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Susannah heiratete Smith, John geschätzt 1803. John wurde geboren am 22 Mrz 1777; gestorben am 7 Okt 1856 in ,, Ontario, Canada; wurde beigesetzt in Wideman Mennonite Cemetery, Markham, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. [Familienblatt] [Familientafel]

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Source:
Goshen Daily News April 11, 1890, pg. 2:
Died, at the residence of Jonas M. Whitehead, near New Paris, John Smith, an old resident of Union township, age about eighty-three years. The funeral will be held at the Whitehead church, about two miles west of New Paris, tomorrow at ten o'clock.

John heiratete Snyder, Catharine geschätzt 1836. Catharine wurde geboren geschätzt 1810 in ,,, Canada; gestorben in 1895 in ,, Indiana, USA; wurde beigesetzt in Whitehead Cemetery, New Paris, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA. [Familienblatt] [Familientafel]

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Source:
Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana, Chicago, Goodspeed Bros., 1893:
My great-great grandmother Tena (Smith) Whitehead was born in Union Township, Elkhart County, IN, presumably on her father's quarter-section farm. Her parents, John and Catherine (Snyder) Smith emmigrated to Elkhart County from Canada in about 1840, along with Tena's oldest sibling, Susan, who was 3 years-old at the time. Tena was the third born of eight children of John and Catherine Smith, who were Susan, Sarah, Tena, Caroline, Simeon, Jacob, John, Jr. and Samuel.
On Sun., Apr. 7, 1861, a fateful week, Tena married Valentine F. Whitehead. On Friday, the 12th, at 4:30 a.m., Confederate batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter. The barrage continued for the next 34 hours, marking the beginning of the Civil War.
Valentine taught school in Syracuse, IN in 1861 and then committed himself to farming. The Whiteheads purchased 80 acres from the Ott family in Benton Township. Tena's youngest brother, Samuel, purchased an adjoining 80 acres. Samuel later sold his land to Valentine and Tena. These 160 acres now make up the Whitehead Centennial Farm, which has been worked by 6 generations of Whiteheads thus far.

Christina heiratete Whitehead, Valentine Frantz am 7 Apr 1861. Valentine (Sohn von Whitehead, Samuel und Frantz, Sarah) wurde geboren am 30 Jul 1833 in , Elkhart County, Indiana, USA; gestorben am 7 Dez 1898 in , Elkhart County, Indiana, USA; wurde beigesetzt in Whitehead Cemetery, New Paris, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA. [Familienblatt] [Familientafel]

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Samuel was the eldest child of Valentine F. Whitehead (b1833) and Christina ("Tena") (Smith) Whitehead. His parents are buried in the Whitehead Cemetery across from Maple Grove Church of the Brethren.
Samuel was the second generation to farm the quarter-section referred to by the family as The Whitehead Farm, now owned by his grandson Dick. The farm, just a mile and a half down the road from Solomon Creek Cemetery, has been worked by six generations of Whiteheads and is designated as a centennial farm. The Solomon Creek schoolhouse, a brick, one room structure which Samuel's children (including my grandfather, Merl) attended, is just across the street from the cemetery. It was built in 1889 and is now a private residence.
Samuel lived to see only one of his grandchildren (my father) born, as he died before his 50th birthday of congestive heart failure, called dropsy in those days. On Nov. 23, 1890 he married Susan Docia Peters who is buried next to him. This union produced Merl (b1895), Cecil (b1897), Russell (b1901) and Harold (b1903).

Samuel heiratete Peters, Susan Docia um 1893. Susan (Tochter von Peters, Henry W. und Kesler, Tenor) wurde geboren am 9 Okt 1871 in , Elkhart County, Indiana, USA; gestorben am 1 Sep 1940 in , Elkhart County, Indiana, USA; wurde beigesetzt in Solomon Creek Cemetery, Benton, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA. [Familienblatt] [Familientafel]

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UID: A773AACD7B3CFD44895902D1AEA8C6BF1953

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I was 15-years old when my Grandpa Whitehead passed. What I remember most about him was that he was a storyteller. He had the most interesting way of telling stories. Sitting in the living room of their home on Egbert Rd. in Goshen listening to him tell old family stories or just what he did yesterday is what I remember most fondly about Grandpa. His slow, methodical, detailed manner of storytelling was passed on to my dad and, in a less skilled manner, to me. It is Grandpa's storytelling that I credit for my interest in family history.
(The following is condensed from a presentation prepared and presented by Merl's daughter, Lois Kaufman, July 14, 2004, at the Directors and Volunteer Board meeting at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair grounds as part of the 100 year celebration of 4-H.)
Merl Whitehead was born at the farm owned by his father Samuel E. Whitehead, and his father before him, Valentine Whitehead. He was a truck driver, factory worker and chicken farmer. He served as President of the Indiana State Poultry Association in the 1950's. He manufactured and sold half barrel BBQ's and then developed, patented and manufactured the slow rotisserie type BBQ unit which he used at the fairs and sold individually in single or double units.
The State Fair and Centerville Fairs were the biggest, but the family also went to Allegan Co., Valpariso, Mermaid Festival, County Court House lawn, Middlebury Days and other places to sell BBQ chicken. They started out at the Goshen Fair in 1956. When that good smell went wafting around the Goshen fairgrounds, Merl could not BBQ fast enough for the people who wanted to eat. They stood 3 and 4 deep behind the seated people waiting to grab a place to sit down.
Merl prepared the chickens using only salt and poultry seasoning and they basted in their own juices as they turned on the routissere. He disengaged the blades and used his riding mower to get around the grounds; there were no golf carts available yet. There were few phones available so Herb Maust was generous in letting Merl use his phone at the milking parlor when he had to call a quick order in for more chicken or other supplies. When it was hot people ate ice cream instead of BBQ chicken.
When Merl retired in 1968 he sold some of his things to Gongwer's Golden Glo and the Mennonite Relief Sale which was just getting started. Golden Glo uses a different method of preparing the chicken but it was Merl Whitehead who started it all at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.
He was 73 years old by the time he stopped doing the fair BBQ and Mother (Edna Berkey Whitehead) was 70. Dad died in 1976 at the age of 80 ½ years and Mother died in 1987 at the age of 89. They produced Robert, Eldon (died 1935), Laverle, Roberta and Lois and lived a godly productive life and were a good example to all who knew them.

Merl heiratete Berkey, Edna L. in 1918. Edna wurde geboren am 1 Aug 1898; gestorben in Okt 1987 in ,, Indiana, USA; wurde beigesetzt in Rock Run Cemetery, Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA. [Familienblatt] [Familientafel]