Family:Whitney, James (1745-1830)

Captain James Whitney, parentage unknown, perhaps brother of Joseph,^[1] was born 19 Oct 1745,^[2] and died 17 Oct 1830, probably Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island. He was buried in the Aborn-Whitney Lot, Warwick.

He married 13 May 1770, Henrietta Aborn, daughter of Colonel Samuel & Mary (Burrows) Aborn.^[3] She was born about 1753, and died 11 Aug 1803.

He is listed in the 1774 Census of Warwick, RI, with 1 male 16+, 2 males 0-15, 1 female 16+, 1 female 0-15, no Indians, no blacks;^[4] and again in 1782.^[5]

Children of James Whitney:

i.	Mary Whitney, b. 1770, probably Warwick, RI; d. 29 Nov 1819. She apparently m. 12 Apr 1810, Providence, RI, James Aborn.[6]
ii.	Joseph Whitney, b. 13 Dec 1772, probably Warwick, RI; m. Frances Davenport.
iii.	Marcy Whitney, b. 1775, probably Warwick, RI; "Mercy" d. 8 Mar 1833, Warwick, RI, "Last descendant of James and Henrietta (Aborn) Whitney"; "Mercy" m. [bef. 19] Oct 1793, Pawtuxet, RI, Capt. Christopher Thornton, b. 8 June 1758, Pawtuxet, R.I., d. 6 May 1823, Pawtuxet, RI, son of Solomon and Waite (Aborn) Thornton.[7] No children in 1800, 1810, or 1820 censuses.
iv.	Samuel Whitney, b. 1777, probably Warwick, RI; d. 1778.
v.	John Aborn Whitney, b. 15 Sep 17??, probably Warwick, RI; d. 7 Sep 1803, lost at sea.
vi.	Samuel Aborn Whitney, b. 1779, probably Warwick, RI; d. 1794.
vii.	Henry Whitney, b. 7 Jul 1781, probably Warwick, RI; d. 1803, lost at sea.
viii.	Sally Whitney, b. 1783, probably Warwick, RI; d. 3 Dec 1823; m. 20 Oct 1822, Providence, RI, James Aborn.[8]
ix.	James Whitney, b. 13 Aug 1785, probably Warwick, RI; d. 1804.
x.	Thomas Whitney, b. 9 Dec 1788, probably Warwick, RI; believed lost at sea Sep 1804 in the Brig "Rising Sun".

Census

• 1790, Warwick, Kent Co., RI: James Whitney, 2 males over 16, 5 males 0-15, and 4 females.
• 1800, Warwick, Kent Co., RI: James Whitney, 1 male over 45, 2 males 16-25, 2 males 10-15, 1 female over 45, and 1 female 16-25.
• 1810, Warwick, Kent Co., RI: James Whitney, 1 female over 45. No males are enumerated in the household.
• 1820, Warwick, Kent Co., RI: James Whitney, 1 male over 45.
• 1830, Warwick, Kent Co., RI: James Whitner, 1 male 80-89 and 1 female 40-49.

Additional Information

The Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Transcription Project Index

WK002 ABORN-WHITNEY LOT WARWICK [REMOVED TO HIGHLAND/PAWTUXET CEMETERY WK005] WHITNEY JAMES 1746c - 17 OCT 1830 WK002 WHITNEY HENRIETTA (ABORN) 1753c - 11 AUG 1803 WK002 WHITNEY JOSEPH 1774c - 2 MAR 1816 WK002 WHITNEY SAMUEL 1777c - 7 NOV 1778 WK002 WHITNEY JOHN ABORN 1780c - 1803 WK002 WHITNEY HENRY 1782c - 1803 WK002 WHITNEY JAMES, JR 1783c - 30 MAY 1801 WK002 WHITNEY SAMUEL 1787c - 7 SEP 1791 WK002 WHITNEY THOMAS 1789c - 1806 WK002

From the LDS IGI:

James Whitney, b. s1749, perhaps Pawtuxet, Providence, Rhode Island Married Henrietta Aborn, 13 MAY 1770, probably Rhode Island Children

1. Mary Whitney, b. 1770, Rhode Island, d. 29 NOV 1819
2. Joseph Whitney, b. 13 DEC 1772, Rhode Island, d. 2 MAR 1816
3. Marcy Whitney, b. 1775, Rhode Island, d. 1816
4. Samuel Whitney, b. 1777, Rhode Island, d. 1778
5. John Aborn Whitney, b. s1779, Rhode Island, d. 7 SEP 1803
6. Samuel Aborn Whitney, b. 1779, Rhode Island, d. 1794
7. Henry Whitney, b. 7 JUL 1781, Rhode Island, d. 1803
8. Sally Whitney, b. 1783, Rhode Island, d. 3 DEC 1823
9. James Whitney, b. 13 AUG 1785, Rhode Island, d. 1804
10. Thomas Whitney, b. 9 DEC 1788, Rhode Island, d. SEP 1804

Burrows, R. Earl, Robert Burrows & His Descendants 1630 - 1974 Vol. 1 & 2 (Cleveland, OH: 1975) Vol. 1, p. 36-7 Whitney, Capt. James m. 13 May 1770, Henrietta Aborn, b. 26 July 1753, dtr Col. Samuel & Mary (Burrows) Aborn. She d. 11 Aug. 1803 Had:

1. Mary Whitney, b. 1770; d. "11-29-1819"
2. Joseph Whitney, b. "12-13-1772"; d. "3-2-1816"
3. Marcy Whitney, b. 1775; d. 1816
4. Samuel Whitney, b. 1777; d. 1778
5. John Aborn Whitney, b. "9-15-?"; d. "9-7-1803"; lost at sea
6. Samuel Aborn Whitney, b. 1779; d. 1794
7. Henry Whitney, b. "7-7-1781"; d. 1803; lost at sea
8. Sally Whitney, b. 1783; d. "12-3-1823"
9. James Whitney Jr, b. "8-13-1785"; d. 1804
10. Thomas Whitney, b. "12-9-1788"; believed lost at sea Sept. 1804 in the Brig "Rising Sun"

Possible Brother Joseph

Mary Waterman was born on 18 Mar 1752. She married Joseph Whitney on 2 Aug 1770; 1st husband. She died on 19 Apr 1846 at age 94.

From: Revolutionary Pension File Abstracts

Joseph, RI Line & RI Sea service, Mary Hoppin former mid, W21355, sol m Mary daughter of Christopher Waterman on 2 Aug 1770 at Providence RI & which time she was of Cranston RI & sol was of Pawtuxet RI where he was living when he enl & he was lost at sea on 17 Nov 1780 while roundeing Cape May & his wid m next to Benjamin Hoppin of Providence RI on 27 May 1795 at which time she was of Warwick in Kent Co RI & he d 30 Nov 1809, wid appl 26 May 1837 at Providence RI aged 85, wid d 19 Apr 1846 at Providence RI leaving children; Hercules Whitney, Elizabeth the wid of Royal Farnum & Phebe the wife of David Warren of Westborough MA (the father of the 2 daughters was not stated)

Richard Waterman Family Papers

Among the papers of Phebe Waterman (1757-1847) are letters from a niece, “M. P. Whitney.” M. P. Whitney was at first thought to be Mary Whitney, the daughter of Phebe’s sister Mary and her husband, Capt. Joseph Whitney. However, one letter is dated in 1829, and Mary Whitney, according to Jacobus and Waterman’s genealogy, died in 1814. It is possible that M. P. Whitney was actually a great-niece of Phebe Waterman, the daughter of Phebe’s nephew Hercules Whitney and his wife, Martha P. (Dyer) Waterman. However, no record has been found for the children of Hercules and Martha.

Perhaps related: Archive:Marriage Notices for the Whole United States 1785-1794

Hoppin, Col. Benjamin. At Warwick, Col. B. H., of Providence, to Mrs. Mary Whitney, of the former place. (W[ednesday] June 18, 1794.)

References

• All information obtained from census records.

1.^  It seems likely that he was a brother of Joseph Whitney who appears in Warwick, RI, in the 1774 and 1782 censuses, too, and who married 2 Aug 1770, Providence, RI, Mary Waterman.

2.^  Online database

3.^  "WHITNEY, James and Henrietta Aborn, both of Pawtuxet, [m.] May 13, 1770," according to Rhode Island, Vital Records.

4.^  1774 Census, Warwick, RI, p. 67. Age ranges in household: 1-2-1-1-0-0. Census Index: Colonial America 1607-1789, Family Tree Maker CD #310.

5.^  1782 Census, Warwick, RI. Ibid.

6.^  "Mary [Whitney], of Warwick, and James Aborn, of Providence, pub. March 18, 25, April 1, m. April 12, 1810," according to Rhode Island, Vital Records.

7.^  "THORNTON, Capt. Christopher and Mercy Whitney, daughter of Capt. James, [married] at Pawtuxet. Gazette of Oct. 19, 1793," according to Rhode Island, Vital Records.

8.^  "Sally [Whitney] and James Aborn, pub. Oct. 6, 13, 29, m. pub. Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4, m. Oct. 20, 1822," according to Rhode Island, Vital Records.

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Copyright © 2006, 2010, 2017, Tim Doyle, Robert L. Ward, and the Whitney Research Group.