Whitney Churches

Assembly of God Church gathering

Thanks to Mary Daniels of Whitney for providing us with this undated congregation photo from the Assembly of God Church. We remember the structure facing north -- nearly across the street from Warring Memorial Church. We'd sure like to put names with most of these folks. By clicking on the image and selecting a larger size, you can get a pretty good look at each person in the photograph. If you can identify anyone, please send us an e-mail. We've already spotted Mary at the right end of the second row from the top. Many thanks! UPDATE from and thanks to: Jeanette Couch Potloff:Above Mary Daniels in the right corner are Beverly and Leo Daniels..to their left are Mollie and Henry Fox. Far left: David Fox - Elvin Daniels is second over from David. Mary's sister, Martha Klaus, is to her right...below Martha with the black hat is their Mother, Mrs. Jake (Anna) Daniels .The lady in the center to Martha's right with the large black hat is Mrs. John (Elisabeth) Gobel...Anna Daniels and David Gobel's Mother. Bottom row L to R: David Gobel (brother to Anna Daniels) and Jake Daniels - Father to Mary-Martha-Leo-Elvin. ------------------- Thanks again to Jeanette Couch Potloff for the update.

Warring Memorial United Methodist Church

This is pretty much the way the church looks today. At one time, the main entry was from the east. Here, it has been moved to the south side, where it remains. To see several photos of the 125th Anniversary Celebration of the church, check out our Warring UMC Gallery. (Douthit Collection)

Probably an anniversary celebration at the church

Thanks to Bob and Ruth Ann Connell for sharing this undated photo of folks in front of Warring Memorial Methodist Church. Seated (left-to-right) are: Paul Stumpf, Myrtle Stewart, Jennie Lawrence, Percy Cartwright, Mrs. Sue Burkitt, Olivia Thomas, and Mrs. Jim Scofield. Standing are: William Howard, Blanche Hartman, Josephine Hamm, LaRue Norman, Esther Lightbody, and Ruth Lawrence. The lady and gentleman at the far right are not identified. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Stories behind the stones...if only we knew them all!

Each marker in the Whitney, Nebraska Cemetery tells a story. How unfortunate that we know so few of them! Nonetheless, it's a delight to capture bits and pieces of Whitney's early years -- and the people who called it home. Our thanks to Toby Kendrick who passed along some photographs and a fascinating story about his great-great-grandfather, O.W. Kendrick, who is buried in the Whitney Cemetery. Born in New York in 1861, O.W. married Elizabeth Decker, and together they raised three sons and one daughter. By the 1920s, Mr. Kendrick had outlived both Elizabeth and a second wife. He, like his son Frank Kendrick, was living in Whitney, Nebraska.

"Another Veteran Passes Away"...

That was the headline of an undated news article in the spring of 1924 that told of how Mr. O.W. Kendrick had cut his finger with a pen knife. While the finger appeared to heal just fine, he later developed blood poisoning and died on Saturday, March 22, 1924 at the home of his son, Frank Kendrick, in Whitney, Nebraska. A Civil War veteran who had "marched to the sea" with the Illinois Infantry as a part of General Sherman's sweep across the South, Mr. Kendrick died on his 85th birthday. In addition to his son Frank, Mr. Kendrick was survived by another son, Edward Kendrick of Johnson, Kansas; a brother, Milton Kendrick of New York, and a sister, Mrs. Hattie Jackson of California.

The old Methodist parsonage

The site of many weddings in earlier Whitney times – including the marriage of Alex Miller of Whitney and Mildred Saxton of Crawford in 1936. We're not sure how old the structure is, but as of 2020, it is still standing, according to Bruce Miller, the Miller's oldest son. Thanks to the youngest daughter of Mildred and Alex, Charlene, for preserving this photo of the old parsonage, captured about 15 years ago.

UMC Parish booklet

There is no publication date, but the last listed pastor was Gary J. Aten (1972- ). This 28-page color booklet contains numerous photos of the churches, a brief history, and Family Directories for both Crawford and Chadron UMC churches. This booklet belonged to Eva (Cunningham) Galey.