Family:Whitney, Israel Goodwin (1831-1901)

Israel Goodwin⁷ Whitney (Israel⁶, Elisha⁵, Daniel⁴, Benjamin³, John², John¹), son of Israel⁶ and Mary Hopkins (Flagg) Whitney, was born 30 Jan 1831,^[1] Beverly, MA, and died 27 Jan 1901, Boston, MA, aged 69 years 11 months 28 days, of grippe.^[2]

He married, 17 Jul 1861, Boston, MA, Christiana K. S. Sargent,^[3] daughter of Henry Jackson and Margaret (Williams) Sargent. She was born 8 Feb 1837,^[4] Boston, MA, and died 25 Aug 1906, Nahant, MA, aged 69 years, of idiopathic epilepsy.^[5]

Israel Goodwin Whitney was born in Beverly and received his preparatory education at the Boston Latin School in 1847. All his class entered Harvard, but his father could not afford to send him there unless he could earn his own living in one of the professions after graduating. He knew enough at 16 to be aware that he was no student, but he wanted to go on a sea voyage and loved the idea of becoming an East India merchant. So he was placed in the commercial counting-room of Mr. William Perkins, and in four years was sent to Calcutta in the ship "Walpole" as supercargo. From that time, 1851, he made three voyages to India, and in 1853 established the house of "Whitneys" in Calcutta, then styled Whitney & Young, and in 1860 Whitney Broothers & Company, under which title it still exists with his two brothers in control, and of which his cousin, W. M., and himself are the home partners. The business has almost vanished, however, and it has proved a good workshop for his father's seven sons, all of them having shared in the work over a period of more than 40 years. He has often thought that had the plan been carried out of giving him a collegiate education in 1846-7 it would have seriously altered the fate of this Whitney family of seven sons, as they all followed his footsteps and all made moderate fortunes. To the conservative element planted in his father's male issue their India house is the only American foreign firm eastward of the Cape of Good Hope which has not at some time in the past forty years failed. This is a fact, and includes China, Manila and Singapore, as well as India, and is considerable to say and Mr. Whitney can take pride in the thought that he was the pioneer of the house. In 1864 he returned to Boston and established an agency in that city. His domestic life has been particularly happy. He resided Boston, MA; address 44 Kilbey St.

Children of Israel Goodwin⁷ and Christiana K. (Sargent) Whitney:

i.	Mary B.8 Whitney, b. 3 May 1862, Calcutta, India; m. 10 May 1886, Dedham, MA, Henry S. Hunnewell, b. ca. 1854, Boston, MA, son of H. Hollis and Isabella P. (Wells) Hunnewell;[6] resided Boston, MA. Ch.: Christine, b. 3 May 1887; Henry, b. 5 Mar 1890; d. Mar 1890; Gertrude, b. 24 Apr 1891.
ii.	Henry Sargent Whitney, b. 20 Jun 1864, Boston, MA;[7] d. Sep 1867.
iii.	Christiana Sargent Whitney, b. 6 May 1866, Boston, MA.[8]
iv.	Margaret S. Whitney, b. 11 Aug 1868.
v.	Israel G. Whitney, b. 16 Mar 1871, West Roxbury, MA; d. 3 Aug 1877, Beverly, MA, aged 6 years 4 months 15 days, of diphtheria.[9]
vi.	John Farley Whitney, b. 3 Apr 1875, Boston, MA.[10]
vii.	Nelson Whitney, b. 30 Jul 1878, Boston, MA.[11]

Census

• 1860: not found. Probably in India.
• 1870, West Roxbury, Norfolk Co., MA:

1319 1542 Whitney, Israel G. 39 M W Merchant $15000 $10000 Massachusetts Male citizen over 21 -----, Christianne S. 33 F W Keeping House Massachusetts -----, Mary B. 8 F W Attends School Calcutter (Ind) Attended school -----, Christianna S. 4 F W At Home Massachusetts -----, Margaret S. 2 F W At Home Massachusetts O'Gorman, Jane A. 20 F W Domestic Servant Ireland Parents foreign born King, Anna 50 F W Domestic Servant Ireland Parents foreign born Doonan, Bridget 35 F W Domestic Servant Ireland Parents foreign born Boyd, Margaret 30 F W Domestic Servant Ireland Parents foreign born

• 1880: not found. Possibly in India.

References

• All data imported from Frederick Clifton Pierce, The Descendants of John Whitney, Who Came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, (Chicago: 1895), pp. 293-294.

1.^  "Israel Goodwin [Whitney], [born] Jan. 30, 1831. G.R.3," according to Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Boston, MA: 1914-1915).

2.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 519, page 60.

3.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 8, page 399 (amended).

4.^  The birth date was 3 Feb 1837 according to Pierce, loc cit., but "Christiana K. S. [Whitney], [born] Feb. 8, 1837. G.R.3," according to Cambridge Vital Records.

5.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 64, page 473.

6.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 371, page 305.

7.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 170, page 83.

8.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 188, page 15.

9.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 292, page 158.

10.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 270, page 136.

11.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 297, page 204.

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Copyright © 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, Robet L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.