James and Jane Whitaker moved to Iowa during the Civil War and built a log cabin in the Wymore area. James died in 1865 from Typhoid fever and is buried in the Wymore Cemetery.

The biography of James Whitaker is complied from the James and Jane Whitaker Family Bible, family stories and much research in census, wills and other records.

James Whitaker had four children with his first wife Jane (possibly Smith)
Sarah Whitaker born 1849
Thomas Whitaker born March 10, 1851
Henry Whitaker born December 22, 1853
Joseph born November 10,1854

James had five children with his second wife Jane Fuller McBroom Whitaker (Evans) they married on August 20,1855.
Ellen Whitaker Bowles May 26, 1857
Charles Whitaker March 31, 1858
Rebecca Oldine Whitaker McKeanna February 1861
Dennis Whitaker March 14 1863
Anna Whitaker Sipult Gibson Gates March 13, 1865

Whitaker History Timeline

James is married twice. We believe both wives were named Jane. The first wife was Jane Smith and the second wife was Jane Fuller McBroom Whitaker Evans. She was married three times.

1827…. , Indiana….. James Whitaker
James Whitaker was born May 6, 1827. Walter Whitaker said that he recalled that they said his grandfather James was living in Brook, Indiana. In the 1860 Census, it does state that James was born in Indiana and his age is thirty-three. However after more research, we are not sure of the exact town.

1848…. Indiana .. James Whitaker… First Marriage
According to Walter's family history, James married a lady with the last name of Smith. The children were Sarah, Henry, Tom, and Joe. In the 1860 Census, I found Sarah, Henry, and Tom living with James and Jane Whitaker. Sarah was eleven so he probably married the first time about 1848. James Whitaker's first wife was probably named Jane Smith. So, both James' wives had the first name of Jane.

1850….Indiana… James living with Jane Smith Whitaker and Sarah In the 1850 Census, James is living with his wife Jane and daughter, Sarah. Next-door is a John Whitaker and a Jane Whitaker who would be the right age to be his parents. They were born in Ohio. Since families stayed close in those days, John and Jane are probably James' parents.

1855….James marries Jane Fuller McBroom.
After James first wife died. He married Jane Fuller McBroom. Jane's husband James Armstrong McBroom and her two children had died in Cain County, Indiana.

1856…James Whitaker moves to Illinois.
Walter's family history says that James moved to Illinois after his first wife died. Using the ages of the children in the 1860 census, this was probably the time they moved to Pekin, Illinois

1858….Charles Whitaker is born… Illinois
Charles is born to James and Jane Fuller Whitaker in Pekin, Illinois on March 31, 1858.

1860….James Whitaker Family in Illinois.. Charles…
According to the 1860 Census, Charles at two years of age is living in Illinois in Tazewell County, Hopedale Township with James and Jane Whitaker. James is a farmer with a land valued at $3600 for land and $700. for personal estate. Also in the home are Sarah (11) Thomas (9) Henry (7) Ellen (4) and Charles (2). The value of the land makes me think that James was doing well in 1860. James was listed as 33 years old at this time and Jane was twenty-eight. There is a Joe Whitaker who is six living next door with another Jane Whitaker who is fifty-two. Her age fits the Jane Whitaker (52) who lived next door in Indiana. This makes me think that his father John died and his mother, Jane Whitaker went with him to Illinois. Could Jane have been taking care of the youngest child Joe after his first wife died and just kept him? This fits Walter's story that he had a child named Joe with his first wife. Also, James listed no assets in 1850 but John Whitaker listed $3000. Being the oldest child, James would now have his father's estate and would be taking care of his mother. Several other family members who were listed in 1850 are also living very close. They are listed on the same page of the census. So, my research would say that James Whitaker's parents were John Whitaker (born about 1804 in Ohio) and Jane Whitaker (born about 1808 in Ohio.)

1864… James Whitaker family in Iowa
. According to his obituary, Charles Whitaker is six years old when he moves to Iowa with his parents, James and Jane Fuller Whitaker. Marvin Whitaker said that Charles, his Grandfather, lived in a log cabin with his parents just down the road from his farm when he first moved to Iowa. James and Jane Whitaker moved to Iowa during the Civil War. Denny Whitaker was buried in 1864 in the Wymore Cemetery and was the first to be buried there.

1865…. James Whitaker dies in Iowa.
James who was a big strong man died of Typhoid Fever (This description is from a Mahaska family history story written by descendents of Rebecca Oldine Whitaker.) James died on January 18, 1865 in Mahaska County, Iowa. He was 37 yr 8m 12 days old. On his stone in Wymore cemetery, there is a wonderful tribute.. "Dear Husband, you left us and your loss we deeply feel but is God that has benefited and God can all our sorrows heal"

1865…. Annie Whitaker is born in Iowa on March 13, 1865 after her father dies. Annie is the sister of Charles who marries Tom Sipult who is a brother to Ollie Sipult who marries Charles.


1870…Charles Whitaker living with mother, Jane …
According to the census, Charles is now twelve and living with his mother. Jane Whitaker is now named Jane Emmons (Evans but spelled wrong in census) and is living in the White Oak Township in Mahaska County. The family is John Emmons and Jane Emmons. Ellen Whitaker (14), Henry Whitaker (17) Ellen Whitaker (14), Charles Whitaker (12), R.O. ( Rebecca Oldine) Whitaker (9) and Annie Whitaker (5) are living with the family. There are twin girls, Ettie and Emma both listed as one-year-olds living with the family and born in Iowa. The census taker only put down the first initial of the family and called everyone Emmons but after finding the 1880 Census, the family members were all there. The Census taker only used initials on the whole page. In a marriage record for Mahaska County, I found that Jane Whitaker married John Emmons in 1868. John Emmons was working as a farmer in 1870. The value of the farm is $8000. and the value of personal estate was $1400.
1880….Charles Whitaker living with mother, Jane…..
According to this census, Charles is twenty-two and living with John and Jane Emmons. Annie Whitaker is now fifteen and the only other Whitaker child still living with the family. There are now three little girls. They are Emma and Ettie Evans both eleven and Kitty Evans who is five. It is a puzzle why the children are called Evans and the father is Emmons. It was fun to find all the people from the family story living together in Mahaska County. These are the twin girls that tried to claim Jane's entire estate and leave out the Whitaker Children. It all fits the family story except that Jane's last name is Emmons? In the last census, they listed the entire family as Emmons. This time, the Whitaker and Evans children are listed under their names.

1881… Charles Whitaker marries Ollie Sipult..
Charles married Ollie Sipult in Indianola, Iowa on November 10, 1881. Ollie's name was Olive Belle Sipult and she was the daughter of Harrison and Elizabeth Sipult of Oskaloosa. Ollie was born on May 7, 1864.

1882… Walter Whitaker is born…Audubon, Iowa
Walter A. Whitaker is born in Audubon, Cass County, Iowa to Charles and Ollie Whitaker on September 10, 1882. Walter is the first born of six children. There are four boys and two girls in the family.

1896… Jane Fuller Whitaker Evans passes away.
Jane Evans is buried next to James Whitaker in the Wymore Cemetery. There is a loving inscription on her stone from her children. I am sure that Jane Evans is Jane Fuller Whitaker because in a marriage license for Emma Evans, she states that her father was John Evans and her mother's maiden name was Jane Fuller. I also found Jane Evan's will. In the will, Jane divides her estate equally between all her children except Emma. She states two times to not give Emma any part of her estate. This confirms Walter's story that there was a fight over Jane's estate when the twins tried to get all of it and leave the Whitaker children with nothing. Jane had quite a large estate from James Whitaker's death in 1865. Evidently, Jane didn't feel that it was fair to leave out her children with James Whitaker and left Emma out of the will instead. Jane was sixty-three when she passed away.