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Archiver > WHITNEY > 2002-11 > 1037404128


From: Taryn Jones <>
Subject: [WHITNEY-L] "Glimpses in the life of Grandma Whitney"
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 15:48:48 -0800


Hello everyone
I was told by a lister that it was OK to share a few anecdotes
about my Whitneys, so I thought I would post a few things now. They
were written by the cousin of my gr grandmother in the 1960s or 1970s.

The WHITNEY family discussed is that of Joseph Albert Whitney, b. Walden
VT who married in 1850 in Quebec, Canada to Harriet Lovina Jackman. I
have more information on this family if anyone is interested. They were
originally from Massachusettes and had a brief "stop-over" in Vermont
before heading up to Canada.

Joseph Albert Whitney died in Feb. 1866 of tuberculosis, and his
daughter Alberta was born in June of 1866.

"The lost the first baby and then came my mother, Agnes, followed by
Joseph in 1855. Then came the second tragedy of her [Lovina Harriet]
life. The baby was teething and fractious and since she could net
herself walk about with him [she had dislocated her hip at a very young
age in a sledding accident and had never fully recovered] she asked the
French 'hired girl' if she would so: she did so for a short time then
grew impatient and threw the baby across the room to his cradle. His
back was broken so he was a cripple all his life, and seldom without
pain which naturally made him irritable."

In addition to Harriet's hip, her husband dying and her son a "cripple
all his life" her granddaughter got into a little trouble of her own.
"Now I must tell of an incident which occured circa 1880. My mother
[Agnes Whitney] married young and lived in Ormstown, but loved to often
come home for a visit. Her eldest daughter was born deaf and dumb, but
was very bright and winsome. This child was Lavinia and called Vinnie
and was born in 1875. On one of these visits, mother, having besides
Vinnie, Agnes and Baby Ethel, Vinnie was taken to St. Hyacinthe to some
sort of celebration where there were fireworks which greatly impressed
her. When they returned home she was anxious to tell Agnes, age 3, all
about it. Her sign language was inadequate so she took Agnes to the
barn and set fire to some hay; when she could not put it out, instead of
telling they ran away and hid and when the fire was discovered it was
too late to save the barn, and the house itself was threatened."

Thankfully, the house was saved.

However, poor Vinnie had a short life. Apparently, "Vinnie had a real
talent for drawing and art. A very sweet woman. She died a short time
before her first child was expected."

I have over ten pages on the Whitney family and their descendants, as
well as the goings on. The information included lists residences,
deaths of spouses, marriages, personalities of relatives and their
hobbies.

My Dad's cousin also sent some information, which says that Joseph
Albert's father "Elisha Whitney was keeping a restaurant in Brookline,
Mass when he met Abigail Gay." If anyone can give validity to that,
please let me know. Also, Joseph Albert's sister Nancy Gay Whitney had
an illigetimate child by the name of Carlos.

Apparently, Nancy Gay's mother, Abigail Baker Gay, had an elder sister
by the name of Nancy Davis (1793-1890) who "married Mr. Cole late in
life. On her death at the age of 95 she left a large fortune among her
relatives including Grandma Whitney’s family and Carlos. She is the
Nancy Gay in the poem “At the Squire’s.” Madam Tucker was her aunt."

Has anyone got a copy of "At the Squire's"?

Best Wishes

Taryn



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