Family:Whitney, Richard (1624-a1691)

Richard² Whitney (John¹), son of John¹ and Elinor (-----) Whitney,^[1] was baptized 6 Jan 1623/24, Isleworth, co. Middlesex, England.^[2] His date and place of death are unknown, but he was still living on 7 Apr 1691, when he was freed from training.^[3]

He married, 19 Jan 1650/1651 at Watertown, MA,^[4] Martha Coldam, daughter of Thomas and Joanna (-----) Coldam.^[5] She was born circa 1630 in England. Her date and place of death are unknown, but she was still living on 10 Mar 1672/3, when she and her unnamed children were mentioned in the will of her brother Thomas Coldam of Lynn.^[6]

He came to New England with his parents and his brothers in the "Elizabeth and Ann," from London, in April 1635. His age was recorded as 9 years, although he was 11.^[7]

He and Martha Coldam lived at Concord, MA.^[8]

He was admitted freeman on 7 May 1651 at Watertown, MA.^[9]

He was mentioned in his father's will on 3 Apr 1673 at Watertown, MA.^[10]

On 26 Jun 1673, he was named co-executor of the will of his brother-in-law Thomas Coldam, Jr., of Lynn.^[11]

He was a proprietor on 3 Jun 1680 at Stow, MA.^[12]

He resided in 1681 at Stow, MA, where he was a proprietor.^[13]

He lived on 28 Aug 1688 at Stow, MA; taxed 4s 10d.^[14]

Richard was also known as Richard Whitney Sr.

Children of Richard² and Martha (Coldham) Whitney, all born in Watertown, MA:

i.	Sarah3 Whitney, b. 17 Mar 1652/53,[15] or Oct 1653;[16] no further record.
ii.	Moses Whitney, b. 1 Aug 1655;[17] m. Sarah Knight.
iii.	Johanah Whitney, b. 16 Jan 1656/57;[18] m. John Cady, Jr.
iv.	Deborah Whitney, b. 12 Oct 1658,[19] no further record.
v.	Rebecca Whitney, b. 15 Dec 1659; d. 10 Feb 1659/60, Watertown, MA,[20] no further record.
vi.	Richard Whitney, b. 13 Jan 1660/61;[21] m. Elizabeth Sawtell.
vii.	Elisha Whitney, b. 26 Aug 1662,[22] no further record.
viii.	Ebenezer Whitney, b. 30 Jun 1672; m. Anna -----.[23]

References

1.^  His parentage is proven by his baptism record and his mention in the will of his father.

2.^  On 6 Jan 1623/4, "John Whitne, & Elinor his wife, had the[re] sone Richard baptized," according to the parish register of All Saints Church, Isleworth, Middlesex, England.

3.^  "Ap. 7, 1691, Richard Whitney, of Stow, "being seventy years of age," was released from training, by the Court," according to Henry Bond, Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Including Waltham and Weston (2nd ed., 1860), p. 643. "Richard [Whitney] was releas[ed] from train[ing] in 1691, 'being 70 yrs. of age,'" according to James Savage, Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (1860-1862), 4 vols., vol. IV, p. 529. Frederick Clifton Pierce, The Descendants of John Whitney, (Chicago, IL: 1895), gives the date as 7 Apr 1697, an apparent error.

4.^  "Richard Whetny & Martha Coldam, m. 19 1m 1650," according to Watertown Records, Comprising the First and Second Book of Town Proceedings, with the Land Grants and Possessions. Also, the Proprietors' Book, and the First Book of and Supplement of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Watertown, MA: Historical Society, 1894), vol. 1, p. 15. See also William Montgomery Clemens, American Marriage Records Before 1699 and Frederick W. Bailey, ed., Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800 (1897-1914), 3 vols.

5.^  James G. Dempsey, "Thomas Coldam of Lynn," NEHGR, vol. CXXV (1971), pp. 24, 25, 28.

6.^  ibid., p. 28. "The will was proven in Salem court 26:4:1673 [i.e. 26 June 1673] with his father and brother-in-law Richard Whitney named as executors (Essex County Probate Records, 2:357-58)."

7.^  "Founders of New England", NEHGR, vol. XIV (1860), pp. 308-309.

8.^  Bond, loc. cit.

9.^  "7 May 1651 - Rich. Whitney - C. R., Vol. IV. p. 33," according to Rev. Lucius R. Paige, "List of Freemen," NEHGR, vol. III (1849), p. 192.

10.^  Middlesex County, MA, probate file #24,680.

11.^  Dempsey, loc. cit.

12.^  Pierce, loc. cit..

13.^  Bond, loc. cit.

14.^  Walter Lloyd Jeffries, "Taxes Under Gov. Andros", NEGHR, vol. XXXII (1878), p. 81.

15.^  Bond, loc. cit., gives this date, and Pierce, loc. cit. follows him. It does not appear in the Watertown vital records, or any other known primary source.

16.^  "Sary Whetney, d. Richard & Marrthy Whetny, b. -- 8mo 1653," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 17.

17.^  "Moyses Whetny, s. Richard & Marrtha Whetny, b. 1 6mo 1655," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 17.

18.^  "Johanah Whetny, d. Richard & Marrthy Whetny, b. 16 11mo 1656," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 18.

19.^  "Deborah Whetny, d. Richard & Martha Whetny, b. 12 Oct 1658," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 20.

20.^  "Rebeckah Whetny, d. Richard & Martha Whettny, b. 15 Dec & d. 10 Feb 1659," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 22.

21.^  "Richard Whetny, s. Richard & Marrtha, b. 13 Jan 1660," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 22.

22.^  "Elisha Whetny, s. Richard & Martha Whetny, b. 26 Aug 1662," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 24.

23.^  "Ebeneazar Whetny, s. Richard & Martha Whetny, b. 30 Jun 1672," according to Watertown Records, vol. 1, p. 35.

Links

• Richard Whitney in Robert Ward's 6 Generation Study
• Richard Whitney in Allan Green's database
• Richard Whitney in Jon Aston's database
• Richard Whitney in Jean Muses's database

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Copyright © 2006, Tim Doyle, Robert L. Ward, and the Whitney Research Group