Family:Whitney, Solomon (1832-1901)

Solomon⁸ Whitney (Solomon⁷, Nathaniel⁶, Samuel⁵, Nathaniel⁴, Nathaniel³, John², John¹), son of Solomon⁷and Sybil (Armes)(Goodenow) Whitney, was born 10 Mar 1832, Marlboro or Whitingham, VT, and died 27 Jan 1901, Manhattan, KS, of pneumonia.

He married firstly, 4 Apr 1852, Little Compton, RI, Sarah Chase, daughter of Thomas Chase of Little Compton. She was born 7 May 1829, and died 17 Jan 1879.

He married secondly, 21 Jan 1880, Lucy J. (Crosby) Cozard, daughter of T. D. Crosby, Esq.

Solomon Whitney, Jr., was born in Vermont, 10 Mar 1832. Attended the district school about 6 months in the year, 3 months summer and 3 months winter. When 15 years old, owing to financial embarrassment, his father gave him his time; worked that summer for neighboring farmers for $15 per month; in the fall attended the Whitingham academy 3 months. In the winter taught a large and successful school in the town of Wilmington, VT. In spring attended a sugar bush in company with a friend, where they made 1,200 lbs. of sugar. Worked on a farm through the summer again, and in the fall went to Rhode Island and attended Providence Conference seminary at East Greenwich. Next winter taught school again at Sencomet Point in Little Compton, RI. Attended 3 terms at the P. C. S. at East Greenwich. Taught school again at Westport Harbor, MA, at Tiverton, RI, until he was 20 years old, when he married Sarah Chase, daughter of Thomas Chase of Little Compton. Moved with his wife back to the home in Whitingham, bought a half interest in the home farm, but after a trial of 3 months found that the partnership with his half brother, Lyman, was not flattering in any particular, he sold back his interest in his home and again moved to Rhode Island. In the following year he taught school at Dartmouth, MA. The winter following he taught at Tiverton, MA, with his usual grand success. In the spring of 1854 rented a large farm in Little Compton, RI, and went into the dairy business, and followed this business with but fair success until the fall of 1861, when he determined to enlist in the Union army, and went to Providence, RI, first, and then to Washington, DC. Visted all the camps in and around Washington; staid till McClellan started with his 200,000 for Richmond. Accompanied general U.S. regulars as far as Fairfax Court House, when an order was received to return to Alexandria where sickness compelled him to leave the army and return home. The next 2 years were spent for the recuperation of his health on the waters of the ocean and bay in the seine fishery business, teaching winters; then farmed with not very flattering results till the spring of 1866, when he moved with his family of wife and 6 children to Kansas and engaged to travel for the firm of Andrews & Lamb, school furnishers, of Leavenworth; visted every county that then had a county superintendent of public instruction, delivering Mitchell's outline maps according to act of Legislature. Followed this till fall, when he engaged a school at Louisville, Pottawatomie Co., for the winter. In spring of 1867 rented a farm in Manhattan, Riley Co., KS, for 3 years and commenced the producer's life anew. In the fall of 1869 went to work for the M., K., & G. R. R. Company in their land department to assist in surveying and appraising their 3,000,000-acre land grant, which work he accomplished to the entire satisfaction of the Company. He also acted for it in several other capacities with equal approval until 1874, when he resigned (without being asked to) and returned to Manhattan to the farm which he had in the meantime prepared for a home, where he still resides in the enjoyment of home friends and loved ones, although his children are all settled but two and all away from home but one, the youngest. His first wife died 17 Jan 1879 and 21 Jan 1880, he married Mrs. Lucy J. Crosby Cazard, daughter of T. D. Crosby, Esq., one of the first settlers of the Western Reserve, as it was then called, and a highly respected citizen; resided Manhattan, KS.

He was store merchant at the time of his death. He was laid to rest in the Sunset Cemetery, Manhattan, KS, beside his first wife Sarah Chase who bore him one son, Willard Arms Whitney, and six daughters, Ella, Harriet, Genevieve, Sarah, Bertha, and Jessie Chase.

Their only son, Willard married Abbie Louise Browning and raised nine sons and one daughter accounting for the continuation of the Whitney lines in Kansas.

Children of Solomon⁸ and Sarah (Chase) Whitney:

i.	Ella Jane9 Whitney, b. 22 Jan 1853; m. 15 Oct 1872, Henry Hougham; resided Manhattan, KS. Ch.: Edward L., b. 30 Nov 1874; Stella M., b. 25 Nov 1875; Sarah C., b. 26 Sep 1881; John K., b. 15 Aug 1883; Robert H., b. 29 May 1889.
ii.	Harriett Eaton Whitney, b. 13 Apr 1855; m. 20 Aug 1877, Cyrus Foltz; resided Manhattan, KS. Ch.: Mildred Beatrice, b. 14 Mar 1882; Clarence Elbert, b. 10 Aug 1884.
iii.	Willard Armes Whitney, b. 5 Oct 1857; m. Abbie Louise Browning.
iv.	Genevieve Whitney, b. 21 Jun 1859; m. 28 Oct 1882, John S. Cunningham; resided Parallel, KS. Ch.: Claudius Carroll, b. 5 Jul 1883; Solomon Whitney, b. 16 Oct 1884; Elmer Leland, b. 5 Apr 1886; d. 18 Jul 1890; Sarah, b. 8 Dec 1887; Virgil Everett, b. 22 June 1890.
v.	Sarah Catherine Whitney, b. 21 Apr 1861; m. 26 Jan 1888, Walter Taylor; resided Flower Bluffs, Corpus Christi, TX. Ch.: Dorothy, b. 24 Dec 1891.
vi.	Bertha Everett Whitney, b. 4 Jul 1864; unmarried; resided Orange, MA.
vii.	Jessie Chase Whitney, b. 25 Jan 1875; unmarried; resided Manhattan, KS.

Notes

The Family of Solomon Whitney hosted a large family reunion at the old Whitney home on Maple Grove Farm where on 5 Nov 1900. The reunion was written up in the "Republic" newspaper on 8 Nov 1900. A copy of the original newpaper article is housed in the Goodnough Museum, Manhattan, Riley Co., KS. - Gail Barber -

Tiverton, MA, apparently never existed, despite Pierce's statement above. However, "Tiverton was originally incorporated in 1694, as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1746, in the final settlement of a long colonial boundary dispute between Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Tiverton was annexed to Rhode Island by Royal Decree (together with its fellow towns along the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, Barrington, Bristol and Little Compton, and the town of Cumberland, to the north of Providence). Tiverton was then incorporated as a town of Rhode Island, in 1747." Also, "In 1856, the northern part of the town was set apart from Tiverton, and re-named Fall River, Rhode Island[4], by the Rhode Island General Assembly. Then, on March 1, 1862, in a decision made by the United States Supreme Court, both Fall Rivers were made part of Massachusetts and the state boundary was placed in its current location near State Avenue." Thus part of what was then Tiverton, RI, became part of Fall River, MA.

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. 443-444.

---

Copyright © 2006, 2009, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group