Person:James Whittaker (2)

TODO: Description: Find out Why the secretcy about Catherine Winchest Date: 26 Dec 1999 Reference number: 1 Status: Open Type: 0 Priority: 1 Repository:

Address: Name: James Whittaker Sort by: James Whittaker

This family were industrious and anxious to get along in life. This family continued to enjoy life in their home in Haywood untill about the year 1849 or 1850. Two missionaries called at their home. They knocked at the door. The mother answered the knock. Two strange men dressed in Prince Albert suits, white shirts and a derby hat were standing at the door. They told her they were missionaries from Utah, representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that they had a message for her and her family. She invited them into her home. They told her of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and other things. It seemed they were men who spoke with authority. The missionaries continued to visit this home untill the father, mother, and all the children were converted to the Gospel and in due time were baptised by "immersion" for the remission of sins and afterwards confirmed members of the Church. There is a principle in the L.D.S. church called the "Spirit of Gathering". When a person becomes a member of the Church in a foreign country, a strong desire to gather with the Saints comes into his heart and he feels that he must be [I] close to the authority of the church. It was true in this case, for as soon as they were confirmed members, they began to talk of gathering with the saints in Utah. This desire became so strong and urgent that they began disposing of their property, household goods--in fact, everything they owned was turned into cash. In the winter of 1851, the father purchased tickets on the good old ship "Independence", scheduled to soon leave Liverpool for the United States of America. They packed their few personal belongings and other things (as Hattie and Lottie say in their biography). Grandfather bought dried fish, dried fruit, and other concentrated food, which his family enjoyed on the trip, and being of a generous nature, he fed many hungry mouths from his supply. In the winter of 1851, they bade farewell to dear old England, the land of their birth and the land they loved so well, bade farewell to parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbors, to people whom they had mingled with both in social and financial ways all their lives. They certainly had a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel in order to do this. Many tears must have been shed when they left their old home in Haywood, the old home which had sheltered them for so many years. But they, like hundreds of saints, had been caught in the [J] Gospel Net and were willing to make the sacrifice in order to reap the blessings. For they were a few of the tens of thousands who earnestly sought truth in the latter days, happily found it, courageously accepted it, and were led into new places where, despite many trials, they discovered new and greater joys in living. May the memory of their faith and diligent work ever rest in the hearts of the coming generations. For this one man's family were caught in "The Gospel Net" and carried into a far country where, through the possession of eternal truth and much trial and adversity, found happiness among the Mormon people located in the state of Utah. James Whittaker and his family sailed from Liverpool, England on 22 January 1851 on board the grand old sailing vessel Independence with about five hundred Latter-day Saints, all bound for Utah, the land where Zion was located. They were eight long weeks in crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Their son James loved the beautiful ocean and longed to become a sailor. But God had a far different mission for him to perform during his lifetime. This family [K] and all on board landed at New Orleans on 20 March 1851. They must have rejoiced and thanked God for His protecting care during these long weeks on the ocean when they could only see water, water, and more water. They must have been glad to put their feet on Mother Earth again, for they had landed on American soil, never to return to their native country again. All remained in America, though son James returned to England in later years, but soon came back to America, this time on a steamboat. As soon as they landed, they began preparations to continue their trip. They purchased tickets on a boat going up the Mississippi River and finally landed in St. Louis where the saints were gathered before leaving for Utah. The saints extened a hand of fellowship, love, and goodwill to Grandpa, Grandma, and the son and daughters. They made them wecome, for they were all glad to welcome others of the same faith and mingle as the saints of God. Grandpa [L] and his son James, a lad of eighteen years, soon began preparations to go on the remainder of their journey. They finally purchased a wagon and a yoke of oxen, but later decided to buy two yoke, could only get one more ox, but purchased a good cow to be yoked with the other ox. This proved a very good investment, for she pulled part of the load and gave a liberal supply of milk morning and night for the weary travellers. After many weeks and months of traveling, enduring many hardships day after day but full of faith in the future, these brave pioneers landed in the Salt Lake Valley four years after the first pioneers entered the valley when their leader Brigham Young said, "This is the Place." This band of pioneers landed there in September 1851 after nine months of traveling since they had left their home in dear Old England. They must have been thankful to reach the end of a long journey. However, they had no beautiful home to go to, but depended on new friends for a shelter and advice in getting the land for the beginning of a new home. [1] They had just gotten located in this new land when President Brigham Young, president of the Church, called Brother Whittaker and his family to go South. Being obedient to counsel, they again rounded up their oxen, loaded their wagons, and journeyed to Cedar City. They were about three weeks or a month in making the trip. He helped build up a great commonwealth, went through many hardships in settling a new country, but the father and mother remained there the rest of their lives in the town of Cedar City, true to the faith they had embraced in Old England. When the Cedar City Ward was organized on 12 May 1852, Grandfather was sustained as second counsellor to the bishop. In about 1933 in the Arizona Temple, I met a Brother Jones, an elderly man. He said that he was from Cedar City. I asked if he knew James Whittaker Sr and his wife who lived there years ago. He said, "yes, I knew them. They were the best people I ever knew."

James and his family traveled on the George W.Bourne ship which left Liverpool on 22 January 1851. Here is a history of the voyage.

GEORGE W. BOURNE Ship: 663 tons: 152' x 31' x 15' Built: 1849 by George W. Bourne at Kennebunk, Maine On 22 January 1851 the square-rigger George W. Bourne cleared the Liverpool harbor with 281 Latter-day Saints aboard under the presidency of Elders William Gibson, Thomas Margetts, and William Booth. Fifty-seven days later, 20 March, the ship reached New Orleans, and Elder Gibson proudly reported that "no company of Saints had ever crossed the Atlantic with less sea-sickness." This pleasant voyage was marked by one marriage, three births, two converts among crew members, and the death of a small boy who was dying of consumption when he boarded the ship. The vessel was apparently commanded by her part-owner, Captain William Williams. This ship was a typical product of Yankee shipwrights, built with two decks but no galleries, three masts, square stern, and a billethead. Her owners were all from Kennebunk, Maine. In 1862, she was sold to foreigners. In some records her name is shown as Geo. W. Bourne and G. W. Bourne.-