Thomas & Elizabeth Whitaker House
The original one-and-one-half-story stone portion of this house was built c1862-66 by Charles Duncan, a skilled Scottish stonemason known for building rock structures throughout Centerville and Farmington, and Thomas Whitaker, who did the carpentry work. Thomas was born in England in 1816. He and Elizabeth Mills, born in England in 1839, were married in 1858 by Mormon leader Brigham Young. In 1869 Thomas married Hannah Waddups, in keeping with the Mormon polygamous practices of the time. She lived here for three years before Thomas built her a house two blocks east. They had eight children.
Thomas was a carpenter, cabinetmaker, engraver, carver, tenor singer, violin player, and nurseryman. He also spoke several languages. Thomas and Elizabeth are believed to have been one of the first families in Utah to raise silkworms. Elizabeth spun the silk and made scarfs, neckties, vests, and socks. She also had talents in gardening, cooking, rug making, straw hat making, nursing, and midwifery. She had twelve children. Thomas died at age 70 in 1886 and Elizabeth at age 98 in 1937. The home was purchased in 1994 by the city and now serves as the Centerville Museum and Cultural Center.
Located in Centerville, Utah.
Nice write up and great pictures!
Thank you! I appreciate that.
Elizabeth is (was) my Great Grandmother. I met her in 1937. She was quite remarkable and I appreciate how you included her in your article.
Wow that’s really cool, I bet you know some great stories.
Yes, my mother was raised in Centerville near Elizabeth. Mom’s father was Elizabeth’s son from Elizabeth’s first marriage to William Oakden. Elizabeth became a young widow, pregnant with my mother’s father, and it was sometime after that she married Thomas Whitaker.
The Whitaker museum has been redone since I visited it. The lady that used to show it had some great stories about her. I was disappointed to see in the museum video Elizabeth was barely mentioned.
Thank you!
Very nice write up! Loved the photos and information. Thank you for mentioning the women in Thomas’ life and for remembering Elizabeth in the title. Afterall, she lived here much longer than he did. 🙂 Elizabeth is also my ancestor.
Thanks for stopping by, I love seeing that someone got some value out of this site.
What a delightful surprise! Imagine my delight to stumble across this when searching for my ancestors. Thank you so much. They were my great-great grandparents. I never met them, but my dad remembers her.