The Burney and White family of N.H. and Quebec Canada:Information about Forrest Elbridge White
Forrest Elbridge White (b. February 22, 1870, d. August 04, 1955)
 | Forrest Elbridge White |
Forrest Elbridge White (son of Freeman Benjamin White and Josephine Amelia Banfill) was born February 22, 1870 in Barford. Stanstead, Quebec, Canada31, and died August 04, 1955 in Concord, Merrimack,N.H..He married Nettie Ethel Temple on July 11, 1899 in Warden,Quebec, Canada.
Notes for Forrest Elbridge White:Forest was the second of 5 children. Taken by his father to the Shakers in Canterbury, NH. January 15,1879 He left the Shakers on April 12,1886 at age 16 and went to work for a Mr. Wiggin in Meridith N.h, then later worked for a Mr. Crossman in West Concord, N.H. learning the blacksmith trade.On April 7, 1890 he went to work for Abbott-Downing Co. in Concord, N.H. where they made the famous Concord Statecoaches.His pay was $1.00 a day.On July 29,1892, he went to work for St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., (An Episcopal Boy's Prep.School)as a blacksmith.He worked there for over 15 years shoeing horses and making all the necessary parts for equipment repair.It was while he was working there that he met Nettie White.She worked there as a servant.He also had a blacksmith shop up on Fiske Road across from the farm that he & Nettie lived on all their lives
From information furnished by Marion Ella (White) Burney, Lamson.
My Father, Forrest Elbridge White, was born Feb. 22,1870in Barford Township, Stanstead County, Province of Quebec, Canada to Freeman Benjamin White and Josephine Amelia Banfill.He was the second of five children - three boys and two girls - Elwin Benedict, Forrest Elbridge, Jennie Lind, Lillie Grace and Everett David. According to the 1871 Quebec Census my Grandfather was a farmer. I know nothing of my Father's very early life.
In January 1879 when Father was almost 9 years old, his folks separated and Grand-father White took some of the children to the Shaker Community in Canterbury, N. H. There is no record of the oldest son, Elwin, ever being at the Shakers but records show that my Father and his sister, Jennie were taken there on Jan. 15, 1879. Lillie was admitted on April 21, 1879 and Everett on May 1, 1879, so apparently the two youngest remained with their Mother for a short while. Elwin had run away from home more than once so am presuming he was on his own or staying with his Mother. Josephine later married a nan named Charles N. Baker, 18 Aug. 1886, a much younger man, and they had a daughter, Myrtle. Josephine died Jan. 21, 1932 at the Belknap County Farm in Laconia, N. H. and is buried in Bayside Tomb, Laconia, N. H. Pa never mentioned her name and never wanted to see her tho I recall she came just once to the farm.
Pa never said too much about his growing up, perhaps because I never really seriously talked with him about it which I regret. He would tell things now and then but it was too late when I suddenly realized I knew so little. From what I do remember, life at the Shakers was more or less regimented but they were well taken care of and I don't think they were ever physically abused. They arose early and dressed for breakfast and prayers, changed their clothes as there were chores, then schooling, with prayers again at noon and evening prayers. In later years he always said he had enough Church there for a life-time and never went to church again until I was married to Everett Burney in the Old Chapel at St. Paul School in 1922. He had had good schooling at the Shakers and had beautiful handwriting. I always hoped after I left home that he would write me a letter but he never did.
The Shakers were a very industrious peopleand invented many things still in use. They were completely self-supporting. Their furniture was especially beautiful with it's simple lines and fine finish. The women did all sorts of needlework and their knitted sweaters were a work of art and in great demand. They drove into Concord and sold their crafts wearing their long dresses and straw bonnets in the summer. Father told about working in the gardens and fields and of having to go after the cattle at night to bring them in for milking and going a long way thru the woods to find them. At the Shaker Colony the men and women lived separately and Grandfather and his children lived in a family house and were called the North Family. A fire destroyed thebuilding many years ago and all records with it regarding the White family.What meager information I have was obtained from a card file in the Shaker office in 1971.
Grandfather Freeman Benjamin White became an Elder and remained at the Shakers for over 30 years, until his death on July 30, 1913. He is buried in the Shaker Cemetery in E. Canterbury, N. H. where there is just one general marker,In 1971, 58 years after his death, I had the opportunity of talking with one of the very few remaining Sisters at the Colony in her 80's who was there while he was, tho of course just a young woman, her recollections of him were that he was a very fine man, loved and highly respected by every one, and that he had a wide knowledge of medicinal herbs as he had apparently learned some of the Indian remedies. He was born inBarnston Township, Stanstead County, Quebec, Canada in 1844, tho I could never verify it. His Father's name was David White and his Mother, Betsey Bailey, my Great Grandmother, was said to be part Indian with the name Aris Skys. I have not been able to verify any of this.
On rare occasions Grandfather White visited us in Concord at the farm, always coming in his covered buggy and always bringing his own special lunch which upset my Mother very much. We were never able to get close to him as a Grandfather and Grandchildren should be tho Pa took us by horse and buggy to the Shakers once in a great while and that was always a happy time seeing our Aunt Jennie and being given cookies and milk in the diningroom with the big long table and the chairs hanging on pegs round the wall. It was spotless and there were no special decorations.
As soon as the children could manage it each left the Shakers except Aunt Jennie. Father left on April 12, 1886 at the age of 16.Lillie ran away after Pa left and lived with him until she found some work. She was Doris Yarbray's Mother. Everett ran away when he was about 10 and I'm not sure where he went, possibly with his Mother. Aunt Jennie remained at the Shakers until May 9, 1916 when she was 45 years old and Grandfather White had been dead about three years. At that time she stayed with Mother and Father at the farm for a short while and then went to spend time with her brother Everett's family living in N. Y. state at that time. She remained in Long island and married a man named Henry Franklin and died Jan. 12, 1943.
When Pa left the Shakers on Apr. 12, 1886 at the age of 16 he went to Meredith, N. H. and worked for a Mr. Wiggin for about a year, then learned the blacksmith trade from a Mr. Grossman in West Concord. On April 7, 1890 he went to work for Abbott-Downing Co. in Concord, N. H. as aWheelright, where they made the Concord Stage Coaches,famous especially all thru the West. He lived by himself and did his own cooking, even baked bread, and did his own mending and laundry. Lois has the little needlebook he had then, made by his sister Jennie. He used to tell us his pay was$1.00 a day.
Two years later in July 29, 1892 he went to work for St. Paul's School as their black-smith and worked there a good many years. He boarded at the School and had a room at what was known then as the Red Barn.
St. Paul's School is an Episcopal Preparatory School just for boys then, now co-educational. The tuition was very high even in those days and only the wealthy could afford to attend. It had a large enrollment with many dormitories, study buildings, two Churches -a small lovely Chapel, called the Old Chapel for the local people, and a beautiful large church for the students and Faculty. They had a fine library, beautifully cared-for grounds and a pond where the boys swam in the summer and skated in the winter. The head of the School when I was a child was Dr. Samuel S. Drury, a remarkable man, very gentle and kind. He was called the Rector and all teachers (men only) were called Masters. Each of the Masters had a separate home. The School had its own farm with all equipment, dairy and extensive produce gardens, heating plant and all other facilities - even a Community Club building for the women employees. Pa shod all the big horses and took care of all farm equipment and if a part was needed he could forge a piece of metal into the missing part.
On May 26,1897 Pa bought a piece of land about a quarter mile from the School up the hill on Fisk Road and proceeded to build a barn first.Laer he lived in that while he built the house.It had five rooms - kitchen, diningroom and livingroom (parlor in those days) and two bedrooms upstairs- no bath- no electricity then.The toilet was in the shed off the kitchen. The house and barn were joined by a room we called the milk room as the milk was cooled there and there was a separator to get the cream for butter etc.There was also a tunnel from the house cellar into the barn cellar with double doors on both ends. Water was piped into the house but it came from a well with a windmill and if the wind didn't blow there was no water pumped into a big wooden tank up in the top of the barn so we had to be very careful about using too much water. We never wasted it.
He wasn't much for going out evenings and preferred to be at home. He would drop whatever he was doing and stop and visit with any old friends or neighbors tho who came by.
My sister Hazel Irene arrived on May 22, 1900 and subsequently I came along on
Aug. 14,1903 followed by two brothers, Martin Elbridge on Oct. 29, 1904 and George
Freeman on Nov. 8,1908. Some time in between Martin's birth and George's birth my
Father built another room on downstairs (bedroom), and a bathroom upstairs over that area.
We still often had to carry water to the bathroom to use it.
In 1907 Pa bought another piece of land adjoining what he had and altogether he had 25 acres. Some of it was woodlot and the rest was very rocky New England ground which bit by bit he turned into productive land in the years following.He worked hard and long hours combining farming with blacksmithing, always having a large garden and Mother canned everything they raised beyond what was eaten. They had just about every kind of farm animals and both loved their home. Pa was not a religious man outwardly but believed in the Golden Rule and lived by it and felt he was as good a Christian as those who attended church regularly.He only did the chores and very necessary things on Sundays and he and Mother often went visiting some of the neighbors then or they came to visit us.
When we were quite young he built a blacksmith shop of his own a short distance down the road from the farm where he did work for friends and neighbors on his own time and also kept his job as blacksmith with St. Paul's School. Later he left the School to concentrate on working full-time in his own shop but it was hard to charge what he should for his work and equally hard to collect what was due so he went to work for the N. H. State Hospital as their blacksmith around 1918 when I was in High School.
In July 1913, in the afternoon, a fire suddenly started in the hay in the top of the barn under the big water tank. They said it was due to spontaneous combustion. With the only water hydrant too far down the road for hoses to reach, the house and barn both burned down in spite of all our efforts and the help of neighbors to check it. We only had the water from the well and even the big water tank, when it fell, didn't help much. We were able to get most of the furniture out, even the piano, and many other things but harnesses, tools, and everything in the barn was lost along with many small personal things in the house. Luckily the two horses were saved but hens in the barn cellar perished. The house and barn being connected together prevented any chance of saving the house. It was a terrible blow to the whole family - a loss only partially covered by insurance. Thru the kindness of the St. Paul's School officials we were given a house to live in and Pa started rebuilding almost immediately on the same foundation with, some changes. Gradually bit by bit it became the house you all are familiar with. We moved back into the new house the following January tho it still wasn't entirely finished. Now of course, it had electricity so we didn't have to use lamps anymore. It had four bedrooms and one bath upstairs, front and back stairs, with a large attic, and downstairs, the livingroom, diningroom, kitchen, and nice pantry and laundry or 'wash' room. The large back porch and smaller front porch were eventually all screened in and wonderful in summer.
Father and Mother celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July 1949 and Father passed away Aug. 4, 1955. My brother Martin and his wife had taken over the farm by then and Mother remained there until she passed away on Feb. 15, 1971.
Following the death of my brother Martin on Dec. 17, 1980, whose wife had preceded him, the farm was sold. It had been in the White family for 83 years.
Sometime in the early 1930's I believe, Pa left the State Hospital job and concentrated on blacksmithing in his own shop and his farming - raising pigs for sale, chickens and eggs and other products. On April 22, 1949 he moved his blacksmith shop up to the farm, placing it in back of the garage where it was more convenient and it remained there. Martin had a retail milk route for a number of years and a room was built under the garage to handle the milk. He married his first wife Lucy McClure in 1935 and they stayed at the farm for a while and then Martin bought a farm up on the Hopkington Rd. That marriage ended sometime in the40' and he married Dorothy Ford in 1946. They bought the little house about a quarter mile up the road and lived there but Martin had the home place for his stock and took care of everything there. Pa repaired equipment for him in the shop and had his garden, etc. until he was unable to do things and died Aug. 1955, and Martin and Dot lived at the farm with Mother until her death.
[Banfill.ftw](White.ftw)
More About Forrest Elbridge White:
Burial: August 06, 1955, Millville Cemetery, Merrimack, Concord N.H..
Census: 1900, Shows date of birth Feb 1870 in Canada.
More About Forrest Elbridge White and Nettie Ethel Temple:
Marriage: July 11, 1899, Warden,Quebec, Canada.
Children of Forrest Elbridge White and Nettie Ethel Temple are:
- +Hazel Irene White, b. May 22, 1900, Concord, Merrimack, N.H., d. April 13, 1968, Canterbury, Merrimack, N.H..
- Martin Eldridge White, b. October 29, 1904, Concord, Merrimack, N.H., d. December 17, 1980, Concord, Merrimack, N.H..
- +George Freeman White, b. November 08, 1908, Concord, Merrimack, N.H., d. November 08, 1997, Plymouth N.H..
- +Marion Ella White, b. August 14, 1903, Concord, NH, d. April 15, 1992, Boise, ID.