Obituary from the Red Bank Register
Red Bank, NJ
Capt. John H. White Dead
He Was One of Red Bank's Old-Time Citizens
He was born in Red Bank 75 years ago and had always lived here. He was
the father of ten children, eight of whom are living.
Capt. John H. White, known lovingly to all old-timers in Red Bank as "Capt.
Jack White," died at his home on White street on Friday night. About a week
before his death he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis. He seemed to be
recovering from this when he had a relapse. He became delirious some time
before his death and his talk was all of the sea and seemed to giving reminiscences
of his earlier years when he sailed the ocean on coasting schooners.
"Capt. Jack" was born at Red Bank 75 years ago in the house on Mechanic
Street, just west of the Mechanic Street Schoolhouse. He was the son
of Capt. John P. White. Many of the Whites in the old days were seamen
and owned and sailed schooners and other craft. Capt. Jack for a number
of years was first mate on one of his father's coasting schooners which
sailed between New York and South Atlantic ports. He was also captain
of racing vessels in a number of important events, and he sailed winning
vessels in the Cape May races in the days when these were regarded
as second only to the international races for the America's cup.
Capt. White's wife before her marriage was Miss Elizabeth Robbins, daughter
of Capt. William H. Robbins. One of Capt. Jack's sons, Councilman William
H. R. White, was named after his grandfather. Ten children were born
to the family, two of whom have died. The eight now alive are Ferdinand
L. White, Mrs. W. Edward Denise, Miss Phebe E. White, Councilman William
H. R. White, Miss Bessie A. White, who is a stenographer in the ordnance
department at Woodbury; Reuben E. White, John H. White, Jr., and
Ensley M. White. Ferdinand, William, Reuben, and Ensley constitute
a building firm in Red Bank who have built and are now building a large
number of houses in Red Bank and who are doing their part to overcome
the great shortage in houses hereabouts.
About twenty years ago Capt. White bought
three houses on White street, close to Broad Street. The houses
and lots were bought from George Hance Patterson for about $3,500.
Capt. White occupied the largest of these houses and he had made his
home there ever since the purchase. For many years after leaving the
sea he was employed as night watchman by business firms on Broad Street.
The funeral was held at the house on Monday afternoon and the service
was in charge of Rev. Robert MacKellar. The burial was at Fair View
cemetery.
Funeral notice from the Red Bank Register
Funeral of Captain J. H. White,
Former Pilot, Held in Red Bank
RED BANK, Jan. 17--Captain John H. White, a former schooner pilot and
former Hudson River tugboat captain was buried this afternoon in Fair
View Cemetery, after funeral services conducted at his home on White
Street by Rev. Robert MacKeller, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church.
He died Saturday.
Captain White was born seventy-five years ago in Red Bank. At the age
of seventeen he was mate on a lumber schooner which plied between New
York and the Carolinas. He was on a transport during the Civil War and
piloted some of the fast schooners in races off Cape May almost half a
century ago.
For the last thirty-eight years, Captain White had been a night watchman
for local merchants, and during those years never missed one night.
He never had the services of a doctor until five days before
his death, when he fell in his home and sustained injuries.
The captain is survived by a wife and eight children. The children are:
Ferdinand L. White, Mrs. W. Edward Denise, Miss Phebe E. White, Councilman
William H. R. White, Miss Bessie A. White, Reuben E. White,
John H. White Jr. and Ensley M. White. |