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Glazier, Prentiss, "Ebenezer Whitney of Stow, Mass., and Pomfret, Conn.", The American Genealogist, 52 (1976), pp. 117-119.

© The American Genealogist, 1976. Posted with permission from David L. Greene, editor and publisher. The American Genealogist is published quarterly by David L. Greene, P.O. Box 398, Demorest, GA 30535-0398. Subscriptions are US$25.00 per year, US$48.00 for two years, and US$70.00 for three years.

The Whitney Genealogy compiled by the late Frederick C. Pierce failed to define the complete family of Ebenezer Whitney of Pomfret, Conn., erroneously assigning some of his children to another group. Original research by the writer and by Edward R. Sandiford of Bloomfield, N.J., brought clarification of this unit, with additional records, in the 1940s.
Ebenezer3 Whitney, youngest son of Richard2 Whitney (John1) and Martha Coldam, was born at Watertown, Mass., 30 June 1682 [this should be 30 June 1672--RLW], and accompanied his parents to Stow, Mass. Here his father conveyed to him, subject to lifetime support, three parcels of land, 31 Dec. 1707, referring also to Ebenezer's brothers, Moses and Richard Jr., and to his sister Joanna Cady, apparently the wife of John Cady Jr. He and his wife Anna sold this property, 25 May 1714, soon moving to Canterbury, Conn. In 1721 he bought land at Pomfret, Conn., where he died 5 Aug. 1727.
No record of the marriage of Ebenezer and Anna has been found, many early records of Stow being destroyed by fire. Mr. Sandiford's research revealed that in 1728 Ezekie14 Whitney, by agreement with his mother and his brother and sister, established his rights to the double portion of primogeniture, as the eldest legitimate son. The inference is that Zachariah, clearly older, had been born out of wedlock and possibly Esther also. In any event, it seems likely that Anna was the mother of all the children. In 1725 the father deeded twenty acres to Zachariah4, possibly to ensure fair treatment for the "natural son," so termed in the conveyance.
Widow Anna Whitney married John Comins of Pomfret before 14 May 1745, when he acknowledged receipt of his wife's share in the estate of her son, Dr. Ebenezer4 Whitney. Pomfret records give the date of her death, 15 May 1758.
Presumably all but one of the children were born at Stow. Their ages are approximated, with order of birth as indicated in Ezekiel's deed.
  1. Zachariah4 , b. by 1704 (since of age in 1725); m. Ruth Taylor, Pomfret, 30 July 1730. A communication to the Hartford Times, 14 June 1952, names seven children: Mary, Zachariah, Moses, Aaron, Ephraim ("m. Rhoda ---- and res. Montague, Mass."); Ruth and Ebenezer ("b. 21 April 1740").
  2. Esther, b. say ca. 1705-6; m. Pomfret, 18 Jan. 1727, William Bigginton, and d. there 19 Oct. 1727, apparently without surviving issue.
  3. Ezekiel, b. say ca. 1707; m. (1) Pomfret, 18 July 1728, Isabel Taylor who d. in childbed, 15 April 1731; (2) 22 July 1731, Sarah Parke (not "Farrah"), daughter of William and Jane (Bordwyn) Parke. They moved to Plainfield, Conn., where his estate was administered, 31 Jan. 1751.
  4. Enoch, b. say ca. 1708, m. Plainfield, 21 Dec. 1732, Thankful Parke, sister of the above Sarah. Mr. Sandiford's booklet, Some More Descendants of John and Elinor Whitney (1941), lists eight children:
    1. Samuel5, b. Plainfield, 24 May 1734; m. Sarah ----- and d. at Woodbury, Conn., 30 Sept. 1812.
    2. Susanna, b. Plainfield, 13 March 1739.
    3. Rosanna, b. Plainfield, 29 Aug. 1740.
    4. Asa, b. Preston, 10 July 1742.
    5. Thankful, b. Preston, 8 April 1747.
    6. Hezekiah, b. Preston, 26 Dec. 1748; m. "in the Fall of 1774" at Plainfield: Olive Knight; d. at Washington, Conn., 20 Dec. 1827.
    7. Joseph, b. Kent, Conn., 18 June 1753; res. Warren, Conn., 1837.
    8. Sarah, b. Kent, 18 June [sic] 1756.
  5. Israel, b. by 1709, m. Hannah Blodgett (not "Learned"). See below.
  6. Anna, b. say ca. 1712; m. Woodstock, 11 Dec. 1733, Ebenezer Rood of Stafford.
  7. (Dr.) Ebenezer, b. Canterbury, 15 Sept. 1715; a physician at Worcester, his estate administered by brother Israel, 15 Feb. 1745. Unmarried.
Israel4 Whitney, son of Ebenezer3 and Anna Whitney, born by 1709, was briefly of Littleton, Mass., buying land at Groton, Mass., 12 Dec. 1730. A cordwainer by occupation, he bought land at Thompson parish (Killingly), Conn., in 1732, but settled at Oxford, Mass., in 1733. He joined the Cape Breton expedition in 1745 and died by 1 July 1746, when the widow Hannah was appointed administratrix of his estate and that of his brother.
He married Hannah Blodgett, (not "Learned"), about 1732. She was born at Chelmsford, Mass., 6 Dec. 1715, daughter of William3 Blodgett (Daniel2, Thomas1) and Mercy Warren. After her husband's death she and her children joined her relatives at Dunstable, Mass., where she died by 6 Feb. 1750. Her daughter Sybilla and her brothers, William and Josiah Blodgett, petitioned for the administration of her estate; another brother, Nathaniel Blodgett, was appointed executor.
The Whitney Genealogy was in error on several points pertaining to this group: Sybilla was not the only surviving child, since her brother and a sister lived to marry and have families. The two Cummings genealogies should also be corrected--and Mormon records revised.
The six children of Israel and Hannah (Blodgett) Whitney, recorded at Oxford, Mass., were:
  1. Sybilla5, b. 4 Feb. 1733; m. Dunstable, 1756, Oliver Cummings. The Cummings Genealogy erred in calling his mother"Elizabeth Whitney of Stowe"; she was probably Elizabeth Coburn of Dunstable.
  2. Josiah, b. 18 April 1735, d. 13 or 15 Dec. 1740.
  3. Hannah, b. 15/16 April 1737; m. Dunstable, 26 Nov. 1761, Eleazer Cummings, brother of the above Oliver. Their first son was Israel Whitney Cummings.
  4. Tamar, b. 13 Oct. 1739, d. 6 Oct. 1740.
  5. Mary, b. 22 July 1741, d. 4 Feb. 1754 at Dunstable.
  6. Richard, b. 22 April 1743; m. Sarah Butterfield and Hannah Holt (see below).
Richard5 Whitney, son of Israel4 Whitney and Hannah Blodgett, was born at Oxford, Mass., 22 April 1743. Since not of age, he did not join his sisters in conveying property left by their father. In 1758 he chose Oliver Cummings as his guardian.
He married (1) at Chelmsford, 12 March 1767, Sarah Butterfield. They moved to Wilton, N.H., where she died 16 Feb. 1773, and he soon married (2) Hannah Holt, who was born 18 Jan. 1754. Having served in the Revolution at Wilton, he took his family to Brookline, Vermont, about 1797, settling at Whitney Hill, and here he died 29 Oct. 1816, his widow in April 1833.
From descendants we learn that he wore a long queue. One daughter braided his hair; another knitted his long stockings and a third ironed his ruffled shirts. He also wore knee breeches and buckled shoes. In later years he grew very large with dropsy, and was buried in an over-size coffin. The nicknames of his sons were Dick, Pick, Tim, Eb, Bum, Ike and Sol. Family records provide data of the children. Apparently there was only one by the first wife, Sarah Butterfield.
  1. Richard6, b. 25 June 1770, d. Weston, Vt., 31 March 1845, aged 74/9/-. No information as to marriage or family.
  2. Israel, b. 4 July 1774.
  3. Timothy Holt, b. 21 Nov. 1776; m. Abigail Blanchard; issue.
  4. Ebenezer, b. 3 July 1778; m. and had a son Erastus.
  5. Abram, b. 28 Jan. 1780, no further record.
  6. Isaac, b. 21 Jan. 1784; m. and had son Daniel.
  7. Jacob, b. 15 Jan. 1784, d. 9 July 1785.
  8. Hannah, b. 15 Aug. 1785, m. (1) James Campbell but was divorced; (2) Josephus Orvis, son of Waitstill Orvis.
  9. Sarah, b. 1 Nov. 1787, m ----- Harwood.
  10. Solomon, b. 26 Aug. 1790, no further information.
  11. Chloe, b. 22 Nov. 1795; m. David Kidder from Oxford, Mass.
NOTE: Zachariah How witnessed the receipt of Anna ( ---- ) (Whitney) Comins for her share of the estate of her son Ebenezer. Since the eldest son's name was Zachariah, the possibility of relationship should be probed.
-- 5235 Royal Palm Avenue, Sarasota, Florida 33580 [the author's address]

MacRae, Mrs. Cameron F., "Day Book of Gilbert T. Miller (1834-1835)," TAG, vol. 52 (1976), pp. 153-156.

[p. 153]

Mr. Miller was postmaster in Townsendville, Seneca Co., N.Y. "The following households and businesses had accounts:

[p. 156]

WHITNEY, Jackson."

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