Here, as promised, is the information I extracted from Roger Thompson. Divided we stand. Watertown, Massachusetts, 1630-1680. Amherst, MA: Univ. of Massachusetts Press. 2001 There is some general information that seems relevant (mostly economic). I have also quoted every passage that refers to a Whitney, and the same for footnotes. In a couple of cases the passage does not mention a Whitney, but the footnote cites one as an example of the topic being discussed in the main passage. Watertown was first settled late summer of 1630. They were mostly folk from North Essex and South Suffolk around the Stour River valley in East Angllia, led by Sir Richard Saltonstall. These settlers were among the thirteen to twenty thousand people who migrated to New Eng-land during the 1630s. (11, 21). Three surges of immigration brought people to Watertown: one in 1630, a second from 1634 to 1636 (when John & Elinor immigrated), and a third and final wavelet in 1637. Some also came from Norfolk, and a few from London. Many of these East Anglians had been weavers, which may explain why John Whitney (a member of the Merchant Tailors Guild in London) threw in his lot with them (22). Watertown began with a grant of 23,456 acres of land. Beginning in 1630 each household re-ceived a "homestall" where they built their first house and shelters for animals as well as plant-ing their first crops. "These grants were located at the far eastern end of the town's domain, to the east, north, and south of Mount Auburn, near the Newtown line." This is where the first meetinghouse was built. "Later arrivals" (like John Whitney) "received homestalls to the west of this area." By the early 1640s the average homestall was 12 acres, although this varied accord-ing to the size of family, amount of livestock, and social standing (51). In July 1636 4,595 acres of livestock pastureland was distributed in four huge divisions, known as the "Great Dividends" in the northern part of the town grant. Each of the four "squadrons" was one-half mile wide, with 30 lots in each. "On 28 February 1637 the freemen divided out po-tential plowlands--often called uplands to distinguish them from low-lying marsh or meadow--on Beaverbrook Plain (divided by the brook into Hither and Further Plains and situated north of the riverbank and southwest of the town center) to all '106 townsmen then inhabiting.' A few of the leaders received sizable lots, but 86 of the 106 recipients got single figure grants, some as little as one acre. ... In 1637 Beaver Brook marked the western limits of any town settlement or cultivation" (53). It was the town's expectation that this plowland would be cultivated in com-mon, and that during the summer months livestock would be herded together under town-appointed herdsmen and shepherds (56). Four months later, in June 1637, "the 'Remote or West Pine Meadows' on land beyond Beaver-brook Plain granted 'by the freemen to 113 townsmen then inhabiting' were specifically linked to mouths, human and bovine. Most recipients again got single-figure acreages of these parcels of natural meadowland dotted among the heavily wooded western section of the town domain. Many householders got the same allotment of fodder land as for plowland (53). "The fourth allotment, on 9 April 1638, saw forty proprietors granted relatively small lots, typi-cally six acres, on land called the Town Plot, a reserved area of 238 acres northeast of the town mill and two and a half miles west of the meetinghouse. The object was that forty families should 'build and dwell upon their lots at the town plot, and not to alienate them by selling or exchanging them to any foreigner, but [only] to the freemen of the congregation; it being our in-tent to sit down there close together,and therefore, these lots were granted to those __freemen__ that inhabited most remote from the meetinghouse, and dwell most scattered.'" (53). Finally in 1642 all the townsmen that had not formerly received farms (93 are named) each re-ceived 13 acres of upland to every head of persons and cattle. At this point some 20,206 acres of the town's total grant had been lotted out. Only 3,250 acres remained town land (54). Though desire for land ownership may have motivated some of this largesse, the principal con-cern seems to have been that unless the town allocated the land, it could be appropriated by neighboring settlements. Distributing the land seems to have been a way to secure the rights of the town and its inhabitants. It was also a way to encourage those already living there to remain in the town, rather than moving on in search of better prospects elsewhere. At the same time, with most of the land having been distributed, it discouraged outsiders from moving into the community. Distribution was also a way of ensuring individual claim to the land before its value increased so much that the elder generation might be unable to provide for their offspring. Al-though less than 1800 acres were being farmed in 1651 (about 10 acres per household), this massive distribution of land "was a prudential 'laying up for posterity'. Nonetheless, perceived in-justices in the allocation of land within Watertown lead to disputes and court actions that lasted until 1669 (56-57, 62-63). "In June 1641, as measures were announced to encourage servants to sin hemp for twine-, rope-, and sack-making, a groujp of Watertown men were rewared with over L4 between them for weaving 83 yards of cloth. A further, overdue bounty was piad in October 1643. Two of these beneficiaries were master weavers: Martin Underwood and Nicholas Busby. The others had no recorded weaving experience21" (95) f.n. 21. "Busby, a worsted weaver On Underwood, a weaving-clothier, with north Suffolk linen and northeast Essex textile connections, see (sources cited)). Others: Miles Nudd, John Whitney, Henry Kemball (a wheelwright), and John Witheridge or Wetherall, who figures in the Watertown records as a champion fox trapper" (228). Occasional assistance from the community was needed "by the Thomas Whitneys in 1664 and 1678-79, when the family was struck down by smallpox. The town spent L1.10.0 on William Goddard for attending Thomas Whitneyu, fifteen shillings on a rig, nine on a bedstead and cider, four on firewood and milk. In all L5.4.5 was expended. All seem to have survived14" (110). f.n. 14. "Whitney, in serious difficulties in 1664, had been appointed scarer of dogs out of the meetinghouse at thirty shillings per year" (233). "If major breadwinners were going to be away for any length of time, the townsmen wanted guarantees that their families would be provided for. When Daniel Metup and Jonathan Whitney proposed to go to Cape Fear, the seven men insisted that enough assets be lodged with neighbors to keep their dependents from want. They got court sanction for this requirement and, killing two birds with one stone, arranged for a cow to be left with the ill-nourished Beeches" (113). "The selectmen were often the richer members of the community, but by no means always. There was nonetheless a relatively small gap between the rich and the poor, and misfortune lurked everywhere. Even among brothers, like the Whitney boys, there could be considerable variations of wealth. John was comfortably well off; Thomas was near the breadline" (114). "The settlement of Groton in the 1660s and 1670s saw the new generation moving west in a con-certed group. In this new 'company.' along with siblings or newly married neighbors, like min-ister's daughter Abigail (Sherman) Willard, went paupers, troublemakers, orphans, and family misfits. Twenty-eight out of the original fifty-one grantees of land there had Watertown connec-tions"12 (118). f.n. 12. "Siblings: Morses, Lawrences, and Holdens; paupers: Sawtel, Sanders,Onge, and Price. Newly married: Barrons, Fiskes, Clarkes, Pearces, Tarbells, Whitneys, and Crisps; troublemakers: Benjamen Allen and James Knapp" (236). "Sex fascinated many of these adolescents. Weddings were fraught with sexual excitement. On 23 May 1674 teenagers Moses Whitney and Jonathan Smith 'about noon, left work to see a wed-ding that we heard was to pass that way which was between William Shattuck and Goodman Randall's daughter.' The bride's brother was later sued 'for making and publishing an obscene and scurrilous writing or libel tending to the corruption of youth and defamation of several per-sons therein named as particularly Phillip and Elizabeth Shattuck and others.' The (lost) libel was probably full of sexual innuendo and bawdy suggestions. This was a deprived, but not an innocent, age" (123). Throughout the 17th century rising affluence and population lead to construction of larger houses and "conspicuous consumption." both of which are reflected in the distribution of assets pre-scribed in individual wills (130-131). f.n. 27. Silver: Pewter: John Whitney Mx PR 4:99 Glass or china: John Whitney Mx PR 4:99 Whitney (chest), Mx PR 4:99 (Ms Pr: Middlesex Probate Registers, vols. 1-5, MA: vols. 106 on microfilm at Middle-sex Probate Registry, East Cambridge) "Cross-generational relations were not always edgy and antagonistic. As aged parents sank into dependence'land-for-care' agreements were common. Though some arrangements were lovingothers built in safeguards implying a certain distrust.43" f.n. 43. E.g. Whitney: Mx Deeds, 3:451-52, 4:344, 9 March 1670 (Mx Deeds: Middlesex Registry of Deeds,vols. 1-7, County Courthouse, East Cambridge) King Phillip's War (1675-76) stirred up colonial prejudices against the Indians and fueled their paranoia about Indian "unreliability, laziness, treachery, and general savagery." Numerous Wa-tertown men were called to do battle. By December 1675 20 of them had been drafted (150-152).38 f.n. 38: Drafted: Michael Fleg, William's brother; John and Moses Whitney, a couple of the town's ne'er-do-wells; plus (a list of the others) (249) In its early days Watertown looked like it would become an important town. But by the 1650s it had been overshadowed by Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown and other settlements. By the 1670s it had become a quiet parochial backwater. The first 50 years are also marked by chronic discord and conflict-over religion, over land, over taxes. There were disputes over who should be recognized as a member of the community. "The town leadership was three times unceremo-niously dumped by irate townsmen." "There wee also regular spats between neighbors, often over stock and fences, but also involving personal rivalries and envies, long-nursed grievances, dark suspicions, generational jealousies, and family feuds. Although this drove some people out, "One of the most striking characteristics of Watertown in its first fifty years-indeed of its first two hundred and fifty years-was its residential stability. Individual family members might leave, but family names persisted (169-174). f.n. 14. "The old burial ground commemorates these pesistent descendants: forty-one original families, whose subsequent generations are buried in the Arlington Street Ceme-tery. The eighteenth-century records of Watertown's 'Western Precinct,' which became Waltham in 1738, are dominated by the names of founding families of Watertown. In the 1790 Census forty-three family names in Watertown perpetuate those of our period and forty-four from Waltham. Heads of Families at the First U.S. Census. 1790 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992), 156, 157. In the 1850 Watertown map based on the sur-vey by S. Dwight Eaton and Elbridge Whitney, thirty-one families who had settled in Watertown by 1650 still held land in the town. List of Arlington Street Cemetery (old burial ground) gravestones kindly supplied by the Watertown Public Works Department; between them, the Coolidge and Stone families have eighty-one headstones there. Records of the Western Precinct of Watertown, 1720-1738 (Waltham: Aldermanic Board, 1913) contains thirty familynames from the first generation of Watertown settlers. MS map in the archives of Watertown Public Library; my thanks to Ann Butler and Forrest Mack" (253). APPENDIX B. Lists of Residents List 1: Long-Term, First Generation Criteria forInclusion: Arrival by 1640; residence for seven-year minimum, usually grantee of town land (proprietor), adult on arrival, usuallymale head of household. 96 men, including John WHITNEY List 2: Short-Term, First Generation Criteria: Unless they died, five or six years of residence, usually continuous. 43 men, no Whitneys List 3: "Perchers," First Generation Criteria: Under five years, mostly 163s arrivals, hold land or connected in other documentary evidence. 64 men, no Whitneys List 4: Latecomers, First Generation Criteria: Arrival in Watertown after 1640, born before 1620, resident for decade or more. 32 men, no Whitneys List 5: Incomers, Second Generation Criteria: Born after 1620, arrived from elsewhere in Watertown after 1640. 25 men, no Whitneys List 6: Long-Term, Second Generation Criteria: Born between 1620 and 1650, lived ten adult years in Watertown before 1680 (except for early death), offspring of first or occasionally of second generation resident. 100 men, including " John, Jonathan, Richard, and Thomas WHITNEY" Karl Schwerin

WRG: Below is my extraction of the genealogical information from the Civil War pension file of Henry A. Whitney. Actually, his full name was William Henry A. Whitney, but he dropped the William and was always known as Henry. His ancestry is: John1, Benjamin2, John3, Benjamin4, Abraham5, Benjamin6, Peleg Tolman7, Henry8. Enjoy! From the Civil War Pension File of Henry A. Whitney Private, Co. A, 15th Maine Infantry Widow: Marrietta L. Whitney Widow Claim Applic. #825393 Cert. #620808 Henry enlisted on 31 December 1861 at Augusta, Maine. He was discharged at some point for health reasons, and reenlisted 25 January 1864. He was discharged 5 July 1866 at Charleston, S.C. Henry married Marrietta Lockwood on 28 November 1867 at Orono, Penobscot Co., Maine. They were married by Rev. James W. Day. They resided in Orono until 1870, when they moved to Bangor, Maine. They had one daughter,born 13 December 1869. Her married name was Mary W. McKechnie. Henry was a passenger conductor for the Maine Central Railroad for many years, until his health failed. He then travelled selling mill supplies for Snow and Nealley Co. of Bangor, ME. His death certificate says he died at Bangor on March 11, 1905. He died of chronic malaria including the liver, spleen and kidneys, as well as chronic colitis. These illnesses were contacted in New Orleans, LA in July of 1863. Marrietta L. Whitney applied for a pension 30 March 1905. Her residence was 294 Main St., Bangor, ME,. She kept a lodging house. She died 15 April 1915. Ken Whitney Silver Spring, MD

Not directly relevant, but what the hey: After hearing a Kim Komando radio show about 'ego-surfing,' curiosity nudged me to enter my name -- Merry Whitney -- into a Google search; it brought up more than 25,000 hits, most of which were Whitney Houston/"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (as well as several other Merry Whitneys). Merry Whitney Keen wrote: > In our branch of the family, Whitney is a unisex middle name, and we > sometimes use our middle names as our given names. Hence my uncle > Alfred Whitney Murphy, my (female) self, my daughter Mary Whitney > Kelting use(d) Whitney as a given name. My cousin Peter Whitney > Murphy, my grandson Alexander Whitney Sacchini, my grandmother's > cousin Marian Whitney Griffin, my cousin Marian Whitney Barlow, and my > nephew Graham Whitney Armstrong use it as a middle name, usually > honored only with the initial. I think there was a surge of unrelated > Whitneys in the US due to the popularity of Whitney Houston, the > singer, and perhaps civil rights leader Whitney Young (especially if > there was an uptick of black Whitneys in the 1970-80s). Celebrity > names have always enjoyed a certain popularity. I also have two > friends who are not related to me who names their daughters Whitney > because they liked my name and the distinctiveness, especially in > females, that it carried. It's a great name to have. I don't know how > many of the Whitneys on this list use Whitney as a given name, but I > have always found it terrific; people remember it, before there was > gender equality I was able to get credit cards on my own name, and it > helped get job interviews. > > Whitney Keen > > R R Kyser wrote: > >> Friends have directed me recently to a couple of online statistical >> "engines" devoted to given names, the first for the U.S. and the >> second for France: >> >> http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/ >> http://meilleursprenoms.com/ >> >> (NB: you need to have Java to use the US one. It's also there to >> sell a book.) >> >> In America, Whitney as a girl's name ranks #684, 459, 66, and 91, >> respectively, for the 1960s through 1990s, and places #448 for 2003. >> Female Whitneys peaked in the 1980s at over 1300 per million babies >> (not clear if that's all babies, or just girls), but have dropped to >> about 220/mil for 2003. (Fine with me; who wants all those unrelated >> people poaching our name?) >> >> Whitney as a boy's name cracks the top 1,000 in the 1910s, and again >> in the 1960s through 1980s. Male Whitneys peaked in the 1980s at 54 >> per million babies, then drop out of sight. >> >> Oddly, about 65 female Whitleys (per million babies) were born in the >> 1990s, the decade Whitney began to slide. I wonder if the parents >> were purposely avoiding the too-trendy Whitney-- as no doubt many >> parents of Whitneys were running from "Courtney" and "Brittany"! >> >> Whitney also made a mention in the author/sitemistress's blog for >> Thursday: >> >> "For boys, parents [ca. 1900] chose glittering dreams of >> aristocracy. Alongside John and George, we saw boys named with the >> surnames of the upper crust-- Milton, Sidney, Whitney." >> http://www.babynamewizard.com/blog/2005/03/days-when-myrtles-were- >> young.html >> >> Well, not quite... little Milton and Sidney were probably named for >> the poets, whom folks actually bothered to read back then, and any >> Whitney of the day almost certainly descended from John or Henry. >> >> Whitney is now showing up as a given name in France. 1993 was the >> peak year, with 53 christened. (Did Miss Houston have a major hit >> around that time?) Except for a lone(ly) birth in the 1940s >> (probably to some Anglo-Saxon couple, and likely male), there were >> none before the late 1980s. But, zut alors!, Whitney placed 1,770th >> for the 20th century, and was at 763rd for 2000: >> >> http://meilleursprenoms.com/stats/histogram.php3?recherche=whitney >> http://meilleursprenoms.com/Etymologie/Etymologie.php3?search=whitney >> >> Enter any traditional French name in the box, and you'll notice >> rather large troughs coinciding with the World Wars. The names >> weren't being given because the children weren't being born. >> >> Cheers, >> Ron Kyser >> > > >

In our branch of the family, Whitney is a unisex middle name, and we sometimes use our middle names as our given names. Hence my uncle Alfred Whitney Murphy, my (female) self, my daughter Mary Whitney Kelting use(d) Whitney as a given name. My cousin Peter Whitney Murphy, my grandson Alexander Whitney Sacchini, my grandmother's cousin Marian Whitney Griffin, my cousin Marian Whitney Barlow, and my nephew Graham Whitney Armstrong use it as a middle name, usually honored only with the initial. I think there was a surge of unrelated Whitneys in the US due to the popularity of Whitney Houston, the singer, and perhaps civil rights leader Whitney Young (especially if there was an uptick of black Whitneys in the 1970-80s). Celebrity names have always enjoyed a certain popularity. I also have two friends who are not related to me who names their daughters Whitney because they liked my name and the distinctiveness, especially in females, that it carried. It's a great name to have. I don't know how many of the Whitneys on this list use Whitney as a given name, but I have always found it terrific; people remember it, before there was gender equality I was able to get credit cards on my own name, and it helped get job interviews. Whitney Keen R R Kyser wrote: > Friends have directed me recently to a couple of online statistical > "engines" devoted to given names, the first for the U.S. and the second > for France: > > http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/ > http://meilleursprenoms.com/ > > (NB: you need to have Java to use the US one. It's also there to sell a > book.) > > In America, Whitney as a girl's name ranks #684, 459, 66, and 91, > respectively, for the 1960s through 1990s, and places #448 for 2003. > Female Whitneys peaked in the 1980s at over 1300 per million babies (not > clear if that's all babies, or just girls), but have dropped to about > 220/mil for 2003. (Fine with me; who wants all those unrelated people > poaching our name?) > > Whitney as a boy's name cracks the top 1,000 in the 1910s, and again in > the 1960s through 1980s. Male Whitneys peaked in the 1980s at 54 per > million babies, then drop out of sight. > > Oddly, about 65 female Whitleys (per million babies) were born in the > 1990s, the decade Whitney began to slide. I wonder if the parents were > purposely avoiding the too-trendy Whitney-- as no doubt many parents of > Whitneys were running from "Courtney" and "Brittany"! > > Whitney also made a mention in the author/sitemistress's blog for Thursday: > > "For boys, parents [ca. 1900] chose glittering dreams of aristocracy. > Alongside John and George, we saw boys named with the surnames of the > upper crust-- Milton, Sidney, Whitney." > http://www.babynamewizard.com/blog/2005/03/days-when-myrtles-were- > young.html > > Well, not quite... little Milton and Sidney were probably named for the > poets, whom folks actually bothered to read back then, and any Whitney > of the day almost certainly descended from John or Henry. > > Whitney is now showing up as a given name in France. 1993 was the peak > year, with 53 christened. (Did Miss Houston have a major hit around > that time?) Except for a lone(ly) birth in the 1940s (probably to some > Anglo-Saxon couple, and likely male), there were none before the late > 1980s. But, zut alors!, Whitney placed 1,770th for the 20th century, > and was at 763rd for 2000: > > http://meilleursprenoms.com/stats/histogram.php3?recherche=whitney > http://meilleursprenoms.com/Etymologie/Etymologie.php3?search=whitney > > Enter any traditional French name in the box, and you'll notice rather > large troughs coinciding with the World Wars. The names weren't being > given because the children weren't being born. > > Cheers, > Ron Kyser >

wonderfully interesting, thankyou for sharing the info!!!!!!!! ciao!!!!annie ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shaklee.... CREATING HEALTHIER LIVES 40 yr.old owner of Shaklee Corp, Roger Barnett, challenges everyone in the USA to build to Master by 3/2006 and receive $100,000 cash MEET ROGER!!!! (3-minute message........925-924-3333) annie whitney, box 11, cerrillos nm 87010 _www.shaklee.net/annie_whitney_ (http://www.shaklee.net/annie_whitney) Shaklee ID#..... LE73861

Friends have directed me recently to a couple of online statistical "engines" devoted to given names, the first for the U.S. and the second for France: http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/ http://meilleursprenoms.com/ (NB: you need to have Java to use the US one. It's also there to sell a book.) In America, Whitney as a girl's name ranks #684, 459, 66, and 91, respectively, for the 1960s through 1990s, and places #448 for 2003. Female Whitneys peaked in the 1980s at over 1300 per million babies (not clear if that's all babies, or just girls), but have dropped to about 220/mil for 2003. (Fine with me; who wants all those unrelated people poaching our name?) Whitney as a boy's name cracks the top 1,000 in the 1910s, and again in the 1960s through 1980s. Male Whitneys peaked in the 1980s at 54 per million babies, then drop out of sight. Oddly, about 65 female Whitleys (per million babies) were born in the 1990s, the decade Whitney began to slide. I wonder if the parents were purposely avoiding the too-trendy Whitney-- as no doubt many parents of Whitneys were running from "Courtney" and "Brittany"! Whitney also made a mention in the author/sitemistress's blog for Thursday: "For boys, parents [ca. 1900] chose glittering dreams of aristocracy. Alongside John and George, we saw boys named with the surnames of the upper crust-- Milton, Sidney, Whitney." http://www.babynamewizard.com/blog/2005/03/days-when-myrtles-were- young.html Well, not quite... little Milton and Sidney were probably named for the poets, whom folks actually bothered to read back then, and any Whitney of the day almost certainly descended from John or Henry. Whitney is now showing up as a given name in France. 1993 was the peak year, with 53 christened. (Did Miss Houston have a major hit around that time?) Except for a lone(ly) birth in the 1940s (probably to some Anglo-Saxon couple, and likely male), there were none before the late 1980s. But, zut alors!, Whitney placed 1,770th for the 20th century, and was at 763rd for 2000: http://meilleursprenoms.com/stats/histogram.php3?recherche=whitney http://meilleursprenoms.com/Etymologie/Etymologie.php3?search=whitney Enter any traditional French name in the box, and you'll notice rather large troughs coinciding with the World Wars. The names weren't being given because the children weren't being born. Cheers, Ron Kyser

If anyone gets to Me., the town of Livermore Falls Library, just before Jay; has a wonderful Hisory of Jay, Me. with genealogical information all the way through. I use to live in Livermore Falls just last year before getting sick and my dau. came and packed me up . I now live near the Clearfield, Pa. area. Maybe the library has inter-library loan available. Can't hurt to try! Good Luck! Diane

WRG: I have extracted genealogical material from the Civil War pension files of two men for whom I do not know their ancestry. They are: Sumner W. Whitney, born in Jay, Maine about 1843, the son of Phineas and Amanda Whitney. He married Eliza Metcalf, born in New Brunswick, Canada Amasa S. Whitney, born in 1836 in Green Co., NY, the son of Alfred and Phoebe (Hammond) Whitney. He was married to Angeline B. (Robinson) Lillie. If someone can help with the ancestry, I will post the abstracts. Ken Whitney Silver Spring, MD

WRG: Below is my extract of genealogical material from the Civil War pension file of Francis Covel Whitney of Standish, Cumberland Co., Maine. His ancestry is: John1, Benjamin2, Nathaniel3, Nathan4, Abel5, Levi6, Francis7. I apologize for the incomplete information. It was collected at the very end of the day, when the Archives was about to close. Enjoy! From the Civil War Pension File of Francis C. Whitney 30th Maine Infantry Rosannah K. Whitney, Widow Widow's Claim Applic. #597883 Cert. #401531 Francis C. Whitney enlisted in the 30th Maine infantry on 4 January 1864, and was discharged on 20 August 1865. He died 25 May 1894 in Standish, Maine. He was aged 71 years, 2 mo., 9 days. His death certificate indicates he was a farmer. His father was Levi Whitney, born Gorham, Maine, and his mother's maiden name was Higgins, born in Scarborough, Maine. Francis was a farmer and a cooper. Rosannah Whitney filed a widow's claim on the pension 25 June 1894 from Standish, Maine. Her maiden name was Rosannah K. Harmon. She was married to Francis C. Whitney in Gorham, Cumberland Co., Maine on 2 November 1851. At the time of the marriage, he resided in Standish and she in Buxton, Maine. Rosannah died 8 June 1913. Ken Whitney Silver Spring, MD

WRG: Below is my extract of genealogical material from the Civil War pension file of Jessie Coolidge Whitney, who lived for over 40 years in Auburn, Maine. His ancestry is: John1, John2, Joseph3, Benjamin4, Joseph5, Jonathan6, Jonathan7, Asa8, Jessie9. Enjoy! From the Civil War Pension File of Jessie Coolidge Whitney Private, Co. H, 14th Maine Infantry Paulina G. Whitney, Widow Invalid Applic. #137309 Cert. #1045862 Widow's Applic. #1021914 Cert. #772969 National Archives, Washington, DC Jessie Coolidge Whitney enlisted as a Private in Co. H, 14th Maine Infantry in Augusta, Maine on 5 December 1861 under the name Coolidge Whitney. He was discharged in New Orleans, LA 30 June 1862 on disability for chronic bronchitis. Jessie was born in Jay, Franklin Co., Maine May 6, 1841. After discharge from the Army, Jessie lived in East Readfield, Maine from 1862 to 1866. He then lived in Beverly, NJ (sic.? MA) for one year and Salem, NJ (sic. ?MA) for 3 years. In 1870, he moved to Auburn, Androscoggin Co., Maine.He had lived in Fayette, Maine, and was a farmer, before enlistment. Jessie's marriage certificate indicates that he married Paulina G. Farmer in Lowell, Essex Co., MA on 6 May 1868. Each of them was a resident of Lewiston, Maine at the time of the marriage. Jessie was a 26 year old barber, and Paulina was 24 years old. Jessie was born in Jay, Maine, the son of Asa and Rhoda Whitney. Paulina was born in Temple, Maine, the daughter of Isaac and Louisa D. Farmer. They were married by Rev. F.R. Morse. Jessie filed an Invalid pension claim from Auburn, Maine 11 July 1901. A physical examination of him on 9 August 1901 reveals that he was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighed 160 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair, light complexion. Children alive on 9 August 1901 are: Estella E. Bryant, b. 2 September 1872, and Harvey D. Whitney, b. 16 August 1878. Jessie's death certificate indicates he died in Auburn, ME on 27 January 1914, age 71 years, 6 mo., 20 days of uremic poisoning. His occupation was farmer. His father was Abraham Whitney (sic), born Maine (sic), farmer. His mother was Rhoda Blaisdell, born Maine. Paulina Whitney filed a widow's claim for Jessie's pension 4 February 1914. She lived at RR5, Auburn, Maine. She listed two sisters: S. Myra Sturtevant, 80 years old of Hebron, Oxford Co., Maine. Also, Abby H. Guild, age 83, of Farmington, Franklin Co., ME. Paulina was born 27 November 1844 in Temple, Franklin Co., Maine. She died July 8, 1921 in Auburn, Maine. Ken Whitney, Silver Spring, MD

For any of you living in the Watertown/Boston area, the following should be of interest. By the way, I have abstracted some bits from Thompson's book that might be relevant for our Whitney ancestors, as well as excerpts of every place where a Whitney is mentioned. I'll post these to the list in the next few days. Karl Schwerin ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 12:17:08 -0500 From: Carol Betsch <[email protected]> To: karl h schwerin <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Contacting Roger Thompson Dear Mr. Schwerin: Here is Roger Thompson's address; we don't have an e-mail address for him. ROGER F. THOMPSON MILL RACE HARTS LANE BAWBURGH NORWICH NR9 3LS ENGLAND You might be interested to know that he'll be in Watertown on June 12 to give a lecture: First Parish of Watertown, Unitarian Universalist 35 Church St. <>Watertown, MA 02472 (contact there is Rev. Mark W. Harris 617-924-6143) With best wishes, Carol Betsch karl h schwerin wrote: > Dear Ms Betsch: > > I have just finished reading the very informative history of the early > days of Watertown, Divided we stand. Watertown, Massachusetts, > 1630-1680, by Roger Thompson, and published by the Univ. of > Massachusetts Press. 2001. > > On p. 201 he states that he has a table containing "all offices held > by Watertown men at town, county, and colony level. In their complete > form, each of these lists contains details of vital records," etc. > Thompson further states that these lists "are obtainable from the > author on request." > > I would like to obtain this information from the author. Can you put > me in touch with Mr. Thompson, or give me an address where I might > reach him? > > Thank you for your assistance with this request. > > Sincerely, > > > Karl Schwerin SnailMail: Dept. of Anthropology > Univ. of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131 > e-mail: [email protected] >

WRG: Sometime in the past I was doing some Civil War Penion File work for Larry Tracy of Kennebunkport, ME. The National Archives could not locate the pension file for Hezekiah H.Whitney, son of Sedate and Dolly (Heal)Whitney. Yesterday, I challenged the Archives again, and this time they came through. Larry is working on the ancestry of Sedate Whitney, and Hezekiah is a prime player in that research. So, below is my abstract of genealogical information from Hezekiah's pension file. Larry, enjoy! From the Civil War Pension File of Hezekiah H. Whitney Company B, 19th Maine Infantry Martha E. Whitney, Widow Widow's Claim Applic. #867914, Cert. #632660 National Archives, Washington, D.C. Hezekiah H. Whitney enlisted in the US Army July 21, 1862 in Lincolnville, Waldo Co., Maine. He was mustered into the Army at Bath, Maine 25 August 1862. He was discharged 6 July 1865, place not designated. He had married Martha E. Maddox in Lincolnville 15 October 1858. They were married by S.M. Dutton, Esq. Intentions had been filed in Lincolnville 25 September 1858, and were certified 13 October 1858. While in the Army, Hezekaih had suffered from typhoid fever, and as a result, had kidney problems, including life-long hematuria. He contracted the typhoid fever at Bolivar Heights, VA in September of 1862. He was subsequently hospitalized at Harper's Ferry, VA. A physical description from a medical examination report in 1875 says he was 6 feet tall, weighed 130 pounds, and was light complected. After discharge in 1865, Hezekiah and family lived in Lincolnville, Maine. In 1869, Hezekiah bought a small farm in Milo, Piscataquis Co., Maine His neighbors in Milo testified that at the time he moved there, Hezekiah was a very ill man. Sometime thereafter, the family moved to a farm in Appleton, Knox Co., Maine. It was there that he died. 10 March 1907. The death certificate for Hezrekiah provides the following: he was 70 years, 10 months, 12 days old at his death. (That makes his date of birth 28 April 1836, KLW). He was born in Lagrange, Maine, and his occupation was farmer. His father was Sedate Whitney, born in Leeds, Maine, and his mother was Dolly Heal, born in Brighton, Maine. He died of debility from the kidney problems caused by typhoid fever. A widow's claim for pension benefits were filed by Martha E. Whitney from Appleton, Knox Co., Maine on 12 April 1907, and she died 10 November 1915. Ken Whitney Silver Spring, MD

After a number of years away from the world of genealogy, I'm back. I'm researching the line of Neil Lamont Whitney (see archived posts from 1998 for more details of where I was, and still am, in this research, if interested). Note my updated email address. It's good to be back :) Ty Alexander [email protected] 8439-4 Gardens Circle Sarasota, FL 34243

WRG: I have previously sent to the group extractions from the Civil War pension files of Augustus and Winfield S. Whitney. They were two brothers who were born in Maine and moved to Minnesota by way of Cleveland, Ohio with their parents Orrin and Hannah (Fairbanks) Whitney. They had been residents of Presque Isle, Aroostook Co., Maine. When I had those pension files pulled, I also had one pulled for Orrin Whitney. It was a widow's claim on the pension by Hannah Whitney. I assumed that the pension was for Orrin, the father of Winfield and Augustus. It was not. It was a claim on the pension of Orrin Whitney, also of Presque Isle, Maine, by his widow, Hannah (Goss) Whitney. So the question became "Who is this Orrin Whitney"? I believe I have convincing evidence of his identity, as well as his father and grandfather. Beyond that, I have not been able to connect the family to the Whitneys. But, I have an interesting conjecture to make. First, below is the information I ex! tracted from the pension file: From the Civil War Pension File of Orrin Whitney Co. C, 15th Maine Infantry Hannah Whitney, Widow Widow's Claim Application #85715, Certificate #48919 National Archives, Washington, DC Orrin Whitney married Hannah E. Goss, both of Presque Isle, Maine, in Fort Fairfield, Maine on 9 May 1857. They were married by Bradford Cummins, J.P. Orin enlisted in Co. C, 15th Maine Regiment on 28 October 1861 in Presque Isle. Sergeant Orrin Whitney was furloughed from the army while his regiment was in New Orleans, LA, and died in Presque Isle, Maine on 30 October 1864. He died of chronic diarrhea. He had no children alive at that time. His widow Hannah applied for pension benefits 23 November 1864 from her residence in Presque Isle, Aroostook Co., Maine. At that time she was 29 years old. Witnesses for her application were Lydia A. Whitney and Fannie W. Hooper. The solution to the identity started with the observation that there was a third Oren Whitney who also lived in Presque Isle, Maine. He was Oren Robbins Whitney, son of Phinehas and Mary Whitney of Phillips, Maine. Could our soldier be related to this Oren? I believe he was. The family of Phinehas and Mary Whitney is registered in the Vital Records of Phillips, Maine twice. The second time was in 1840, at the request of Phinehas. The following copies that registration: Phinehas Whitney, born December 1, 1776 Mary Whitney, born June 1, 1778 Children: Jeremiah C. Whitney, born February 28, 1804 Jonathan Whitney, born March 11, 1805 Nancy W. Whitney, born April 6, 1806 Elizabeth H. Whitney, born May 29, 1807 Sumner Whitney, born March 5, 1809 James F. Whitney, born July 5, 1812 Fanny S. Whitney, born April 10, 1815 Oren Robbins Whitney, born October 24, 1819 Joseph Warren Whitney, born October 27, 1821 You will notice that the place of their births is not mentioned. By 1850, Phinehas must have died, because he is not mentioned. All of his sons but one are accounted for in the 1850 census. Nowhere in the US can be found the oldest son Jeremiah. By 1860, Jeremiah and family appear in the census for Presque Isle, Maine. Also, our soldier Orrin Whitney, who was also not in the 1850 census, appears in the 1860 census for Presque Isle. He is married to Hannah, and has a 2 year old child Blanche. In the 1860 Census, all of Jeremiah's family is said to have been born in Maine. The 1870 census for Presque Isle is most revealing. Jeremiah is said to be born in Waterville, Maine, his wife Susan in Ireland, and his two children still living at home, Lydia A. and George Whitney, were born in New Brunswick, Canada. From all of the information presented, I draw the conclusion that in 1850, Jeremiah and family were in New Brunswick, Canada. Orrin was still living at home with them at the time. By 1860, Lydia A. Whitney was still at home, her brother Orrin had married Hannah Goss, and her sister Fannie W. Hooper, who was born in Bangor, Maine, was still living in Presque Isle. Lydia and Fannie witnessed to the pension application for their sister-in-law, Hannah Whitney in 1864. I am unable to place Phinehas Whitney of Phillips, ME, grandfather of our soldier Orrin Whitney, in the Whitney genealogy. However, I will make a conjecture about him. Living just a small distance south of Phillips in the towns of Carthage and Weld was Jeremiah Whitney. We also do not know his heritage. We do know he was born about 1793. Phinehas was born in 1776. Jeremiah came to Weld from Leeds, Maine, and Phinehas lived in Waterville before coming to Phillips. It is interesting that Phinehas named his first-born Jeremiah. My conjecture is that the two men could have been brothers. Was the father of Phinehas and Jeremiah named Jeremiah? I don't know where that gets the Weld Whitney researchers, but it may be just another piece of the puzzle. Or, maybe not. Ken Whitney Silver Spring, MD

Carol & all, Thank you very much for posting any further information you come across about my gr-gr-gr-gr-gr-grandfather Ebenezer Whitney (Ezekiel, Ebenezer, Richard, John). He is the Whitney you mentioned who was abducted by the British during the Revolutionary War and whose wife remarried, thinking he had died. I believe he was a doctor, which is one of the reasons cited for his abduction. I think his son, another Ebenezer Whitney, was also a soldier in the same war. On another note, if there's anything I can do for the Whitney research group while in London this May, please let me know. William Snow

All of this discussion of Whitney's on prison ships has me wondering something. David Reynolds Sr, the Rev. War ancestor I have, was held on a prison ship off the coast of Maine. enlisted in Revolutionary War at Lyme CT in 1777 taken prisoner at Tarrytown, NY in fall 1782 escaped from british ship at Passamaquoddy, near Lubec, Maine in spring of 1783 He met his future wife while travelling towards home and his son married a Whitney. I'm wondering if there is any possible links here. David Reynolds Sr. m. Rebecca Cox David Reynolds Jr. m. Elmira Whitney, daughter of Nathan Whitney (1772-1816) Kess

Dear Merry and WRG: You beat me to this one, it was on the list but I hadn't gotten to it yet.  I, too, believe that the James Whitney in the list of prisoners was the James Whitney, son of Samuel-5 Whitney and father of the Zerah Whitney in my personal line.  Somewhere, way back in the distant past I remember running across a note that I couldn't begin to find without literally weeks of searching through dozens of cartons of old paperwork that I haven't opened since moving from Kentucky in the summer of 1999.  That note said that James had been a prisoner of war -- I don't remember if it specifically mentioned the prison ship, but since that was the common place to put them, I had always thought that that was what had happend in his case. I would hate to have to try to find any honest-to-God proof of this connection of facts, but it does hang together with what I clearly remember learning probably ten years ago or more. If any further developments about these prisoners arise, I hope they get posted. Happy Hunting! Allan E. Green

All, This is likely a coincidence, but Samuel-5 Whitney, m. Hannah Judson (John-1, John-2, Nathaniel-3, Samuel-4, Samuel-5) ... had sons James, b. 1753 (by wife Hannah), m. second, Martha, with sons John b. 1767 & Isaac b. 1773 -- this Isaac, obviously, did not serve in the Revolution, but James and John both did (though John would've been a youngster), as did Samuel-5. This Samuel is said to have "died in the early part of the war, one of several who were poisoned at the hand of the enemy; he may have been a prisoner in New York at the time of his death." I'm not certain what the above is being quoted from, but it follows (reverse chronological order) a quote about Samuel's son James (married Eunice Johnson) from Connecticut In The Revolution, page 507: "James Whitney ... served in the Revolutionary War as a private, enlisting August 28, 1777, under Capt. Eben Lathrop." Allan Green may have more info; one of James' sons was Zerah Whitney. Merry [email protected] wrote: >The History Channel recently aired a program entitled "POW's of the American >Revolution". A portion of this program was dedicated to the H.M.S. prison >ship "Jersey" anchored in Wallabout Bay (now the location of the Brooklyn New >York Navy Yard). Just curious for more information, I found a listing of >prisoners of the Jersey on The American Merchant Marine website, which included 4 >Whitney's : >WHITNEY, George >WHITNEY, Isaac >WHITNEY, James >WHITNEY, John >WHITNEY, Peter >The sources referenced were: American Prisoners of the Revolution, Danske >Dandridge, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1911, 1967 and The Wallabout >Prisoner Ships: 1776-1783, Eugene L. Armbruster, New York: 1920. > >The DAR National Society website under the heading of : "Prisoners on the >British ship, New Jersey, and other prison ships" states that "there is no >positive residence or unit identification of these list of names". > >The Jersey was only one ship in Wallabout Bay. Other ships mentioned were >the Whitby, Scorpion, Prince of Wales, John, Strombole, Good Hope, Falmouth, and >Hunter. > >Does anyone have any private information on these men or how would we ever >know who they were? They endured unimaginable horrors. Are they just forgotten >Whitney's? > >Jeanne Neilon > > > > >

I recently purchased two sets of books dealing with Whitney genealogy -- the Watertown, MA family and the Whitneys from Connecticut. While browsing through them trying to find a grandmother born in 1740 I read about a Whitney who was a prisoner on one of these ships for many years. It said that upon his release he made his way home only to find his wife had remarried. So he let her be and went to live with his father (or some other family member) and died about 18 months later. Naturally he was in very poor health due to the horrendous conditions aboard the prison ships. I have the impression that maybe the wife never knew he had been released, which makes his actions all the more heroic. It would take a bit of time to find this particular Whitney again...but I will keep it in mind and as I go through the books I can post this info about these prisoners to the list as I find it. Carol

The History Channel recently aired a program entitled "POW's of the American Revolution". A portion of this program was dedicated to the H.M.S. prison ship "Jersey" anchored in Wallabout Bay (now the location of the Brooklyn New York Navy Yard). Just curious for more information, I found a listing of prisoners of the Jersey on The American Merchant Marine website, which included 4 Whitney's : WHITNEY, George WHITNEY, Isaac WHITNEY, James WHITNEY, John WHITNEY, Peter The sources referenced were: American Prisoners of the Revolution, Danske Dandridge, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1911, 1967 and The Wallabout Prisoner Ships: 1776-1783, Eugene L. Armbruster, New York: 1920. The DAR National Society website under the heading of : "Prisoners on the British ship, New Jersey, and other prison ships" states that "there is no positive residence or unit identification of these list of names". The Jersey was only one ship in Wallabout Bay. Other ships mentioned were the Whitby, Scorpion, Prince of Wales, John, Strombole, Good Hope, Falmouth, and Hunter. Does anyone have any private information on these men or how would we ever know who they were? They endured unimaginable horrors. Are they just forgotten Whitney's? Jeanne Neilon