Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

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PIONEER HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY

was placed in the banks. It was considered safer to carry the
precious metal by water than overland by stage.
William Gray built the first American yacht. He, accompanied
by Elizabeth's father and a picked crew of men, sailed for France.
On their return trip they visited St. Helena, the island home of the
deposed Napoleon Bonaparte, whom they secretly hoped to secure and bring with them to America, but they failed in their
undertaking. They visited with the Emperor, and on the whole
it was a very eventful trip. Elizabeth often told of the beauties
of this boat. It was upholstered in rich, light blue brocaded
satin, with beautiful hangings. The silverware used in the dining room was very rare and costly.
Elizabeth was visiting her aunt in Boston, a Mrs. Millett, on
the occasion of General Lafayette's second visit to this country.
She was chosen as one of the young ladies to head the procession
and to strew flowers before the General's carriage. She never
tired of telling of this grand event, describing the triumphal arch
built for the occasion, brilliant with flags and flowers, with ladies
standing at the four corners holding flags. The men were in
colonial dress, with powdered wigs, and the ladies wore light brocaded satin gowns, with short sleeves and fancy bags hanging
from their arms.
She described Lafayette as a gentleman with a charming personality, tall and slender and exquisitely dressed. She remembered especially the beautiful, jewelled sword which hung at his
side, and gleamed in the sun as he stood in his carriage bowing
graciously to the multitude. The carriage was drawn by twelve
white horses. At a certain point in the procession the carriage
was detached from these horses, and drawn the remainder of the
distance by prominent Boston citizens.
It was on this eventful visit that Elizabeth met her future husband, Mr. William Whiteley, of Leeds, Yorkshire county, England, who had lately arrived in this country after a three months
journey in a sailing vessel. They were shortly after married in
the famous old South Church in Boston.
Mr. Whiteley had been a shoe merchant in England, and learning of a good opening in Richmond, Virginia, he took his bride
and they went by sailing vessel to that place, arriving in ten
days, after a very stormy passage. While living in Richmond