John Charles Whitehead

John Charles Whitehead

This account is taken from the book Glen Leonard Eppich, Autobiography of His Life Experiences

published privately by his family

John Charles Whitehead was born 18 October 1865 in the northeast corner of Franklin, Oneida County [now Franklin], Idaho, the second son of William and Margaret Green Whitehead, both born in England.  He was a twin to his sister Hannah Jane. 

 Margaret Green Whitehead and twins

Hannah Jane and John Charles Whitehead

The bed for Margaret's first three children [including the twins] was a bin of wheat with the bedding laid over it. When the twins were a few days old, three Indians came into the Whitehead home. Margaret thought they would all be killed. She offered a prayer and asked the Lord to protect her and the babies. Taking note of Margaret removing the quilt over her twin babies, the Indians quickly backed out of the room and left. Margaret later discovered the Indians believed twin babies brought bad luck. Her prayer had been answered.

John's father William died 2 April 1881 leaving John, age 17, and his older brother William to care for the family. Times were often difficult for them. One winter was long and cold with the snow very deep. Hay and feed for the animals was scarce. William and John worked for a week to earn money for a wagon bed of straw to feed the family cow. The straw had come from the top of a man's straw shed and was dusty and dark.

During his youth, John worked for several different people when his work at home was caught up. He and his brother William worked in the canyons to get lumber to build sheds and other buildings at their home and for others.

Beginning in 1884, John obtained a wagon and four horses. He started freighting supplies for stores and mining camps in Arco, Mackay, Challis and Salmon, Idaho. After delivering to the mines, he hauled back ore. With his earnings, he was able to buy three more horses. When the weather got bad late in the fall of 1884, he left the freight line, his horses and wagons in Blackfoot, Idaho and spent the winter at his home in Franklin, Idaho.

John married JoAnna Durney on 28 January 1885 in Franklin, Idaho and continued there until May when he began freighting again. John stayed on the freight line all through the summer months while JoAnna stayed in Franklin.

In the 1888 John and JoAnna began to homestead land in Cherryville, Idaho hoping to obtain squatter's rights. He cleared the land and built a house on the property. He built ditches to obtain water out of the creek and stables for wintering his cows. The family planted an orchard with cherry, plum, apple and apricot trees. They also grew gooseberries, currants and other fruits.

There were ten families living up the creek. They all joined together and built a big hall and used it for a school, church, dancing and other social events.

John's mother, Margaret, began homesteading 160 acres of land just northwest of him. When this land was proved up, John bought it from his mother along with more property in the area.

On 29 March 1891, the Cherryville branch of the Franklin, Idaho Ward was organized with John chosen as presiding elder. 

In 1893, John became a sheep rancher. He fed them at home in the winter and ran them on the range during the summer months. John built and ran a shearing corral up Cub River. He also had one at his home employing about ten men. 

In 1901 John obtained lumber from the Sugar Creek area and built a new, large eight-room home on the 80 acres he had obtained through squatter's rights. When the enlarged Homestead Act came into effect, he took up 320 more acres joining his home.  He also had the only sawmill running in the area at the time. 

John reserved the rights for 35 head of cattle to graze up Crooked Canyon. He also had pasture land for 20 head of milk cows an 8 horses. He employed 2 men with his herd of sheep and at times 4 men on his farms. He ran a milk wagon from Cherryville to Franklin for several years.

John and JoAnna had the following children:

1. Ethel May, 1885
2. Bertha, 1888
3. Edith, 1890
4. John William, 1893
5. Sarah, 1895
6. Margaret, 1898
7. James Leo, 1901
8. Florence Ordella, 1902

John became ill in the fall of 1914 and continued to be sickly. He died 29 April 1916 while living in Franklin, Idaho in the home he and his brother Peter had built for their mother.