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Archiver > WHITNEY > 1999-05 > 0925762459


From: <>
Subject: [WHITNEY-L] Unknown Abigail Whitney
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 16:14:19 EDT


Dear WRG:

I have recently acquired the CD version of Savage's Genealogical Dictionary
of New England, and its companion volume, the Genealogical Dictionary of
Maine and New Hampshire. I believe that the contents of the entries relating
to Whitney in the Savage are being readied for availability, so I am
concentrating on the appearances of the name Whitney as a spouse in other
families, thus discovering something about the parents of many women who have
married Whitneys.

Early on in the search of the CD, I came across this following entry.

>BAXTER, John, Salem, m. 25 Nov. 1667, Abigail Whitney (but, of so >common a
surname, it is diffic. to find the f.) had John, b. 14 Dec. 1668; >Abigail,
15 Dec 1670; Eliz. 25 May 1673; and Mary, ...

A search of all the families of John & Elinor's descendants doesn't seem to
turn up an Abigail Whitney, b. ca 1645/50 that could be the wife of this
person. Can anyone enlighten me as to her possible ancestry? I thought at
this period of time that all the J & E Whitneys were still right around
Watertown. Robert Ward's monumental cross-index of all the MA VR's doesn't
show any Abigails born until 1707, and I don't remember any of "our" Whitneys
being in Salem anywhere near this time. I do remember that there were a
couple of other Whitneys of unknown provenance who appeared in some of the
very early records, but who didn't seem to have founded families. Perhaps
this Abigail belongs to one of them, and represents just about the only known
progeny.

I will wait (but hardly with bated breath - I can't afford it with my long
abused lungs) for enlightenment.

Allan E. Green

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