Edgar Whitehead

Edgar was the last healthy boy born to Samuel and Velma. This marked Velma’s 18th pregnancy though only ten of the other children were surviving at the time. Similar to his other brothers, Edgar finished school through the fifth grade and then worked on the farm. Edgar lived at the farm in Ringoes until at least 1940.

Edgar married Mary A Pitchard sometime in the early 1940s and they had 3 children: Edgar Jr, Larry (1947-1995), and Linda. Edgar was a very talented musician and singer. It has been said by many that he could have been a star, but his wife was too jealous to let him go out on the road. The farthest he went was to the contests at Hill-Billy Hall amateur night, where he would always bring home the win.

The circumstances surrounding Edgar’s death have always been a family mystery. The short story that has circulated through the family is that he was killed at a bar one night and no one was ever charged with the crime. His obituary tells a slightly different tale. It states that he was “stricken fatally in a parking lot in Trenton” and that his death was “apparently caused by a heart attack.” To me it seems that the newspaper printed contradictory statements about the incident. Either way it was a tragedy considering he was only 45 years old.

Edgar is buried in the same plot as his parents and 3 of his brothers, though his name was never added to the headstone.