Page 169 - United Brethren Preachers
P. 169
Volume 9 Preachers of U.B. and EUB Virginia Conferences December 26, 2024
of Farmer’s Chapel U.B. Church, Parke Co., Ind., then called Martin’s or Walnut Mission on Mansfield Circuit.
[Funkhouser 1921, pp. 126, 146, 257-259; Glovier 1965, p. 89]
WHITESEL: James E. Whitesel, a son of Simon Whitesel, and grandson of Father
Peter Whitesel, born Jan. 29th, 1851, was a most conscientious and loyal Christian.
He began a university course while yet in his teens. He was admitted to Va. Conf. in
1872, was licensed in 1872, and was ordained in 1875. During his short but very
active ministry he served the following charges: Back Creek Mission, 1872-73; South
Branch Circuit, 1873-74; Winchester Mission Station, 1874-75; and Churchville, 1875-
79,. At Mt. Carmel he built a brick church in 1873, dedicated by Bishop Edwards; cost,
$2,000; and seating capacity, 350. At Churchville, in 1878, he built a church that was the best in
Va. Conf. at that time (cost, $3,500; dedicated by Zebedee Warner). But, overworking himself, his promising
career was cut short at the age of twenty-seven by typhoid fever—he died in 1878, age 27. His body rests
only a few paces from that of his uncle, the Rev. Peter Whitesel, in the cemetery at Whitesel’s Church, near
Pleasant Valley, Rockingham County, Va. He left a noble wife and three little children. The picture is from
[Glovier 1965, p. 68], taken in 1873. [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 146, 191, 194, 197; see also pp. 269-278] and
[Glovier 1965, p. 100; see also pp. 89, 93]
WHITESEL [WETZEL, WHITESELL]: Peter Whitesel, was born of United Brethren parents on the Whitesel
farm near Pleasant Valley, Rockingham County, Va., 1805. In 1828 he was licensed to exhort. In 1830 he
joined Conference and was licensed to preach, and in 1832 he was ordained. Since his father’s house in
Rockingham was one of the first preaching places of the German evangelists, he early became a companion of
the first U.B. ministers, married a daughter of Bishop Brown of Pennsylvania, and after 7 years of service laid
down his life. His father gave the land for Whitesel’s church, the first house of worship built by the United
Brethren in Virginia. He served Hagerstown Circuit, 1832-33; Woodstock Circuit, 1833-35; and Staunton
Circuit, his home territory, for 2 years, 1835-37. He died in 1837, at the early age of 32, and his body lies
within the shadow of the church founded by his father, who survived him by 27 years. [Funkhouser 1921,
pp. 146, 190; see also pp. 50, 125, 190, 199, 202, 240, 245-247; and 242-244 (“Wetzel”)] and [Glovier
1965, p. 97; see also pp. 30, 88, 93, 100, 176, 230]
WHITLATCH: C. Robert Whitlatch (1929-2007) served Antioch Circuit, 1953-56. C. Robert
“Bob” Whitlatch, 77, of Boone, N.C., died Jan. 10, 2007. Born Dec. 22, 1929 in Parkersburg,
W.Va., he was a son of the late Howard Everett Whitlatch and Kelsie Laura Roberts Whitlatch;
he was a retired salesperson of Massage Therapy Equipment. In 1956, he graduated from
Bonebrake Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and was ordained in the Church of The
Brethren in Baltimore, Md. He pastored churches in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Maryland, and Florida. He was pastor of Elton EUB Church, Adams Twp., Pa., when he
conducted the funeral of Laura Gramling. He was pastor of Westernport (Md.) Church of the
Brethren in Jan. 1966, when he officiated at the funeral services for Henry LaRue [The Piedmont Herald,
Piedmont, W.Va., Jan. 13, 1966]. Survivors include his wife, Mildred “Mickie” Biser Whitlatch; one daughter,
Sheree L. Cunningham and husband, David; and one son, Robert G. Whitlatch and wife, Joy, all of Boone; two
grandsons, Robert C. Plemons and wife, Lauren, of Blowing Rock, and Jonathan R. Whitlatch of Boone. He
was preceded in death by a brother, James H. Whitlatch. The complete obituary of C. Robert Whitlatch is
provided in Section II.A (below), which provided the picture.
WHITLATCH: Dr. James H. Whitlatch, possibly a brother of C. Robert Whitlatch (see above) served West
Frederick Circuit, 1952-54. Mt. Olive Church was remodeled with brick veneer under his pastorate, 1953-54.
He graduated from Shenandoah College in 1954. In 1987 he was serving as clergy in Ft. Myers, Fla. In 2002
he was living in Fort Pierce, Fla. [Glovier 1965, p. 248]
WIDMYER: George Sylvester Widmyer was pastor for
the churches in the Berkeley Springs Circuit (Alpine Charge)
during 1938. He was born Nov. 1, 1915, in Berkeley
Springs, W.Va., the son of Ernest L. and Daisy Stotler
Widmyer. He was converted at the Berkeley Springs U.B.
Church in 1930, and a year later had a definite call to the
ministry. “I was converted under the pastorate of Rev. J. R.
Collis; one night, my mother called me to see, clearly, a
cross in the sky—I know of no one else seeing this, and I
believe this to be a sign of God’s call to full-time dedication in His Work—”For me to live, for me to work, is to
live and work for Him!” I continue to find the work of Kingdom Building challenging and receive great
satisfaction in seeking the redeemed soul at peace and at work in the world.” His education includes
graduation from the following schools: Berkeley Springs High School; Shenandoah College (Class of 1938);
Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Va. (B.A.); and the Conference Course of Study for ordination. He received
a Quarterly Conference License in Aug. 1936. He joined the Conference and received the Annual Conference
Biographical Sketches 157
of Farmer’s Chapel U.B. Church, Parke Co., Ind., then called Martin’s or Walnut Mission on Mansfield Circuit.
[Funkhouser 1921, pp. 126, 146, 257-259; Glovier 1965, p. 89]
WHITESEL: James E. Whitesel, a son of Simon Whitesel, and grandson of Father
Peter Whitesel, born Jan. 29th, 1851, was a most conscientious and loyal Christian.
He began a university course while yet in his teens. He was admitted to Va. Conf. in
1872, was licensed in 1872, and was ordained in 1875. During his short but very
active ministry he served the following charges: Back Creek Mission, 1872-73; South
Branch Circuit, 1873-74; Winchester Mission Station, 1874-75; and Churchville, 1875-
79,. At Mt. Carmel he built a brick church in 1873, dedicated by Bishop Edwards; cost,
$2,000; and seating capacity, 350. At Churchville, in 1878, he built a church that was the best in
Va. Conf. at that time (cost, $3,500; dedicated by Zebedee Warner). But, overworking himself, his promising
career was cut short at the age of twenty-seven by typhoid fever—he died in 1878, age 27. His body rests
only a few paces from that of his uncle, the Rev. Peter Whitesel, in the cemetery at Whitesel’s Church, near
Pleasant Valley, Rockingham County, Va. He left a noble wife and three little children. The picture is from
[Glovier 1965, p. 68], taken in 1873. [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 146, 191, 194, 197; see also pp. 269-278] and
[Glovier 1965, p. 100; see also pp. 89, 93]
WHITESEL [WETZEL, WHITESELL]: Peter Whitesel, was born of United Brethren parents on the Whitesel
farm near Pleasant Valley, Rockingham County, Va., 1805. In 1828 he was licensed to exhort. In 1830 he
joined Conference and was licensed to preach, and in 1832 he was ordained. Since his father’s house in
Rockingham was one of the first preaching places of the German evangelists, he early became a companion of
the first U.B. ministers, married a daughter of Bishop Brown of Pennsylvania, and after 7 years of service laid
down his life. His father gave the land for Whitesel’s church, the first house of worship built by the United
Brethren in Virginia. He served Hagerstown Circuit, 1832-33; Woodstock Circuit, 1833-35; and Staunton
Circuit, his home territory, for 2 years, 1835-37. He died in 1837, at the early age of 32, and his body lies
within the shadow of the church founded by his father, who survived him by 27 years. [Funkhouser 1921,
pp. 146, 190; see also pp. 50, 125, 190, 199, 202, 240, 245-247; and 242-244 (“Wetzel”)] and [Glovier
1965, p. 97; see also pp. 30, 88, 93, 100, 176, 230]
WHITLATCH: C. Robert Whitlatch (1929-2007) served Antioch Circuit, 1953-56. C. Robert
“Bob” Whitlatch, 77, of Boone, N.C., died Jan. 10, 2007. Born Dec. 22, 1929 in Parkersburg,
W.Va., he was a son of the late Howard Everett Whitlatch and Kelsie Laura Roberts Whitlatch;
he was a retired salesperson of Massage Therapy Equipment. In 1956, he graduated from
Bonebrake Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and was ordained in the Church of The
Brethren in Baltimore, Md. He pastored churches in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Maryland, and Florida. He was pastor of Elton EUB Church, Adams Twp., Pa., when he
conducted the funeral of Laura Gramling. He was pastor of Westernport (Md.) Church of the
Brethren in Jan. 1966, when he officiated at the funeral services for Henry LaRue [The Piedmont Herald,
Piedmont, W.Va., Jan. 13, 1966]. Survivors include his wife, Mildred “Mickie” Biser Whitlatch; one daughter,
Sheree L. Cunningham and husband, David; and one son, Robert G. Whitlatch and wife, Joy, all of Boone; two
grandsons, Robert C. Plemons and wife, Lauren, of Blowing Rock, and Jonathan R. Whitlatch of Boone. He
was preceded in death by a brother, James H. Whitlatch. The complete obituary of C. Robert Whitlatch is
provided in Section II.A (below), which provided the picture.
WHITLATCH: Dr. James H. Whitlatch, possibly a brother of C. Robert Whitlatch (see above) served West
Frederick Circuit, 1952-54. Mt. Olive Church was remodeled with brick veneer under his pastorate, 1953-54.
He graduated from Shenandoah College in 1954. In 1987 he was serving as clergy in Ft. Myers, Fla. In 2002
he was living in Fort Pierce, Fla. [Glovier 1965, p. 248]
WIDMYER: George Sylvester Widmyer was pastor for
the churches in the Berkeley Springs Circuit (Alpine Charge)
during 1938. He was born Nov. 1, 1915, in Berkeley
Springs, W.Va., the son of Ernest L. and Daisy Stotler
Widmyer. He was converted at the Berkeley Springs U.B.
Church in 1930, and a year later had a definite call to the
ministry. “I was converted under the pastorate of Rev. J. R.
Collis; one night, my mother called me to see, clearly, a
cross in the sky—I know of no one else seeing this, and I
believe this to be a sign of God’s call to full-time dedication in His Work—”For me to live, for me to work, is to
live and work for Him!” I continue to find the work of Kingdom Building challenging and receive great
satisfaction in seeking the redeemed soul at peace and at work in the world.” His education includes
graduation from the following schools: Berkeley Springs High School; Shenandoah College (Class of 1938);
Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Va. (B.A.); and the Conference Course of Study for ordination. He received
a Quarterly Conference License in Aug. 1936. He joined the Conference and received the Annual Conference
Biographical Sketches 157
