WHITNEY-L Archives

Archiver > WHITNEY > 1997-10 > 0875890282


From: Tim Doyle <>
Subject: Re: Ezra Whitney, 1759, VT
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 1997 08:51:22 -0600


At 08:32 PM 9/27/97, "Robert L. Ward" <> wrote:

>This is very interesting. I looked at this database today, and found an
error
>which I thought I ought to report to the WRG and to the author, Tim Doyle.

Thank you so much for writing. I have for some time been trying to extend
my WHITNEY lineage. Your letter has provided the clues and information that
I have been searching for.

>The page states, but the pension application does not, that this Ezra WHITNEY
>was b. 1759 in Douglas, MA ... his purported father, Ezra WHITNEY, who was
born
>22 Feb 1729/30, Framingham, MA. This older Ezra WHITNEY was Ezra-5 WHITNEY
>[James-4, John-3, Jonathan-2, John-1] ...

Although I knew that I was descended from an Ezra WHITNEY father/son pair,
the identification of them as the ones born in 1759 and b. 22 Feb 1729/30
was never more than a remote possibility on my part. I had their
information linked in at one point, but the more I looked at this other
Ezra/Ezra pair, the more I decided that it was not the correct pair. My
local database had the information from this other Ezra pair removed, but I
hadn't yet updated the online version.

>There was an Ezra WHITNEY who lived in Rockingham, Windham Co., VT, however!
>On a list of residents of Rockingham for 1781 appear Ezra WHITNEY and Ezra
>WHITNEY, Jr. (CD #136: Colonial America -- Pre-1790, Census Index, Tax
Lists,
>etc., by Automated Archives). It is this Ezra WHITNEY, Jr., who is without
>doubt the Revolutionary soldier. But who was he? I can find only one
father/
>son pair named Ezra who are old enough to be these men: Ezra-6 WHITNEY,
b. 29
>Nov 1760, Lunenburg, MA, son of Ezra-5 and Agnes (-----) WHITNEY [John-4,
>Isaiah-3, Thomas-2, John-1].
>
>What do we know about the family of this last man, Ezra-5 WHITNEY? He was b.
>24 Aug 1731, Harvard, MA, son of John-4 and Rebecca-4 (WHITNEY) WHITNEY. He
>married firstly a certain Agnes -----. It is alleged, with what authority I
>do not know, that her maiden name was ROSSITER. Pierce reports that it was
>ROSS. See <http://www.erols.com/rlward1/whitney/john/num173.html#690>; for
him
>and his ancestry. They had the following children recorded in Shirley,
>Lunenburg, and Montague, MA:
> 1. son, b. 17 May 1756, Shirley.
> 2. daughter, b. 18 Dec 1757, Shirley.
> 3. Ezra, b. 29 Nov 1760, Lunenburg.
> 4. Rebekah, b. 2 Jan 1762, Lunenburg.
> 5. Agnes, b. 10 Apr 1767, Montague.
>See their vital records:
> <http://www.erols.com/rlward1/whitney/mass/shirley.html>;
> <http://www.erols.com/rlward1/whitney/mass/lunenburg.html>;
> <http://www.erols.com/rlward1/whitney/mass/montague.html>;
>He is alleged by Pierce to have had a second wife Elizabeth -----. I found a
>marriage record of Ezra WHITNEY and Elizabeth MARSHALL, at Brookline, MA,
on 5
>Mar 1788, recorded in Boston VR
> <http://www.erols.com/rlward1/whitney/mass/boston.html>;
>who may or may not be this man. If it was not this man, I cannot identify
who
>it might have been. Presumably he moved to New Hampshire shortly after the
>birth of Agnes in 1767, and to Whitingham, VT, by 1780.
>
>What is wrong with this picture? Firstly, the birth of Ezra-6 was not
>recorded in New Hampshire, but in Lunenburg, MA. Lunenburg is very close to
>the MA-NH state line. It is possible that he was born in NH and the birth
>recorded in MA. Apparently either he was already living there, or else he
>moved to New Hampshire at age about 8 years. Where is the sister Lucretia?
>Apparently she was born after the move to New Hampshire, or the second
move to
>Vermont. There are two older sisters recorded, and perhaps others
unrecorded.
>This is a *much* better fit than the other pair of Ezra WHITNEYs mentioned
>above.

Perhaps the following will be of use in identifying this family:

Thomas Bellows Peck, "Records of the First Church of Rockingham, Vermont,
from its Organization, Oct. 27, 1773 to Sept. 25, 1839," in The New England
Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 54, April 1900 as found on The
New England Historical and Genealogical Register CD-ROM set (1996), p. 201:

[1776]

August 4. Propounded Agnis Whitney, having formerly own'd the Covenant.

August 25. Receiv'd Agnis Whitney into the Chh.

Sept. 1. Baptiz'd Moses Agnis & Lucretia Children of Ezra & Agnis Whitney.

Sept. 15. ... Baptiz'd ... Elizabeth Daughter of John & Elizabeth Whitney.

We now know that the earlier Ezra was married to Agnis (-----) and they had
children named Moses, Agnis, and Lucretia. Because the later Ezra lived in
the same town and his sister Lucretia was listed in his pension
application, I think we are safe to assume that he was also the son of Ezra
and Agnis, though this will need to be verified by further research.

The John and Elizabeth WHITNEY who baptized daughter Elizabeth 15 Sep 1776
in Rockingham, VT appear to be the earlier Ezra's brother John and his
second wife Elizabeth SAWTELL, providing evidence that they too moved to
Rockingham.

I will put together additional information on this family in a future
letter to this mailing list, including information that states that the
city of Canaseraga, New York was once named Whitney Valley, in honor of the
younger Ezra WHITNEY who moved there in 1818.

Thank you so much for the information which has enabled me to finally sort
out my line.

--------------------------------------------------
Tim Doyle
/

WWW homepage: http://www.doit.com/tdoyle/
ftp directory: doit.com pub/tdoyle

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