It was while raising a large family that she wrote most of her poems, contributing many of them to the secular and religious press of the country.

Recognizing her talent, Col. John S. Ford encouraged her to write and published her poems in a paper he was editing in the 1850s.

Whitten commented about this home: "In it were combined the changeful scenery of flowery meadow and shady woodland, towering cliffs and sloping hillside, and all this bounded by a bright sparkling stream that laughed and sang and charmed my very soul.

She resorted to teaching as a means of support for herself and her young sons, and soon secured a comfortable home and other property.

[7] She married twice and reared a large family, living her entire life in Austin,[1][7] with the exception of a short period during the Civil War.

[9] Whitten became paralyzed on February 1, 1917, and was hospitalized in Austin, unable to speak after the attack.