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October 12, 1877; Lulu Merle September 7, 1882; Gertrude Nellie September 22, 1884; and Mildred Irene April 2, 1890.
He with Albert Graves, his brother, entered the hardware trade at Norton, Kansas, the
spring of 1879. J. W Graves served as postmaster of Norton from March,
1883 to October 1885; was in the real estate and loan business for two years, again in the hardware one year, then on the farm one year, and
again appointed postmaster December, 1890 and is now filling that position.
He was a delegate from this county to congressional convention held at Stockton in 1886 and supported Lewis Handback (sic).
He takes an active part in temperance and charitable work; is an active member of the Christian church.
Isaac Whitaker was born in Clinton county, Ohio, October 28, 1834; moved with his parents to Vermillion county, Illinois, in 1838 and from
there to Mahaska county, in 1848. In 1852 he crossed the plains; he remained six years on the Pacific coast, most of the time on the
Columbia river in Oregon and Washington territories. He then returned to Iowa and in 1869 was married to Lutitia Grubb.
She died in 1868 leaving two small children, Susan Mary, who is now the wife of George
E. Smith, and Henry S. who is one of the substantial farmers of Almena township.
On December 12, 1869, Isaac was again married to Martha Jane VanWinkle. Mrs. VanWinkle's former husband having died in the war.
In the spring of 1874 he came to Kansas accompanied by Albert Graves and family, John R. Hamilton and family and his sister Ketura Whitaker who
is now Mrs. John Baker a farmer in Almena township, arriving in Norton county in June.
He also brought his three step sons, Nathanial, Lewis and Warren VanWinkle.
Nat VanWinkle is a farmer and lives in the east part of the county. Lewis is in Montana in the cattle business and
Warren W. married Miss Shephard, daughter of Jerome Shephard, and lives in Almena.When Isaac Whitaker came he settled on Spring Creek three miles north east of Norton, on land now owned by John Rosborough, but late the same year he moved to the east side of the county where he has resided ever since. On September 1, 1888 Mrs. Whitaker died of consumption and cancer of the stomach, leaving two children by her last marriage; Sarah J., now Mrs. John Caleson and Frank E. who married Etta McCormick, a barber by trade and is living in Beaver City. On October 20, 1889 Mr. Whitaker was again married, this time to Mrs. Malinda E. Irvin, mother of our townsman, Will Schenck. During the county seat trouble Mr. Whittaker was always a Norton man; he was a republican until 1890 has since been populist. In his early life he was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church but of late years has affiliated with the Christian denomination. Mr. Whitaker is a self-made man he has |
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