DAR Application for Josiah Jacob Whitaker:
Josiah Jacob WHITAKER, born 1-28-1842, Harrison Co, KY, died 9-8-1923, Harrison Co, KY, married Arabell Taylor 8-21-1861, she born 10-21-1842, Harrison Co, KY, died 8-9-1929, Harrison Co, KY
FALMOUTH OUTLOOK, Pendleton County, KY, 21 September 1923:
“Josiah Jacob Whitaker died at his home at Oddville Saturday afternoon Sept. 8 at five o’clock, after a long illness of debilities of age. He was a son of Mack and Hannah Myers Whitaker and was born Jan. 28, 1842, in the house where he died, and where he had spent all of his long and useful life. He is survived by his wife, whom he married at Aberdeen, Ohio, when he was 19 years old – an elopement – and who is the same age as her husband. Before marriage, Mrs. Whitaker was Miss Arabella Taylor. Three sons and a daughter survive, T.D. and M.M. Whitaker, of Cynthiana, Mrs. Maggie Leslie, of Oddville, and W.H. Whitaker, of Winchester. There are no surviving brothers or sisters. Mr. Whitaker was the last of the family. The funeral was held at the Oddville Methodist church Monday afternoon, with services by Rev. W.F. Wyatt. Burial was in the Oddville cemetery.”
The Cynthiana Democrat, Thursday, Aug. 7, 1919, Page 1, Cols. 4-6:
ENJOYS
———-
Reading The Democrat and Especially E.B.L.’s Fine Contributions.
———-
Tuolumne, Cal., July 31, 1919.
Editor Democrat,
As per notice received find enclosed the necessary lucre to pay for The Democrat another year. Can not get along without it. Intended to renew before this but the paper kept coming and I “done fergot all about it.”
I certainly enjoy every number of The Democrat, but especially do I enjoy the reminiscences of E.B.L.
Many, many years ago, when so many youngsters all over the county were struck with an itch for writing and were proud when our stuff appeared in the columns of The Democrat, the News or the Berryville Free Press, E.B.L., or Eddie, as he was lovingly termed by all, easily stood in a class by himself, so superior was his work to our clumsy efforts. The keen wit, geniality and pleasant humor which pervaded his articles pleased all. Had he not been so unfortunate in early life as to completely lose the sense of hearing he could have gone high and advanced in journalism.
Many of those E.B.L. mentions I knew; some were friends and others I knew by reputation. John Cummins, the Lieutenant he speaks of in the Southern military company, was our near neighbor. He enlisted with the South and a week later was captured and take to Camp Chase, a military prison in Ohio, where a few months later he died. The body was brought home and buried while the whole country-side mourned his loss, for everyone loved that boy of twenty.
J.J. Whitaker (Jake), I knew well. At that time he was far above average height, slender and straight as a Florida pine, and, with his yellow hair and long fiery red whiskers and keen blue eyes, required but little exercise of imagination by the beholder to believe that he was looking upon a sixth century Viking suddenly restored to life.
The Whitaker family was an extensive one. Besides Josiah, the circuit rider, were Peter, a local preacher; John Wesley, Simeon and Isaac. The latter three I remember well.
I think the readers of The Democrat would be pleased if E.B.L. would reminiscence on the Whitaker family for one hundred years of more back. The family history would be largely the history of the county from Oddville to the Pendleton line and I know of no one who could handle the subject better than E.B.L.
J.W. SMITH