Mailing List:2006-03-19 03, Re: Re: Nathan Whitney, War of 1812, by Carolyn Whitney Branagan
Mailing List Archives > 2006-03-19 03, Re: Re: Nathan Whitney, War of 1812, by Carolyn Whitney Branagan
From: "Christopher Branagan" <cbranagan -at- adelphia.net> Subject: Re: [WHITNEY-L] Re: Nathan Whitney, War of 1812 Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 16:32:50 -0500 References: <001601c64af2$98457e30$52012c42@Whitneycomp> <00f201c64b0a$fc5346b0$2602a8c0@DJ9XS171> Fascinating story! Thanks, Greg, for sharing this with all of us. Best wishes, from Carolyn Whitney Branagan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Nickels" <gjnickels -at- comcast.net> To: <WHITNEY-L -at- rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 11:09 PM Subject: [WHITNEY-L] Re: Nathan Whitney, War of 1812 > Thank you for the 1812 pension file information, Ken! > > Col. Nathan Whitney (Nathan/Olive, Jonathan/Jesse, Jonathan, Jonathan, > Benjamin, John) was my great - great grandfather. His parents, Nathan and > Olive, were both Whitney's (and cousins) and resided in Conway, > Massachusetts until shortly after his birth, when they moved to Seneca > Castle, New York. Nathan's parent's Whitney stock was strong. Col. Nathan > lived to 100 and his brothers Luther 95 years, Theodore 7 years (killed > by a falling tree), Otis 98 years, Cheeney 90 years and Jonathan 76 > years. Poor Theodore! That tree cost him 80 - 90 years! Talk about being > in the wrong place ... > > According to Pierce: Col. Nathan opened a farm near Albion, New York, and > another at Elba, New York. He visited Lee County, Illinois, in 1835, 1836 > and 1837, his family following in 1838. He was one of the commissioners to > organize the county of Lee, and held the office of county commissioner. > His nursery was the first north of the Illinois river. From De Witt > Clinton, Governor of New York, he received three military commissions, > those of captain, lieutenant-colonel and colonel. At the time of his death > he was the oldest Mason in the "Northwest". During the Morgan excitement > he was among the "faithless faithful found." Colonel Nathan WHITNEY was > tendered a reception in January 22, 1891, by his Masonic bothers at his > home in Franklin Grove, it being the one hundredth anniversary of his > birth, and prominent Masons from Chicago, Dixon, Ashton, Creston, Amboy, > De Kalb and Sterling were present. A.B. Fich, in behalf of Nathan Whitey > Chapter, No. 129, Royal Arch Masons, named in h! > onor of Father Whitney, presented him with a solid silver platter suitably > inscribed. Letters and telegrams of congratulation poured in upon Father > WHITNEY all day. Over two hundred guests and four generations sat down to > a bounteous repast. He served in the war of 1812 and was mentioned for > brave service in the battle at Fort Erie. He was one of the oldest Masons > in the state at the time of his death, having received his first degree in > 1817. He died June 11, 1891; a resident of Albion, New York, and Franklin > Grove, Illinois. > > According to the Lee County Historical Society: Whitney brought with him > many seeds of fruit trees for planting. By 1843 he had a large orchard and > in 1847 began selling fine apples and other fruit. He also perfected new > varieties by grafting and he had developed numerous types of apples. One > that was well known was the "Whitney #20 Crabapple." He shipped fruit and > nursery stock all over the country and helped to establish other orchards. > > The March 7, 1891 Scientific American noted his one hundredth birthday. > His home and orchard in Franklin Grove (1620 Whitney Road) is on the > National Register of Historic Places and has been recently restored. > > Best wishes -- > Greg Nickels > Seattle, Washington > www.seattle.gov/mayor > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Ken and Carol Whitney > To: Whitney Research Group > Cc: Greg Nickels > Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 5:15 PM > Subject: Nathan Whitney, War of 1812 > > > WRG and Greg Nickels, > > Two days ago I PHOTOCOPIED pages from the War of 1812 pension file of > Nathan Whitney of New York and Illinois. He is an ancestor of Greg Nickels > of the WRG. I do not know his ancestry line, but perhaps Greg will fill us > in. Below you will find my extract of information from the file. Greg, if > you give me your address, I will mail you the photocopies. Enjoy! > > From the War of 1812 Pension File of Nathan Whitney > > Corporal, Captain A. Haskell's Co., NY Militia > > S.O. 33633 > > S.C. 23932 > > National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. > > > > Nathan Whitney filed a claim for a service pension from the War of 1812 > from Lee County, Illinois on 12 July 1878. Nathan testifies that he is > eighty-seven years old and a resident of Franklin Grove, Lee County, > Illinois. He testifies he was a non-commissioned officer in Captain Aritus > Haskell's Company, Colonel Crosby's Regiment of Western New York Militia, > organized under the state laws of New York. The regiment was called out > enmass for service at the taking of the batteries at Fort Erie in the War > of 1812. Nathan volunteered at Buffalo, New York to go to Fort Erie five > days before the battle in 1814 for the relief of the fort. He continued in > actual service for a term of "nearly one month, only lacking a few days". > His company was disbanded at Eleven Mile Creek a few days after the > battle, and he returned to the regular militia. > > > > Nathan further testifies that after his discharge, he resided as follows: > 1814 to 1827 near Albion, NY; 1827 to 1831 in the Town of (Elby?), NY; > 1831 to 1836 in Unionville, Ohio; 1836 to 1878 at Franklin Grove, > Illinois. > > > > Nathan testifies that at the time of his enlistment, he describes himself > as 23 years old; 5 feet, 8 ½ inches tall; black hair; dark gray eyes. He > also declares that subsequent to his service he received a bounty land > warrant No. 4832 in 1855. Patent date was March 10, 1859, Book 59432, No. > of Receipt 10567. > > > > Nathan's pension was $8.00 monthly, and was paid to March 4, 1891. It was > dropped by the U.S. Pension agency at Chicago, Illinois on Sept. 23, 1893, > due to his death. (Date of death is not mentioned in the file.) > > > > Ken Whitney > > Silver Spring, MD > > >
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