Obits: Wayne County, PA-- WHITE, Gilbert W.  1915 

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This obit for Gilbert W. White is from the Wayne Independent, dated
Tuesday, December 21, 1915.  Surnames mentioned are WHITE, BATES, MASON,
COLWELL, VANNOY, BONE, BREWSTER, SANDS, BROWN, WHITTAKER, MENNER, GIBBS,
DODGE, CONGDON, SPETTIGUE, ERK, BARTON, SHIFFER, BERRY.  (Please note: 
descendency from Mayflower Whites has never been verified, and the
immigrant ancestor is most likely Thomas White of Weymouth, Mass., a
Freeman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony of 1635.  Also, the nobility of the
Mason line is unverified; Elizabeth Mason died in 1842 at the age of 39,
not age 83 as implied in the obit).  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WAYNE'S EDGED TOOL MAKERS
---
White Family Early Known as Skilled Artisans
---
GILBERT WAS PROMINENT HERE
---
Parental Ancestors Descendants of Plymouth Rock Colony and Later on
Maternal Side of British Nobility -- Longevity an Inherited Characteristic
-- Brief Sketch of Family and Also a Tribute by a Friend

     The death of Gilbert White at Honesdale, which occurred Dec. 16, 1915,
removes a descendant of one of the early and most remarkable families of
Wayne county, many of whom have been noted as skilled artisans.  The
deceased himself was for many years identified with the manufacture of
axes, a trade handed down to him by his father.  Country-wide and, indeed,
abroad the name "White" on an axe was a guarantee and still is of its
superior and honest quality.
     Ezekiel White, grandfather of Gilbert, was born 1767 at Heymouth (sic,
Weymouth), Mass., and was a lineal descendent of Peregrine White, who was
the first white child born in Plymouth Rock colony which settled there in
about 1620.  His wife was Mary Bates, the year of her birth being 1770. 
Her death occurred in 1849 and her husband died at the age of 83 years. 
They had fourteen children.  The father lived to see all married, excepting
one, who was a bachelor.
     Ezekiel came to Wayne county by way of Cocheton in 1819 from
Massachusetts with his son, Ephraim V. White, who at that time, who at that
time wa sixteen years old.  He first stopped at a blacksmith shop in
Damascus township and afterwards went on to Mt. Pleasant.  He had six sons
and six daughters and he made the first axes that were ever manufactured in
Wayne county in Mt. Pleasant what at the time was known as White's Hollow,
now called Whites Valley.
     Ephraim V. White married in Mt. Pleasant Elizabeth Mason, Feb. 17,
1825, who was a daughter of an English earl by that name.  Having offended
his parents and family by marrying a girl outside the British nobility, an
earl being next in rank above a viscount and next below a marquis, he left
England and came to America, first settling in Philadelphia.  From that
city he came to Mt. Pleasant where he gained possession of large tracts of
the then unbroken forest lands.
     Mr. White afterward moved to Dundaff where he manufactured axes and
edged tools and where his son Gilbert and other children by the first
marriage were born.  there were three sons and two daughters by this union;
Mrs. Crowell (sic, Colwell) of Honesdale, deceased; Mary, married Chas.
VanNoy and her second husband was John Bone.  She is still living and
active for a person in her 85th year, having come here to attend the
funeral of her brother.  The others were Gilbert of Honesdale; Joseph of
Scranton, deceased; Crandall J. White of Brooklyn, who is an invalid and
unable to come here to be present at his brother's burial.
     E. V. White married for his second wife Teresa Brewster of Honesdale
in 1844.  Five children were born to this wife, Henry White of Scranton;
Mrs. Ada Sands of Hawley; Charles of Collinsville, Conn., Frederick White
of Hawley; George of Manhattan, Montana, all living and are half-brothers
and a sister of the ow deceased Gilbert White. 
     Gilbert White married Ellen Brown, sister of the late John Brown, July
4, 1853.  She died May 14, 1900.  There were born to this union Clarence,
Irving, Frank, Edward and twin daughters, all of whom are deceased, except
Irving, who resides at Rock Island, Ill.  there are two granddaughters,
Miss Jessie, daughter of Frank White, and Miss Margaret, daughter of
Irving. 
     Gilbert White and both of his parents died at the age of 83 years and
his sister is living at the age of 84.  This shows that longevity is a
characteristic of the family.
     E. V. White removed from Dundaff to Seelyville where a firm by the
name of Burke & Story were running a shovel factory.  There for awhile he
made axes and edged tools.  Afterward he erected a house and built a shop
at No. 2 on the then D & H gravity. The machinery was run by water power
but the D & H company, needing the water for their canal, he removed to
Tracyville, now East Honesdale, where he built a large factory which was
also run by water power where both axes and scythes were made.  After E.V.
White's death in 1866 the factory came under the direction of his son
Gilbert and he conducted it until 1898, when he retired from active
business.
     The remainder of his life was passed in Wayne county, his first summer
residence having been at Elk Lake and later he built Tuscarora Cottage at
Beachlake which he occupied for twenty-one summers.  He was especially fond
of boating and had both sail and motor craft.  he built and during the
evening years of his life occupied a home at the corner of East and
Fifteenth streets where he lived with his granddaughter, Miss Jessie, and
her mother.  Mr. White was active up to the time he was stricken with
paralysis five weeks ago.  During the present year he greatly enjoyed
automobile riding, having made a number of trips in his machine.  The
winters of 1911 and 1912 he passed at Jacksonville, Daytona Beach and
Crescent City, Florida, and wold have continued doing so had not his
physician advised him against it.  
     The funeral was held Saturday afternoon from hi late home, services
having been conducted by Rev. A. L. Whittaker, rector of Grace
Episcopal church.  The pall bearers were H. T. Menner, Charles Gibbs,
Charles Dodge, John Congdon, O.M. Spettigue and John Erk.  Interment
was made in Glen Dyberry cemetery.
     Those from out of town in attendance at the funeral, besides
deceased's son Irving of Rock Island, were Mrs. John Bone and daughter,
Mrs. James Barton, and Edward White all of Scranton; Horace White and son
Harold of Whites Valley; Dr. Harry White of Lake Ariel; Roy Sands and Fred
White of Hawley; Messrs. Shiffer and Berry of Pittson.

A Tribute by a Friend

     Mr. Editor:--May I ask you for a little space in your paper for a few
words of testimonial of my old friend of many years, Gilbert White.  As I
camped with him in forest and beside lakes and came into intimate contact
with and knew much of his daily life, and as is the comradeship of the
soldier and veteran, of the G.A.R. was welded in the fire of battle, so too
was our friendship cemented in "camp, and court and grove."
     His nature was gentle, and it was needed that one should be near to
him to know of his many good traits as a man.  His love of family was
strong, and he had a heart which throbbed tenderly towards the young.  The
kinderliebe--child love--was an especial attribute of his character while
his friendship, slow to form, when once fixed was indelible.
     His knowledge of the mechanical sciences was marvelous.  He seemed to
have an intuitive skill which was of great service to him in his role as a
manufacturer of edge tools, the reputation of which extended far into our
neighboring states.  His life, taken all in all, was pure and clean.  Truly
a good man and a man of great genius has gone.  We shall miss him.
     "His life was gentle,
And the elements so mixed in him,
That Nature might stand up
And say to all the world,
This was a man."
     R. W. Brady