Family:Whitney, Silas (1764-1807)

Silas⁶ Whitney (Timothy⁵, Jonas⁴, Moses³, Richard², John¹), son of Timothy⁵ and Alice (Whitney) Whitney,^[1] was born 29 Apr 1764, Petersham, MA,^[2] and died 11 Apr 1807, Stockbridge, MA, aged 44 years.^[3]

He married, 4 Oct 1789, Stockbridge, MA, Mamre Bradley^[4], daughter of Elisha and Mary (Ives) Bradley. She was born 5 Mar 1765, New Haven, CT, and died 20 Apr 1835.

Silas Whitney was a farmer and followed agricultural pursuits all his life. He was honest and much respected and beloved by his fellow citizens in Stockbridge. He resided Stockbridge, MA.

Children of Silas⁶ and Mamre (Bradley) Whitney:

i.	Abigail Tarbox Pepoon7 Whitney, b. ca. 1789, Stockbridge, MA; "Abby T." d. 13 Feb 1870, Stockbridge, MA, aged 79 years 3 months, of an accident;[5] unmarried; insane in 1855, invalid in 1865.
ii.	Harriett Whitney, b. 9 Feb 1793, MA; m. Stockbridge, Elisha Curtis. He was b. 15 Jul 1789; d. 28 Aug 1840; was a merchant. Ch.: William Brown; resided New Rochelle, New York; Silas Whitney, d. -----; Catherine, d. 12 Dec 1828, ae. 9; Mary Mamre, d. 22 Apr 1885, ae. 61; George Elnathan, d. -----; Robert Galpin, d. -----; Henry Elisha.
iii.	George Whitney, b. 6 Jan 1795; m. Pamela Fellowes Fenn.
iv.	William Whitney, b. ca. 1797, Stockbridge, MA; m. Anna Jones.
v.	Cornelia Whitney, b. -----; m. 2 Feb 1825, Stockbridge, MA, Luke Ashburner.[6] He was born in England. They had one son, William, who married Emeline Field, dau. of Stephen, one of the Field families in Stockbridge. He died in California in 1891, s.p. The widow resided at 1014 Pine St., San Francisco, CA. William was appointed by the President of the U.S. in 1864 as a State Commissioner to manage lands.
vi.	Mary Whitney, b. -----; d. unmarried.
vii.	Charlotte Whitney, b. ca. 7 Oct 1804, Stockbridge, MA; d. 4 Dec 1891, Westfield, MA, aged 87 years 2 months 27 days, of marasmus;[7] m. 21 Oct 1841, Stockbridge, MA, (Hon.) James Fowler,[8] of Westfield, MA; his second wife. She d. s. p.

Notes

For a full discussion of his birthdate, see "The Children of Timothy and Alice Whitney: Names and Birthdates, by Willard S. Moore.

Census

• 1790, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA: Silas Whitney, 2 males over 16, 2 males 0-15, and 2 females.
• 1800, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA: Silas Whitney, 1 male 26-44, 2 males 16-25, 2 males 0-9, 1 female 26-44, 2 females 16-25, 1 female 10-15, and 3 females 0-9.
• 1810, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA: Mamre Whitney, 1 male 16-25, 2 males 10-15, 1 female over 45, 2 females 16-25, 1 female 10-15, and 2 females 0-9.
• 1820, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA: Mamre Whitney, 2 males 18-25, 1 female over 45, 1 female 26-44, 3 females 16-25, and 1 female 0-9.
• 1830: not found.
• (poss.) 1840, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA: Mary Whitney, 1 male 5-9, 1 female 50-59, 2 females 30-39, 1 female 20-29, and 2 females 5-9.
• 1850, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA:

170 182 Harriet W. Curtis 57 F - Mass. Abigail T. Whitney 59 F - do Insane Mary M. Curtis 26 F - do William B. Curtis 13 M - do Attended school

• 1850, Mary not found.
• 1855, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA:

173 178 Harriet Curtis 62 F - Mass. Mary M. Curtis 32 F - do William B. Curtis 18 M - Carpenter Ga. Abigail T. Whitney 64 F - Mass. Insane Lucia Y. Foster 45 F - do Johanna Donahue 17 F - Ireland

• 1865 State, Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., MA:

220 237 William Whitney 68 M - Massachusetts M Farmer - - 1 1 - Anna J. Whitney 63 F - " M House Keeper - - - - - Abbey T. Whitney 74 F - " S Invalid - - - - - Mary M. Curtis 41 F - " S Seamstress - - - - - Kate Henzey 18 F - " S Domestic - - - - -

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), p. 170.

1. ^  His parentage is not in question. See note 2 below for an analysis of what is believed to be his birth record.

2. ^  Franklin P. Rice, ed., Vital Records of Petersham, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (Worcester: The Systematic History Fund, 1904) does not include a birth record for a son "Silas Whitney" in this family. Furthermore, his alleged birth date of 29 Apr 1762 given by Pierce conflicts with that of his brother Peter Whitney. On the other hand, there is a record of "Otis [Whitney], s. Timothy and Alice, [born] Apr. 29, 1764," (not 1762) given in that reference (p. 54), of whom nothing further appears. It is a reasonable conclusion that the published vital records have an error, and that this is the birth record of Silas, not Otis.

3.^  Berkshire Reporter, 18 Apr. 1807, p. 3, col. 4.

4.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 229, page 61.

5.^  "Silas [Whitney], and Mamre Bradley, m. 4 Oct 1789," according to LDS International Genealogical Index], batches C502421 and M502422.

6.^  "Cornelia [Whitney], and Luke Ashburner, m. 2 Feb 1825," according to Stockbridge Vital Records.

7.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 418, page 643.

8.^  "Charlotte [Whitney], and James Fowler, m. 21 Oct 1841," according to Stockbridge Vital Records.

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Copyright © 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.