Archive:Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, Part 1
Archives > Archive:Extracts > Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, Part 1
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, by William Richard Cutter, William Frederick Adams (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1910).
From Google Books.
WHITNEY
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MASSACHUSETTS.
The surname Whitney was originally a place name. The parish from which the family takes its name is located in county Hereford, England, upon the extreme western border adjoining Wales and is traversed by the lovely Wye River. The name of the place doubtless comes from the appearance of the river, meaning in Saxon, white water, from hwit, white, and ey, water. The coat-of-arms of the Whitney family of Whitney is: Azure, a cross chequy or and gules. Crest: A bull's head couped sable, armed argent, the points gules.
The English ancestry of John Whitney, the immigrant who settled at Watertown, Mass., has been established by Henry Melville and presented in an exquisitely printed and illustrated volume. Very few American families have their English genealogy in such well authenticated and satisfactory form. An abstract of the English ancestry is given below:
(I) Turstin, "the Fleming," otherwise known as Turstin de Wigmore, probably also as Turstin, son of Rolf, and Turstin "the White," was a follower of William the Conqueror. He was mentioned in the Domesday book as an extensive land holder in Herefordshire and the Marches of Wales. He married Agnes, daughter of Alured de Merleberge, a Norman baron of Ewias Castle, in the Marches of Wales.
(II) Eustace, son of Turstin, was a benefactor of the monastery of St. Peter in Gloucester. He or one of his immediate descendants took the surname De Whitney from Whitney of the Wye, in the Marches of Wales, where his principal castle was located.
The estate comprised over two thousand acres, and remained in the family until 1893, when it was sold, there being no member of the family to hold it. The castle has entirely disappeared, but it is believed to be in ruins under the Wye, which has in the course of years changed its path. The castle was probably built on an artificial mound, surrounded by a moat fed by the river, which gradually undermined the castle, which was at last disintegrated.
(III) Sir Robert de Whitney, a direct descendant of Eustace, was living in 1242 and was mentioned in the "Testa de Nevill." Three or four intervening generations cannot be stated with certainty.
(IV) Sir Eustace de Whitney, son of Sir Robert, gave deed to the monastery of St. Peter in 1280, referring to and confirming the deed of his ancestors above mentioned. He was Lord of Pencombe, Little Cowarn and Whitney in 1281; was granted free warren by Edward Ist; summoned to wars beyond the seas in 1297; tenant of part of the manor of Huntington in 1299; in the Scotch war in 1301. He was possibly grandson instead of son of Sir Robert.
(V) Sir Eustace de Whitney, son of Sir Eustace, was knighted by King Edward I in 1306, and was a member of parliament for Herefordshire in 1313 and 1352.
(VI) Sir Robert de Whitney, son of Sir Eustace, was one of two hundred gentlemen who went to Milan in the retinue of the Duke of Clarence on the occasion of the latter's marriage in 1368. He was a member of Parliament for Herefordshire in 1377, 1379 and 1380 and Sheriff in 1377.
(VII) Sir Robert Whitney, son of Sir Robert, was sent abroad to negotiate treaty with the Count of Flanders in 1388; member of Parliament for Herefordshire in 1391. He was sent to France to deliver the castle and town of Cherbourg to the King of Navarre in 1393; was knight marshal in the court of Richard II; sent on King's business to Ireland in 1394. He was killed, together with his brother and most of his relatives, at the battle of Pilleth, 1402.
(VIII) Sir Robert Whitney, son of Sir Robert, was granted the castle of Clifford and lordships of Clifford and Glasbury by Henry IV in 1404, on account of the services of his father. He was sheriff of Herefordshire in 1413-28-33-37; member of parliament, 1416-22. He fought in the French war under Henry V, and was captain of the castle and town of Vire in 1402. He was named as one of the five knights in Herefordshire in 1433, and died March 12, 1441.
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(IX) Sir Eustace de Whitney, son of Sir Robert, was born in 1411. He was head of a commission sent to Wales by Henry VI in 1455 and was a member of parliament for Herefordshire in 1468. He married Jennett Russell; second, Jane Clifford.
(X) Robert Whitney, son of Sir Eustace (9), was probably a knight and was an active participant in the War of the Roses, and was attainted as a Yorkist in 1459. He was probably at the battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461. He was the subject of a poem by Lewis Glyn Cothi, on the occasion of his marriage to Alice, the great-granddaughter of Sir David Gam. He married first, Alice, daughter of Thomas Vaughn; second, Constance Touchett, who was the mother of his sons. She was descended from William the Conqueror, through the second wife of Edward I, King of England.
(XI) James Whitney, son of Robert, was appointed receiver of Newport, part of the estate of the Duke of Buckingham, confiscated by Henry VII in 1522. He married Blanche, daughter and heir of Simon Milbourne.
(XII) Robert Whitney, son of James Whitney, was of Icomb, and in charge of other confiscated estates. He was sheriff of Gloucestershire, 1527-28-29-30. He was nominated Knight of the Bath by Henry VIII at the coronation of Anne Boleyn in 1531; was granted part of income of monastery of Brewern in 1535; furnished forty men to put down rebellion in 1536. He was named to attend upon the king's person. He died in 1541, and his will was proved June 11, 1541. He married Margaret Wye.
(XIII) Sir Robert Whitney, son of Robert, was knighted the day after Queen Mary's coronation in October, 1553. He was summoned before the privy council in 1555 and 1559. He was a member of parliament for Herefordshire in 1559, and died August 5, 1567. He married Sybil Baskerville, a descendant of William the Conqueror through the first wife of Edward I.
(XIV) Robert Whitney, son of Sir Robert, was mentioned in the will of his father, and also in an inquisition taken after the latter's death. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Morgan Guillims, or Duglim.
(XV) Thomas Whitney, son of Robert, was of Westminster, Gentleman. He was buried at St. Margaret's, April 14, 1637. He married Mary, daughter of John Bray, of Westminster; she was buried at St. Margaret's, September 25, 1629. Children: 1. John the American emigrant, settled at Watertown, Massachusetts. 2. Nicholas. 3. William. 4. Richard. 5. Margaret. 6. Anne.
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(I) John Whitney, immigrant ancestor, was born in England in 1589, son of Thomas and grandson of Robert Whitney. He received for his day a good education in the Westminster school, now St. Peter's College. He was apprenticed at the age of fourteen by his father to William Pring, of the Old Bailey, London, a freeman of the Merchant Tailors' Company, then the most famous and prosperous of all the great trade guilds, numbering in its membership distinguished men of all professions, may of the nobility and the Prince of Wales. At the age of twenty-one, John Whitney became a full-fledged member and his apprenticeship expired. He made his home in Isleworth-on-Thames, eight miles from Westminster, and there three of his children were born. There, too, his father apprenticed to him his younger brother, Robert, who also served his seven years. Soon afterward John Whitney left Isleworth and doubtless returned to London and lived in Bow Lane, near Bow Church, where his son Thomas was born. In September, 1631, he placed his eldest son, John, Jr., in the Merchant Tailors' School, where according to the register, he remained as long as the family was in England. Early in April, 1635, John Whitney registered with his wife Eleanor and sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas and Jonathan, as passengers of the ship "Elizabeth and Ann," Roger Cooper, master, landing a few weeks later in New England. He settled in Watertown in June and bought the sixteen acre homestall of John Strickland at what is now Belmont and East Common streets. This homestead descended to his son Joshua Whitney of Groton, who sold it October 29, 1697, to Nathan Fiske. Whitney was admitted a freeman March 3, 1635-36, and was appointed constable June 1, 1641; was selectman 1638 to 1655, inclusive, and town clerk in 1655. He was one of the foremost citizens for many years. He was grantee of eight lots in Watertown. He died June 1, 1673. He married (first) in England, Elinor -----, born 1599, died in Watertown, May 11, 1659; (second) in Watertown, September 29, 1659, Judith Clement, who died before her husband. His will was dated April 3, 1673. Children: 1. Mary, baptized in England, May 23, 1619; died young. 2. John; see forward. 3. Richard, baptized in Isleworth, January 6, 1623-24; married Martha Coldam. 4. Nathaniel, baptized 1627. 5. Thomas, born in England 1629; married Mary Kettell. 6. Jonathan, born in England, 1634; married Lydia Jones. 7. Joshua, born in Watertown, July 5, 1635; married thrice. 8. Caleb, born in Watertown, July 12, 1640; died 1640. 9. Benjamin, born in Watertown, June 6, 1643.
(II) John (2), son of John (1) Whitney, was born in England, and baptized at Isleworth, September 14, 1621. He came with his parents to New England and settled in Watertown. He married, 1642, Ruth Reynolds, daughte of Robert Reynolds, of Wethersfield, Watertown, and Boston. He lived on a three-acre lot on the east side of Lexington street, on land granted to E. How, next the homestead of the Phillips family. He was admitted a freeman, May 26, 1647, at the age of twenty-three; was selectman from 1673 to 1680, inclusive; was a soldier in
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[Reconstructed from Cutter, William Richard, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1908)]: in King Philip's war. He died October 12, 1692. Children: 1. John, born September 12, 1643; married Elizabeth Harris. 2. Ruth, born April 15, 1645; married June 20, 1664, John Shattuck. 3. Nathaniel, born February 1, 1646; married Sarah Hagar. 4. Samuel, born July 26, 1648; married Mary Bemis. 5. Mary, born April 29, 1650; died unmarried, after 1693. 6. Joseph, born January 15, 1651; married Martha Beach. 7. Sarah, born march 17, 1653; married October 18, 1681, Daniel Harrington; died June 8, 1720. 8. Elizabeth, born June 9, 1656; married December 19, 1678, Daniel Warren. 9. Hannah. 10. Benjamin, mentioned below.
(III) Benjamin Whitney, son of John Whitney (2), was born in Watertown, June 28, 1660. He married March 30, 1687, Abigail, daughter of William and Mary (Bemis) Hagar; second, Elizabeth -----. He died in 1736. Children: 1. Abigail, born March 3, 1688; married March 18, 1717, Richard Sawtel. 2. Benjamin, baptized July 10, 1698; married Rebecca -----. 3. Ruth, baptized July 10, 1698; married July 7, 1715, John Bond. 4. John, born June 15, 1694; mentioned below. 5. David, born June 16, 1697. 6. Daniel, born July 17, 1700; married Dorothy Tainter.
(IV) John Whitney, son of Benjamin Whitney (3), was born in Watertown, June 15, 1694, and died in 1776. He resided in Watertown. He married first, Susan -----; second, October 6, 1737, Bethia Cutter, born July 9, 1714; third, November 28, 1754, Mrs. Beriah (Bemis) Child, widow of Joseph Pierce, and formerly widow of Daniel Child, and daughter of John Bemis. She was born June 23, 1681, and died in Weston, in 1768. Children of first wife: 1. Susanna, baptized May 31, 1730; married John Dean. 2. John, baptized March 17, 1731; married Mary Benjamin. 3. Jonathan, baptized April 30, 1732. 4. Amos, baptized November 10, 1734. 5. Abraham, born December 7, 1735; married Elizabeth Whitney. Children of second wife: 6. Moses, baptized September 3, 1738. 7. Ezekiel, mentioned below. 8. Stephen, born July 23, 1743; married Relief Stearns. 9. Aaron, baptized April 12, 1746. 10. Ruth, baptized July 6, 1748; died April 5, 1751.
(V)) Ezekiel Whitney, son of John Whitney (4), was baptized April 12, 1741, and died 1805. He resided in Watertown, and was a cordwainer by trade. He served in the revolution, in Captain Barnard's Watertown company. He became on of the grantees of the town of Paris, Maine, in the right of his uncle, Ensign David Whitney. He married first, December 6, 1763, Catherine Draper, of Roxbury; second, May 19, 1769, Catherine Anson. Children of first wife: 1. Ezekiel, born April 13, 1768; mentioned below. Children of second wife: 2. Francis, born September 23, 1771. 3. Amasa, born May 4, 1774. 4. Catherine, born March 4, 1777; married February 17, 1803, Francis S. Hooker, of Rutland. 5. Aaron, born June 20, 1780.
(VI) Ezekiel Whitney, son of Ezekiel Whitney (5), was born April 13, 1768, and died December, 1830. He resided at Roxbury and at Watertown, where he entered into the manufacture of paper. He married first, Ruth -----; second, -----. Children: 1. Frank, baptized June 2, 1793; he became an ancestor of Minetta Josephine (Osgood) Whitney. 2. Leonard, mentioned below. 3. Abigail, baptized September 14, 1794. 4. Otis, baptized August 12, 1798. 5. George W., born August 26, 1812; married Elizabeth Cook. 6. Cromwell. 7. Alvares. 8. Jeremiah. 9. James. 10. Nahum P. 11. Lydia, married Charles Hyde. 12. Walter H., born 1819; married Lydia E. Doyle.
(VII) Leonard Whitney, son of Ezekiel Whitney (6), was born in Watertown, March [__], 1793 and baptized June 2, 1793. He inherited from his father the small paper mills located on the Charles river, at Watertown. He was the first manufacturer of paper bags in the United States and was the inventor of processes for making paper bags. He was an officer in the war of 1812 and a prominent Whig. He married August 30, 1817, Ruth Richards Larrabee, born June 5, 1797, at Watertown, who founded St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church at Watertown, Massachusetts. Children: 1. Ruth Ann, born September 5, 1822; married ----- Learned. 2. Thomas Francis, born September 1, 1823. 3. Abigail H., January 13, 1825; died young. 4. Solomon Weeks, September 4, 1825. 5. Hiram, February 1, 1828. 6. Abigail H., October 29, 1829. 7. Leonard, Jr., mentioned below.
(VIII) Leonard Whitney, son of Leonard Whitney (7), was born at Sudbury, June 15, 1819, and died at Watertown, July 5, 1881. He removed when a young man to Watertown, where he lated purchased the old, historical Whitney mansion, built in 1710, known as "The Elms," which is still held in the family. Like his father and grandfather he was a manufacturer of paper, and founded [the firm]]
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known as Hollingsworth & Whitney Company. He was a prominent director in many banks and railroads, and was of the original directors of Boston University. He was a prominent Mason. He married, April 2, 1843, Caroline Isabel Russell, born at Weston, January 12, 1826, died May 30, 1889. Children: 1. Emily, born May 4, 1848, died August 12, 1849. 2. Charles Elmore, born December 27, 1850, at Watertown; married Alice G. Noah; children: i. Emily Frances, born September 3, 1888; ii. Helen Cole, born August 30, 1890. 3. Emily Frances, born at Watertown, August 19, 1852, died January 26, 1885; married Andrew S. Brownell, and had Arge W. Brownell. 4. Arthur Herbert, born October 12, 1859; mentioned below. 5. Frederick Adelbert, born December 22, 1861, unmarried; he was educated in Chauncey Hall School, and afterwards at the University of Berline, Leipzig and Munich, Germany.
(IX) Arthur Herbert, son of Leonard (2) Whitney, was born at Watertown, October 12, 1859. He spent his youth in the old family mansion, "The Elms," at Watertown, where he now lives. He was educated at Chauncey Hall School, Boston, at the Swedenborgian School at Waltham, and at Wilbraham Academy. For a time he was engaged in the furniture business with his brother-in-law, Charles E. Osgood, but after a few years he withdrew from business to devote his time to the management of his property interests. He is a Republican in politics, and has served three years on the board of selectmen of the town of Watertown, being chairman of the board the third year. He married October 12, 1880, Minetta Josephine Osgood, born December 13, 1861, daughter of Freeman David and Hannah Faxon (Perry) Osgood. Children, born at Watertown: 1. Isabel Minetta, born July 22, 1882; died May 17, 1906. 2. Harold Osgood, born April 9, 1893.
(II) Richard, son of John Whitney, was born in England, and baptized at Isleworth-on-Thames, January 6, 1623-24. He was admitted a freeman May 7, 1651, and was a proprietor of Stow, June 3, 1680. He probably removed there when it was a part of Concord. He married, March 19, 1650, Martha Coldam. On April 7, 1697, he was released from military training, being over seventy years old. Children, born at Watertown: 1. Sarah, March 17, 1652. 2. Moses, August 1, 1655; see forward. 3. Johannah, January 16, 1656. 4. Deborah, October 12, 1658. 5. Rebecca, December 15, 1659; died February 1660. 6. Richard, January 13, 1660. 7. Elisha, August 26, 1662. 8. Ebenezer, June 30, 1672; married Anna -----.
(III) Moses, son of Richard Whitney, was born in Concord, Massachusetts, August 1, 1655. He served as a soldier in King Philip's war in 1676. He had land granted to him at Stow in 1681 and June 4, 1708, he bought thirty acres more in Stow. He owned land in Sudbury which he sold in 1692. He resided in Stow and Sudbury. He married, September 30, 1686, Sarah Knight, of Stow, who died March 23, 1755. Children: 1. Sarah, born July 2, 1687. 2. Moses, 1690, mentioned below. 3. Abraham, May 29, 1692, married (first) Mary Stone; (second) Elizabeth -----. 4. John, married Rebecca Whitney. 5. Ephraim, died May 4, 1723. 6. Jonas, born February 1, 1699, married (first) Dorcas Wood; (second) Margaret Stratton. 7. Jason, born 1704, married Arabella -----. 8. Lemuel, born August 1, 1714, married Sybil -----.
(IV) Moses (2), son of Moses (1) Whitney, was born in 1690, and died in May 1778. He resided at Littleton and Lunenburg. His will was dated July 12, 1774, proved June 3, 1778. He married (first) Elizabeth -----; (second) November 20, 1766, Sarah Cary. Children: 1. Salmon, born January 8, 1712, married Sarah -----. 2. Aaron, March 14, 1714, in Littleton, Massachusetts, died September 8, 1779. He was ordained the first minister of the Petersham church in December, 1738. From the first he was an uncompromising Tory, and popular indignation rose to such a pitch that in 1774 he was dismissed from his parish. He refused, however, to accept his papers, and by vote of the town, Peter Gore, a half-breed Indian, was stationed at the meeting house door with a musket to keep the Tory preacher from entering. He afterwards preached at his own house regularly to those who sympa-
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thized with the royal cause, and claimed to be the minister of the town up to the time of his death in 1779. His will was dated July 15, 1779, and the estate was settled by agreement of heirs, November 12, 1779. He married (first) July 12, 1739, Alice Baker, of Phillipston, born 1718, died August 26, 1767. He married (second) November 6, 1768, Mr. Ruth (Hubbard) Stearns, born 1716, died November 1, 1788, daughter of Jonathan Hubbard, of Lunenburg, and widow of Rev. David Stearns. Children: 1. Abel, born at Littleton, July 7, 1740, died March 15, 1756, while attending Harvard College, and was buried in Cambridge, where his stone with a Latin inscription still stands. 2. Charles, May 14, 1742. 3. Peter, September 6, 1744, mentioned below. 4. Aaron, September 5, 1746, married (first) Hannah Stearns; (second) Hannah Willard. 5. Alice, September 23, 1748, married, August 19, 1773, Ensign Mann. 6. Lucy, April 9, 1751, married Rev. Dr. Samuel Kendall. 7. Paul, March 23, 1753, married Charlotte Clapp. 8. Abel, March 15, 1756, married Clarissa Dwight. 9. Richard, February 23, 1757.
(VI) Rev. Peter, son of Rev. Aaron Whitney, was born in Petersham, September 6, 1744, died February 19, 1816. After attending the schools of his native town, he entered Harvard College and graduated in 1762. He was settled as minister first in Fitchburg in 1764, preaching in the tavern of Thomas Cowdin for a year. He was ordained minister at Northborough, November 4, 1767, where he remained until his death. He was the author of an excellent history of Worcester county (1793), and of sermons and papers in the Memoirs of the American Academy. He was a very methodical man, always walking with this wife to meeting, followed by his ten children, always in the exact order of their age. A family in his parish invited Dr. Puffer, of Berlin, to attend a funeral of one of the family, whereupon Rev. Mr. Whitney, minister of the town, wrote that unless the matter was satisfactorily explained, all ministerial intercourse must cease. Dr. Puffer was able and willing to explain, and their amicable relations continued. The correspondence in the case is a fine specimen of precise, dignified and courteous composition. The History of Northborough says of him: "Distinguished for the urbanity of his manners, easy and familiar in his intercourse with his people; hospitable to strangers, and always ready to give a hearty welcome to his numerous friends; punctual to his engagements; observing an exact method in the distribution of his time; having a time for everything, and doing everything in its time without hurry or confusion; conscientious in the discharge of his duties as a Christian minister; catholic in his principles and in his conduct; always taking an interest in whatever concerned the prosperity of the town and the interests of religion--he was for many years the happy minister of a kind and affectionate people." His will was proved September 28, 1813. He married, March 11, 1768, Julia Lambert, born April 9, 1742, daughter of William Lambert, of Reading. Children: 1. Thomas L., born December 10, 1768, married Mary Lincoln; died June, 1812. 2. Peter, January 19, 1770, married, Jane Lamber Lincoln. 3. Julia, August 25, 1772, married, 1799, Captain Antipas Brigham; died November 29, 1800. 4. Margaret, February 12, 1774, died February 3, 1849; married Dr. Josiah Adams. 5. Elizbeth, September 6, 1775, died September 26, 1856; married Ebenezer Adams. 6. William, December 14, 1776, married Zilpah Eager. 7. Aaron, August 17, 1778, went west. 8. Julia, died young. 9. Abel, November 3, 1781, mentioned below. 10. Sally (twin), November 3, 1781, married, January 6, 1806, Lemuel Brackett; died May 3, 1864.
(VII) Deacon Abel, son of Rev. Peter Whitney, was born at Northborough, November 3, 1781, died at Cambridge, February 22, 1853. He was educated in the district school, and learned his trade in Boston of Stephen Bass, cabinetmaker. After his marriage he went to live on the estate inherited by his wife at Porter square on North avenue (now Massachusetts avenue) adjoining Arlington street and the Fitchburg railroad. He followed his trade in Cambridge, having his shop at what is now the corner of Massachusetts avenue and Mount Vernon street. He made cases for Aaron Willard, the celebrated clockmaker, and furniture for many of the best families of the vicinity. In later years his three sons, William L., Augustus A. and Benjamin W. Whitney, learned their trade in his shop and were associated with him in the business. He retired from active labor a few years before his death. He was a Whig in politics and was selectman of the town of Cambridge in 1838-39 and chairman of the board. He held other offices of trust and honor. In the First Unitarian Church at Harvard Square, of which he was a faithful member for many years, he was deacon for a
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period of eighteen years, during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Holmes, father of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. He was highly respected and honored by his townsmen. He was of kindly nature, sympathetic and helpful in his relations to others, and charitable in speech and gifts to the unfortunate. He married, December 21, 1809, at Brookline, Susannah White, died December 14, 1867, daughter of Benjamin and Thankful (White) White. Children: 1. William Lambert, born Mary 11, 1811, mentioned below. 2. Augustus A., December 4, 1812, deacon of the First Church, Cambridge, from 1853 until his death, July 29, 1891; had no children. 3. Benjamin W., august 9, 1815, died December 91, 1879; graduate of Harvard College in 1838 and a lawyer. 4. Susan E., February 20, 1817, married, January 31, 1856, James Brackett; had no children. 5. Abigail W., April 10, 1827, lived at Cambridge, married Moses G. Howe.
(VIII) William Lambert, son of Deacon Abel Whitney, was born at Cambridge, March 11, 1811, died there May 29, 1900. He was educated in the public schools of Cambridge and at Bradford Academy, Massachusetts. He learned the trade of cabinetmaker in his father's shop. In 1833 he entered into partnership with James Brackett, his brother-in-law, and under the firm name of Whitney & Brackett, engaged in the furniture business. Afterward his brother, Augustus A. WHitney, was admitted to the firm, the name of which then became Whitney, Brackett & Company. In 1850 Mr. Whitney sold his interests to Mr. Brackett and the name of Whitney & Brackett was resumed. This firm sold the business finally to Worcester Brothers, who are still in active business in Cambridge. In 1850 Mr. Whitney established his insurance business, opening an office in the building in which the furniture store was located. His brother Benjamin W. had a law office in the same building. In 1857 he became treasurer of the Cambridge Savings Bank, which occupied his office originally. He filled this responsible office faithfully and creditably until 1866, when he resigned and retired from active business. He ws one of the prime movers in the building of the Harvard branch railroad in 1849 and a director of the company. The road did not pay and in 1855 was abandoned and the land sold. His residence was at 31 Hawthorne street, near Brattle square, Cambridge. He was a member of the First Church of Cambridge (Unitarian), and was a director of the American Unitarian Association for ten years, resigning in October, 1888, on account of impaired hearing. He was originally a Whig in politics, but voted the first Republican ticket, and was a leading and influential Republican for many years. He was a member of the first common council of the city of Cambridge, and in 1846-47 he was elected to the board of aldermen for 1848-71-72-74-75, and took a lively interest in municipal affairs. He was chairman and clerk of the board of assessors in 1850-51-52. When a young man he belonged to the Cambridge City Guards, and in 1837 was a member of the Friends Fire Society. "He was an intense lover of his country and a diligent student of its early history and he cherished the recollection of the early struggles of its founders in their endeavors to make secure the blessings of civil and religious freedom. In his intercourse with friends and neighbors he bore himself with a dignity of manner gentle and winning and he upheld a stately courtesy towards all with whom he came in contact, thus ever unconsciously vindicating his title to the grand old name of gentleman. Though in the latter portion of his life his physical activity had greatly lessened, he nevertheless maintained his interest in general affairs and his devotion to a high ideal of right was undiminished." He married (first) October 18, 1836, Lucy Ann Jones, born June 9, 1812, died August 10, 1838. He married (second) at Quincy, Massachusetts, July 28, 1840, Rebecca Richardson Brackett, born March 26, 1809, died December 8, 1881, daughter of Lemuel and Sally (Whitney) Brackett. Her father was president of the Quincy Granite Bank. Children, born at Cambridge: 1. Lucy Ann, August 14, 1841. 2. William Lambert, February 1, 1844, mentioned below. 3. Julia Ann, August 1, 1847, married, October 4, 1876, Rev. James Edward Wright, born July 9, 1839; children: i. Chester Wright, born May 27, 1879, graduate of Harvard College in 1901, teacher in the University of Chicago; ii. Rebecca Whitney Wright, July 11, 1880, graduate of Radcliffe College in 1903; iii. Sybil Wright, August 12, 1883.
(IX) William Lambert (2), son of William Lambert (1) Whitney, was born at Cambridge, February 1, 1844. He attended the public schools of his native town and fitted for college at the private school of E. S. Dixwell, Boston. He was a clerk in the Cambridge Savings Bank, of which his father was treasurer, until he enlisted in August, 1862, in the civil
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war for nine months in Company E., Forty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment, Captain Spencer W. Richardson, Colonel Francis Lee. The regiment left Camp Meigs at Readville, October 15, was reviewed by Governor Andrew in Boston, and sailed on the transport "Merrimac" to Morehead City, North Carolina, near Beaufort, landing October 26, proceeding thence to Newbern, North Carolina, on platform cars in a terrific rainstorm. They went into camp with part of the brigade under Colonel Thomas G. Stevenson of the Eighteenth Army Corps. Under General Foster they sailed on the transport down the Neuse River to Pamlico Sound and thence up the Tar river to Washington, North Carolina, whence they marched on November 2 to the northward twenty miles and engaged the Rebels at Rawle's Mills, near Williamston. The following day they marched by way of Hamilton towards Tarboro. On the fifth they retraced their steps towards Hamilton, marched to Plymouth and took transports back to Newbern, where they remained until December 11. Four brigades including his regiment left Newbern at that time and fought in in engagement, December 14, at Kinston, two days later at Whitehall and one day later at Goldsboro, returning to camp at Newbern, December 20. The regiment marched to Plymouth, February 1, 1863, and was engaged in foraging in that section until March 10, 1863. Five days later the regiment reinforced the garrison at Washington, North Carolina, on the Tar and Pamlico rivers and on the thirtieth were besieged by the Confederates. Numerous engagements were fought between April 1 and 15 and the enemy finally had to retire. The regiment did service from April 23 to June 6, then went by rail to Morehead City, embarking on the steamers "Guide" and "George Peabody" for Boston, reaching port June 10, 1863, after a rough passage and was mustered out at Readville, June 19. Mr. Whitney spent the next thirteen months as clerk in the dry goods store of Houghton, Sawyer & Company, 28 Pearl street, Boston. He was then commissioned second lieutenant by Governor Andrew and assigned to Company G., Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment, December 3, 1864, then at Devaux Neck, South Carolina, under Colonel Edward N. Hallowell. He took part in engagements about Pocotaligo and later occupied Charleston and Savannah. In April, 1865, he took part in Potter's raid and was acting adjutant at that time. He took part in the engagement at Eppes' Bridge, April 7, at Dingle Mill, April 9, and Boykins Mills, April 18, at Big Rafting creek, April 19, and at Statesburg, April 19. He was ordered to Fort Johnson in command of Company K to dismount guns on James Island and was thus employed until August. The regiment was stationed at Mount Pleasant where it was mustered out August 20, 1865. He then ranked as first lieutenant. This regiment was the historic command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, of Boston, who was killed at Fort Wagner at the head of his regiment. The memorial to Sahw and the negro regiment he raised--the Fifty-fourth--stands on Boston Common opposite the state house. Lieutenant Whitney returned to Boston on board the steamer "C. F. Thomas" with the regiment and remained on Gallop's Island until September 2, 1865. He has in his possession carefully preserved and framed a piece of the old regimental flag. The history of this regiment entitled "A Brave Black Regiment" was written by one of the captains.
Mr. Whitney entered partnership, after the war, with Charles E. Tucker and Thomas L. Appleton, uner the firm name of Tucker, Appleton & Whitney, in the retail hardware business at the corner of Union and Friend streets, Boston, but two years later he sold his interests to his partners and removed to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to engage in the china, glassware and house furnishing trade. He entered partnership in February, 1868, with Elijah C. Lawrence under the firm name of Lawrence & Whitney in a store at 409 Broadway, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Mr. Lawrence retired from the firm in August, 1878, and Mr. Whitney continued until 1881, when owing to the ill health of his mother he disposed of his business and returned to Cambridge. In September, 1881, he purchased the Jewett homestead at 74 Waban Park, Newton, where he has since resided. After five years of retirement, Mr. Whitney entered the employ of the Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company, Milk street, in a clerical capacity. He was connected with this institution for twenty-one years, filling various positions of trust and responsibility. He had charge of the trust department for a number of years, and in 1900 became assistant treasurer. He resigned in 1907 and since then has been living a quite and retired life at his home in Waban Park. He is a Republican in politics and a Unitarian in religion. He joined the Massachusetts Commandery, Military Order of the Loyal
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Legion, May 1, 1889, and was a member of John A. Andrew Post, No. 15, Grand Army of the Republic. He married, at Montpelier, Vermont, November 12, 1872, Alpa Matilda Nutt, born at Montpelier, July 27, 1848, daughter of Henry and Asenath (Wheeler) Nutt. (See Nutt). Children: 1. Lambert Nutt, born November 15, 1873, graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; electrical engineer formerly with the American Telephone & Telegraph company, now division superintendent of the Central Union Telegraph Company of Indianapolis, Indiana. 2. George Brackett, May 12, 1875, mechanical engineer in the employ of the General Electric Company at Lynn, Massachusetts; married, March 21, 1902, Ethelyn M. Morris, of Racine, Wisconsin. 3. William Richardson, May 1, 1877, died February 16, 1878. 4. Philip Richardson, December 31, 18878, married, April 17, 1906, Helen Reed Jones, of Brookline; children: Reed, born April 11, 1907; Alpa, January 10, 1909.
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(II) Thomas, son of John and Elinor Whitney, was born in England, 1629, came to New England with his father in 1635, was made freeman in Watertown in 1690, died September 20, 1719. He lived in Watertown and Stow. He married, January 11, 1654-55, Mary, daughter of Thoams Kettell, who had six pieces of common land granted to him in 1642. Children: 1. Thomas, born August 24, 1656; married Elizabeth Lawrence. 2. John, born May 9, 1659, died May 16, 1659. 3. John, born August 22, 1660, died August 26, 1660. 4. Eleazer, born September 2, 1662. 5. Elnathan, twin with Eleazer, died March 8, 1727. 6. Mary, born December 22, 1663, died young. 7. Bezaleel, born September 16, 1665. 8. Sarah, born March 23, 1667, married Charles Chadwick. 9. Mary, born August 6, 1668, died September 6, 1669. 10. Isaiah, born September 16, 1671, married Sarah (Woodward) Eddy. 11. Martha, born January 30, 1673.
(III) Eleazer, son of Thomas and Mary (Kettell) Whitney, was born in Watertown, September 2, 1662. He was a wheelwright by trade, and probably spent the greater part of his life in Sudbury, where he was living in 1693. He married, April 11, 1687, Dorothy, daughter of James Ross, of Sudbury. She died June 22, 1731. Children, all baptized in Second Church in Watertown: 1. Sarah, born in Sudbury, May 29, 1688, married ----- Ball. 2. Eleazer, born Mary 5, 1690, died young. 3. James, born February 12, 1697, died November 20, 1697. 4. Mary, born November 20, 1697, baptized January 28, 1699; married Abraham Chamberlain, of Roxbury. 5. Thomas, baptized January 28, 1699. 6. James, baptized January 28, 1699, died young. 7. Dorothy, born April 24, 1700. 8. Eleazer, born April 15, 1702. 9. Elnathan, born May 5, 1705. 10. James, baptized June 1, 1708. 11. Jonas, born 1709.
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(IV) Jonas, youngest son and child of Eleazer and Dorothy (Ross) Whitney, was born in 1709, baptized July 14, 1723, and lived in Roxbury. Little else is known of him except that he married, in Roxbury, May 8, 1735, Sarah Perry. Children, all born in Roxbury: 1. Isaac, April 11, 1736, died January 4, 1777. 2. Jacob, July 24, 1737, see forward. 3. Jonas, November 28, 1739. 4. Sarah, February 26, 1741, died September 28, 1824; married, 1775, Nehemiah Ward. 5. Abner, November 17, 1744. 6. Desire, October 31, 1749, died June 23, 1778; married, 1769, Edward Ward.
(V) Sergeant Jacob, son of Jonas and Sarah (Perry) Whitney, was born in Roxbury, July 24, 1737, and died in West Roxbury, January 14, 1803. He was with the British troops at the capture of Louisburg, Canada. He was a soldier of the revolution, serving as orderly sergeant in Captian Corey's company of Roxbury men. He married, November 15, 1759, Rachel Whiting. Children, all born in Spring street, West Roxbury: 1. Prudence, July 25, 1760; married Lewis Jones. 2. Reuben, November 6, 1762; served three years during the revolutionary war in First Massachusetts artillery company, with General Knox. 3. Lemuel, April 29, 1765. 4. Jabez, November 30, 1767. 5. Hannah, April 8, 1772, died July 14, 1789. 6. Moses, January 20, 1775.
(VI) General Moses, youngest son and child of Sergeant Jacob and Rachel (Whiting) Whitney, was born in West Roxbury, January 20, 1775, and died in Milton, Massachusetts, December 24, 1859. In 1787 he went to Blue Hill, Milton, and there served an apprenticeship with Joseph Billings to the trade of tanner, currier, and leather dresser. For a time afterward he worked at the bench, but in 1796 established himself in business in Milton, removing thence to Dorchester in1797, but returning to Milton in 1805. In the following year he purchased what was called the "Rising Sun" estate, and in 1809 acquired the Nancy Paine estate, thus becoming owner of a large property in lands extending from the old Plymouth road to Neponset river. He extended the wharf, and in 1810 built a large tan house. General Whitney was one of the foremost men of Milton in his time and carried on extensive operations, having engaged in the leather business for a period of sixty-three years, exclusive of the time served as an apprentice. In 1819 he built the Whitney mansion on Milton Hill, and about the same time bought Swift's wharf, which he enlarged, and for the following twenty years dealt extensively in lumber and wool in addition to his leather business. He was appointed postmaster of Milton, December 19, 1805, succeeding Dr. Samuel R. Glover, and served until 1816. He was commissioned captain of militia in 1816, colonel in 1821, and afterward was made brigadier-general of the first brigade, first division, Massachusetts militia. General Whitney married (first) April 14, 1797, Rebecca Dunbar, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, who died February 4, 1824; (second) at Andover, Massachusetts, Mary P., widow of Dr. Thomas Kittredge, of Gloucester. She survived him and died in Milton in 1865. Children, all born of his first marriagge: 1. Hannah, November 19, 1797, died 1832; married ----- Holbrook, of Billingham, Massachusetts. 2. Moses, October 7, 1802, married Elizabeth G. Sanderson. 3. Mary, April 17, 1805; married George Batson Jones, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died in 1890. 4. Seth Dunbar, September 13, 1807. 5. Warren Jacob, 1811, died 1891.
(VII) Seth Dunbar, son of General Moses and Rebecca (Dunbar) Whitney, was born in Milton, Massachusetts. September 13, 1807, and died there October 4, 1890. He received his early education in the public schools of his native town and the academy at Bridgewater, and after leaving school at once began his business career in association with his father, as wool dealer and manufacturer of morocco leather. In 1839, with a partner, he purchased the long lease of a wharf adjoining the Whitney property, and for several years carried on the lumber business which had previously been established by his father. In 1843 he again became interested in the wool business with his father, continued it about ten years, and then became senior partner of the Boston firm of Whitney, Kendall & Company, wholesale dealers in hides and leather. However, upon the death of his father in 1859, Mr. Whitney retired from active business connections of all kinds. His comfortable residence on Milton Hill was erected soon after his marriage, on lands formerly of the Russell estate and on the corner opposite to that on which in 1819 his father built the Whitney house, and there he continued to live until 1861, when he purchased the old Vose mansion house at Elm Corner, Milton Centre, moved it to a new site on lands across the street which he inherited from his father, and there made his home so long as he lived, although he left it in intervals of travel and temporary residence elsewhere. Besides Whitney homestead
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withdrawal from all outside affairs. In speaking of this period and the later years of his own life and that of his wife, Mrs. Whitney said: "We were both for a long time occupied with our family--our children's marriages and our frequent adaptation of our plans to theirs, in the temporary absence I have mentioned, and the last years were spent in a very unbroken quiet at the home in Milton."
At Dorchester, Massachusetts, November 7, 1843. Mr. Whitney married Adeline Dutton Train, born in Boston, September 15, 1824, daughter of Enoch Train, founder of a line of packet ships between Boston and Liverpool, cousin of George Francis Train, author, traveller and political economist, a brilliant man, of splendid mind and worldwide celebrity. Enoch Train, born about 1800, was son of Enoch Train, born February 10, 1763, married (published) May 5, 1791, Hannah Ewing, whose father was a Scotchman and chaplain in the British army. Enoch Train was son of Samuel Train, of Weston, Massachusetts, born December 22, 1711, died 1806; married (first) April, 1738, Mary Holding, of Concord; (second) December 31, 1741, Rachel Allen. Samuel Train was son of John Train, of Watertown, born October 31, 1662; married, May 5, 1705, Lydia Jennison. John Train was son of John Train, of Watertown, born May 25, 1651, died February 19, 1717-18; married, March 24, 1674-75, Mary Stubbs. John Train, last mentioned, was son of John Traine, or Trayne, who came over in the "Susan and Ellen" in 1635, being then twenty-five years old. In the same ship came Margaret Dix, whom he married, probably after their arrival in New England. She died December 18, 1660, aged forty-four years, and he married (second) October 12, 1675, Abigail Bent, who died August 17, 1691. John Traine took the oath of fidelity in 1662, and died January 29, 1680-81, leaving an estate of the value of two hundred and sixty-eight pounds. He was an early settler of Watertown famrs, now Weston, Massachusetts.
Mrs. Adeline Dutton (Train) Whitney was a woman of rare culture and literary genius. She was educated chiefly in Boston, and was nineteen years old at the time of her marriage with Seth Dunbar Whitney. Her writings always have been of the most useful character, designed especially to instruct young persons and at the same time to afford such interest to persons of maturer years. Her famous "Alphabet Blocks" are patented, and readily found their way into general use. Besides her many contributions to current literature in our domestic magazines, she is the author of the poem, "Footsteps on the Seas," Boston, 1857; "Mother Goose for Grown Folks," New York, 1860, second editions, Boston, 1870 and 1882; "Boys at Chequassett," Boston, 1862; "Faith Cartney's Girlhood," Boston, 1863; "The Gayworthys," 1865; "A Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite's Life," 1866; "Patience Strong's Outings," 1868; "Hitherto," 1869; "We Girls," 1870; "Real Folks," 1871; "Pansies" (poem), 1872; "The Other Girls," 1873; "Sights and Insights," 1876; "Just How. A Keynote to the Cook Books," 1878; "Odd or Even," 1880; "Bonnyborough," 1885; "Homespun Yarns," "Holy Tides," 1886; "Daffodils," "Bird Talk," 1887. The last three are volumes of verse. "Ascutney Street," 1890; "Golden Gossip," 1892; "Friendly Letters to Girl Friends," 1896; "The Open Mystery," 1897; "Biddy's Episodes," 1904.
Children of Seth Dunbar and Adeline Dutton (Train) Whitney: 1. Mary Adeline, born September 27, 1844, died at St. Paul, Minnesota, December 16, 1867; married, February 17, 1867, Colonel Charles Russell Suter, United States Engineers, and had Charles Russell Jr., died December, 1867. 2. Theodore Train, born April 26, 1846. 3. Maria Caroline, born August 25, 1848, died in infancy. 4. Caroline Leslie, born November 10, 1853, married, October 13, 1875, James A. Field, of Beloit, Wisconsin, born August 8, 1847, died January 17, 1884. Mr. Field was born in Beloit, and was educated first at an academy in New Jersey, later at Boston (Massachusetts) Institute of Technology, and still later at the University of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. He was a mechinical engineer, and after marriage went with his wife to Beloit, where he had
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interests in iron works. Subsequently they made their home in New Jersey. Their children: William Lusk Webster, born July 17, 1876; James Alfred, May 26, 1880; Douglas Grahame, October 1, 1882.
(VIII) Theodore Train, only son of Seth Dunbar and Adeline Dutton (Train) Whitney, was born in Milton, Massachusetts, April 26, 1846. He married (first) in Framingham, Massachusetts, October 6, 1880, Annie Caroline Mann; children: 1. Theodore Train, born in Carondelet, Missouri, July 22, 1881. 2. Seth Dunbar, born Lakewood, New Jersey, March 17, 1883, died March 30, 1885. 3. Mary Adeline, born April 13, 1885. 4. Annie Leslie, born July 9, 1887. 5. Elinor, born December 27, 1889. The mother of these children died January 30, 1893. Mr. Whitney married (second) April 17, 1895, Minnie S. Kerr, of St. Joseph, Missouri, born January 4, 1868, daughter of Andrew L. and Mary W. (Inslee) Kerr.
(III) Nathaniel, son of John (2) Whitney, was born February 1, 1646, died in Weston, January 7, 1732. He owned a farm in Weston and built the first Whitney house, which stood for many generations. He married, March 12, 1673, Sarah Hagar, born September 3, 1651, died May 7, 1746. Children: 1. Nathaniel, born March 5, 1675, married Mercy Robinson. 2. Sarah, February 12, 1678, married, January 5, 1709, Jonathan Ball. 3. William, May 6, 1683, mentioned below. 4. Samuel, baptized July 17, 1687, married Ann Laboree. 5. Hannah, baptized March, 1688, married ----- Billings. 6. Elizabeth, born December 15, 1692. 7. Grace, born 1700, died March 23, 1719. 8. Mercy, married ----- Greaves.
(IV) William, son of Nathaniel Whitney, was born in Weston, May 6, 1683, died January 24, 1720. He lived in Weston and married, May 17, 1706, Martha Pierce, born December 24, 1681. Children: 1. William, born January 11, 1707, married (first) Hannah Harrington; (second) Mrs. Mary Pierce; (third) Margaret Spring; (fourth) Mrs. Sarah Davis. 2. Judith, November 15, 1712. 3. Amity, October 6, 1714. 4. Martha, April 4, 1716, married February 26, 1734, Timothy Mossman. 5. Samuel, May 23, 1719, mentioned below.
(V) Lieutenant Samuel, son of William Whitney, was born in Weston, May 23, 1719, died January 1, 1782. He was a leading man in the settlement of Westminster, whither he went soon after his marriage, probably in 1742. His farm there was in 1859 owned by Mr. Hartwell, and the old cellar was at last accounts still visible. His lot was No. 51, near the north common. He was frequently selectman, and served as surveyor of highways and assessor, and on the standing committee to build the schoolhouse and to lay out the highways of the town. In 1759 he was one of the largest owners of real estate and one of the twelve largest taxpayers. He served in the revolution in Capt. Noah Miles' company of minutemen, Colonel John Whitcomb's regiment, and marched on the alarm at Lexington, April 19, 1775. He held a commission as lieutenant in the militia. He gave to each of his sons land for a farm, either before or at his death. He married, October 20, 1741, Abigail Fletcher. Children: 1. Abigail, born August 27, 1742. 2. Mary, May 29, 1744, married (first) Elijah Gibson; (second) Edward Scott. 3. Samuel, February 11, 1746, married Thankful Wilder. 4. Abner, May 18, 1748, married (first) Elizabeth Glazier; (second) Levina (Glazier) Ward. 5. Achsah, September 30, 1750, died May 14, 1772. 6. Silas, October 20, 1752, married Sarah Withington. 7. Martha, November 26, 1755, died young. 8. Elisha, July 2, 1757, married Eunice Seaver. 9. Alpheus, February 25, 1759, married Esther Hartwell. 10. Phinehas, January 16, 1761, married Elizabeth Rand. 11. Hananiah, December 18, 1762, mentioned below. 12. Martha, September 18, 1764, married (first) Benjamin Seaver; (second) Isaac Seaver. 13. Susannah, February 9, 1767, died young.
(VI) Hananiah, son of Lieutenant Samuel Whitney, was born at Westminster, December 18, 1762, died in 1835. He lived first at Westminster and removed to Winchendon, where he served as tythingman. His farm was in that part of Winchendon known as Royalston Leg, on the road to Rindge. He was selectman of Winchendon in 1803-04-05, and assessor in 1804-06. He was in the revolution in Captain Timothy Boutelle's company, Colonel John Rand's regiment, in 1780, to reinforce the Continental army at the north. In 1814 he was ensign of his company in the fifth regiment, second brigade. He married, at Ashburnham, October 10, 1787, Azubah Keyes, born June 5, 1767, in Westminster, died in Winchendon, daughter of Eli and Hannah (Howe) Keyes, of Westminster. Her father was a farmer, a soldier in the French and
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Indian war and in the revolution, dying in the service. Children: 1. Moses, born November 28, 1789, married Sophia Cutler. 2. Hananiah, May 29, 1792, married Mary L. Beals and Sarah Beaman. 3. Alpheus B., March 8, 1794. 4. Azubah B., August 25, 1796, married Henry Rand; rresided in Winchendon and Madison, Wisconsin. 5. Artemas B., September 5, 1798. 6. Stacy. 7. Berina, February 4, 1801. 8. Esther B., June 13, 1803. 9. Silas Stacy, June 27, 1805, married Mary B. Cate. 10. Levi P., August 19, 1807. 11. Samuel A., November 10, 1809. 12. Abby Fletcher, December 27, 1812.
(VII) Captain Hananiah (2), son of Hananiah (1) Whitney, was born in Winchendon, May 29, 1792. He was educated in the public schools of Winchendon, helped his father on the farm in his youth, and afterward followed farming in his native town until 1830, when he went to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he engaged in business as a dealer in trunks, leather bags and leather goods. Subsequently he had a retail boot and shoe store there, and in his later years was in the wholesale fruit commission business. He bought produce of the farmers in the vicinity of Lowell and shipped it to New York market for about ten years. He was well known and highly respected in business circles, and one of the leading citizens of that town. He made a fortune and lost it, but always paid his debts in full, scorning to compromise. His credit was always good and his losses were largely due to his lending his endorsement to help friends in business. When a young man he was lieutenant in the Fifth Massachusetts Regiment, commissioned in 1816. In 1818 he was commissioned captain by Governor Hancock. He was always popular and had many friends. On one occasion when drilling his command he was annoyed by the mischievous interference of spectators who wished to confuse the troops. The captain quickly stopped the disorder by forming a hollow square and charging the crowd with fixed bayonets. He was a Republican in his later years. He died at Lowell in March, 1867. He bought a theatre in Lowell and organized a free church on Lowell stree. He was a member of the Kirk Street Congregational Church, later of the High Street Church and of John Street Church and was deacon to the time of his death. He married (first) November 26, 1816, Mary Leavitt Beals, born September 4, 1796, died July 10, 1819, daughter of Stowers and Mary (Leavitt) Beals. He married (second) October 19, 1820, Sarah Turner Beaman, born September 29, 1802, died May 18, 1891, at Lowell, daughter of David and Polly (Carter) Beaman. Child of first wife: 1. George Leavitt, born December 16, 1817, married Harriet Mears; children: Clara, George. Children of Second wife: 2. Mary Beaman, July 17, 1821, died December, 1892; married, September, 1850, Gordon Reed, who died September 16, 1872; children: i. Lizzie Jane Reed, born August 11, 1851, died October 5, 1851; ii. Frank Sumner Reed, born May 26, 1860, married, December 19, 1883, Frederick Conant, and have daughter, Maud Conant. 3. Martha, November 8, 1822, died February, 1899; married, May 21, 1851, Joseph White; children: i. Joseph Frederick White, born June 18, 1854, died May 12, 1857; ii. Luther White, born December 30, 1856, married, February, 1886, Mamie S. Files; iii. Anna Bertha White, born January 28, 1859, married, June 1, 1882, Frank A. Libby. 4. John Milton, September 21, 1824, mentioned below. 5. William Meelus, May 15, 1826. 6. Henry Martyn, August 21, 1828, died December 2, 1903; married (first) April 25, 1854, Harriet Bagley, born August 24, 1829, died July 4, 1876; (second) January 30, 1879, Mary Wheatland Bemis. 7. Charles N., June 14, 1831, died Jun 12, 1832. 8. Sarah Ann, May 15, 1833, married (first) February 24, 1859, Cornelius Daniel Smith; (second) November 18, 1869, William Henry Flagg; child by her first husband, Frederick Smith, born December 8, 1859, died December, 1859; children of her second husband: ii. Edith Naomi Flagg, born December 5, 1870, died May 8, 1886; iii. William Edson Flagg, born Mary 11, 1873, married Harriet W. Parker; iv. Howland Whitney Flagg, born July 14, 1875. 9. Elizabeth J., December 15, 1836, married (first) July 11, 1860, Joseph A. Bailey, born December 1, 1826, died March 18, 1873; (second) April 18, 1874, Captain Spooner Jenkins, born September 11, 1829. 10. Harriet Ann, September 13, 1838. 11. Abby Amelia, August 20, 1843. 12. Charles Edwards, May 15, 1846.
(VIII) John Milton, son of Hananiah (2) Whitney, was born in Winchendon, September 21, 1824. He began his schooling in his native town, and after 1830, when his parents moved to Lowell, he attended the public schools there. He served an apprenticeship in the shops of the Lowell Machine Company and worked in Lowell as a journeyman for a time. Then he went to Springfield, Massachusetts,
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to work in the machine shops of the Boston & Albany railroad. He was promoted from time to time and became a passenger conductor, a position he filled for many years. In later life he was a stockholder of the railroad company. He died December 3, 1882, at Mount Dora, Florida, whither he had gone on account of ill health. Mr. Whitney was a Republican in politics, and an active member of the Congregational church. He was a perfect gentleman in manner and thought, of genial disposition, of tender heart and full of sympathy towards those in trouble, of exemplary christian character. Though largely self-educated he possessed unusual intellectual attainments and his reading covered a wide range of subjects and was both thorough and extensive. He married, January 3, 1849, Mary Leavitt Beals, born November 21, 1827, died May 14, 1883, daughter of George Leavitt and Nancy (Norcross) Beals. Children: 1. John, died in infancy. 2. Charles Leavitt Beals, born October 21, 1850, mentioned below.
(IX) Charles Leavitt Beals, son of John Milton Whitney, was born at Springfield, October 21, 1850, died at Brookline, Massachusetts, Spetember 14, 1892. He attended the public schools of his native city, graduating from the Springfield high school in the class of 1867. He entered Harvard College from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1871. He took high rank in scholarship and was appointed to a resident fellowship and in 1873 received his doctor's degree from Harvard. He studied six months at the university of Leipsic, Germany, and returning, entered Harvard Law School, from which he was graduated in 1876. He was clerk for a time in the law office of Jewell, Field & Shepard and acquired valuable experience both in the preparation and trial of cases and in the work of the city solicitor of Boston and of the United States district attorney. He was admitted to the Suffolk bar May 11, 1877. His liberal education and scholarship, long training and natural aptitude for the law secured for him a position of importance in his profession from the outset. He became the law partner of Governor William Gaston, September 25, 1879, when he resumed practice after the close of his term as governor, under the name of Gaston & Whitney. In September, 1883, his partner's son, William Alexander Gaston, was admitted to the firm, the name remaining the same. The firm took rank among the first in the Commonwealth. Mr. Whitney continued in active practice until July 1, 1890, when on account of ill health he retired. He was a Republican in politics, though decidedly independent in his views and voting in later years. He was a lifelong student and scholar, of profound learning and wisdom. His mind was analytical and logical and he was clear, forcible and convincing speaker. He was as graceful in expression as he was accurate in statement. He was a very successful advocate. He possessed high ideals and absolute integrity. He was a member of Harvard Congregational Church of Brookline, Massachusetts. He married, October 18, 1882, Lottie Jane Byam, born at Charlestown, Massachusetts, September 19, 1854, daughter of Ezekiel George and Lydia Jane (Woodbridge) Byam, of Charlestown. Her father was a manufacturer of friction matches, the head of the Diamond Match Company of boston. Mrs. Whitney resides at 186 Gardner Road, Brookline. Children, born at Brookline: 1. Charles Beals, July 9, 1883, graduate of Harvard College in 1907; associated with the banking firm of Estabrook & Company, Boston. 2. Mary Leavitt, June 13, 1885. 3. Byam, March 15, 1887, student at Harvard University, class of 1910.
(IV) Ensign David, son of Benjamin Whitney, was born in Watertown, June 16, 1697, died in 1745. He was one of the original proprietors of land at Paris, Maine, but never lived there. He lived at Watertown and Waltham. He married, in 1720, Rebecca Fillebrown, born in Cambridge, November 6, 1695, died 1749. Children: 1. Rebecca, born November 2, 1721, married July 18, 1745, Thomas Stowell. 2. David, September 25, 1723, married Mary Merriam. 3. Anna, August 8, 1725, married, June 4, 1752, Samuel Merriam. 4. Nathan, March 12, 1726, married Tabitha Merriam. 5. Ruth, February 23, 1728, died April 23, 1757. 6. Josiah, November 22, 1730, mentioned below. 7. Jonas, June 25, 1733, married Sarah Whittemore. 8. Jonathan, February 10, 1735, died April 9, 1757.
(V) Josiah, son of Ensign David Whitney, was born November 22, 1730, died December 3, 1800, at Ashby. He removed to Ashby in 1797 from Acton and bought land there, having sold his Acton farm two years previous. He died intestate and his widow administered the estate. He served in the French and Indian war, enlisting at Boston, February 4,
Copyright © 2007, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group
