Ellis Whitney "Et" Wiltbank (part3)

Ellis Whitney Wiltbank

In previous posts on Ellis Whitney Wiltbank I spent most of the post covering where he and his family lived and what he worked on and his church callings. There are a lot of other sides to Ellis Whitney that I did not cover so I will attempt to focus this post on the what kind of man he was. What did he enjoy doing with his spare time and when people remember him what would they have said about him. There is one thing for sure and that is that once people got to know him he was well respected and liked. His early experiences in Arizona during his first year or two were not repeated and I believe that is because of his reputation for being a hard worker, a fair person and one who loved the Lord and was willing to serve others.

Entertainer of the Community

Ellis Whitney Wiltbank acted in plays with Sarah Hannah Brown and his partner John Black. He is remembered for his performance of Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin and many other plays. He was also an expert in making scenery and props as needed for these plays.
This is mentioned along with his calling as President of the Mutual Improvement Association. It is said that he took great delight in giving the young people the right kind of entertainment. I get the impression that Ellis Whitney Wiltbank really loved the children and teenagers that he had stewardship over. While he was Bishop in Greer he made it a point to make his home a gathering place for the youth of the Greer Ward.
Ellis Whitney also played the Accordion and the Harmonica to entertain his family and visitors in his home.

Entertainer of his Grandchildren

Ellis Whitney was quite a story teller. He would tell stories to his grandchildren that he made up as he went. There are two stories that are recorded that he told multiple times to different grand children.

Cucumber story

When he first got water out on the land, he decided to plant some cucumbers, so one morning he made a row and put in the seed, then started the water down the row. Coming back from milking the cow, he noticed that the seeds were already sprouting, so decided to get in another row. Setting down the milk, he started planting. On finishing that row, he noticed that the first row needed hoeing, so he went to work at it. By the time he had hoed the first row, the second was ready for like treatment. So, he went from one rot to the other until while hoeing the first row for the third time he found himself entangled in the cucumber vines unable to get either my feet or the hoe loose. He reached into his pocket and got his pocket knife and what do you think he found? After all of us had wondered, he told us the answer, a cucumber.

Hunting story

 Ellis Whitney Wiltbank as a special treat told his grandchildren, "of going out to hunt wild pigeons; of how hearing them cooing, he finally located them on the inside of a hollow tree. Wanting all of them, he hammered his bullet wedge shaped then shot into the tree. When the tree opened then closed as the wedge shaped bullet entered, the pigeons toes were caught in the crack. Then taking his ramrod and loading his old muzzle loading gun using the ramrod instead of a bullet, he shot it through the birds, then opened the tree and had a whole ramrod full of pigeons. Starting homeward he was walking close to the bank of the Little Colorado River when he stepped on a rattlesnake. The snake was killed but he jumped in fright fell in the river. When he came out his bib overalls were so full of fish that a button busted one of his britches and the button hit and killed a rabbit. The family living in Amity. About four miles away he saw a large band of antelope about where the school in Eagar now stands. The snow was so deep they could hardly move, so he stopped, unhooked one of his team from the wagon, rode in among the antelopes and killed as many as he could. He then loaded the wagon and went on home with a complete supply of winter meat."¹

Ellis Whitney also had other ways to entertain his grandchildren.
   He would tell Funny Facts like the following:

• Onions - They are 95% water and 5% smell
• Identifying Weeds - The only way to tell weeds from vegetables is to pull everything up then wait and all the plants that come back will be weeds.

   Fortune Telling - His granddaughter Atella tells that he used to tell their fortunes all
                               in a circle on the floor with our heads down and our rears up.

Taking His Time

In his later life it is mentioned by multiple sources that he was never in a hurry and wanted to stop and talk to people. On a trip he wanted to stop in each town, get out and stretch his legs, buy himself a treat and talk to the local people. He did not believe in the hurry and rush of life that he saw those around him get caught up in. He always had time for others.

Industrious and Ingenious

Ellis Whitney supported his family by doing many different things. He was a very industrious and capable man. The following is a list of the occupations we know about:

• Lime Burner for construction of the St George Temple
• Potato Farmer - in Greer and Nutrioso
• Grain Farmer - in Round Valley
• Sawyer - Cutting railroad ties
• Brick Maker - in Eagar
• Adobe Maker - in Eagar
• Sawmill Builder - Built and operated the sawmill at Greer
• Carpenter - Built his own house in Eagar

I find it interesting how he could learn new trades. Where did he learn how to build a sawmill and a house?

Spiritually Minded

Ellis Whitney was a spiritual man. His granddaughter Atella stated that he was active in the church and honoring his priesthood in 1928 (he was 74). He blessed one of Atella's daughters that year. Atella said that she had memories of seeing him reading the scriptures. He attended the temple in Mesa getting rides to Mesa with his grandchildren.
Ellis Whitney served faithfully in the church. Listed below are the callings that we know of.

• Counselor in Nutrioso Bishopric
• Superintendent of Sunday School of the Union Ward in Eagar. (He would walk from Greer to perform his duties)
• President of the Mutual Improvement Association of the Union Ward in Eagar
• Bishop of the Greer Ward for 12 years
• High Councilor in the St Johns AZ Stake.

All histories or remembrances of Ellis Whitney Wiltbank mention his serving as Bishop of the Greer ward. He was much loved by the people of Greer and as a pioneer bishop had a big role in the development of the Greer community.


Other Posts on Ellis Whitney Wiltbank
    Ellis Whitney Wiltbank part1 - Life in Utah and exploring Arizona
    Ellis Whitney Wiltbank part2 - Life in Arizona

Sources
Carl Lenard Haws Family History as written by Atella Wiltbank Haws by Atella W Haws (date unknown)
From The Wiltbanks in Northeastern Arizona compiled by Ronald Wiltbank 1993/1994
      A Brief History of Ellis Whitney Wiltbank by Rebecca Wiltbank Hall Burgess
      Ellis Whitney Wiltbank by Atella W. Haws, a grandaughter 1976
      Ellis Whitney Wiltbank by Atella W Haws 1940
      Ellis Whitney Wiltbank by William Ellis Wiltbank Jr (date unknown)
      Ellis Whitney Wiltbank by Milo Wiltbank (date unknown)