Youngest ChildA Closer LookJohn Whipple was the youngest of the six Whipple children, and the younger of the two boys. John was very active, and in one letter to his daughters in July, 1862, Henry Whipple wrote about the five-year -old: "You would be delighted, I am sure, to see Master John and his pets. He has a lamb called Nellie and a dog, Bonnie, a calf Bessie and already canvasses the question whether he shall increase his pets or not. He is a darling boy and generally a very good one but once in a while he gets into [trouble]." John was described by historian Phillip Endcott Osgood as a child who caused the family deep concern. He did not like to study and did not like being the son of a Bishop. He reportedly ran away from home on two occasions. He left home again at age 21. Several months later, he was found dead in the Ohio River with a pistol wound in his cheek. |
