Elizabeth Whitney Williams

Elizabeth Whitney Williams was an American lighthouse keeper and writer. She served as a lighthouse keeper for 41 years, including a 29-year stint at the Little Traverse Light.

Early life Williams (née Whitney) was born on Mackinac Island, Michigan, on June 24, 1844, as the only child of Elizabeth Cross Dousman Gebeau (1796–1896) and Walter Whitney (1809–1870). The Matriarch Elizabeth had been married first to Louis Gebeau, who drowned in an 1841 boating accident on Lake Michigan. By the time she was four years old, young Elizabeth's family had moved to Beaver Island where her father, a carpenter, worked for the Mormon leader "King" James Strang.

Career In 1869, Van Riper was appointed keeper of the Beaver Island Harbor Light after the prior keeper, Peter McKinley, resigned due to poor health.

Later life Williams retired in 1913 and moved to Charlevoix with her husband where they spent 25 years in quiet retirement. which is available for online reading through Project Gutenberg. A children's book, Elizabeth Whitney Williams and The Little Traverse Light, is based upon Williams' life. In December 2024, Elizabeth was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.