Family:Whitney, Jonas (1751-1842)

Dea. Jonas⁶ Whitney (Samuel⁵, Nathaniel⁴, Nathaniel³, John², John¹), son of Samuel⁵ and Elizabeth (Hastings) Whitney; was born 14 Jun 1751, Shrewsbury, MA, and died 28 Apr 1842, Strongsville, OH.

He married, 11 Jan 1773, Tamar Houghton, of Leicester, MA. She was born 8 Jun 1754, and died 31 Mar 1831.

He was born in Shrewsbury, MA, and with his brother was an early settler in Marlboro, VT. Was for many years a deacon in the Congregational church. When the first town meeting was held in 1775 he was elected to office. The Deacon kept the tavern down the hill in Marlboro, where the good fathers used to go on Sunday during the intermission between the morning and afternoon service. Clubs of four would call for a "mug of toddy" to moisten their bread and cheese. The Deacon mixed it, for who could make such excellent tody as he? The large glass, holding a quart, two-thirds full of water, was well seasoned with loaf sugar, when it was filled up with "old Jamaica rum," and well mixed by an adept use of the "toddy stick," receiving its finishing touch with a sprinkling of grated nutmeg. The four drank out of the same glass, "passing it around." If there was more than they needed they passed it to others, for they were prudent and temperate in all things. A "half mug" served for two, and it was seldom that anyone drank alone. As a rule, each one paid his share, the business of treating not being popular in the church. This harmless social habit is scouted now, though drunkenness at that time was almost unknown. If a young man got so far under the influence of strong drink as to lose the proper control of his limbs or his tongue, it brought a stigma upon him in the community, from which he rarely recovered. His wife was one of a family of eleven children, and was the first to die, aged 77 years. The youngest of the eleven was present at her funeral -- his age was 55; he died in Strongsville, OH. He resided Shrewsbury, MA, Marlboro, VT, and Strongsville, OH.

Children of Jonas⁶ and Tamar (Houghton) Whitney:

i.	Sally7 Whitney, b. 10 Aug 1774; d. 19 Nov 1840, Circleville, OH; m. 1790, Joseph Olds, Esq. He was b. 26 Apr 1769, Granville, MA; d. 29 Jul 1844, Lithopolis, OH. Ch: Lorenzo Houghton, b. 24 Jun 1812; m. 25 Mar 1835, Anna W. Robbitts; resided Springfield, OH; Roxey, b. 4 Jun 1814; m. 1837, Israel Gregg; resided Grand Rapids, MI; Channcey Newell, b. 2 Feb 1816; m.(1) 1838, Caroline Woodruff; m.(2) 9 Sep 1852, Mary Bliss Williams, b. 17 Jul 1830; d. 1 Jan 1889. He died 11 Feb 1890. He moved to Ohio with his parents in 1820; A. B., Oxford, OH, 1836; professor there, Greek and Latin, 1836-1840; A. M., Oxford, 1839; to Circleville, OH, 1840; Ohio House of Representatives, 1848-1849; Ohio State Senate, 1849-50; moved to Columbus, 1856; member Ohio bar, 1842; attorney-general Ohio 1865-66; LL. D., Marietta, 1867; trustee Oxford University, 1848-70, by election of legislature; trustee Lane Theological Seminary, 1871 to 1890 delegate to Pan-Presbyterian council, Edinborough, 1877; delegate to Pan-Presbyterian council, Philadelphia, 1880; member general assembly Presbyterian church, 1863, 1870, 1878; commissioner of exemption from draft, Ohio, 1864; d. 11 Feb 1890, Columbus, OH. Ch.: William W., b. 22 Nov 1836; adj.-general, Garfield's staff, 42d Ohio Vols. Inftry; killed before Vicksburg May 1863; Mary Gore, b. 23 Sep 1847; m. Dr. Edmund C. Lewis; resided Canal Dover, OH; Frank Williams, b. 19 Jun 1853; m. 10 Dec 1889, Harriet E. Nash, b. 12 Aug 1855; res. Williamstown, MA. He was born in Circleville and moved to Columbus, 1855; grad. Williston Seminary, Easthampton, MA, 1872; A. B., Williams College, 1876; to New York City, 1876; M. D., Columbia College (College of Physicians and Surgeons), 1880; house surgeon, Bellevue Hospital, New York, 1881-82; memb. New York County Medical Society, 1882-92; fellow, New York Academy Medicine, 1883 ----; member New York Historical Society, 1890 ----; member New York Chapter Sons of the Revolution, 1892 ----; removed to Williamstown, MA, Nov 1892, physician; William Rose, b. 11 Aug 1791, m. Barbary Pratt. He d. 15 Jul 1861; Amasa Minley, b. 16 Feb 1793; m. 22 Nov 1814, Lephe Winchester, and d. 20 Sep 1838; Joseph, b. 25 Oct 1794; married Almira A. Olds, and d. 27 Apr 1847; Edson, b. 22 Mar 1797; d. 22 Feb 1799; Chester, b. 24 Oct 1798; m. Phila Adams, and d. 21 Jul 1862; Sally, b. 5 Oct 1800; d. 18 Jan 1809; Edson Baldwin, b. 3 Jun 1802; m. Ann Maria Carollus, and d. 24 Jan 1869; Gamaliel, b. 28 Nov 1803; m. Minerva Howe, and d. 26 Jan 1894; Jonas Whitney, b. 17 Jul 1805; m. Mary Ann Walker, and d. 30 Sep 1832; Benjamin Smith, b. 5 May 1807; m. Theresa Herron, and d. 12 Nov 1862; Sally Houghton, b. 4 Nov 1810; d. 21 Aug 1811; Lyman Newton, b. 16 Jul 1819; m. Minerva Adams, and d. 26 Apr 1875, at Circleville, OH.
ii.	Cinda Whitney, b. 18 Apr 1776; m. Nathan Britain.
iii.	Lucy Whitney, b. 22 Jan 1778; d. 9 Apr 1836; m. 23 Jun 1809, Gen. Jonathon Smith.
iv.	Tamar Whitney, b. 9 Jul 1779; m. John T. Strong.
v.	Jonas Whitney, b. 16 Mar 1781; d. 4 Apr 1781.
vi.	Julia Whitney, b. 10 Sep 1782; d. 27 Aug 1786.
vii.	Irene Whitney, b. 19 Jul 1784; d. 27 Sep 1820, Strongsville, OH; m. 22 Jul 1802, Elijah Lyman Clark, son of Rev. Dr. Gershom.
viii.	Roxey Whitney, b. 10 May 1786; d. 26 Jan 1813; m. 25 Sep 1808, Rev. Ira M. Olds.
ix.	Julia Whitney, b. 21 Apr 1788; d. Circleville, OH; m. 27 Apr 1811, Rev. Gamaliel S. Olds. Among the first who settled in Ohio were John Strong, accompanied or soon followed by Bowen, Lyman, Whitney and others, who located in Strongsville -- naming is thus in honor of Mr. Strong, the original purchaser. The Rev. Gamaliel Olds and his brother Joseph Olds, Esq., and their families removed to Circleville about fifty years ago. Among the children of Joseph was the late Hon. B. Olds, Dr. Chester Olds, and Judge Chauncey N. Olds, all well known in Ohio.
x.	Jonas Whitney, b. 20 Jun 1791; m. 6 Dec 1812, Lovicey Houghton, dau. of Capt. Nahum, and resided Marlboro.
xi.	Lyman Whitney, b. 2 Dec 1793; d. 20 May 1826. He was graduated at Middlebury college in 1817, and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1821; was ordained a Congregational minister at Columbia, CT, in 1821, and died a home missionary at Asheville, NC.
xii.	Dewey Whitney, b. 8 Oct 1796.

Census

• 1791, Marlboro, Windham Co., VT: Jonas Whitney, 3 males over 16 and 3 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. 136-138.

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Copyright © 2006, 2007, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group