonia, which led to an operation in the Payson Hospital. He suffered reoccurances and a year later was hospitalized in the Salt Lake L. D. S. Hospital. He spent a year there under the care of specialists. After several operations, he recovered his health and went to work at Geneva, then the Carbon County mines for two years. He was finally able to return to his timber work; the work he really enjoyed. He worked in the Utah timber for several years, and then he and Olive moved to Island Park, Idaho. He stayed in Idaho for five years working for South and Jones of Evanston, Wyoming. He was sent to Evanston to cut in the Uintahs in the summer of 1955. On August 16, 1955 he was struck by a falling tree and his leg was badly broken. He stayed in the hospital for three and one-half months and then traveled to Pittsburg, California, where he convalesced at the home of his daughter, Buelah, and her husband, Irel Barrus. After three months Charles and Olive returned to Mapleton. His timber career ended, Charles helped his son-in-law, Arland Cloward, in the woods by “bucking up” downed trees and trimming them. He also pruned local orchards, bossed ditch gangs, and did other work that he could. He passed away on May 15, 1961. Olive was called in 1961 to fulfill a stake mission for the Kolob Stake. She served in this capacity until 1964. She has been a Sunday School teacher for many years and many of her students have proclaimed her the best. She has done geneology for many years, sending many names to the temples. All ten of her and Charles’ children are married and busy raising families of their own. Charles and Olive have a large posterity.

{History of Mapleton} Anna Mary Bulkley Whiting (1854-1929) and Edwin Lucius Whiting (1845-1896)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 178.

Anna Mary Bulkley Whiting

Anna Mary Bulkley was born January 21, 1854 in Springville, Utah. She was the daughter of Newman Bulkley and Olive Amanda Fullmer Bulkley. She married Edwin Lucius Whiting December 18, 1871 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake city, Utah. Soon afterward they went to Mapleton, Utah to build a home. Mapleton was a sage covered benchland at the time which was just being homesteaded. She and her husband took up some acres to homestead and built a house, barn, granary and buggy shed. They cleared off the land, planted fruit and shade trees, berry bushes, grapevines, a garden, and crops of grain, alfalfa, and later, sugar beets.

Anna had three children before her husband, Bishop Whiting, took a second wife. She eventually bore him eleven children. Since her husband was so busy with his ward obligations, and a second family, Anna was chiefly responsible for raising her own little family. This she did by hard work and good management.

Anna spent much of her life alone with her young family because her husband died in 1896. So this pious, hardworking woman and her young family all pitched in together to earn their own way. They did it successfully and even sent some of the children on missions for their church. There was always time for her to help a neighbor, deliver a baby, or nurse the sick. She was active in her church and encouraged her children to be active also. She loved music, and to watch young people dance and have fun. As a result, she always had a house full of young people and visitors.

The people of Mapleton respected Mrs. Whiting so much that they gave her a party at the Town Hall. They presented her with a small table, a beautiful lamp, and a dark wood mahogany rocking chair as a token of appreciation for all the service that she had rendered the community. She used them constantly and appreciated them very much until her death June 10, 1929 at her home in Mapleton.

Edwin Lucius Whiting

Edwin Lucius Whiting was born October 22, 1845 at Nauvoo, Illinois. His parents were Edwin and Elizabeth Partridge Tillotson Whiting. His father was a man of moderate means and worked as a farmer and horticulturist in Nauvoo until 1846 when he moved with his family to Mt. Pisgah. Three years later, when Lucius was four years old, the family was driven out of that area after having their home, a chair factory, and all that they owned burned by mobs.

The Whiting family then emigrated to Utah traveling across the plains by ox team. Captain Ezra T. Benson was in command of their company and they reached Salt Lake City in November of 1849. From there they were directed by Brigham Young to proceed to Manti. After three weeks of hard travel they reached Walker’s Camp of five hundred Indians on the present site of Manti. Here they made dugouts on the south side of the stone quarry, just beneath where the temple now stands. In this dugout father’s sister Louisa was born. It was a very hard winter, snow fell four feet deep and all their cows and oxen perished. Lucius’s father and Orvilla Cox had to travel to Salt Lake City on Snowshoes to get relief for the settlement.

In 1868 President Young called Lucius’s father to Springville where he became a very successful nurseryman and farmer. Edwin Whiting planted many of the beautiful fir trees in Springville, Provo and other central Utah towns. In 1868 Lucius Whiting, with several other young men, made a trip across the plains to get emigrants. This trip lasted six months and was a special calling from the general authorities. Edwin Lucius also took part in the Black Hawk War and was assigned as a minute man in the home guard.

On December 18, 1871 Lucius married Anna Mary Bulkley. She bore him eleven children: Millie, Elizabeth, Lucius Burr, Clarence Othel, Jane, Ovilla, George Clinton, Belva, Blanche, Randall Austin and Edna. On December 26, 1877 he married a second wife, Fannie Johnson, in the St. George Temple. To care for his growing families Lucius constantly engaged in the labors of his choice, that of farming and stock raising. His two young families had to work hard to make ends meet. In 1885 Lucius was selected Presiding Elder of the little branch on Union Bench and on August 21, 1888 a Mapleton ward was organized with Brother Whiting as its first Bishop.

In 1891 Lucius went to Mexico to escape prosecution for being a polygamist. He and his family stayed there eighteen months before they returned. When they returned Lucius resumed his job as bishop and reestablished his family here. Before he completed his activities, however, he was stricken with pneumonia and taken from this life. He left his family and many friends to mourn his loss. He was honored and loved by all who knew his pleasant thoughtful nature, and he was respected by those who opposed his religious beliefs.

He was Bishop of the Mapleton Ward at the time of his death which occurred February 19, 1896. He was fifty years old. His passing ended a career of usefulness and created a void in Mapleton’s social and religious circles which was hard to fill. However, his record of service and hard work has given his family a legacy to be proud of.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

{History of Mapleton} Sarah Jane Nielson (1886-1960) and Albert Milton Whiting, Jr. (1881-1963)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 177.

Albert Milton Whiting, Jr. (Bert) was a direct descendant of the early settlers of the community of Mapleton. Edwin Whiting, his grandfather, was one of the first to establish a home in this area, and his father, Albert Milton Whiting, Sr. and his wife, Harriet Susannah Perry, reared a family of fifteen children, all of whom grew up in this community, many of them staying to make their homes here.

Bert, the fifth child and first son of his father’s family, was born January 1, 1881.

At an early age he began assuming responsibility for many of the chores and tasks associated with the yard and garden; and as he grew older this naturally shifted to assuming increased responsibility for farm work and taking care of the livestock. With the large family of children at home, it was a great problem to provide all of the necessities of life for them, and each child had to assume a share of the work on the farm. As the oldest boy in the family, Bert had a difficult and unique challenge of his own in this respect.

Because of the pressures of the farm work, the school year for Bert was nearly always interrupted either by starting late in the fall or by quitting early in the spring or by both. He did make good use of the time while he was in attendance, however.

When the schoolhouse was being built, he and his brother, Ray, hauled part of the brick and all of the sand and adobes for that building from Mark Cook’s kiln down on the road called “Straight Line.”

Between 1902 and 1904 he filled a mission to the Eastern States and labored all of the time in the city of Baltimore.

Following the mission he returned to the Brigham Young University during the winter quarters where he tried to finish his high school work. The pressures on the farm, however, made it extremely difficult for him to stay with an educational program. He had hopes of one day becoming a dentist, but finally, because of his father’s ill health, he had to give up his education and return home to assume greater responsibility for providing for the large family.

During the winter of 1908 he became acquainted with Sarah Jane Nielson of Sanford, Colorado, who was in Utah attending the Brigham Young University. They became attracted to each other almost immediately and after a courtship that lasted several months, they were married on August 26, 1909, in the Salt Lake Temple.

Sarah Jane (Sadie) was the daughter of Anthon and Maria Beck Nielson, who had been called by the church to help settle the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. She was born at Richfield, Colorado, on March 14, 1886. She was the fifth child and the oldest living girl of ten children. Later the Nielson family moved to Mapleton.

Bert had some of the work under way on a home when they were married, and within a few weeks two rooms were completed so they could be occupied. Bert and Sadie made that spot their home for over fifty years.

Bert had a great love for the soil and early began acquiring his own farmland. He was an industrious worker and took great pride in his crops, his animals and his farm machinery, and was known as one of Mapleton’s outstanding farmers. He was also involved in many church and community activities.

Sadie was a capable wife, mother and homemaker. Beside the routine tasks of keeping a home, she always had a flock of laying hens and a garden of beautiful roses. She, too, contributed to her church and to the community. She held leadership positions in the L.D.S. Primary, the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association, and for seven years was president of the ward Relief Society. She helped to organize and served on the first Planning Commission for Mapleton.

The first great love of this couple was their family—Quinn, Ruth, Rex, and Niel; but it also extended to a host of relatives and friends who knew that in Mapleton the door of Bert and Sadie was always open.

{History of Mapleton} Albert Milton Whiting (1847-1907)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 176.

Albert Milton Whiting was born at Mount Pisgah, Iowa, December 9, 1847. He was the son of Edwin and Mary Elizabeth Cox Whiting and came to Utah with his parents after being born during the trek west. They arrived in Salt Lake City in October of 1849, but the family soon went to Manti, Utah to establish a settlement.

When Albert was sixteen years old the family moved to Springville, Utah. His father had acquired quite a number of fruit trees and berry bushes and it was hoped that the Springville location would be better suited for the growing of these crops than San Pete County had been. His early years were spent herding cows on the Mapleton Bench with a number of other Springville boys. At times Indians would steal their lunches and they kept the young men in a constant state of anxiety.

Albert married Harriet Susanna Perry December 22, 1873 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. They lived in Springville, Utah for a few years and then in February 1876 he and his family were called to go to Arizona to colonize. The colonization attempt failed and the Whitings and others returned to Springville the following September. The family lived with the Van Leuvans that winter, and in the Spring of 1877 moved to the Union Bench which was the name of the area now named Mapleton, Utah. Albert’s father, Edwin Whiting, had filed on a quarter section of this land and divided it up among his boys. Albert received twenty acres which became his farm and where he built a one-room cabin. Later, he built a two-room adobe house, of blue clay found near Utah Lake which was made into bricks.

Albert M. Whiting was a good farmer and worked well with animals. He also cut timber and wood posts to supplement his income. He had sixteen children which he and his wife raised and educated. These children have been important leaders in the Mapleton Community and other cities in which they have lived. The family was hard working and frugal. Since they had such a small farm the children often hired out to other farmers to help with the family income. As with many of the early Mormon families they had plenty of family fun, food, and togetherness. They were taught honesty and dependability.

Albert had a special way with animals. He was very patient with them, and was often called on to help cure sick animals. He possessed a blood charm that helped stop bleeding in seriously injured animals or even people. Perhaps, that is the reason that Albert was appointed town marshal by his neighbors. Anyone one that was patient with animals could probably understand and help people.

Albert Milton Whiting died of a heart attack March 25, 1907.

{History of Mapleton} Edwin Whiting (1809-1890)

This is from The History of Mapleton, by Ralph K. Harmer and Wendell B. Johnson, on page 174.

Edwin Whiting was born September 9, 1809 in Massachusetts to Elisha and Sally Hulett Whiting. He was the third of twelve children. His brothers and sisters were: Charles, William, Charles, Katherine Louisa, Harriet, Sally Emaline, Chauncey, Almond, Jane, Sylvester, and Lewis.

When Edwin was six years old, his family moved to Nelson, Portage County, Ohio, which was, at that time, the Western frontier of the U. S. A. Edwin’s chance for an education was limited, but he was taught the “3 R’s”. He wrote in a legible handwriting, and, at an early age, wrote credible verse.

In 1833 Edwin married Elizabeth Partridge Tillotson. She was a highly educated school teacher, quite an accomplishment for those days. In 1837 Edwin, his wife, parents, and some of his brothers and sisters joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were among the early members and soon moved to Kirtland, Ohio. They moved around with the saints, suffering much persecution. While in Nauvoo, Edwin, under direction of those in authority, married Almira Meacham in 1845, and, in 1846, he married Mary Elizabeth Cox. In 1846 he was also called on a mission to Pennsylvania. He was in Pennsylvania when he heard of the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. He returned home at once to Nauvoo. Edwin and his family were soon forced to move to Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, where they prepared for their journey across the plains. Cholera took the lives of his father and mother, his little brother, and his own little daughter Emily Jane while they were in Mt. Pisgah.

In April 1849, Edwin and his family started westward. They suffered from Indians, stampedes, lack of food, etc. They reached Salt Lake City, Utah on October 28, 1849. After just a few days of rest, Edwin and his family were called, with others, to settle the San Pitch River, now known as Manti. They arrived in Sanpete County December 1, 1849. They made “dug-outs” on the South side of the hill where the Manti Temple now stands. It was a severe winter and they were ill equipped. They sent to Salt Lake City for help, but it was a long time in coming. Almost all of their cattle died. Edwin’s family now numbered fourteen.

In 1854 Edwin was called on a mission to Ohio. He was gone for two years. On October 8, 1856, Edwin married Hannah Haines Brown. On April 14, 1857, he married Mary Ann Washburn.

After finding the climate of Manti unfavorable for raising fruit trees, Edwin and his family moved to Springville in the year 1861. He was able to plant and grow all kinds and varieties of fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. He built a large home where the Springville Second Ward church now stands.

Edwin moved to Mapleton in approximately 1878. He died in Mapleton on December 9, 1890 at the age of 81. His descendants are numerous and found in Idaho, Arizona, Mexico, California, New York, and Utah.