Whitall, Joseph, 1770-1847

Joseph Whitall was a farmer and Quaker minister from Woodbury, New Jersey, who served as an early superintendent of Westtown School.

Whitall was born to Benjamin and Elizabeth Whitall of Woodbury, New Jersey, on March 17, 1770. Around the age of 19, at his father's urging, he went to Trenton to pursue training as a lawyer. While there he began attending Quaker meetings and felt drawn to their principles. Soon Whitall felt and complied with a spiritual obligation to give up the study of the law. He left Trenton and returned to his family's farm in Woodbury, where he joined the Society of Friends and became part of the local Quaker community. In 1792 Whitall married Hannah Mickle, daughter of John and Elizabeth Mickle; the couple had six children over the course of the next twelve years.

Around 1795 Whitall began to appear in the ministry, a capacity in which he was well-received. He did not travel as extensively as some ministers, though he did make some religious visits. For several years starting in 1811 he served as superintendent of Westtown, a Quaker boarding school in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Whitall's health gradually declined as he aged. He died peacefully on February 12, 1847, after being confined to bed for several days.