Family:Whitney, Josiah (1753-1827)

Josiah⁶ Whitney (Josiah⁵, Richard⁴, Richard³, Richard², John¹), son of Josiah⁵ and Sarah (Farr) Whitney, was born 25 Feb 1753, Harvard, MA, and died 2 Jan 1827, Nelson, NH.

He married, 10 Jan 1776, Harvard, MA, Anna Scollay. She was baptized 18 Apr 1756, and died 8 Mar 1824, Nelson, NH.

Josiah Whitney, son of General Josiah Whitney, was born in Harvard, MA, where he resided until shortly after the Revolutionary war, when he moved to Nelson, NH, where he ever after resided and conducted an extensive farm. "Josiah Whitney, Jr., was a private in the Minute Men from Harvard, MA, at the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775. Also private in Capt. Manassah Sawyer's company, Colonel Dike's regiment, Massachusetts Militia, 1776, at Dorchester Heights." He resided Harvard, MA, and Nelson, NH.

Children of Josiah⁶ and Anna (Scollay) Whitney:

i.	Nancy7 Whitney, b. 12 Apr 1777; died 23 Mar 1859; m. Nathaniel Breed, of Nelson. He d. 10 Oct 1837, Alstead, NH. Ch.: Whitney, b. 27 Apr 1810; m. 26 Oct 1837; Persis B. Hatch, resided Alstead Center, NH.
ii.	Sally Whitney, b. 26 Jun 1778; d. 26 Feb 1846; m. 15 Jun 1802, Capt. Pius Upton Burnap. He was born in Reading, MA, 5 Feb 1775; d. 11 Aug 1827; resided Nelson, NH. Ch.: John, b. 4 Apr 1803; d. 13 May 1803; Upton, b. 20 Jun 1804; m. Harriet Batchelder, and d. 13 Aug 1854; Josiah, b. 26 Aug 1805; m. Miranda Adams; d. 1892; Eli, b. 15 Feb 1807; d. 22 Jan 1837; Polly, b. 20 Sep 1808; d. 1 May 1811; Nancy, b. 13 May 1810; m. 30 Sep 1828, Asa Taft; and d. 22 Feb 1887; a dau., Nancy Marietta Taft, resided Keene, NH; Mary, b. 26 Jun 1812; m. 5 Mar 1840, Reuel Nims, and d. 24 Mar 1869; Lura, b. 3 Apr 1814; m. 14 Nov 1837, Maynard Wilson; James, b. 6 Sep 1816; m. 17 Oct 1840, Mary Gilman; George, b. 15 Jul 1818; m. Susan M. Sherwin, Mary F. Reynolds and Charlotte Harris Atwood; Laura, b. 13 Oct 1819; d. 28 Aug 1822; Lorin, b. 13 Oct 1819; d. 11 Sep 1822.
iii.	Lois Whitney, b. 15 Mar 1781; d. 16 Jan 1859, Sullivan, NH; m. Ezra Wardwell. They resided Nelson, NH. He d. 3 Jun 1845, Sullivan, NH. Ch.: Lois, b. 1 Apr 1801; d. 20 Jul 1880; Ichabod Nichols, b. 5 Dec 1802; d. Mar 1859; Ezekiel, b. 18 Aug 1804; m. Mary Cate; d. abt. 1840; Phebe, b. 1 Aug 1806; d. in infancy, no date; Lucy, b. 30 May 1808; d. 27 Apr 1859; Emily, b. 8 Apr 1810; d. 3 May 1811; Ezra, b. 17 Mar 1812; d. 24 Sep 1850; Harriet, b. 11 Jun 1814; d. 1874; Hersey, b. 4 Feb 1817; m. Sarah M. Emerson, and d. 1 Aug 1871; a dau. m. Charles Stay, and resided Greenfield, MA; Granville, b. 9 Dec 1819; d. 24 Jun 1858. The children of Lois Whitney and Ezra Wardwell are all dead; for further information in regard to their descendants reference is given as follows: Those of Lois Wardwell to J. R. Beal, Keene, NH; of I. N. Wardwell, to Mrs. Albert G. Nims, Keene, NH; of Lucy, to W. H. Buckminster, Keene, NH; of Ezra, to Granville Wardwell, Winchester, NH; of Harriet, to Mrs. J. N. Nims, Sullivan, NH; of Granville, to Mrs. Mary L. Campbell, Great Falls, MT.
iv.	Stephen Whitney, b. 1 Jul 1784; m. Mary A. Burgess.
v.	Lucy Whitney, b. -----; d. 16 Jan 1829; m. 4 Jun 1811, Asa Lawrence, b. 21 Aug 1795; d. 8 Oct 1862; resided Nelson, NH. Ch.: Laura, b. 28 Oct 1812; m. Sep 1831, George W. Towns, and d. 5 Mar 1858; Lara, b. 6 Mar 1815; d. 29 Jul 1818; Justus, b. 19 Feb 1817; m. 4 Nov 1852, Caroline E. Trust, of Derby, VT; he d. 21 Dec 1872; Loren Woodbury, b. 3 May 1819; d. Sept. 29, 1855, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands; Lara, b. 15 Apr 1822; d. 4 Apr 1825; Josiah Whitney, b. 6 Jun 1827; d. 22 Jun 1832.
vi.	Josiah Whitney, b. 24 Feb 1782; m. Sarah Emes.
vii.	James Whitney, b. 26 Dec 1789; m. Anna Goss.
viii.	Lydia Whitney, b. 6 Jul 1795; d. 8 Jan 1864; m. 1818, Henry Melville, b. -----; d. -----; resided Nelson, NH. Ch.: Sarah Minot, b. 5 Oct 1818; m. Dr. Leonard French; d. in Ashby, MA, 11 Sep 1849, leaving son Leonard Melville French, b. 26 Jul 1849, who m. ----- Blood, and resided in Manchester, NH; Josiah Henry, b. 18 Dec 1820; m. Nancy Rebecca Nesmith, 15 Oct 1857; d. 19 Mar 1885, Nelson, NH; 3 ch., (1) Henry, b. 25 Aug 1858. Mr. Melville, for four years last past secretary of the Republican Club of the city of New York, and of the Harvard Law School Association, and now one of the non-commissioned officers of Company "B" Seventh Regiment, was graduated at Dartmonth in 1879, and in 1884 took the Master's Degree and LL. B., cum laude at Harvard. He prepared for college at the Rev. Dr. Leach's school at Keene, NH. At Dartmouth he was a member of a well known local society, the Kappa Kappa Kappa, one of the oldest and best in the institution, and, on the completion of his course, was a commencement debater with the Honorable Hiram D. Upton, late speaker of the NH House of Representatives on the question, "Is suffrage a Birthright?" After spending two years as principal of the high school at Winchendon, MA, he entered Harvard, where he remained three years, and was honored by being appointed by the faculty to represent the law school, at the university commencement in 1884, with an oration on the subject of "National Regulation of Inter-State Commerce." Coming from there to New York, he entered the office of James C. Carter, the distinguished leader of the local bar, and was admitted to practice in June, 1885. In December of that year he formed a business association with Senator Roscoe Conkline, which continued till the latter's death in 1888. Later he became a member of a partnership with Honorable Daniel Dougherty and William A. Sweetser (assistant corporation counsel), and also was one of the editorial writers in an edition of "Smith's Leading Cases." He has at all times taken an active interest in public affairs and in the Presidential campaign of 1888 made upward of thirty speeches for Harrison. As a National Guardsman he engages enthusiastically in rifle practice, and has gained some distinction by his shooting in competitions as a member of his company's team. He is a member of the Harvard Club, Republican Club, Bar Association, Phi Beta Kappa Alumni, and Sons of the Revolution. Apropos of the latter, it is interesting to note that no less that eight of his ancestors fought for American independence, viz.: Josiah Melville, Josiah Melville, Jr., Capt. Jonas Minot, James Nesmith, Reuben Gregg, Sergeant Adam Dickey, General Josiah Whitney and Josiah Whitney, Jr. The two Melvilles, two Whitneys and Minot were at Concord, the elder Whitney and Nesmith at Bunker Hill, and Dickey and Gregg at Bennington. Mr. Melville stands well among his contemporaries at the New York bar, and reflects credit upon Dartmouth, his alma mater. (2) Arthur Nesmith, b. 10 Aug 1861; d. 13 Jan 1883; (3) Caroline Lydia, b. 10 Oct 1865; d. 15 Aug 1885, in Nelson, NH; Caroline Lydia, b. 17 Jan 1822; m. Francis W. Wright, of Ashby, MA; d. Ashby, MA, 4 Jan 1864; buried Nelson, NH; 2 ch.,(1) Henry Melville, d. young; (2) Dascomb Francis; (4) Ann Maria, b. 9 Apr 1825; m. Dr. Leonard French (2d wife), d. 6 Jan 1864; one child, Henry Minot, b. 1 Apr 1853; Dr. Leonard d. in Manchester, NH, Feb 1892; (5) Lucy Eveline, b. 12 Dec 1828; d. 5 Feb 1832, in Nelson, NH; (6) Mary Jane, b. 17 Nov 1832; m. Rev. Samuel H. Tolman; d. 31 Aug 1875; buried Nelson, NH; ch., Mary Melville, b. 9 Jun 1858; Edward Howe, b. 30 Apr 1860; d. 14 Mar 1877.
ix.	Scollay Whitney, b. 6 Oct 1798; m. -----; d. Lynn, Massachusetts.
x.	Betsey Whitney, b. 4 Jun 1801; m. 31 Dec 1822, Capt. Asa Spaulding, resided Nelson. He was b. 14 May 1796. Ch.: Sylvester, m. Sarah Searles, of Townsend, MA; resided Keene, NH; Alfred, m. C. Ann Bromley, of Danby, VT. She d. 7 Mar 1869.

Census

• 1790, Packersfield, Cheshire Co., NH: Josiah Whitney, 1 male over 16, 3 males 0-15, and 5 females.

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. 181-184.

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