William Wurts White family papers (Ms.2007.038)

Biographical note

Little is known about William Wurts White and his family beyond the few facts that can be discerned from these papers. The William Wurts White family papers are comprised of correspondence and legal and financial documents related to settling the estates of William Wurts White (1841-1911), his sister, Ella C. White, and his son, Merwin White. The White family papers were maintained by Frank W. Matteson, a financial advisor to the White family as well as several other prominent Providence families. Matteson's primary employment was with the John Nicholas Brown family at their 50 South Main Street offices. The White family papers were donated to the John Nicholas Brown Center with the Brown family's donation of their business records and other papers filed at 50 South Main Street. While the White family papers do not contain much in the way of personal information, the papers do detail the arduous process of settling the estates of a wealthy family.

William Wurts White and Ella C. White were the children of a union between two collaborative industries - transportation and coal. Their father, John Richards White (1815-1874), a leading member of the coal trade in Philadelphia, was president of Mount Carbon Railroad Company and the Delaware Coal Company. Their mother, Caroline (Wurts) White (1815-1850) was the daughter of William Wurts who co-founded the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company with his two brothers. The canal company's barges transported coal from northeastern Pennsylvania to New York City.

Ella C. White (died 1904) was a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In her will she provided a yearly income to Julia Canning, bequeathed tracts of land on Mount Desert Island, Maine, to her three nephews, and left the remainder of her estate to her brother, William Wurts White (1841-1911).

William Wurts White (1841-1911) was a prominent member of Rhode Island society as president of John R. White & Son, one of the largest distributors of coal in Rhode Island. The company was formed in 1901 by William Wurts White (1841-1911), James Kinghorn and White's son, Merwin. Prior to his arrival in Providence, William Wurts White (1841-1911) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, his father's alma mater.

William Wurts White (1841-1911) was married to Kate (Merwin) White (died 1915), daughter of Elias Merwin, a lawyer, and his wife Annie (Childs) Merwin. William Wurts White (1841-1911) and his wife had three sons: Merwin (1877-1920), John Richards (1880-1911), and William Wurts (1882-1918).

Merwin White was president of John R. White & Son at the time of his death. He was married to Elizabeth (Nicholson) White and they had five children: Thomas N. (1910-1980), Samuel M., John R., Elizabeth G. (White) (Herbert) Hughes (1913-1987), and Kate M. (White) White (1913-1979). Merwin White died in his home at 17 Benevolent Street, Providence, after a long illness.

Elizabeth (Nicholson) White (1877-1961) was the daughter of William T. Nicholson (1834-1893) and Elizabeth (Gardiner) Nicholson (1833-1899). Her father was the founder of the Nicholson File Company, a large manufacturer of file knives and rasps. In 1921 Elizabeth (Nicholson) White married Stephen E. Hopkins, a Providence investment broker; they divorced in 1929.

John Richards White, a graduate of Yale University, worked for John R. White & sons for a few years before turning to a career in teaching at St. Mark's School, Southboro, Massachusetts.

William Wurts White (1882-1918), also a Yale University graduate, dealt in bonds and stocks under the name W.W. White & Co., in the Turks Head Building. William Wurts White (1882-1918) and his wife, Janet (Innis) White had three children: William Wurts (1909-), Dora Innis (1911-) and Janet (1913-). After her husband's death, Janet (Innis) White married Richard S. Aldrich.