Wow... Bob... this is in response to your 1998 post hope you will still be able to see this message.

Ernest Whetsten's father Melvin and his mother Mary POWERS Whetsten were married in Douglas County. I can't tell you much about the Whetsten Family, but I can tell you that everyone is buried in Mary's mother's family cemetary Jenkins Cemetary in Douglas Co. MO. I found their information through findagrave com. Mary's mother was Lucinda Jenkins and her father was Asa F. Powers (you can find Asa on the census with Mary and Melvin and their children in 1910) Asa later died in 1913 and was buried in Springfield, MO in the National Veterans Cemetary.

I can give you information on the Powers Family but as it has been a mystery for our family for so long and we're just now finding out that there were other children to Asa F Powers and his many wives from DeKalb, IL through his travels to Douglas Co... be ready for the ride!

Lucinda JANKINS/Jenkins was married to Asa F. Powers 18 Mar 1875 in Bollinger Co, MO. They had 6 children.

Matilda b. abt 1868 (you see there's a difference here on her birthdate and when her parents were married, it's possible that Matilda was a child of another man from a previous relationship of Lucinda's, but on the 1880 census for Douglas County Matilda is listed as a Powers... those mistakes were easily made back then, the clerk just assumed last names of children without question)

Mary b. 27 Jun 1879 d. 19 Mar 1966 and married to Melvin Whetsten sometime between 1890 and 1899.
Ernest H Whetsten was their eldest child b. 1899
Loy E Whetsten b. 1904
Claude E Whetsten b. 1907
Lena M Whetsten b. 1911
Ollie Gladys Whetsten b. 1913

Charles Frances Powers b. 1881 d. 1966
Laura (Lara) Powers b. 1886 - 1906
Jesse Austin Powers b. 1891
Katie Powers b. 1893

I currently do not have further information on Mary's siblings because I am still working on their families.

Asa was married 4 times before Lucinda. Asa was born abt 1821 in Pennsylvania right now his parents are assumed to be David Powers b. vermont and Hannah LITTLE Powers b. New York. I am still researching this information as well, but it's reported on other trees so I only assume the information until I can find recorded evidence.

Asa's 1st wife was Amanda LITTLE Powers b. New York and d. 1855 DeKalb Co, IL married 4 Mar 1846 their children were:

Clarinda M. Powers COOPER b. 1846 d. 1928 Clarinda married William C. Cooper and they bore 4 children
Clinton W Cooper b. 1867
Ellis N Cooper b. 1870
Jane Cooper b. 1873
Willie Cooper b. 1878

Clinton Henry Powers b. 21 Dec 1849 d. 28 Jul 1924 Never Married

Asa's 2nd wife Rebecca Huntly b. ? d. 1867 married DeKalb Co, IL 12 Feb 1856 (shortly after his 1st wife's death) their child was:

Catharine Powers b. ? d?

Asa's 3rd wife Susan HAMMOND b. ? d? (from family information Susan did remarry and she did not have children with Asa. HAMMOND is believed to be her ex husband's name prior to her marriage to Asa. No research has been done on her yet by me, but will be sometime in the future.) She married Asa in CASS CO, MO on 2 Oct 1865

Asa's 4th wife was Mary 'Polly' ROWDEN b. 1847 Jersey County, IL d. abt 1879 in Washington CO, MO. Married in Washington Co, MO 26 OCT 1869. This relationship is quiet confusing. They had 2 children but in 1870 census Mary is alone living with her parents and has 1 child but the child isn't listed with her but listed as a child of her parents. Then Mary no longer shows up in any census and her 1 child is listed with her brother Miles Franklin ROWDEN. We knew this 1 child had a brother because of information given to our family about him. If you haven't figured it out, this is our thread.

Andrew Jackson Powers b. 14 FEB 1869/70 Washington Co, MO d. 25 JUN 1925 Grafton, Jersey, IL by 2 trains crushing him while he was walking home from work at Illinois Powder Co. One train jumped tracks and crushed AJ with an oncoming train. Andrew was married 3 times.

1st Matilda 'Tillie' SEEHAUSEN b. 1874 d. abt 1897 married 31 Dec 1889
they bore 5 children together 1st 2 died before 1890
Grant Powers (no middle name) born 1893 d. 1983 (this is my husband's grandfather) married Alice HENNING in Spearville, KS after he left his father and step mother by catching a train from Jerseyville to KS. Where he worked on a farm neighboring the HENNING Farm. He met and married Alice and they bore 12 children the last being my father in law Galen.
John Powers (no middle name) born 1895 d. 2 JUN 1921 in Springfield, IL after joining the service and catching TB he was sent to a sanitorium where he passed. never married.
last child assumed to be a girl also died in infancy and mother died as well.

2nd Ida 'Emma Lina' SEEHAUSEN (younger sister to Matilda) b. 1880 d. 1919 married 1898 bore 2 children with AJ
Wesley Kenneth Powers b. 1900 d. 1959 married 2 Lora Tucker and Edith SUDDETH
Myrtle Alice Powers b. 1910 d. 1996 married 2 Paul Eighmy and Meno Schroeder

3rd Rebecca Davis b. 1878 d.? married 17 JUN 1915 divorced no children

Grant Powers also thought to be Ulysses Grant Powers b. 3 JUN 1873 Washington Co, MO d. 19 JUN 1956 also worked for Illinois Powder and was the one who was informant on Andrew Jackson's death cert. this is how we also find that Grant and AJ were brothers.

Grant married 2
Nora E CALAME b. 1876 d. ? married 9 AUG 1894
no children born
Catherine 'Kate' Phipps b. 1888 d. ? married 13 NOV 1901
2 children
Jonie Zona Powers b. 1902 d. 1986 married James Edward Larbey 1 child Margie Larbey
Frank W 'Frankie' Powers b. 1905 d.?

and I listed the last marriage of Asa's first as it pertained more to you. If you're interested in finding out more information you can contact me through Ancestry. Good Luck on the rest of your search!