 1872 - 1942 (70 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has no ancestors but 6 descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
Charles Robert Whitchurch |
| Birth |
29 Jun 1872 |
Dwight Township, Huron, Michigan, United States  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
26 Oct 1942 |
Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Burial |
29 Oct 1942 |
Sunnyside Cemetery, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
2 Mar 2006 |
BOISE |
| Person ID |
I122846 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
27 Feb 2022 |
| Family |
Cora Estelle Maxfield, b. 25 Feb 1873, Plover, Portage, Wisconsin, United States d. 12 Aug 1956, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States (Age 83 years) |
| Marriage |
11 Oct 1899 |
Plover, Portage, Wisconsin, United States |
| Children |
| | 1. Earl Whitchurch, b. 10 Jul 1900, Gladstone, Delta, Michigan, United States d. 13 Aug 1900 (Age 0 years) |
| | 2. Gale Maxfield Whitchurch, b. 21 Feb 1903, Gladstone, Delta, Michigan, United States d. 20 Jan 1972, Alameda, California, United States (Age 68 years) |
| | 3. Charles Vernon Whitchurch, b. 11 Dec 1907, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States d. 20 Feb 1953 (Age 45 years) |
| | 4. Harold Whitchurch, b. 17 May 1914, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States d. 26 May 1914 (Age 0 years) |
| + | 5. Walter Almon Whitchurch, b. 17 Mar 1916, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States d. 13 Oct 2003, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 87 years) |
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| Last Modified |
5 Jun 2022 |
| Family ID |
F34491 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Event Map |
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 | Birth - 29 Jun 1872 - Dwight Township, Huron, Michigan, United States |
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 | Marriage - 11 Oct 1899 - Plover, Portage, Wisconsin, United States |
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 | Death - 26 Oct 1942 - Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States |
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 | Burial - 29 Oct 1942 - Sunnyside Cemetery, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States |
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 | Initiatory (LDS) - 2 Mar 2006 - BOISE |
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| Notes |
- "I was born on a farm in a log house in Dwight Township, Huron County, Michigan on June 29, 1872. I worked on my father's farm until the spring of 1896 when I left home to do for myself. I went to Gladstone, Michigan and worked in a store and saw mill until October of the same year. I then went to work for the Soo Line Railway at Gladstone, Michigan. I worked in the Round House for 20 months as an engine wiper, fire builder, storehouse keeper until I was promoted to locomotive fireman from about June 1898 until March 1903 when I was promoted to locomotive engineer and have been running an engine of the largest type ever since. October 11, 1899 I married the sweetest little girl in Wisconsin and if you don't think so just ask our 3 boys. Her name was Cora Estelle Maxfield of Plover, Wisconsin, Portage County."
Charles was a very large and strong person. When in his prime he weighed 195 pounds. He was 5'11" tall and was very large boned. He had a reach from finger tip to finger tip of 84" (7 feet). He could chin himself 20 times with one arm. As a young man he helped with the chores on his father's farm. He often told how he would crawl under a colt every day and lift the colt on his back. He continued to do this until the colt became a full grown horse weighing approximately 1000 lbs. until one day he missed. After that day he was no longer able to lift the horse.
He was a very kind person and was good to everyone. He was very thoughtful of his Cora and often brought her gifts for no special reason. He enjoyed being engineer on the special picnic train that went to Buffalo, Minnesota. Walter remembers well riding in the engine on that train and also on the train that went to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. On that train they would go from Minneapolis to Rhinelander, stay overnight and over Sunday, then return on Monday to Minneapolis. When Charles was growing up there was no radio and no television. For fun he participated in seeing who could go hand over hand on a rope from the ground to the top of the 2 1/2 story barn and back down in the shortest length of time. Every Sunday he would wrestle with his brother Dave out behind the barn. Dave was 5 1/2 years older. Dave was always able to pin his brother. Finally one Sunday Charles pinned Dave and after that Dave would not wrestle his brother.
When he was sixteen, Charles worked in the lumber camps during the winter. One time to get to the camp he had to walk 30 miles in a snow storm with a fifty pound pack on his back. His normal walking speed was about 4 miles per hour.
In his later years, Charles was never more than 15 lbs. above his prime weight of 195 lbs.
Charles Robert Whitchurch died in his sleep October 26, 1942 and was interred in the wall of the Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach, California. When placed in the casket he had to be placed partly on his side because his shoulders were so broad that he couldn't be laid flat.
One of the remarks he used to make was: "Always push yourself away from the table when you are still a little hungry." We should all be following this good advise.
From the papers of Walter and Phyllis Whitchurch.
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Has no ancestors but 6 descendants in this family tree.
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