Family:Whitney, William Melas (1826-1904)

William Melas⁸ Whitney (Hananiah⁷, Hananiah⁶, Samuel⁵, William⁴, Nathaniel³, John², John¹), son of Hananiah⁷ and Sarah Turner (Beaman) Whitney, was born 15 May 1826, Winchendon, MA,^[1] and died 7 Aug 1904, Needham, MA, aged 78 years 2 months 23 days, of uremic poisoning.^[2]

He married, 12 Sep 1850, Keene, NH, or 24 Jun 1849, Westmoreland, NH, Emeline Cole,^[3] of Westmoreland, NH, daughter of Heber and Prudence (Walker) Cole. She was born 1 Sep 1830, Westmoreland, NH, and died 10 Feb 1903, Needham, MA, aged 72 years 5 months 10 days, of La Gripppe as complication of heart failure.^[4]

He was born in Winchendon, MA, and when four years of age moved to Lowell, MA, with his parents and to Keene, NH, in 1848; moved to Bellows Falls, VT, 1854; moved to Manchester, NH, 1856; moved to Fitchburg, MA, 1857; moved to Needham, MA, in 1865; moved to Santa Fe, NM, 1878; returned to Needham, MA, 1888, present residence. His business has been machinist, locomotive engineer, master mechanic and railroad passenger conductor; not in business for past five years; resided Needham, MA.

Children of William Melas⁸ and Emeline (Cole) Whitney:

i.	Willie Henry9 Whitney, b. 30 Sep 1854, Bellows Falls, VT; d. 27 Jan 1878, Needham, MA, aged 23 years 3 months 27 days, of consumption.[5]
ii.	Frank Cole Whitney, b. 25 Sep 1856, Manchester, NH; m. Susie Gay Mackintosh.

Census

• 1850, Keene, Cheshire Co., MA:

Hotel America House 33 38 Salmon Fessenden 45 M - Landlord Vt. ... William Whitney 25 M - R. R. Engineer Mass. ...

• 1860, Fitchburg, Worcester Co., MA:

138 134 W. M. Whitney 34 M - Machinist $800 $200 Mass. E. C. Whitney 29 F - Wife N.H. W. Whitney 5 M - Vt. Attended school F. Whitney 3 M - N.H.

• 1870, Needham, Norfolk Co., MA:

522 628 Whitney, Wm. M. 44 M W R.R. Conductor Mass. Male citizen over 21 -----, Emeline 39 F W Keeping House N.H. -----, Willie F. 16 M W At School Vermont Attended school -----, Frank 13 M W At School N.H. Attended school

• 1880, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Co., NM:

William WHITNEY 45 Self M M W MA Rr Conductor MA MA

• 1880, Needham, Norfolk Co., MA:

Emeline C. WHITNEY 49 Self F M W NH Keeps House NH MA Francis C. WHITNEY 23 Son M S W NH Clerk NH MA

• 1900, Needham, Norfolk Co., MA:

278 290 Whitney, William M. Head W M May 1830 70 mar 49 Massachusetts Massachusetts Massachusetts Locomotive machinist, Owns mortgaged house -----, Emeline C. Wife W F Sep 1830 69 mar 49 2ch 1liv New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire

References

• Census records.

• All data imported from Frederick Clifton Pierce, The Descendants of John Whitney, Who Came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, (Chicago: 1895), p. 464.

1.^  "William Melas [Whitney], s. Capt. Hananiah and Sally, [born] May 15, 1826," according to Franklin P. Rice, ed., Vital Records of Winchendon, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (1909).

2.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 1904/68 (death), page 428.

3.^  "William M. Whitney & Emeline Cole, m. 24 Jun 1849, Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., NH," according to New Hampshire, Vital Records, Marriage Index.

4.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 541, page 41.

5.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 302, page 235.

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Copyright © 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2018, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.