Joseph White & Ruby Elnora Stearns

Joseph White & Ruby Elnora Stearns were Pioneers
(Parents of Robert White, Father of Franklin D White, Father of Simeon Woodrow White, Father of Alan J White)

Joseph White heard the gospel preached by Acel Blanchard in 1838 and was converted at once. His wife, Ruby Elnora Stearns was a Methodist school teacher and did not become converted until 1839 and then after a year of investigating. She was baptized by Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Her family was extremely bitter toward her for joining the Mormon Church and on account of this Ruby and Joseph moved to Nauvoo, Illinois.

In the spring of 1846 Brigham Young came west to find a place for the Mormons to settle. So in 1846 the White family moved to Council Bluffs. The family drove into Council Bluffs at night with nothing more than a wagon and a yoke of oxen. The next morning, Joseph White came into camp and said that he had volunteered to join the Mormon Battalion and go to Mexico to fight for the United States. On hearing this, his wife fainted; but Brother Miller, a neighbor, comforted her saying he would care for her family during his absence.

Joseph White walked all of the way to Mexico California. He returned by way of Salt Lake, meeting the pioneers there in 1847. Returning to Council Bluffs the same year, he found the family living in a two-room cabin. One room was being used for a school room where Ruby Elnora had taught and supported the family.

They remained there during 1848 while Joseph was earning money to outfit two wagons and teams to haul them to Utah. The teams were two yoke of oxen on one wagon and four oxen and two cows on the other. The journey across the plains began in April 1849 and it took four months to make the trip.