Jobe and Amelia "Milly" (Marsh) While

Page by Bob Leathers

JOB, MILLIE AND JOHN WHILE IN HANNA. FAMILY OF JOB WHILE KILLED IN THE 1903 EXPLOSION. (UNDATED) (PICTURE FROM WHILE FAMILY COLLECTION)

Life Story

​​1868 February: Jobe While was born February 1868 to Henry and Sarah (Roberts) While in Netherton, Dudley, England. Netherton was located in an area in England call the Black Country.

1868 December 14: Amelia "Milly" Marsh was born in England. Her mother's maiden name was Barnes and her father's surname was Marsh. (California, Death Index, 1949 - 1997)

​1881: Jobe While, age 13, born about 1868, a scholar, was living with his father Henry, age 59, a grocer, and his mother Sarah, age 57, along with John While, age 25, a coal miner, Jane While, age 16, a domestic servant and Richard While, age 11, a scholar. (1881 England Census)

1900: Jobe While and Millie Marsh were married in England.

1900 June 7: Jobe While, age 32 a laborer in the coal mine and his wife Millie, age 30 were living in Hanna in house #142. They were married that year. They had no children at the time. Living with Job and Millie was Mary Marsh, age 15 a niece. Mary was born in Illinois in March of 1885. (1900 US Census)

1903 June 30: Job While died in the June 30, 1903 explosion of the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 mine in Hanna, Wyoming. Jobe was buried in the Carbon cemetery along with his brother James and nephew James Jr. 

The first deaths in the family occurred on June 30, 1903, when the Union Pacific Coal Company’s No. 1 mine in Hanna exploded killing 169 men. Five of 169 men, James While Sr., James While Jr., Job While, David B. Jones and John Raite were family.
 
Jobe "Job" While, age 34, a miner from England, married with a wife Millie and two children, was killed in the June 30, 1903 explosion of the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 mine in Hanna. Like James Sr., he was found on the outer edge of the dip at entry 17, identified and removed from the mine on August 8, 1903, day 40 after the explosion. He was a Fire Boss in the mine. Job and James Sr. were in the same area when the explosion occurred. After the explosion, they were attempting to escape entry 17 with some other miners when the Black Damp must have overtaken them. They died close to each other. Their bodies were in much better state of preservation than those caught directly in the path of the explosion and were identified by their features. Job was buried with his brother James Sr. and nephew James Jr. in Plot 109 in the Carbon. (THE HANNA MINER: At the Bottom of the Mine)

1903 - 1925: According to Mrs. Burton, a longtime resident of Hanna, Millie ran a candy store on Front Street after the death of her husband, Jobe While. (Information and picture from While Family.) Building No. 12 belonged to the Union Pacific Coal Company, but over time it was occupied by Millie's Candy Store. Apartments and a Shoe Repair Shop were located in the back.

12. Millie's Candy Store in Hanna

Front Street and other Hanna Buildings (Gert Milliken Collection from Gary Milliken, Labeled by Bob Leathers)

The building was a residence. It was formerly Millie's Candy Store with a shoe repair shop in the back. (Hanna Miner, 1962)

The following account of life at the Hanna coal mines was written by Emma Wallwork Burton, granddaughter of mine foreman, Joseph Burton. Emma wrote this in 1908, while in her mid-eighties as she remembered living in Hanna, Wyoming when she was eight years old.

​“Along this street [Front Street] was a candy store run by a lady they called Millie Marsh [While]. She sold penny candy. One time a young fellow said, “Girls, come in the candy store and I’ll buy you a nickels worth of penny candy. “Millie fixed each of us a sack of candy and the boy ran saying, “You girls run, I don’t have any money!” Millie let us keep the candy and we were to pay for it when we got a nickel. I’m sure everyone did pay.

“There was a back-house next to Millie’s candy store. One time there was a frightened scream coming from the back-house. It was my sister that had left school looking for me, my big sister. Then I had to take her back. When school was out my father had to come take us home. I remember looking up toward the school and there was a sunbonnet flying from one of the poles. I thought it was mine that Iner Evand had grabbed from me one day. (Emma Burton)

1920: Amelia While, age 50, head of house, born in England, was living in No. 3 Town in Hanna, Carbon, Wyoming in house #1. She immigrated in 1900, was widowed. Living with her was John Robert While, her son, age 18, labor in the coal mine and Jobe William While, her son, age 16, a labor in the coal mine. (1920 US Census)

​1920: Amelia While was living in No. 3 Town with her two boys could have meant that John and Jobe worked in the No. 3 or 3.5 mine. The No. 3 mine closed in 1920 and the 3.5 mine in 1925. It is unknown what the mine closures meant to John and Jobe's employment, if anything, but after the mine closures the Union Pacific Coal Company started moving the No. 3 Town to Butler's Addition which may have caused housing problems for Milly and the boys.

1925 - 1927: It appears Amelia "Millie" While made the move from Hanna to Pasadena, California.

Word was received here of the marriage of Amy Boam of Hanna and John R. While of Los Angeles at the Angelus Temple in that city on October 19th. They will reside in Los Angeles. (UPCCEM, Dec, 1927)

1927: Amelia "Millie" While stayed in Hanna approximately twenty-two years after the death of her husband, Jobe While. Her two boys, John and Jobe followed their father and went to work in the Hanna coal mines, probably the No. 3 mine or  3 .5 mine.

1930: Amelia "Millie" While, age 60, born in England, widowed was living in Pasadena, California with her son William, head of house, age 26, single, laborer in a station equipment factory of oil. (1930 US Census)

1940: Amelia While, age 70, born in England, widowed, head of house, was living in Pasadena, California. She was a naturalized citizen. She was renting a house. She completed elementary school, sixth grade. Her son Jobe W. While was living with her. Jobe was age 36, born in Wyoming, single. He was a handyman by occupation. He completed elementary school, 5th grade. (1940 Census)

​1942 December 2: Amelia "Milly" (Marsh) While died in Los Angeles, Los Angels, California and was buried in California. ​

Jobe "Job" and Millie While had two children together:

1. John R. While. 1901 - 1972. John was born July 29, 1901 in Hanna, Wyoming. He married Amy Boam October 19, 1927 in Los Angeles, California. He died June 3, 1972 in Los Angeles, California and buried there. John's wife Amy Boam was born November 8, 1905 in Hanna, Wyoming. She married John While October 19, 1927 in Los Angeles, California. Amy died May 15, 1997 in Los Angeles, California and was buried there. 
2. Jobe William While. 1903 - 1954. Jobe was born September 1903 in Hanna, Wyoming. Jobe did not marry. He died September 1954 in Los Angeles, California and was buried there. 

Hanna Basin Death and Burial Records

While, Job "Jobe" (MIR) (MM)
​​Cemetery: Carbon
Born: 1868
Died: June 30, 1903
Age: 35 y's

Note: Job, an English speaking miner from the United Kingdom - England, married, was killed in the June 30, 1903 explosion of Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 mine in Hanna. He was found on the outer edge of the dip at entry 17, identified and removed from the mine on August 8, 1903 day 40 after the explosion. He was buried in Plot 109 in the Carbon, Wyoming cemetery. (BL)

Note: Job While was killed in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 mine in Hanna, but buried in Carbon, Wyoming. He has a monument in the Carbon cemetery. (BL)

​More at: The Hanna Miner Monument

(Image by Bob Leathers)

(Image by Bob Leathers)