Family:Whitney, Imri S. (1824-1899)

Imri S.⁸ Whitney (Asa⁷, Eleazer⁶, Alexander⁵, Eleazer⁴, Eleazer³, Thomas², John¹), born Henniker, New Hampshire, 20 Sep 1824; married at Nashua, 13 Nov 1848, Zeviah C. Webster, born Newport, New Hampshire, 9 Oct 1828; died Riverdale, 19 Sep 1891; married 2d, 15 May 1894, Mrs. Lenora Whitney, born Henniker, 17 Oct 1836.

At an early age he gave signs of great love for music and was an apt scholar at his first school. When twenty years of age he taught his first singing school in his native town. In 1848 he began a regular course of musical studies at Nashua, New Hampshire, and then composed his first song, "My Cottage Home," which was very popular and sold extensively. In 1849 he began his successful career of teaching juvenile classes. Since then he has accomplished quite as much in the line of concerts with children as well as adults as any man in the country, having taught hundreds of juvenile classes, varying from fifty to eight hundred in a class. He has given hundreds of juvenile concerts and a large number with adult classes, and has taught in many of the towns of New Hampshire between the Merrimack and the Connecticut rivers. Mr. Whitney settled in Manchester, New Hampshire, Dec., 1855, where he was first employed to teach a singing school and to lead the choir for the then Elm St. Baptist church, now the Merrimack St. Society. During the years of 1856-57-58 and 1859 he was engaged to teach music in the "Teachers' institutes" of the state. Here he advocated what he has since shown in the city of Manchester, that vocal music can be successfully taught in the public schools. After laboring with the school committee of Manchester every way possible, to induce them to try vocal music in the city schools, they at last engaged Mr. Whitney, Sept., 1860, for one term, to try the experiment. After training the children some three months, he brought together some fifteen hundred of them for a public exhibition. This task was no small matter for one man to undertake. The thing, however, was done, and successfully. A public exhibition was given, and the people were astonished that so many children could be made to sing together in good tune and time. So well were the school committee pleased, that they engaged Mr. Whitney for another term, and appointed him teacher in the public schools. Mr. Whitney has had very large experience in teaching both juvenile and adult singing classes. In this department of music he stands at the head of his profession. Many years of constant training has made him famous as an instructor of children. He has always been a close student and a hard working man. As a teacher of music Mr. Whitney has become extensively known. He has never labored to become a public performer upon any instrument, or to become a public singer, and yet there are few men better qualified in the various departments of music than he is. He has thoroughly studied and had a large experience in all branches of the science, has published some popular compositions, and has a good collection of original music in manuscript. In Nov., 1883, he bought a farm at Riverdale. He resides in New Boston; his son-in-law in Weare. After going there he continued his profession and business in Manchester, going to and from Manchester, eleven miles by rail, as suited his convenience, until July, 1888, when he sold out his business and gave up his profession as a teacher of music on account of failing health. He held the office of superintendent of schools for New Boston for the year 1884. Since July, 1884, he has also held the office of justice of the peace for Hillsboro county. He resigned his position as teacher of music in the public school of Manchester, 1 Jul 1871, having given eleven years of very hard work to establish a system of teaching music in the school of the city. The same system is continued to-day by the teacher who was his successor. He was noticed by the Mirror and American, the leading papers of the city, as the father of music in the public schools of Manchester. Jan., 1872, he commenced to publish a musical paper called "Whitney's New Hampshire Journal of Music," which he is now (1895) publishing; resided Riverdale, New Hampshire.

Children of Imri S.⁸ Whitney:

i.	Adah Clarissa9 Whitney, born 1 Oct 1861; married 23 Jan 1883, at Manchester. New Hampshire, Harry Hobson Simons. Ch.: Mildred Whitney.

References

1. 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. 539-540.

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