My Genealogy Hound

J. M. Whitehill, merchant and farmer, Arkansas City, Ark. This popular business man and first-class agriculturist owes his nativity to Clarion County, Penn., where he was born in 1840, and is the son of David and Esther (Packer) Whitehill, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Scotch-Irish parentage on the father’s side. The mother was a member of the Quaker sect. Their family consisted of ten children, nine of whom are still living, and J. M. is the eldest. He was educated in his native county, and at the age of twenty-one years joined Company A, One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, as a private, was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and served until June 17, 1865, having re-enlisted as a veteran. He was at the siege of Yorktown, Battle of Williamsburg, and took a prominent part in the battle of Seven Pines; was in seven days’ battles in front of Richmond; from there he went to Suffolk; was in three battles on Blackwater River, went from there to New Berne, N. C., and was in Gen. Foster’s famous raid. He was at the battles of Kingston, Whitehall and Goldsbury Bridge, when the bridge was burned; returning to New Berne, marched from there to relieve troops besieged at Little Washington on Tar River, and had a fight at Blounts Creek, N. C. He was then sent to Plymouth, N. C, to do garrison duty, and was detached as drill-master for several months. He was here engaged in several skirmishes, and at the siege of Plymouth Mr. Whitehill, with a detachment of his company, was put in charge of artillery at Fort Williams, and fired the last gun at that memorable battle. His commanding officer had only 1,700 men, while the besiegers had 10,000 men and forty pieces of artillery, and after a siege of three days the garrison was given up to the enemy. Mr. Whitehill was captured here and sent to Tarborough, N. C, thence via Wilmington, N. C, Charleston, S. C, Savannah, Augusta, and Macon, Ga., to Andersonville prison, arriving there May 3, 1864; remained there until September 10, 1864, when he was taken to Charleston, S. C, from there, October 3, to Florence Junction, S. C, and on February 20, 1865, via Greensboro, N. C., Danville and Goldsboro, to Richmond, Va., where he was quartered four days in the Pemberton building. He was here paroled and sent down the James River to the United States Hospital fleet, from there to Annapolis, Md., and on March 4, Mr. Whitehill was laid low with typhoid fever, which came very nearly terminating his life. After recovering sufficiently he obtained a furlough and went home, arriving at his destination in April, and remaining there until June. He then rejoined his command and was mustered out at Pittsburgh on June 17, 1865, after serving his country faithfully and experiencing many hardships. Returning to Pennsylvania, he was occupied in the oil and lumber business, also engaged in building boats until 1868, when he went to tow-boating coal from Pittsburgh to the Southern markets. In 1870 he embarked in the coal business with a company known as J. M. Whitehill & Co., and supplied steamboats on the Mississippi River, and its tributaries. He located at Island No. 82, and was engaged at that point until March, 1872, when he moved the coaling station to what is now Arkansas City. The place had been laid out, but very few improvements had been made until after Mr. Whitehill engaged in business at that place. He is now one of the prominent merchants of the city, and does an annual business of $50,000. Aside from this he is also engaged in agricultural pursuits, and is the owner of 900 acres of improved land with 3,000 or 4,000 acres of unimproved land. He owns considerable town property, and is interested in the ice business, waterworks and ferry, and steamboat landing. He is one of the most enterprising business men of the county, has been successful in all his ventures, and by his courteous and pleasing manners to his customers, controls a vast trade. Mr. Whitehill was married in 1869 to Miss Cornelia Bolin, a native of Kentucky, at New Albany, Ind., and to them have been born eight children—five now living: Joseph M. (under the instruction of Col. Cable, at the military school at Stanton, Va.), Flora, Cornelia, Esther and Jacob, the last four at home. Mr. and Mrs. Whitehill are members of the K. & L. of H., of Arkansas City Lodge No. 1289, and K. & L. of H. at Tyro, No. 228. In politics Mr. Whitehill is a Republican.