Family:Whitney, James (c1791-a1850)

James Whitney, parentage unknown but perhaps son of James and Lidia (Spaulding) Whitney, was born circa 1791, MA, and died between 1850 and 1860, IL.

He married Hannah Bruce, daughter of Benjamin and Philadelphia (Wheeler) Bruce. She was born circa 1795, and died 1840, Jay, Essex Co., NY.

There is a record of a grave for Hannah wife of James Whitney located right next to the graves of Benjamin and Philadelphia Bruce in the Jay Cemetery in New York.

Also on the 1840 census page in the next household listed as head is their son (John) Franklin Whitney with his family. In the household after that is Jacob Nokes, John Franklin Whitney's father in law.

On John Franklin Whitney's death entry in Crow Wing County, Minnesota his parents are listed as James & H Whitney.

Children of James and Hannah (Bruce) Whitney, probably incomplete:

i.	John Franklin Whitney, b. ca. 1815, VT; m. Sarah Nokes.
ii.	Joseph B. Whitney, b. ca. 1817, NY; m. Nancy Bruce, daughter Joseph and Nancy (Trow) Bruce. a. Lucy Maria Whitney, b. 12 Feb 1843, IL; d. 1919; m. 25 Dec 1865, Sangamon Co., IL, John William Duryea.
iii.	(said) Jacob Whitney, b. ca. 1818, NY; m. Betsey Whitney. Betsey Whitney is unidentified. No identifiable record of Jacob or Betsey has been found in the censuses, although there were several of the name. He may be the father of Solomon, b. ca. 1842, NY, who was living with James in 1850, and in Sangamon Co., IL, in 1860, but not found in 1870 or 1880.
iv.	William T. Whitney, b. 23 Jun 1820, NY; d. 18 Jan 1887, Chatham, IL; m. before 1843, Laura Eliza Williams, daughter of William A. and Laura (-----) Williams, b. 7 Apr 1823, VT, d. 11 May 1900, Chatham, IL. a. Frances A. Whitney, b. ca. 1843, NY; m. 4 Mar 1861, Sangamon Co., IL, Sheridan S. Sabine. b. Hannah Elizabeth Whitney, b. ca. 1851, NY; m. 29 Sep 1870, Sangamon Co., IL, Benjamin F. Hutton, Jr. c. Henry Martyn Whitney, b. 15 Jan 1855, NY; d. 23 Feb 1913, Denver, CO; m. Mary Jane Smith. d. William H. Whitney, b. ca. 1859, IL.
v.	(said) Martin Whitney, b. 1820, NY. No identifiable record of him found in the censuses, although there were several of the name. Possibly this is an error for his nephew, Henry Martyn Whitney.
vi.	Barney Cook Whitney, b. ca. 1824, NY; d. 2 Dec 1892, Athens, IL; m. 23 Dec 1848, Menard Co., IL, Mary N. Francis, daughter of Calvin and Abigail (Deming) Francis, b. 21 Jan 1828, Buffalo, NY. a. Charles Francis Whitney, b. 29 Apr 1857, IL; m. 15 Jul 1880, Menard Co., IL, Anna Eliza Hall. b. John Calvin Whitney, b. 8 May 1860, IL; m. 27 Nov 1887, Menard Co., IL, Rose Clinton. c. Grace May Whitney, b. 24 Feb 1865, Athens, IL; m. 8 May 1883, Menard Co., IL, Thomas Edward Cantrall.
vii.	Seldon Cook Whitney, b. 1 Apr 1826, NY; d. 1881, Ottawa Co., KS; m. 18 Aug 1852, Springfield, IL, Isabel Wolgamot. a. M. B. Whitney, b. ca. 1854, IL. b. Barbara H. Whitney, b. ca. 1858, IL; m. ----- Menezes. c. David S. Whitney, b. ca. 1860, IL. d. Betsy Whitney, b. ca. 1862, IL. e. Catharine Whitney, b. ca. 1864, IL. f. Mary Whitney, b. ca. 1868, IL.
viii.	Hannah Whitney, b. ca. 1831, NY; m. 2 Nov 1850, Sangamon Co., IL, Andrew J. Lloyd. She did not marry ----- Graham, that was her niece Hannah.
ix.	(said) Abigail Whitney, b. -----. No record found.
x.	Phila Jane Whitney, b. ca. 1836, IL. She did NOT marry Levi R. Whitney. No record found after 1850.
xi.	Mary Whitney, b. ca. 1838, NY (but IL in 1850 census). She may be the Mary Whitney who m. 4 Feb 1854, Sangamon Co., IL, Nathan R. Van Camp.

Notes

Based on his age and reported birth in Massachusetts, it is possible that he may be the same as James⁷ Whitney, son of James⁶ and Lydia (Spalding) Whitney, born 4 Jun 1792, Dunstable, MA, of whom we know nothing further. Proof of this identification is needed.

The following information taken from [1]:

James WHITNEY Hannah BRUCE Husband: James WHITNEY Birth: 1790/1, MA Death apparently: 1850-60, Brown Co., IL Occupation: farmer Marriage: Wife: Hannah BRUCE Birth: ca. 1794/5, Bolton, Worcester Co., MA Death apparently: 1840-50, Jay, Essex Co., NY Father: Benjamin BRUCE Mother: Philadelphia WHEELER — descendant of Resolved WHITE, Mayflower passenger Children: 1. (Daughter A) WHITNEY, b. 1810-15 2. (Son A) WHITNEY, b. 1810-20 3. John Franklin WHITNEY, b. 1814/5, VT; m. Sarah NOKES (b. 1815/6, VT), d/o Jacob NOKES (1778-1844) & Mary FULLER (c1784-1857) 4. Jacob WHITNEY, b. 1818; not found in 1850 5. William T. WHITNEY, b. 23 Jun 1820, NY; 1850 census in Jay, Essex Co., NY 6. (Son B) WHITNEY, b. 1820-25 7. (Son C) WHITNEY, b. 1820-25 8. (Son D) WHITNEY, b. 1825-30 9. (Daughter B) WHITNEY, b. 1825-30 10. (Daughter C) WHITNEY, b. 1830-35 11. (Daughter D) WHITNEY, b. 1835-40 12. (Daughter E) WHITNEY, b. 1835-40 Known to have had these children: William, Barney, John Franklin, Sheldon, Joseph, Hannah (m. GRAHAM), and Abigail. Sources: 1. LDS. Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service: IGI - International Genealogical Index (online at FamilySearch.org). William T. WHITNEY Birth: 23 Jun 1820, New York Father: James WHITNEY; Mother: Hannah BRUCE Source: patron submission 2. 1810 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): not found, as expected. (There is only one James WHITNEY in VT, and he is too old to be our subject.) 3. 1820 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #1 of 4 — indexed and grouped as being in Keene, but actually in Jay; list was roughly alphabetized; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen): 1820 NY Essex Co. Jay Roll M33_69 p. 426 Ln. 6 Whitney James 400010-10100-0-100 These data indicate: No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred 4 males 9 or under 1810-1820 = William (b. 1820) = Jacob (b. 1818) = John (b. 1814/5) = Son A 1 male 26-44 1775-1794 = James (b. 1790/1) 1 female 9 or under 1810-1820 = Daughter A 1 female 16-25 1794-1804 = Hannah (b. ca. 1794/5) 1 person engaged in agriculture 4. 1830 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #19 of 20; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen): 1830 NY Essex Co. Jay Roll 114 p. 298 Ln. 5 James Whitney 132 001 - 100 101 These data indicate: No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred 1 male 4 or under 1825-1830 = Son D 3 males 5-9 1820-1825 = Son C = Son B = William (b. 1820) 2 males 10-14 1815-1820 = Jacob (b. 1818) = John (b. 1814/5) 1 male 30-39 1790-1800 = James (b. 1790/1) 1 female 4 or under 1825-1830 = Daughter B 1 female 15-19 1810-1815 = Daughter A 1 female 30-39 1790-1800 = Hannah (b. ca. 1794/5) Listed seven lines above Jonah BRUCE (æ 70-80). 5. 1840 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #15-16 of 26; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen): 1840 NY Essex Co. Jay Roll 282 pp. 55B-56A Ln. 24 James Whitney 001 220 100 - 211 010 100 0600000 These data indicate: No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred 1 male 10-14 1825-1830 = Son D 2 males 15-19 1820-1825 = Son C = Son B 2 males 20-29 1810-1820 = William (b. 1820) = Jacob (b. 1818) 1 male 40-49 1790-1800 = James (b. 1790/1) 2 females 4 or under 1835-1840 = Daughter E = Daughter D 1 female 5-9 1830-1835 = Daughter C 1 female 10-14 1825-1830 = Daughter B 1 female 20-29 1810-1820 = Daughter A 1 female 40-49 1790-1800 = Hannah (b. ca. 1794/5) 6 persons employed in agriculture Listed one line above Franklin WHITNEY (æ 20-30), who is one line above Sarah (NOKES) WHITNEY's father, Jacob NOKES (æ 50-60). 6a. 1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #9 of 16): T1S.R4W, Brown Co., IL, Roll M432_98, p. 159A, 977/982, enumerated 27 Sep 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen): James Whitney 59 M Farmer Mass Solomon 8 M NY Aaron Inman 13 M Ohio Hannah was to old to have been Solomon's mother, unless we're wrong about her age (in which case, she's too young to be the mother of the eldest children). Listed next to our subject's son, John F. WHITNEY (æ 35, b. VT), his wife, Sarah [nee NOKES] (æ 34, b. VT), and their four children. 6b. 1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): William WHITNEY (æ 30, b. NY) and his family are living in Jay, Essex Co., NY (p. 213A), listed next to Nymphus BRUCE, who is William's first cousin (son of Hannah's brother, Jonah); William's is the only WHITNEY family in Jay. 7. 1860 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): not found. 8. Messages posted to the Whitney Family Genealogy Forum (online at GenForum.com). 9. Archives of the WHITNEY-L mailing list (online at RootsWeb.com). 10. WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com). 11. Email from Bertha Emmett, who supplied (among other things) this list of chldren: William, Barney, John Franklin, Sheldon, Joseph, Hannah (m. GRAHAM), and Abigail.

Census

• 1820, Jay, Essex Co., NY: James Whitney, 4 males under 10, 1 male 26-45, 1 female under 10, 1 female 16-26, and 1 person in agriculture.
• 1830, Jay, Essex Co., NY: James Whitney, 1 male under 5, 3 males 5-10, 2 males 10-15, 1 male 30-40, 1 female under 5, 1 female 15-20, and 1 female 30-40.
• 1840, Jay, Essex Co., NY: James Whitney, 1 male 10-15, 2 males 15-20, 2 males 20-30, 1 male 40-50, 2 females under 5, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 20-30, and 1 female 40-50.
• 1850, Township 1SR4W, Brown Co., IL:

977 982 James Whitney 59 M - Farmer Mass. Solomon " 8 M - N.Y. Attended school Aaron Inman 13 M - Ohio

• 1850, Jay, Essex Co., NY:

3027 3101 William Whitney 30 M - Carpt. [N.Y.] Eliza 37 F - [N.Y.] Thomas 7 F - [N.Y.] Attended school Sylvenus Minor 30 M - Farmer [N.Y.] Eliza 30 F - [N.Y.] Adaline 18 F - [N.Y.] Sylvenus 13 M - [N.Y.] Minos Blanchard 79 M - " N.H. Hannah 44 F - [N.H.]

This was his son William. "Thomas" here is an error for "Frances".

• 1850, no township listed, Sangamon Co., IL:

1982 1982 Joseph Whitney 33 M - Farmer New York Nancy Whitney 27 M - " Lucy Whitney 7 F - Illinois Selden Whitney 24 M - Labourer New York Hanna Loid 19 F - Illinois Philia Whitney 14 F - " Attended school Mary Whitney 12 F - " Attended school

These were his children Joseph, Selden, Hannah, Phila, and Mary.

• 1850, no township listed, Menard Co., IL:

172 180 B. C. Whitney 26 M - Tailor $500 N.Y. M. N. " 22 F - " Calvin Francis 48 M - Carpenter $500 Conn. A. D. " 48 F - "

• 1850, sons Jacob and Martin not found.
• 1855, Illinois State Census, Mechanicsburg, Sangamon Co.: Joseph Whitney, 1 male 40-49, 1 female 30-39, and 1 female 10-19. This was his son Joseph.
• 1855, Illinois State Census, Mechanicsburg, Sangamon Co.: Barney Whitney, 1 male 30-39, 1 female 20-29, and 1 female 0-9. This was his son Barney.
• 1860, Subdivision 17, Sangamon Co., IL:

46 44 William T. Whitney 40 M - Carpenter 1400 500 New York Laura E. " 36 F - Vermont Frances A. " 17 " - New York Attended school Hannah E. " 9 " - " Henry M. " 5 M - " William H. " 1 " - Illinois S. S. Sabine 21 " - Carpenter 75 New York

This was his son William.

• 1860, Subdivision 16, Sangamon Co., IL:

503 493 James Hadley 53 M - Farmer 13000 Va. Eliza " 48 F - Ky. John " 25 M - Farmer 500 Ind. Matild " 22 F - " Sarah J. " 15 F - " Attended school Columbus " 12 M - Ills. Attended school Edwin " 9 M - Ills. Attended school Soloman Whitney 18 M - F. Laborer N.Y. Aron Smith 35 M - " England

This was his putative grandson Solomon, living in the family of James and Eliza Jane (Yales) Hadley, who were probably no relation.

• 1860, Subdivision 17, Sangamon Co., IL:

2565 2437 S. C. Whitney 34 M - Farmer 1700 410 N.Y. J. " 35 F - Penn. M. B. " 6 " - Ill. Attended school B. H. " 2 M - " J. Chandler 69 " - Va.

This was his son Selden.

• 1860, Chatham, Sangamon Co., IL:

364 350 J. B. Whitney 42 M - 4000 300 Vt. A. B. " 36 F - N.Y. L. M. " 17 " - T. C. S. Ill. E. L. " 2 " - " C. W. " 6/12 M - " O. E. " 8 F - " Attended school

This was his son Joseph.

• 1860, Chatham, Sangamon Co., IL:

361 347 B. C. Whitney 35 M - Tailor 1500 150 N.Y. M. F. " 31 F - " C. " 3 M - Ill. J. C. " 3/12 " - " A. Frances 58 F - Conn.

This was his son Barney.

• 1860, sons Jacob and Martin not found.
• 1870, Chatham, Sangamon Co., IL:

189 179 Whitney, William T. 50 M W Carpenter $2500 $600 New York Male citizen over 21 -----, Laura E. 47 F " K. House Vermont -----, Libbie 19 F " School Teacher New York -----, Henry M. 15 M " F. Laborer " Attended school -----, Wm. H. 11 M " Illinois Attended school

This was his son William.

• 1870, Marshalltown Ward 3, Marshall Co., IA, p. 3/470:

28 29 Buzzell, Fred 33 M W Butcher $500 Vermont Male citizen over 21 -----, Harriett 30 F W Keeping house " Moody, George 27 M W Butcher $1200 -- " Male citizen over 21 Whitney, Joseph 53 M W Peddler $300 " Male citizen over 21 -----, Nancy 46 F W Keeping House New York -----, Ella P. 12 F W At Home Illinois Attended school -----, Chester 10 M W " " Attended school

This was his son Joseph.

• 1870, Chatham, Sangamon Co., IL:

171 163 Withney, Seldon 44 M W Waggon Maker $2000 $1000 New York Male citizen over 21 -----, Isabelle 45 F " K. House Pennsylvania -----, Barbara H. 12 F " Illinois Attended school -----, David 10 M " " Attended school -----, Betsy 8 F " " Attended school -----, Catharine 6 F " " Attended school -----, Mary 2 F " "

This was his son Selden.

• 1870, Chatham, Sangamon Co., IL:

162 154 Whitney, Barney C. 46 M W Farmer $3000 $1000 New York Male citizen over 21 -----, Mary F. 41 F " K. House " -----, Charles F. 13 M " Illinois Attended school -----, John C. 10 M " " Attended school -----, Grace M. 5 F " "

This was his son Barney.

• 1870, sons Jacob and Martin not found.
• 1880, Chatham, Sangamon Co., IL:

William F. WHITNEY 60 Self M M W NY Carpenter VT VT Laura E. WHITNEY 57 Wife F M W VT Housekeeper VT VT Willie H. WHITNEY 21 Son M S W IL Laborer NY VT Francis A. SOBINE 37 Dau F W W NY Post Mistress NY VT Ida E. SOBINE 12 Dau F S W IL At Home NY NY Fred W. SOBINE 6 Son M S W IL At Home NY NY Clarence S. SOBINE 4 Son M S W IL At Home NY NY Laura WILLIAMS 85 GMot F W W VT VT VT

This was his son William.

• 1880, Centropolis, Franklin Co., KS:

Selden C. WHITNEY 54 Self M M W NY Farmer MA VT Isabel WHITNEY 55 Wife F M W PA Keeping House PA PA David S. WHITNEY 19 Son M S W IL Works On Farm NY PA Betty WHITNEY 18 Dau F S W IL At Dress Maker NY PA Katy WHITNEY 16 Dau F S W IL At Home NY PA May WHITNEY 12 Dau F S W IL At Home NY PA Barbara H. MENEZES 22 Dau F M W IL Dressmaker NY PA

This was his son Selden.

• 1880, Corwin, Logan Co., IL:

Barney WHITNEY 56 Self M M W NY Farmer NY NY Mary F. WHITNEY 52 Wife F M W NY Keeping House CT CT Charles F. WHITNEY 23 Son M S W IL Teaching School NY NY John C. WHITNEY 20 Son M S W IL Farmer NY NY Grace M. WHITNEY 15 Dau F S W IL At School NY NY

This was his son Barney.

• 1880, sons Joseph, Jacob, and Martin not found.
• 1900, Hamlin City, Brown Co., KS: Seldon Whitney
• 1910, Rison, Cleveland Co., AR: Seldon Whitney

References

• Census, death entry, online grave listing

• Pedigree Resource File at FamilySearch.org

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Copyright © 2008, 2010, Kristy Fitterer, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.