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Deacon Joshua Whitney (1635–1719), son of John Whitney and Elinor Unknown
Abigail Tarbell (d. aft. 1719), daughter of Thomas Tarbell and Mary Unknown
Joshua, the son of John and Elinor Whitney, was born on 15 July 1635 in Watertown. [1] Deacon Joshua Whitney died on 7 August 1719, age 82, in Groton. [2] He married first Mary Unknown. Mary, the wife of Joshua, died on 17 March 1671 in Watertown. [1] He married second Abigail Tarbell on 30 September 1672 in Watertown. [1]
Joshua's remarkably well preserved gravestone is in the Old Burying Ground in Groton. [3]
Abigail was the daughter of Thomas Tarbell. [4] She died after October 1719.
It is frequently suggested that Joshua had a third wife Lydia; Anderson argues that this is unlikely to be true. [5]
Joshua lived in Groton. On 13 March 1676—during King Philip's War—most of Groton was burned and the survivors fled. Joshua and his family moved to Watertown, roughly 30 miles away. They returned to Groton after the war.
Joshua Whitney of Groton made his will on 17 April 1713. He named his wife Abigail, his sons William, Joshua, Cornelius, and David Whitney; his five daughters, Mary Pierce, Elinor Shepard, Sarah Jewell, Martha Williams, and Elizabeth Farnsworth; his eldest daughter Hutchen's children; his daughter, wife to Thomas Woods. Abigail and William posted bond on __ October 1719. [6]
Children of Deacon Joshua Whitney and Mary Unknown: The order is uncertain but presumed to be consistent with their father's ordering in his will.
i. Deacon Joshua Whitney was born on 14 June 1665 in Groton. [2] He died on 1 December 1753 in Plainfield. [7] He married first Mary Unknown. She is probably the Mary who died on 25 June 1751 in Plainfield. [7] Joshua, age 85, married Sarah Fellows, age 84, on 11 December 1751 in Plainfield. [7] She is probably the Sarah who died on 28 March 1759. [7]
On 13 November 1699, Joshua, Major James Fitch, Joseph Spalding, Richard Adams, Benjamin Spalding and James Kingsbury signed a petition to incorporate Plainfield and hire a minister. [8]
On 24 December 1702 Joshua signed an agreement for two religious societies in Plainfield. Major James Fitch and Richard Adams were two of the east side signers; Joshua, Joseph and Benjamin Spalding, Jacob Warren and Stephen Hall were some of the west side signers. [8]
In 1702/3 land in Plainfield was divided into five sections called eighths and allocated. Benjamin Palmer, Joshua Whitney, Nathaniel Jewell, Stephen Hall, Thomas Williams, Benjamin Spalding, Sr., Timothy Pierce and Joseph Spalding were given land in the third eighth. [8]
Joshua was a deputy for Plainfield five times between October 1711 and May 1717. [9, vols. 5–6]
Joshua Whitney of Plainfield wrote his will on 15 October 1751, distributing money and books to his heirs. He left bequests to his brother William Whitney; his brother Cornelius; the heirs of his sister Abigail Huchens, deceased; the heirs of his sister Mary Pierce, deceased; his sister Elizabeth Farnom; his sister Martha Williams; the heirs of his sister Elinor Shepherd, deceased; his sister Sarah Tyler; his kinswoman Mary Lawrence, the wife of Joseph Lawrence. Jonathan, the eldest son of his sister Eleanor was to have nothing as he had not behaved respectfully toward him. He also left 100 pounds to his church in Plainfield and 100 pounds to help the poor of the town. He freed and left substantial bequests to his "Negro" men Caesar and Sandy. Probate was on 8 January 1754. The inventory was exhibited in June 1754 and amounted to £736-11-02. [10]
ii. Sarah Whitney was born on 10 October 1668 in Groton. [2]. She probably died young.
iii. Hannah Whitney was probably born about 1670. She died before 17 April 1713. She married Thomas Woods as his second wife. [11] Thomas, the son of Samuel and Alice (Rushton) Woods, was born on 9 March 1663 and died on 28 August 1738. [11] He married first Elizabeth ___. She died on 21 April 1688. [11] He married third Hannah ___. [11] He married fourth Abigail (Nutting) Chamberlain, the widow of Thomas of Groton. [11]
Children of Deacon Joshua Whitney and Abigail Tarbell:
iv. Abigail Whitney was probably born about 1673. She died between 17 August 1705 and 17 April 1713. She married John Huchens before 1693. [12] John was born about 1668, based on his age at death. John is probably the John who died on 20 March 1756 in Killingly and is buried in the Old South Killingly Cemetery in South Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut. [3][14] He married second Mary ___ by 13 April 1718. Mary, the second wife of John, died on 15 February 1738 in Killingly. [14]
John's gravestone says, "Here lies the body of John Huchens who died March 20 AD 1756 & in the 89 year of his age."
John and Abigail had three children—Abigail (14 September 1698), Elizabeth (6 September 1700), Benjamin (17 August 1705)—born in in Groton. [2]
In 1709 John had the liberty to vote for town officers in Plainfield. [8, 132] About 1710, he bought out the rights of [Abigail's sister Sarah's husband] Nathaniel Jewell and [Abigail's sister Elinor's husband] Samuel Shepard in the new town of Killingly. [8, 168] Killingly is just north of Plainfield.
John was deputy for Killingly in September 1725 and October 1729. [9, 6: 553; 7: 251]
John and Mary were admitted to the church in Killingly from Plainfield on 13 April 1718. [14]
v. Mary Whitney was born on 1 July 1675 in Groton. [2] Mary, the widow of Ephraim, died on 29 December 1749, age 74, in Groton. [2] She married Ephraim Pierce by 1696. [12] Ephraim, the son of Daniel Pierce, was born on 15 October 1673 in Groton. [2] He died on 27 February 1740/1, age 68, in Groton. [2]
Mary is buried in the Old Burying Ground in Groton. The inscription on her gravestone says, "Here lies buried ye body of Mary Pierce relict to Mr Ephrim Pierce who decd Decemb ye 29th AD 1749 in ye 75 year of her age." [3]
vi. William Whitney was born the last of February 1677/[?8] in Watertown. [1] He died after 15 October 1751. He married Lydia Perham of Chelmsford on 16 March 1699 or 1700 in Chelmsford. [2] Lydia, the wife of William, died on 22 August 1716, age 42, in Groton. [2] He married second Margaret Unknown.
vii. Cornelius Whitney was born say 1680. He died after 15 October 1751. He married Sarah Unknown.
Cornelius and his wife Sarah were admitted to the church in Killingly on 29 April 1739. [14]
viii. Colonel David Whitney was born in 1682 in Groton. He died between 27 October and 4 December 1769, probably in Canaan, Litchfield County, Connecticut. He married first Elizabeth Warren. He married second Prudence (Merrills) Sedgwick.
ix. Elinor Whitney was born say 1684. She died between 21 February 1722/3 (when her son Benjamin was born in Plainfield) and 15 October 1751. [15] She married Samuel Shepard. [15]
Samuel and Elinor lived in Plainfield. [15]
The May 1722 court gave Samuel Shepard the liberty to keep a ferry over the Quinabaug River. [9, 6: 318]
x. Sarah Whitney was probably born about 1686. She died after 15 October 1751. Sarah, the daughter of Joshua of Groton, married first Nathaniel Jewell, Jr. on 11 July 1704 in Plainfield. [15] Nathaniel, the son of Nathaniel and Mary (Smedley) Jewell, was born on 10 January 1678/9 (10.11.78 ) in Concord. [16] He died between 28 February 1728/9 and 15 September 1730, probably in Plainfield. Sarah married second ___ Tyler.
Nathaniel Juell of Plainfield made his will on 28 February 1728/9. His heirs were his wife, his sons Joshua, David and Nathaniel, and his daughters Mary, Sarah, Abigail and Hannah. He named his wife Sarah and his brother-in-law David Whitney his executors. The untotaled inventory was taken on 15–16 and 22 September 1730; his will was proved on 29 September 1730. [10]
Joshua's first daughter Sarah would have been too old to have plausibly been the Sarah who married Nathaniel Jewell. It is conjectured that the first Sarah died young and Joshua had a second daughter Sarah.
xi. Martha Whitney was born about 1687. She died on 2 April 1763, age 76. She married Isaac Williams of Newton on 1 February 1708/9 in Groton or Newton. [2][17] Isaac, the son of Isaac and Elizabeth Williams, was born on 1 November 1686 in Newton. [17] He died on 17 September 1757, age 71. Martha and Isaac are buried in the East Parish Burying Ground in Newton. [3]
The inscription on Isaac's gravestone says, "Inscription: "Here lyes Buried the Body of Mr. Isaac Williams Who Departed this Life Sept. ye 17th, 1757 in ye 72d Year of His Age Blessed are ye Dead which Die in ye Lord." The inscription on Martha's gravestone says, "... Mrs. Martha Williams wife of Mr Isaac Williams who departed this life April 2d 1763 in ye 77 year of her age." [3]
xii. Elizabeth Whitney was born say 1689. She died after 15 October 1751. She married Ebenezer Farnsworth on 17 April 1706/7 in Groton. [2]
Did she marry a second time or is Farnom in her brother Joshua's will an error?
References:
1. Watertown Historical Society, Watertown Records (Watertown: Fred G. Barker, 1894, 1900): vol. 1, part 1: 4, 35, 36, 43.
2. Vital Records of Groton, Massachusetts: To the End of the Year 1849, 2 vols. (Salem: Essex Institute, 1926–1927), vol. 1: 120 (Births, Huchens), 151–4 (births, Whitney), 183 (births, Pierce); vol. 2: 179, 181–2 (marriages), 254 (deaths, Pierce), 278–9 (deaths, Whitney).
3. Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 23 February 2023), memorial pages for
Joshua Whitney (15 Feb 1635–7 Aug 1719), Memorial ID 5043799, citing Old Burying Ground, Groton; Maintained by AllanG (contributor 46922592).
John Hutchins (3 Jun 1678–20 Mar 1756), Memorial ID 60149022, citing Old South Killingly Cemetery, South Killingly; Maintained by Lynn Elizabeth (contributor 48687893).
Mary Whitney Peirce (1 Jul 1675–29 Dec 1749), Memorial ID 43436219, citing Old Burying Ground, Groton; Maintained by Edward Wenzell (contributor 47046769).
Isaac Williams III (1 Nov 1686–17 Sep 1757), Memorial ID 7104114 and Martha Whitney Williams (1686–2 Apr 1763), Memorial ID 7104119, citing East Parish Burying Ground, Newton; Maintained by Beals (contributor 46830236).
4. Charles Henry Wight, "Thomas Tarbell and Some of His Descendants," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 61 (1907): 70–75.
5. "Great Migration 1634–1635, T–Y," digitized book, AmericanAncestors.org, originally published as: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634–1635, Volume VII, T–Y (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011), 366–72.
6. "Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648–1871," database with images, AmericanAncestors.org, case 24703.
7. "Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630–1920, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3032) > volume 88, page 93 (image 97).
8. Ellen D. Larned, History of Windham County, Connecticut, vol. 1 (Worcester, MA: Charles Hamilton, 1874).
9. Charles J. Hoadley, The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, vols. 4–12 (Hartford: Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co., 1868–1890).
10. Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609–1999," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9049) > Hartford > Probate Packets, Whipple, Zebulon–Z, Misc., 1747–1880, images 108–21 (Joshua Whitney, Jr.); Windham > Probate Records, Vol 1–2, 1719–1744, images 224–6.
11. Henry Ernest Woods, "The Woods Family of Groton," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 64 (1910): 34–43.
12. "New England Marriages to 1700," digitized books, AmericanAncestors, originally published as Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015), vol. 2: 828, 1189.
13. "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," online database, AmericanAncestors.org, > "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," online database, AmericanAncestors.org > Killingly, p. 94.
14. "Killingly, CT: Church Records, 1711–1775," database with images, AmericanAncestors.org.
15. "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," online database, AmericanAncestors.org, > "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," online database, AmericanAncestors.org > Plainfield, pp. 111–4 (Shepard), 142 (Whitney).
16. Concord, Massachusetts: Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1635–1850 (Concord: Beacon Press, 1895), 22.
17. Vital Records of Newton, Massachusetts, To the Year 1850 (Boston: New England History Genealogical Society, 1905), 213, 406.
22-Apr-2023