My Genealogy Hound

JOSHUA WHITTEN. The success which has attended the efforts of Mr. Whitten as an agriculturist and fruit-grower is by no means a matter of chance, nor was he in any sense an especial favorite of Fortune, for when he started out for himself he had little else than two strong arms and an unusual amount of good, sound sense to assist in making a living. In his case Fortune smiled upon him because of his untiring efforts, his close and intelligent application to the ordinary affairs of life, and his thrift and enterprise, which were of a character to merit success under any circumstances and in any field of labor. He is a native of Rhode Island, born April 28, 1837, and the eldest of three children born to the marriage of David and Mary A. (Rhodes) Whitten, the father a native of Maine and the mother of Rhode Island.

The Whitten family is one of the earliest ones of Maine, and Joshua Whitten, the grandfather of our subject, was one of thirteen sons whose descendants are prominent people of that State. David Whitten attained his majority in his native State, and then went South to Mobile, Ala., where he was engaged in overseeing labor in the manufacturing of brick. While down there he lost his health, and went to Montpelier, Vt., where he received his final summons in 1843. He was the only son of Joshua Whitten. He had married Miss Mary A. Rhodes, the daughter of Henry W. Rhodes, who was a Rhode Island sea-captain. The Rhodes are lineal descendants of Lord Rhode, of Rhode Island, who was the founder of the family in that State. The three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Whitten were, in the order of their births, as follows: Joshua; Eliza A., wife of James Webster; and David J., of Nebraska. After the death of her husband, in 1845, Mrs. Whitten removed to Michigan, and was there married to A. Hayes, by whom she had four children: T. A. S., of Chicago; A. F., of Van Buren County; Mary, wife of William Halstead; and M. E., wife of R. E. Doran, of Nebraska. Mrs. Hayes died January 1, 1890.

The original of this notice received a limited education in the common schools of Berrien County, for his school days were over when he reached his twelfth year. He was reared amid rude surroundings, for the country was a wilderness; Indians roamed at will, and the forests abounded with game. At an early age he began learning the cabinet-maker’s trade. It might be said that Mr. Whitten is one of the old landmarks of the county, for he has seen its growth from a wilderness to its present prosperous condition. Houses at that time were built of round and hewn logs, and the mills were all water-mills. After learning his trade, young Whitten settled in Kalamazoo, Mich., and assisted in manufacturing the first piano ever made in the State. This was in 1852, a Mr. Garland, of Buffalo, N. Y., having started a factory. However, only four pianos were ever completed by this gentleman.

In 1860 Mr. Whitten made a trip to California, but returned the same year, and settled in Niles, this county, where he remained until 1867. He then came to this place and is counted one of the pioneer settlers. In 1866-67, Mr. Whitten was in the tannery business, but as this did not prove a financial success, he engaged in the carpenter business, and many monuments of his handiwork, in the shape of substantial and elegant residences, are scattered over the county, as well as in the villages. He is one of the most successful small fruit-growers in this portion of Lake Township, having a farm of twenty acres devoted to that principally. His yearly income, clear of expenses, is about $800.

In the year 1857, Mr. Whitten married Miss Lydia A. Cook, of Canada, though her parents, William J. and Catherine (Dunbar) Cook, were natives of the Empire State. To Mr. and Mrs. Whitten were born three children: Charles E., of this county; Lillie E., wife of O. A. Jeffries, of this county; and Herbert W., who is at home. The latter is a teacher of languages in the Benton Harbor schools, and one of the State’s most successful and popular educators. Mr. and Mrs. Whitten hold membership in the Congregational Church, and, in politics, the former is a Republican.