I went to the WRG website and found the Reed article, but cannot locate the one by Jacobus. Any hints on where to find it? On Tue, 10 Apr 2001 ALLAGREEN@aol.com wrote: > Dear WRG: > > Apropos Merry's question, I would suggest that anyone interested visit the > WRG website (http://www.whitneygen.org) and read the two articles that may be > found there that address this question. One was written back in the 1930's > by Donald Lines Jacobus, one of the grand old men of American Genealogy, and > one whose work is very highly respected. There is also another article by a > current professional researcher from Salt Lake City (I think that's where he > lives) named Paul Reed, who picks up Jacobus article and carries it further, > probably based on some material that may not have been available earlier. > He, too, demonstrates that it is highly unlikely that Thomas is the son of > the particular Robert Whitney that would make him the grandson of Sir Robert > and Sybil, but it is difficult to "prove" a negative. His case is based on > Thomas's age and estimated birth year, and the customs and patterns of > inheritance that shows that Thomas could not be the first or second son, and > if I don't stop speaking from memory, I'll get it all muddled up. Go to the > website and look them up, and I think that you will come to the same > conclusion that I have, this link from Melville is flawed, and we need to > find another line for Thomas' connection to the Hereford Whitneys. > > As to what Robert Ward thinks of this, he did publish a speculation several > years ago that questioned the solidity of John--1's connection to Thomas and > Mary Bray Whitney. However, there is enough to satisfy me (barring, of > course, further information being found) in the connections to the Merchant > Tailor's Company for John and his younger brother, Robert, whom he in turn > took as an apprentice that fits with (and again I speak from memory, but it > is 5:16 in the morning) some kind of relationship for Mary Bray's father, > John Bray, and the same Merchant Tailor's Company. > > I'll let Robert speak for himself on all this. > > This is not a good week for me to dig back into my paper records for material > I collected quite a few years ago, what with all the activities of Holy Week > and guests coming for the upcoming weekend. Write to me again in a couple of > weeks, and I'll dig around and see if I can come up with actual documents > that I can cite. > > Happy Hunting. > > Allan E. Green > > Karl Schwerin SnailMail: Dept. of Anthropology Univ. of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131 e-mail: schwerin@unm.edu Cultural anthropology...is valuable because it is constantly rediscovering the normal. Edward Sapir (1949:151)