Phoebe Whipple (1813 - 1846): Our Family History

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1813 - 1846 (33 years)

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Name	Phoebe Whipple
Birth	13 Aug 1813	Deposit, Broome, New York, United States
Gender	Female
Death	18 Nov 1846	Zarahemla, Lee, Iowa, United States
Burial	21 Nov 1846	Zarahemla, Lee, Iowa, United States
Initiatory (LDS)	11 Jun 1884	LOGAN
FamilySearch ID	KWVM-HH2
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I689	mytree
Last Modified	25 Feb 2024

Father	Daniel Whipple, b. 27 Aug 1779, Brattleboro, Windham, Vermont, United States d. 27 Sep 1839, Elyria, Lorain, Ohio, United States (Age 60 years)
Mother	Mary Tiffany, b. 17 Jun 1777, Barkhamsted, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States d. 12 Sep 1845, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States (Age 68 years)
Marriage	1804	Brattleboro, Windham, Vermont, United States
Family ID	F68	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1 Benjamin Bengraw Shaw, b. 1808, Carlisle, Warren, Ohio, United States

Marriage 1832

Children

+	1. Clymenia Azuba Shaw, b. 2 Feb 1834, Carlisle, Warren, Ohio, United States d. 10 Aug 1920, Bountiful, Davis, Utah, United States (Age 86 years)

Family ID F594 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 5 May 2024

Family 2 Benjamin Gibson, b. 9 May 1805, Patrington, Yorkshire, England d. 26 Nov 1897, Smithfield, Cache, Utah, United States (Age 92 years)

Marriage 21 Dec 1834 Grafton, Lorain, Ohio, United States

Children

	1. Hannah Gibson, b. 24 Apr 1836, Grafton, Lorain, Ohio, United States d. 31 Oct 1846, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States (Age 10 years)
+	2. Isabella Amy Gibson, b. 20 Mar 1838, Litchfield, Medina, Ohio, United States d. 11 Feb 1898, Smithfield, Cache, Utah, United States (Age 59 years)
+	3. Mary Jane Gibson, b. 5 Feb 1840, Litchfield, Medina, Ohio, United States d. 12 Jun 1912, Milburn, Sanpete, Utah, United States (Age 72 years)
+	4. Susan Jane Gibson, b. 11 Oct 1842, Chatham, Medina, Ohio, United States d. 25 May 1929, Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, United States (Age 86 years)
	5. Jemima Gibson, b. 1847, Conesville, Muscatine, Iowa, United States

Family ID F595 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 5 May 2024

Event Map

	Birth - 13 Aug 1813 - Deposit, Broome, New York, United States
	Marriage - 21 Dec 1834 - Grafton, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Death - 18 Nov 1846 - Zarahemla, Lee, Iowa, United States
	Burial - 21 Nov 1846 - Zarahemla, Lee, Iowa, United States
	Initiatory (LDS) - 11 Jun 1884 - LOGAN

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Notes

Phebe died in Zarahelma, Iowa of fever.

The story of the life of Phebe Whipple, which begins in childhood happin e ss, in an affectionate family of parents, brother and sisters, cannot f ai l to bring sadness to the hearts of her descendants, knowing that he r lif e was taken so young and at a time of great distress among her rela tive s and friends. She was one of those gallant women who were destine d to gi ve up their lives for a sacred cause.
This history is taken principally form the journals or Phebe’s brother N e lson Wheeler Whipple, and her husband Benjamin Gibson; which he wrot e a t Fort Union, after coming to Utah in 1852. His journal was partiall y des troyed by age, but was treasured- together with family letters- b y his yo ungest daughter, Jane Gibson Sanders, until her death in Mesa Ar izona o n May 25, 1929. She was among the little ones of that period wh o knew chi ldhood without a mother’s care and love.
Phebe Whipple was born August 12, 1813 in Broome Co. New York, in the Vi l lage of Sanford, four miles from Deposit, New York. Her parents were Da ni el Whipple and Mary Tiffany; Mary being the young widow of Zenoa Aldri dge , and the mother of two children a little son and daughter. So Pheb e wa s born into the home of six children, and after her were born a sist er Ge rua, two years younger, and a brother Nelson Wheeler, five years yo unge r than Phebe. They helped to care for her children, following Phebe’ s unt imely death.
Phebe’s father was in partnership with his eldest brother Samuel in a sm a ll lumber mill, when she was born. The brothers had moved to this plac e f rom Pennsylvania, and had purchased a small tract, of between twent y an d thirty acres of timber land and built a home and a mill on Aquag o Creek . Daniel was away from home much of the time, cutting timber an d transpor ting the lumber down the Delaware River to Philadelphia to b e sold.
Phebe and her sisters learned to spin flax and wool when quite young, be c ause their mother was an expert in spinning, dyeing and needlework, an d m ade all the clothes, which she and the children wore.
In the summer of 1827, when Phebe was fourteen, the Whipple Family inclu d ing the Aldridge Children, moved to Newfield in Tompkins Co. New York . Ne lson Whipple writes in his journal: “My mother’s kin, the Tiffany an d Cur tis families, had moved there form Courtland Co. New York. It wa s a thre e day trip to Uncle Jarrid Putchin’s”. And later “Our house wa s on a hig h hill with a good view in almost every direction- I helped bu ild fence s and chopped wood though only 9 years old. The winter of 1828- 20 was ver y severe and hard to keep the cattle alive.
Daniel Whipple, although a strong and energetic man, found that tryin g t o farm such unproductive land was not to his liking, but he remaine d in N ewfield for six years and several of their young people were marri ed in t hat place.
Phebe was age nineteen when she married Bengraw Shaw, a man much older t h an she (as shown by the U.S. Census returns). Her family was unhappy ab ou t this marriage; so Phebe joined with them in making plans for movin g t o Ohio in 1833, and went with her parents.
Returning again to the journal of Nelson W. Whipple: “My brother-in-la w G eorge Tiffany and two of my sisters had moved to Ohio the year before . M y father Daniel Whipple sold our home, the stock and everything: eve n th e household goods. We started in November 1833, we traveled 3 days t o rea ch the port at Lake Cayuga, because of heavy rains, and took passag e on t he small steamboat, the “Dewitt Clinton”, the only steam boat on L ake Cay uga; there were many other ordinary boats.
“Our next boat was on the canal to Buffalo, where we arrived in six day s . Here we took passage again on board the steamboat, ”Pennsylvania”, o n L ake Erie, on out way to Cleveland. The first night we were on this bo at , we witnessed the long remembered signs in the heavens.” (The showe r o f meteorites on the night of November 13, 1833).
Their destination was Eton Ohio, where Phebe’s sisters and their famili e s lived; and was about twenty miles from Cleveland. With all of Daniel ’ s endeavor to find transportation for his family in this busy town, h e fi nally was forced to give up and he hired a “cart-boy with his cart” . Thei r luggage was loaded upon this and the Whipples proceeded to wal k to Eton .
Phebe was quite ill by the time they reached George Tiffany’s home, whe r e they were made welcome and stayed several days because housing was ve r y scarce. The men folk obtained work in a saw- mill in the neighborin g to wn of Carlisle and Phebe moved there with her parents. A very tiny b aby w as born to her in February 1834 and was named Clymenia Shaw. The ba by wa s loved by all her family. (The tradition concerning the baby’s siz e is t hat she was small enough to hide in a sugar-bowl). (Clymenia Sha w Evans w as buried in Bountiful, Utah.)
While in her parents home in Carlisle, Phebe was made happy again by mee t ing a young English named Benjamin Gibson, who lived in the neighborin g v illage of Grafton and who was a friend of her brothers. She was marri ed t o him in the fall of 1834 and they moved to the small farm, which Be njami n owned near Litchfield in Loraine Co. Ohio. A one-room log cabin w as o n the farm. The country was new and sparsely settled. Not many year s ha d passed since hostile Indians had skulked through the woods near th e set tlement. Panthers were large and vicious wild animals and were amon g th e wild beasts seen and heard around this village. Men always carrie d a gu n, and were alert on the trails lest one of these animals spring u pon th e horse and rider from the high limb of a tree.
One night Phebe was alone with two little ones, her husband having le f t that day with a load of grain for the gristmill, which was more th a n a days journey away. While putting the babies to bed, she heard a dre ad ful cry, which sounded like a woman in great agony of pain. She was te mpt ed to go outside to determine what it was, but remembered her husban d ha d told her never to go outside at night, not even for wood, so she l eft t he door and window barred. The screaming came up to the cabin; so s he the n realized it was a panther and was probably the mate of the one t he me n had killed the day before, and had nailed its hide on the outsid e wal l of the cabin to dry. Suddenly she heard the angered animal sprin g to th e roof and advance to the chimney. She had no time to quiet the c hildren’ s crying for she had to keep the fire in the fireplace in a hig h blaze si nce the chimney was large enough for the panther to drop throu gh. It wa s an all-night ordeal. When the wood was gone, Phebe broke up t he wood-bo x, and then the table and chairs were used for fuel. When the y were gone , she wrapped her children in a quilt and put them in a chest , leaving a n opening for air then she opened her feather mattress and fe d the flame s with a hew handfuls of feathers at a time. The panther didn ’t leave th e chimney until daybreak; then he went back to the woods afte r killing so me domestic animals.

Benjamin Gibson, in his journal written in 1845-55, tells of their marri a ge and the principal events of their life together with their childre n i n short clear statements.
“In the year 1829, at the age of 23, I sailed from Hull England on the 1 4 th of April, across the western ocean and landed in Quebec on the las t da y of May. I then took passage to Montreal; from there to Niagara an d Buff alo: then to Cleveland Ohio, then to Grafton in Loraine Co. Ohio , wher e I arrived about the 1st of July. I remained in Ohio six years, s ingle . In 1834 I was married to Phebe Whipple and we continued to live i n tha t state until we heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by tw o Latte r-Day Saint missionaries. We obeyed, it and were baptized by the m on Janu ary 15, 1842, while living in Litchfield. Together with my wife ’s family , we desired to go to Nauvoo, so we sold out and started on Sep t. 7, 1843 . We traveled, with some delays, until we came within twenty m iles of tha t city; then we learned that a mob of ruffians were destroyin g lives an d property there. I left my family there with relatives and we nt to Nauvo o and saw and heard the Prophet Joseph Smith. We (Nelson W. W hipple) wen t to stay with brother George Tiffany who had built a good-si zed log hous e near the Temple. He helped us find homes to bring our fami lies to. Whil e I was there I stood guard to help protect the Prophet. O n being dismiss ed, I returned to my family and while I was gone, Josep h and Hyrum were m urdered, on the 27th of June 1844 .
“I then moved my family to Nauvoo and stayed until the mob came again . W e then crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa, with some of the Sain ts , while some others had gone to Buffalo.”
“We remained in this camp until the remainder of the Saints were drive n o ut by the Mob. I was then taken sick with all my family. My wife an d daug hter died; my daughter Hannah the last of October; her mother on t he 18t h of November 1846. I was left with four little girls. I put the t wo olde r ones with good families, transacted some business, took the tw o littl e ones and came on to Garden Grove Iowa. Early in July I went t o Vorce, W isconsin.

This part of his journal is aged and dim, but their history during thi s p eriod is given in the journal of Nelson Whipple. He writes in 1846 th at h e had not seen his sister Phebe since the two of them had left Nauvo o. “D uring this winter”, he says; “We plainly saw that our property in N auvo o would bring us very little or nothing; so we saw it best to leav e to th e wilderness as best we could”. “In this camp, many people are li ving i n shanties built of sacks and sticks.” He wrote of their mother’ s death ( Mary Tiffany Aldridge Whipple) in Nauvoo, September 17, 1845. S he had bee n baptized with the others of her family while they were all i n Ohio an d had lived, since the death of her husband in Sept. 1839 in th e homes o f her children. Mary Tiffany had been a small woman, he wrote : “With fai r complexion and with dark hair and eyes. She told her childr en that if s he could live long enough to see Nauvoo and the Prophet Jose ph, she woul d be well content to die. Under the date of July 1847, Nelso n writes: “M y sister Phebe Gibson died of a fever while in Zarahemla Cam p, some month s past, and her little girl died there shortly before.” “Br other –in-la w Gibson and I started the 1st of July for Wisconsin to ende avor to colle ct or regain some property taken to Vorce by a Mr. Edwards , who had colle cted it when B. Gibson had sold his farm in Ohio. This Ed wards turned Str angite (one of the religious cults of that period) and w ent to Vorce wit h property. I went for the purpose of seeing my half bro ther Aldridge an d his family in that state.” “ We took our clothes on ou r backs, with pro visions enough to last. We reckoned the distance to b e 180 miles. The wea ther was hot and there was little water much of th e way. After 8 days wal king, we reached Keokuk, Iowa on the Mississipp i River, and then we saile d on the boat “Lynx to Gavania. B. Gibson wa s sick most of the way.”

Whether the business with Mr. Edwards was satisfactory or not is not ma d e known in either journal, but Nelson returned to Iowa first having be e n received coldly by Mary Tiffany’s eldest son, because of his brother ’ s unpopular religion. “I returned to Keokuk,” writes Nelson; “and wen t t o see the little Gibson girls. They were both well. Clymenia is wit h Bro . Williams’s family. Amy is with a family named Millgate.” Later h e write s, “My sister Gerua has died in Canesville, and little Jane Gibso n is tak en into the home of George Tiffany.” (Gerua had married Benjami n Gibson a nd they had a small daughter named Jemima. Gerua died in 1848 . George Ti ffany married Phebe’s sister Almira, they may have been cous ins?) So Pheb e Gibson’s little girls were separated from one another an d from their fa ther until he married again and could have a home. In hi s journal is writ ten: “On December 5, 1848, I married Mrs. Asenath Jane s (the U.S. censu s of Pottawattami Co., Iowa shows Asenath Gibson to b e several years olde r than Benjamin. Her daughter Henretta Janes is ag e 15 and in the home ar e Mary and Jane Gibson) “On Sept. 13, 1850 I wen t from council Bluffs t o Keokuk, Iowa to bring Bro. Williams among the S aints with my two childr en, together at that place. We returned to the B luffs on October 25th. O n May 2, 1852, I baptized my three children, Amy , Mary and Jane”. “On Jun e 12th I started with my family for the Salt La ke Valley. We arrived Sept ember 12, 1852. The family of Gibson, after en tering the Great Salt Lak e valley, made their first home in Union fort , but later in Lehi. With hi s daughters married Benjamin Gibson was alon e in his fifty- fourth year . His wife Asenath returned with friends to t he Eastern States. This goo d and quiet man went to live in Logan and gav e several years to the build ing of the Logan Temple; hauling stone and c utting stone. His love for th e Gospel and his family are shown on the Lo gan Temple record of 1884 an d 1888.
In his old age he retired to the home of his daughter Amy Coleman in Smi t hfield, Cache, Utah, where he died Nov. 26 1897 at the age of 92. He w a s born May 9, 1805 in Patrington, Yorkshire, England, the son of Henr y Gi bson and Diana Pearson.

Children of Benjamin and Phebe Whipple Gibson who lived and became Uta h P ioneers:
1.Clymenia Shaw, born F3b. 2, 1834- Married David Evans, Feb. 1854 (3 ch i ldren) died 10th of Aug 1920 buried in Bountiful, Utah.
2.* Amy Gibson, born Mr. 25, (20) 1838. Married William Coleman 3 June 1 8 56 (civil) Died 11 Feb. 1898 Smithfield, Cache. Utah. Buried there in t h e same lot as her father, Benjamin Gibson.
3.Mary Gibson, born 5 Feb. 1840 Married Orson Kelsey, 1858. Died 12 Ju n e 1902, at Fairview, Utah 12 children
4.Jane Gibson, born 11 Oct. 1842, Chatham Co. Ohio. Married John Frankl i n Sanders, March 22, 1858 in Brigham Young’s office. Died 25 May 192 9 i n Mesa Arizona. Children 6

5. Hannah Gibson died at Camp Zarahemla October 1846.
6. Another daughter Jemima, was born to Gerua Gibson she married a m a n by the name of Goodman. (Info. Index Bureau.)
This history was searched out and compiled by Amy Jones Doyle, daughte r o f Phebe Jane sanders and Wesley L. Jones. Phebe was the daughter of J an e Gibson and John Franklin Sanders Jane was his 2nd wife.
Benjamin Gibson was baptized by John Gilead (Info. Patriarchal Blessing ) . He was a high Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sain ts . (Obit, info.) He had 4 wives: Phebe Whipple, Gerua Whipple, Asenath a J anes (separated), Jemamia Duckworth, (separated). His daughters actin g a s proxy: had him sealed to Mary Hadkinson (Temple Ord. Manti 21 Apri l 190 5) a friend from England. And Mrs. Mary Gibson (Temple Ord. Manti 2 1 Apri l 1905) a nice of Benjamin Gibson .