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Archiver > WHITNEY > 1998-08 > 0903157500


From: "Robert L. Ward" <>
Subject: Re: Josiah D Whitney, geologist
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 22:05:00


At 11:58 AM 8/14/98 -0800, Debi Benell wrote:
>Hello fellow researchers,
>
>It would appear as though my mother has been "holding out" on me with our
>Whitney ancestors.
>
>In an attempt to find out more info about our ancestor, Josiah D. Whitney,
>b. 1819, d. 1896, I took up Jan Whitaker's advice and looked at the MAINCAT
>site. In my search I found a Josiah Dwight Whitney, geologist, born 1819
>and died 1896.
>
>Thinking that this might be the same Josiah as my own, I sent an email to
>mom who thus informed me "yes, it's probably the same guy.... Mt. Whitney
>was named after him (meaning our ancestor)." So i did a search for
>Mt.Whitney, and found a photo of Josiah Dwight.
>
>Now comes the frustrating part. I need to verify this. I looked at the
>Whitney database and found Josiah with birth date, but his wife, cannot
>possibly be the mother of my Caroline M. Whitney, daughter of Josiah D.,
>because their marriage date is AFTER caroline's birth date, and they have
>no listed children. Of course, could it not be possible that the wife
>mentioned, a Louisa Goddard, was a second wife??
>
>And now my request for help -- could anyone researching Josiah Dwight
>Whitney and his ancestors contact me. I am interested in following this
>lead. Some more particulars on my family are as follows:
>
>Josiah D. Whitney
>b. 1819
>d. 1896
>m. ????
>.....Caroline M. Whitney
>.....b. 19 June 1845 in ME
>.....d. 21 Oct 1915 in CA
>.....m. Thomas Horrell
>..........b. 2 July 1836 in ME
>..........d. 21 Oct 1888 in CA
>
>My mother also mentioned a James Whitney, who is either a son or nephew or
>something of Josiah's who was also a geologist.
>
>Thanks in advance for your help!
>
>Debi Benell
>
>
>
>
>*Researching: Benell, Boone, Aull, LeGate, Daane, Garbani, Gideon,
>Leathern, Tack, Hochstetler, Horrell, Nelson, Cordner, Coodey/Cudahy,
>Tobin, Whitney and many many more!
>email: or

I recommend you ask one of those with a copy of Pierce's _Whitney Genealogy_
to look up Josiah Dwight-8 WHITNEY, Jr. (Josiah Dwight-7, Abel-6, Aaron-5,
Moses-4, Moses-3, Richard-2, John-1), b. 1819. See the following URL:
<http://www.erols.com/rlward1/whitney/mass/towns.html>;.

Another line of inquiry is to find a book of biographies of Yale Alumni. He
was a member of the Class of 1839. You could also try a copy of _Who Was
Who_, or the _Dictionary of American Biography_, or _American Men of Science_,
etc.

Another approach is to look him up in the 1850 Census. He was living in
Northampton, Hampshire County, MA, and appears on page 96 of that census.
If he had a daugbter born in 1845, she would be a five-year-old in his
family. The fact that your Caroline was born in Maine is not a good sign!
There were two other Josiah WHITNEY individuals living in Maine in 1850, one
in Holden Plantation, Moose River, Somerset Co. (p. 272), and one in
Jonesboro, Washington Co. (p. 14). There were various other Josiah WHITNEY
individuals in other states.

Whatever you find, please share your data with the mailing list!

Regards,

Robert

Robert L. Ward

http://www.erols.com/rlward1/
12236 Shadetree Lane, Laurel, MD 20708-2832
301-776-1659

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