John Whitney (son of Thomas Whitney and Mary Bray)117, 118 was born 1589 in St. Margaret's, Westminster, Eng, and died 01 June 1673 in Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He married (1) Judith Clement. He married (2) Elinor Ellen on 1618 in London, Eng.
Notes for John Whitney: Nota bene: It is possible to trace the ancestry of John Whitney back to the English, French, Norwegian, Spanish Royal families and this has been done by some submitters to the Latter Day Saints' Family Search Ancestral file (AFN: S36F-7M). However, there are strong doubts as to the accuracy of these claims. The doubt seems to center on whether the John Whitney link to Thomas Whitney-Mary Bray in England is accurate. ( See Whitney Ancestry Doubts, by Robert L. Ward at http://www.whitneygen.org/families/johnw/doubts.html) Nevertheless, the rather impressive family tree compilation found in the Family Search files will be included in this geneology on the chance there is some truth in these spectacular claims. The doubts however are so noted and taken seriously.
Go to http://wiki.whitneygen.org/wrg/index.php/Archive:John_Whitney%27s_English_Ancestry for a more detailed discussion of the English ancestry of John Whitney.
From "Planters of the Commonwealth, A Study of the Emigrants and Emigration in Colonial Times: to which are added Lists of Passengers to Boston and to the Bay Colony; the Ships which brought them; their English Homes, and the Places of the Settlement in Massachusetts 1620-1640", by Charles Edward Banks, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1984 (original 1930)
Legend: Name, age , where from, occupation and where settled
1635 [Pages 154-157]
The ship "Elizabeth And Anne", Roger Cooper, Master. She sailed about the middle of May and arrived at Boston in Midsummer, with one hundred and two passengers [Public Record Office MSS., and Drake: Founders, 20, 22, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30]. Mrs. Marjorie Washburn 49 of Evesham, county Worcester to Plymouth John Washburn 14 Phillip Washburn 11 Robert Hawkins 25 husbandman Charlestown Mrs. Mary Hawkins 24 John Whitney 35 Watertown Mrs. Ellen Whitney 30 John Whitney 11 Richard Whitney 9 Nathaniel Whitney 8 Thomas Whitney 6 Jonathan Whitney 1
Descendants of John1 Whitney
Generation One
1. John1 Whitney; christened 20 Jul 1592 Westminster, London; m. Elinor (--?--) before 1619 London; first wife; m. Judah (--?--) 29 Sep 1659 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; bur. 1 Jun 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; d. 1 Jun 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA, at age 80; widower, aged about 84 years; his estate was probated 4 Jun 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; inventory of Mr. John Whitnie senior, taken by Joseph Underwood, William Bond, and Nathan Fiske, Junior, includes 50 acres of dividend land at L25, 3 acres of meadow at Beaver Brook with an acre and a half of upland to it at L20, and 1 acre of plain meadow at L10; household goods; and stock on the farm; his estate was probated 17 Jun 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; will proved by Wm. Bond and Sarah his wife. Inventory exhibited and attested to.
His his early admission as a freeman, and his early election as a Selectman, show that he held a respectable social position. He Other sources: 'The Ancestry of John Whitney', Henry Melville, NY 1896; Frederick Clifton Pearce, Whitney Genealogy, Chicago, 1895; 'Finding Forefathers in America', Archibald Bennett, 1957, p. 245; Will of Joshua Whitney, 17/04/1713; parish records of St. Margaret's Westminster, held in the library of Westminster Abbey. Melville says John and Elinor lived in Isleworth, a London 'suburb', he was apprenticed to William Pring of the Old Bailey, 22/02/1607 (records of the Merchant Taylor's Company). Freed of his bond 13/03/1614. 08/11/1624 he took his youngest brother, Robert, as an apprentice and freed him 14/01/1632. (same source) Family File 1, by Everton Publishers, found in the Allen County Public Library shows the wife's name as Elinor Bray (John's mother's surname), and gives her birthyear as 1599, all this on a Family Group Sheet # 16511. He HISTORY: 'Was apprenticed to a tailor. John Whitney married Elinor ? and in May 1635, emigrated to American and lived in Watertown, Mass. He had nine children...' Sailed on the 'Elizabeth and Anne', Roger Cooper, Master, about the middle of May 1635 and arrived in Boston midsummer with 102 passengers; settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. John Whitney and Elinor (--?--) emigrated in Apr 1635 from Ipswich, Suffolk, in the "Elizabeth and Ann," Roger Cooper, master. Listed are John Whitney, aged 35; wife Ellin aged 30; sons John aged 11, Richard aged 9, Nathaniel, aged 8, Thomas aged 6, and Jonathan aged 1 year. He and Elinor (--?--) immigrated in Jun 1635 to Boston, Suffolk, MA. John Whitney purchased from John Strickland a 16-acre homestall after Jun 1635 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He and Elinor (--?--) resided between Jun 1635 and 1 Jun 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; on his 16- or 17-acre homestall situated a little north of Belmont Street and east of Common Street. He was admitted freeman on 3 Mar 1635/36 MA. He was selectman several years between 1638 and 1655 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He was elected constable by the Court on 1 Jun 1641 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He was owned eight other lots, amounting to 212 acres in 1642 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He was owned a homestall lot of 16 acres, where he continued to reside, bounded E. and S. by William Jennison, W. by Martin Underwood, and N. by Isaac Mixer in 1642 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He was town clerk in 1655 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. John Whitney gave Jonathan Whitney 39 acres of land situated in the Little Plain purchased from Richard Woodward circa 1659 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. John Whitney sold to Benjamin Whitney the former's house, barn, and all his land about the home (about 17 acres, bounded N. by John Sherman; E. and S. by William Bond; and W. by Martin Underwood) on 5 Apr 1670 Watertown, Middlesex, MA. He left a will on 3 Apr 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; John Whitny Senior of Watertown; son John Whitny; son Richard Whitny; son Thomas Whitny; son Jonathan Whitny; son Joshuah Whitny; son Beniamen Whitny; sons John Whitny and Joshuah Whitny, executors; friend William Bond Senior, overseer; witnesses, William Bond senior, Sarah Bond senior; signed by mark.
Elinor (--?--) was also known as Ellen. She was also known as Ellin. This record is very doubtful in terms of the birthplace. No St. Margaret's is listed as a parish in Warwickshire. On the other hand, St. Margaret's Westminster in London, Middlesex, is a location that has many other records of this Whitney family, but NOT the marriage of John and Elinor. Check the Warwickshire IGI for possible marriage. Much of this data is taken from the Ancestral File database and the children are mostly wrong in this listing. The data given for birthplace is suspect. St. Margaret's is in Westminster in London, and her husband's family were recorded in that parish register (located in the archives/muniments room of Westminster Abbey). She may have been born in Warwickshire, in which case I now have a place to search for her that I did not know before. She was born between 1597 and 1599. She died on 11 May 1659 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; aged 60.
Children of John1 Whitney and Elinor (--?--) were as follows:
2 i. Mary2 Whitney; christened 23 May 1619 Isleworth, Middlesex; bur. 16 Feb 1626/27 London.
+ 3 ii. John Whitney, b. 14 Sep 1621 Isleworth, Middlesex; m. Ruth Reynolds.
+ 4 iii. Richard Whitney, b. 6 Jan 1623/24 Isleworth, Middlesex; m. Martha Coldam.
5 iv. Nathaniel Whitney; b. circa 1625 London. He was not mentioned in his father's will on 3 Apr 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA.
+ 6 v. Thomas Whitney, b. 10 Dec 1627 London; m. Mary Kedall.
7 vi. Mary Whitney; christened 29 Dec 1629 London; d. before 1635 London?. She Did not emigrate with the family in 1635.
+ 8 vii. Jonathan Whitney, m. Jane (--?--); b. 1634 London; m. Lydia Jones.
+ 9 viii. Dea. Joshua Whitney, b. 15 Jul 1635 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; m. Mary Buckmaster; m. Abigail Tarbell.
10 ix. Caleb Whitney; b. 12 Jul 1640 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; d. 12 Jul 1640 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; bur. 12 Jul 1640 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; bur. 12 Jul 1640 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; "Caleb the son of John & Elinor Whitney buried 12 (5) 1640." He was not mentioned in his father's will on 3 Apr 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA.
+ 11 x. Benjamin Whitney, b. 6 Jun 1643 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; m. Jane (--?--); m. Mary Poor.
Judah (--?--) married Robert Clement between 1642 and 1657 Haverhill, Essex, MA. She was born circa 1638 Middlesex, MA. She died before 3 Apr 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA; since husband did not mention her in his will.
There were no children of John1 Whitney and Judah (--?--).
English Ancestors of John Whitney
John1 Whitney's English Ancestry by Robert L. Ward Much has been written on this subject. My distillation of what is now believed to be correct is given below. As more English records are examined we will gradually know more and more, we hope! There are, however, some doubts about the correctness of the identification of the immigrant with the John WHITNEY baptized 20 Jul 1592, St. Margaret's Westminster, son of Thomas and Mary (BRAY) WHITNEY.
When John1 WHITNEY and his family embarked for New England, their names were recorded on the passenger list of the Elizabeth and Ann, Roger Cooper, master, which sailed about the middle of May, 1635, arriving in Boston in midsummer. They are listed as John WHITNEY, 35; Ellin WHITNEY, 30; John WHITNEY, 11; Richard WHITNEY, 9; Nathaniel WHITNEY, 8; Thomas WHITNEY, 6; and Jonathan WHITNEY, 1. No known information in New England records provides any clue to their English origin.
The following records, discovered by Henry Melville, are extremely likely to be those of the family of John1 WHITNEY, although the identification is based entirely on similarity of names and ages, and order of birth. This is true in spite of the fact that the ages of this family do not agree well with the ages of the Watertown WHITNEY family as given in the passenger list.
WHITNEY, Mary, dau. of John, bapt. 23 May 1619, All Saints, Isleworth, Middlesex WHITNE, John, son of John and Ellin, bapt. 14 Sep 1621, All Saints, Isleworth, Middlesex WHITNE, Richard, son of John and Elinor, bapt. 6 Jan 1623/4, All Saints, Isleworth, Middlesex WHITNEY, Mary, dau. of John, bur. 16 Feb 1626/7, St. Mary Aldermary, London WHITNEY, Thomas, son of John, bapt. 10 Dec 1627, St. Mary Aldermary, London WHITNEY, Mary, dau. of John, bapt. 29 Dec 1629, St. Mary Aldermary, London No record of the baptisms of either Nathaniel2 (about 1625) or Jonathan2 WHITNEY (about 1634) have been found, nor of the burial of the second Mary2 WHITNEY, above, nor of the marriage of John and Ellen/Ellin/Elinor. It also seems likely that there was an additional child b. about 1632, who also died young. Once we accept this identification, we search for the parentage of John1 WHITNEY in the vicinity of Isleworth and London. Sure enough, Melville found a certain John, son of Thomas WHITNEY, baptized on 20 July 1592 in St. Margaret's, Westminster, London. The allegation for the marriage license of this Thomas WHYTNEY of Lambeth Marsh, gentleman, and Mary BRAY, daughter of John BRAY, on 10 May 1583, is recorded in the first act book of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster (Joseph Lemuel Chester and Geo. J. Armytage, eds., Allegations for Marriage Licenses Issued by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, 1558 to 1699 ..., Harleian Soc. Pubs., 23[London, 1886]:8). "Lambeth Marsh" is a name still applied to a locality near the Surrey end of Westminster bridge. The marriage took place on 12 May 1583 at St. Margaret's, Westminster. This gives us a clue to the BRAY family. Sure enough, we find that Mary BRAY, daughter of John BRAY, was bapt. 24 Dec 1564, St. Margaret's, Westminster, and her parents John BRAY and Margaret HASLONDE were married there 13 Aug 1553. Probably Mary (BRAY) WHITNEY was the "Mrs. Mary WHITTNEY" who was buried at St. Margaret's on 25 Sep 1629. For their nine children, see below.
In 1611 it is recorded that Thomas WHITNEY paid the subsidy tax, and December 6, 1615, on the probate of the will of his father-in-law, John BRAY, he was appointed executor. February 22, 1607, he apprenticed his son John, and November 8, 1624, his son Robert. The record of the latter, like the marriage license, describes him as a "gentleman." September 25, 1629, he buried his wife, and in April, 1637, died himself. Administration of his estate was, on May 8, 1637, granted to his sons, Francis and Robert, and mention is made of his widow Margaret (note: not Mary!). The accounts of the latter show that the deceased was in comfortable circumstances.
The identity of Margaret, the widow of Thomas WHITNEY of Westminster, is not known for sure, but attention is called to the marriage of a certain Thomas WHITNEY and Margaret GEORGE on 31 Jan 1632/3, St. Gregory by St. Paul's, London.
Buttressing the identification of the immigrant John1 WHITNEY with John, son of Thomas WHITNEY of Westminster is the following information from the records of the Company of Merchant Tailors, connecting Thomas of Westminster to his son John, and John to his brother Robert. Furthermore, the social standing of Thomas WHITNEY, "gentleman", is consistent with John1 WHITNEY's status in Watertown.
Extracts from the books of the Merchant Taylors' Company, of the city of London, England: July, 1592, Thomas Whitney, son of Henry Whitney of Minehall, in the county of Surrey, gentleman, apprenticed to William Persie of Watling street. April 14, 1600, Thomas Whitney made free by Henry Pratt, his assigned master, from Mr. Rowe, who was his assigned master from William Persie, his first master. The report of Mr. Rowe for two years and by Mr. Persie for two years and three months, certified by their letters to Henry Pratt for the residue. June 23, 1593, Thomas Whitney, son of Nichols Whitney of Carsleton, in the county of Hereford, gentleman, deceased, apprenticed to Robert Davies of St. Andrews in Holborn. July 19, 1602, Thomas Whitney made free by Robert Davies, his master. Feb. 22, 1607, John Whitney, son of Thomas Whitney of the city of Westminster, yeoman, apprenticed to William Pring of the Old Bailey. March 13, 1614, John Whitney made free by William Pring, his master. April 26, 1613, Richard Whitney, son of Robert Whitney of Ugley, in the county of Essex, yeoman, apprenticed to William Searson. June 28, 1620, Richard Whitney made free by his service with William Searson, his master. March 8, 1624, Robert Whitney, son of Thomas Whitney of the city of Westminster, gentleman, apprenticed to John Whitney of Isleworth. 1632, Robert Whitney made free by John Whitney, his master, upon the report of his master. Thomas and Mary (BRAY) WHITNEY had the following children, all baptized at St. Margaret's, Westminster: Margaret, bp. 18 Oct 1584. Apparently bur. 12 Jan 1603/4, at All Saints, Isleworth, Middlesex, unmarried. Thomas, bp. 25 Jul 1587, bur. 19 Aug 1587. Henry, bp. 11 Nov 1588, bur. 4 Jan 1588/9. Arneway, bp. 2 Feb 1589/90, bur. 11 Aug 1591. John1, bp. 20 Jul 1592, m.(1) before 1619, Elinor -----; m.(2) 29 Sep 1659, Watertown, MA, Judith (-----) CLEMENT; d. 1 Jun 1673, Watertown, MA. Nowell, bp. 30 Oct 1594, bur. 28 Feb 1596/7. Francis, bp. 27 Jan 1598/9, apparently the "Mrs." Francis Whitney bur. 26 Aug 1643. Mary, bp. 2 Aug 1600, bur. 8 Aug 1600. Robert, bp. 10 Nov 1605, m. 18 Jan 1636, St. Dunstan's, Stepney, Middlesex, Mary TOWER of Tarvin, Cheshire (b. ca. 1609, bur. 27 Oct 1667, St. Peter's Cornhill, London), bur. 3 Apr 1662, St. Peter's Cornhill, London. They had the following children: John, bp. 10 Feb 1639, St. Peter's Cornhill, London. It was he who in 1676 submitted the false pedigree claiming to be the heir male of the WHITNEY family of Whitney, Herefordshire. He m. before 1667, Elizabeth -----. Known child: Jane, living in 1667. Thomas, bp. 27 Dec 1640, St. Peter's Cornhill, London, apparently d. young. Robert, bp. 30 Oct 1642, St. Peter's Cornhill, London, apparently d. young. Richard, bp. 14 Oct 1647, St. Peter's Cornhill, London, apparently d. young. Margaret, bp. 31 Jul 1651, St. Peter's Cornhill, London, apparently d. young. Robert, bp. 3 Jul 1654, St. Peter's Cornhill, London, apparently d. young. Mary Frances, b. after 1646, since she was a minor in 1667. The ancestry of Thomas WHITNEY of Westminster is not known. Melville claimed that he was identical with Thomas WHITNEY, the third son of Robert WHITNEY and Elizabeth, daughter of Morgan ap Gwillims, who was in turn third son of Sir Robert WHITNEY of Whitney, Herefordshire. This theory has been discredited on chronological grounds in two articles, one by Donald Lines Jacobus and the other by Paul C. Reed. A recently-discovered clue is the baptism of a certain Thomas, son of Robert WHETNEY, on 14 Jul 1560 in the parish of St. Andrew's Holborn, London. This person is of the right age to be Thomas of Westminster, and the latter named a son Robert. Furthermore, the baptism of a certain John, son of Robert WHITNEY is recorded on 27 Sep 1567, St. Mary's Lambeth, Surrey, and Thomas of Westminster also named a son John. It is tempting to believe that both records refer to the same Robert WHITNEY, who had sons Thomas and John, of whom Thomas was the Westminster man, naming sons Robert and John after his father and brother. Of course Thomas's son John was probably named for John BRAY, his grandfather, as well.
John, in whom we are most interested, probably received, for those days, a good education in the famous "Westminster School," now known as St. Peter's College, and February 22, 1607, at the age of fourteen, was apprenticed by his father to William Pring of the Old Bailey, London. The latter was a "Freeman" of the Merchant Tailors' Company, then the most famous and prosperous of all the great trade guilds, numbering in its membership distinguished men of all professions, many of the nobility and the Prince of Wales, and, on March 13, 1614, Whitney at the age of twenty-one became a full-fledged member. Marrying soon after he took up his residence at Isleworth-on-the-Thames, eight miles from Westminster, and there three children were born. There, too, November 8, 1624, his father apprenticed to him his youngest brother, Robert, who served seven years. Soon after the latter date he moved from Isleworth, probably back to London. Entries in the registers of the parish of St. Mary Aldermery indicate that he lived there - in "Bowe lanne," near Bow church, where hang the famous bells - for several years, during which time Mary died, and his son Thomas was baptized. In September, 1631, he placed his eldest child, John, Jr., in the Merchant Tailors school - where, according to the registers, he remained as long as the family were in England.
This is the extent of the current knowledge of the ancestry of John1 WHITNEY of Watertown, MA.
John Whitney (b. 1589, d. 01 June 1673)
Notes for John Whitney: