A Child of the Sea and Life Among the Mormons on Beaver Island/Prologue

At the earnest request of many friends I have written this book with some incidents of my early life before coming to Beaver Island.

What I have written about the Mormons are my own personal experiences and what I knew about them by living constantly near for four years of my life, followed by our leaving the Island and settling at Charlevoix for safety, then being driven from there, and, after the fight, my life in Traverse City, and finally returning to Beaver Island again. After the Mormons were expelled, my twenty-seven years' residence at that time with the first four years gives thirty-one years of Beaver Island life with as muck knowledge of Mormon life as anyone outside their teachings could possibly have. In this little history I have only touched lightly upon the reality, writing what my memory contained that might be interesting, telling the stories as near as possible as they told to me by the people themselves who had lived and suffered by the Mormon doctrine, and some things my parents told me when I was too young to remember, during the first part of my residence on Beaver Island.

My Father, Walter Whitney, was born in Genesee County, New York State. At the breaking out of the 'Blackhawk and Florida War,' he enlisted, served his time, was honorably discharged, and came to Fort Brady, Sault Ste. Marie. From there he went to Mackinac Island. He married my Mother there, who was a widow with the three sons, myself being the only child born of the marriage.

My Mother was born on Mackinac Island of British parents, was left an orphan young, was adopted by captain Michael Dousman and wife, and resided in their family almost thirty years. She married Mr. Lewis Gebeau of Montreal, Canada. Four sons were born to Mr. Gebeau, with one son dying. My Mother then married Walter Whitney, my Father. They resided part of the time at Mackinac Island, going to Grand Haven with the ferry and returning to Mackinac Island until my Father took the contract to build the Newton Brothers' vessel Eliza Carolina, on the little island St. Helena. We spent a winter in Manistique before coming to Beaver Island.

I was born at Mackinac Island. My mother lived to the grand age of one hundred years, passing away since my residence at Little Traverse Lighthouse on Harbor Point.