Family:Whitney, William Wallace (1817-1883)

Dr. William Wallace⁷ Whitney (Paul⁶, Timothy⁵, Jonas⁴, Moses³, Richard², John¹), son of Paul⁶ and Lucinda (Marsh) Whitney, was born 29 Apr 1817, Cowansville, QC [per Pierce], or Lanesborough, MA, or Springfield, MA, or VT, and died 10 May 1883, Springfield, MA, aged 66 years 11 days, of erysipelas.^[1] In the death record, his birthplace is given as Springfield, MA, and his parents as Paul (b. Otis) and Lucinda (b. Hadley), and his occupation as veterinary surgeon.

He married firstly, 1 Jan 1837, Middlesex, VT, Betsey T. Winter,^[2] of Montpelier, VT, daughter of Nathaniel and Betsey (Wentworth) Winter. She was born about 1819, Berlin, VT, and died 1853, Hamilton, Hamilton Co., ON. Apparently there was a divorce. She "Mrs." "of Montpelier" married secondly, 19 Jun 1852, Montpelier, VT, L. S. Humphrey, of Hamilton, W. Canada.^[3]

He married secondly, between 1840 and 1843, Sarah Marie Eaton, daughter of John and Persis (Joy) Eaton. She was born about 1821, Brunswick, ME, and died 21 May 1901, Brunswick, ME, aged 80 years, of cerebral apoplexy. Apparently there was another divorce, after 1860. On 28 Jun 1900, a notice in the Ticonderoga Sentinel reports that in White Church, Crown Point, NY, "Mrs. Whitney of Maine is a guest of her son Carlos, whom she has not seen before since he was eleven years of age, a period of perhaps 40 years."

He married thirdly, Mrs. Perry. No record of her has been found, and her existence is stated only by Pierce. Possibly she is the same as the preceding or following.

He married fourthly, between 1860 and 1869, possibly in Nashua, NH, Mary A. (Hildreth) Paine, daughter of Jotham and Abigail (Converse) Hildreth. She was born about 1836, Amherst, NH, and died 26 Oct 1899, Springfield, MA, aged 63 years, of chronic rheumatic arthritis, multiple anthrax.^[4] She had married firstly, 25 Sep 1856, Worcester, MA, George A. Paine, son of Rufus Paine, born about 1829, either he died or they were divorced before 1860.

Pierce says: ":He learned the shoemaking trade when a boy, but not liking it, studied medicine and veterinary surgery, and was considered one of the best veterinary surgeons in that section. He also farmed several years, and at his death, in 1884, was running a drug store in Springfield, MA. He died from erysipelas. I believe he was an Episcopalian in belief. He resided Atkinson, NH, and Springfield, MA."

Child of William Wallace⁷ and Betsey T. (Winter) Whitney:

i.

Marcella Adelia8 Whitney, b. ca. 1840, VT; d. 24 Jun 1899, Carleton, ON; m. 25 Dec 1856, Montpelier, VT, William Grannis Parmelee, both of Montpelier.[5] She appears in the 1850 census Montpelier, VT. Benj. Bemis and his brother are shoe makers, as was WWW. In 1860 they were in Essex, VT, and in 1871 they were in Waterloo, Shefford Co., QC.

Child of L. S. and Betsey T. (Winter)(Whitney) Humphrey:

i.	John Humphrey, b. 1853, Hamilton, ON.

Children of William Wallace⁷ and Sarah Marie (Eaton) Whitney:

i.	Robert Henry8 Whitney, b. 6 Aug 1843, Boston, MA; d. 23 May 1921, Montpelier, VT; m. ca. 1869, Ruth -----, b. ca. 1846, VT, d. aft. 1920.
ii.	Phebe Whitney, b. ca. 1843, U.S.
iii.	Harriet Augusta Whitney, b. 1847, Dover, NH; bapt. 1865, Cowansville, QC; d. 15 Jan 1900, Washington, DC; bur. Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA; m.(1) ca. 1869, Albert Reed Whitney; m.(2) 16 Feb 1874, New Orleans, LA, Dennis T. Kirby.
iv.	Carlos Franklin Whitney, b. 1848, VT; d. 23 Sep 1917, Sherburne, NY; m. ca. 1866, Eliza S. Marsh.
v.	Lucinda Ellen Whitney, b. 1848, Atkinson, NH; bapt. 1865, Cowansville, QC; d. 28 Dec 1895, Washington, DC; m. 14 Aug 1875, Montpelier, VT, Charles R. Baldwin, of Lebanon, IL.
vi.	George M. Whitney, b. 1850, Lower Canada (QC); d. 1852, Missisquoi Co., Canada East (QC).
vii.	Charles A. Whitney, b. 1859, Brunswick, ME; m. 12 Jun 1879, Fairlee, VT, Katie Anna Moore.
viii.	George Albert Whitney, b. ca. 1860, Dunham, QC; m. 29 Nov 1883, Manchester, NH, Mary A. Gemmell.

Child of George A. and Mary A. (Hildreth) Paine:

i.	Franklin E. Paine, b. ca. 1858, NH. He appears in the 1870 and 1880 census with surname Whitney, his stepfather's. He was single in 1900 and 1910 censuses of Springfield, MA.

Children of William Wallace⁷ and Mary A. (Hildreth) Whitney:

i.	Clarence W.8 Whitney, b. 8 May 1869, Nashua, NH.[6]
ii.	Lillian May Whitney, b. ca. 1871, Nashua, NH; m. 6 Jun 1900, Springfield, MA, Henry Sumner Thompson.
iii.	Florence C. Whitney, b. 25 Mar 1874, Springfield, MA.
iv.	Mary Louisa Whitney, b. 15 Mar 1878, Springfield, MA; m. 20 Sep 1905, Springfield, MA, Charles Grafton Thompson.

Notes

William Wallace was a heroic character from the historical novel The Scottish Chiefs, by Jane Porter (1810).

Pierce seemingly has him confused with another William W. Whitney.

The Florence C. and Mary Louisa's birth records both indicate that William W. Whitney was born in Lanesborough, MA, not in Cowansville, QC. The 1870 census indicates his birth in Vermont. The 1880 census gives his birth in MA. His death record gives his birth as in Springfield, MA. None of the known Lanesborough Whitney families has a son William who could be this man.

Census

• 1850: not found.
• 1850, Montpelier, Washington Co., VT:

164 164 Benjamin Bemis 20 M - Shoemaker New Hampshire Married in year Lucy " 19 F - Vermont Cynthia Winter 12 F - Vermont Attended school Marsilla Whitney 10 F - Vermont Attended school

Marsilla was living with her mother's two sisters, Lucy (Winter) Bemis and Cynthia Winter.

• 1852, Missisquoi County, Canada East (Quebec), Canada: Age 35.
• 1860: not found.
• 1860, Worcester Ward 6, Worcester Co., MA:

1744 2565 E. A. Prescott 37 M - Armorer $1700 $100 Me. Rebecca " 26 F - Mass. Wm. " 13 M - " Idiotic George Whitney 13 M - " Attended school Warren Tarbell 14 M - " Mary Paine 24 F - Seamstress " Frank " 2 M - "

This was undoubtedly Mary A. (Hildreth) Paine and her son Frank. Rebecca Prescott and George Whitney were children of Levi Thaxter⁷ Whitney, William's first cousin.

• 1861, Bolton, Brome, Canada East, Canada: Age 44; visiting brother Paul and family, and mother Lucinda in household. "Dunham" is listed as his residence.
• 1861, Missisquoi, Canada East, Canada: Age 44, including whole family.
• 1870, Nashua, Hillsborough Co., NH:

338 477 Whitney, William W. 50 M W Physician $1000 Vermont Male citizen over 21 -----, Mary 34 F W Keeping house N.H. -----, Franklin P. 12 M W N.H. Attended school -----, Clarence 1 M W N.H.

• 1871, Quebec, Canada: Shoe maker. Three youngest children's ages, match earlier census. 2nd wife Caroline (death date for Sarah?). William's age does not match.
• 1880, Springfield, Hampden Co., MA:

William W. WHITNEY 62 Self M M W MA Doctor MA MA Mary A. WHITNEY 43 Wife F M W NH Keeping House NH MA Frank E. WHITNEY 22 Son M S W NH Doctor MA NH Clarance W. WHITNEY 11 Son M S W NH At School MA NH Lillian M. WHITNEY 9 Dau F S W NH At School MA NH Florance E. WHITNEY 6 Dau F S W MA At School MA NH Mary L. WHITNEY 2 Dau F S W MA At Home MA NH

• 1900, 6 Cottage St., South Portland, Cumberland Co., ME: Sarah Whitney, b. Apr 1821, ME, age 79, widowed, 11 children, 5 living, parents b. ME and CAN; aunt in family of Charles W. and Sarah E. Bartlett.

References

• Bigalow Family Tree, a public tree at Ancestry.com.

1.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 346, page 391.

2.^  Vermont, Vital Records Index, Marriages.

3.^  Vermont, Vital Records Index, Marriages.

4.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 493, page 189.

5.^  Vermont, Vital Records Index, Marriages.

6.^  New Hampshire, Vital Records, Birth Index.

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Copyright © 2006, 2009-2012, 2014, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.