Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
JOHN D. WHITNEY.
A direct descendant of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to
Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, John D. Whitney was born June 12, 1850,
in Pekin, New York, and is now a prominent farmer residing four and one-half
miles east of Davenport.
His father and mother, both dead, were Jarvis
and Mary C. Whitney. He has three brothers and one sister: Mark J.,
Fresno, California: William, of Iowa; Franklin, of Minneapolis, and Mrs.
Mary J. Michael, living in Lincoln county.
As a child, Mr. Whitney accompanied his parents
to Illinois, and at the age of fourteen left home and when sixteen went
to Wisconsin. The gold excitement led him to attempt a journey into
the Black Hills country, but being taken ill he was forced to abandon the
adventure at Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he remained through a long and serious
illness. He wandered about from place to place until the fall of
1878, when he came to where Pullman now stands, and in June of the following
year came to his present location, and filed on one of the first homesteads
to be taken in this country. He is the oldest settler here, having
come to his present home over twenty-five years ago.
He was married, February 20, 1886, to Angeline
Woodin, the adopted daughter of Julius D. and Helen Woodin. By this
marriage two children have been born, Ralph D. and Helen M. Mrs.
Whitney died November 28, 1892. Ever since coming here Mr. Whitney
has been successfully engaged in farming. He took his land wild and
has added to and improved it until he now has three hundred and twenty
acres of well improved and thoroughly cultivated ground, with a good house,
barn, orchard, etc., upon which he makes a specialty of raising grain.
Mr. Whitney is a member of the K. P. fraternity
of Davenport.
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