Rev. J. C. WHITE, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic church at Winterset, was born at Paradise, Monroe county, Pennsylvania, a son of John B. and Bridget (LENNAN) WHITE, both of whom were natives of Ireland. When young people they came to the United States and were married in Binghamton, New York, where the father worked on a railroad. Coming to Iowa about 1855, he settled in Des Moines and later removed to Lee township, Madison county, where he purchased a tract of land and thereafter followed farming until his death, which occurred on the 25th of January, 1888, when he was seventy-six years of age. His widow survived him for almost two decades and died in 1907, when about eighty-five years of age. They were both members of the Catholic church and in that faith they reared their family of eight children, who grew to years of maturity.

Rev. J. C. WHITE was the second in order of birth and was about fourteen years of age when he entered the office of an architect of Des Moines, with whom he remained for three years. He afterward engaged in teaching school in Madison and Warren counties, Iowa, and during that time improved his leisure hours by study, reading Latin and also mastering other branches. His early education had been acquired in the district and parochial schools and in the high school of Des Moines. His later education was pursued in St. Joseph's College at Dubuque, at Florisant, Missouri, in St. John's University at Collegeville, Minnesota, and in the Grand Seminary of Montreal, Canada. Having thus prepared for the priesthood, he was ordained by Bishop John McMULLEN, of Davenport, Iowa, on the 29th of October, 1882. His first charge was at Chariton, Iowa, where he remained for twenty months, when he was transferred to Marengo, Iowa, there continuing for eight and a half years, during which time he paid off a debt of six thousand dollars on the parish property, improved the church, laid out a cemetery and also organized a congregation and built a church at Williamsburg, Iowa, acting as priest at that place during the last four years of his stay at Marengo. He was then transferred to Williamsburg, where he remained for three and a half years and while there built the largest church edifice in the county of Parnell, Iowa, which he attended from Williamsburg. During that time he was also a very active temperance worker and succeeded in closing every saloon in the county, or made it impossible to run one with profit, and accordingly all were closed. He was then transferred to Dunlap, Iowa, and at the same time had charge of the churches at Magnolia, Modale and Little Sioux and organized and built a church at Woodbine. He continued his active prosecution of temperance work and was largely instrumental in closing the saloons in Harrison county, Iowa. He was next transferred to Avoca, Iowa, where he remained for a few months and then went to South Ottumwa, Iowa, where he was in charge of St. Patrick's church for one year. He then had to secure leave of absence on account of the condition of his eyes. He was afterward chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for a year and in 1908 he resumed active work in the priesthood, being sent to Maloy, Iowa, where he remained for six years and nine months. While there he rebuilt the church at Kellerton and also built churches and organized congregations at Diagonal and Mount Ayr. He did good work in all of these places and in 1914 came to Winterset to assume the duties of the pastorate of St. Joseph's Catholic church.

While at Ottumwa, Iowa, Father WHITE purchased property for a school and while at Chariton bought property at Osceola and raised funds for the building of a new church at that place. Father WHITE and his brother are the owners of a stock ranch in Dallas county and have quite a large herd of Aberdeen-Angus cattle. He is a member of the national board of the Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association. He has also taken a deep interest in political questions and issues and did campaign work for William Jennings BRYAN during his first and last campaigns for the presidency. Father WHITE is a man of strong physique, large and well proportioned, and energetic. He is a fluent speaker and a man of strong personality. His influence has been widely felt in behalf of temperance and along those lines which work for moral progress. He has ever won a strong following for the church and his people have the greatest respect and regard for him both as pastor and man.

MUELLER, Herman A. History of Madison County, Iowa, and Its People, Vol. II Pp. 55. S.J. Clarke Publ. Co. Chicago. 1915

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2009