Family:Whitney, John (c1763-1826)

Rev. John⁶ Whitney ((poss.) John⁵, (poss.) Samuel⁴, John³, Benjamin², John¹), son of "Elder" John⁵ Whitney, was born about 1763, Meduncook, ME, and died unknown.

He married, date and place unknown, Lois Wadsworth, daughter of Sedate and Polly (Smith) Wadsworth. She was born 3 Aug 1767, Lincolnville, ME.

He was a Free-Will Baptist minister.

Whitney, Rev. John, of Gouldsborough, Me., went 150 miles to New Durham, N. H., in June 1785, to attend the Q. M., and there related his Christian experience and call to the ministry. The question of his ordination was referred to the next Q. M., when it was decided in the affirmative, and he was ordained at Westport, Sept. 7; Randall himself preached the sermon, Tingley made the consecrating prayer, and Hibbard gave the hand of fellowship. He was the first to be ordained to the ministry in the denomination, and for thirty years he was successful especially in awakening sinners in his evangelistic work. He frequently met with opposition in his preaching tours. He visited the frontier settlements with Tingley the year of his ordination, and souls were saved and a few churches organized. He went to reside at Edgecomb, where a church of twenty members was organized by the aid of Hibbard. In 1787 a remarkable revival was enjoyed by him at Royalsborough. In 1798 he baptized several at Lewiston and visited the "Eastern country." He moved his family to Leeds. where they resided for several years. He organized churches at Canaan, Bristol, and at the present Camden. In 1791, from the revival in Kittery, a church was embodied. In September, 1793, with Randall Tingley, Hibbard, and Deacon Otis he went from the Y. M. to answer the call for help from the churches in the Sandy River valley. Later he was requested by the Y. M. with Hibbard and two laymen to visit what is now Burnham. He was partly drawn into Lock's plan to form a Christian community with common property in 1800, but he made a public confession and a speedy return. In 1813 he moved to Newfield, and through faithful labors the place of death soon bloomed as a garden. One hundred and fifty were converted during the year. Samuel Burbank, the teacher, with many pupils was among the number.^[1]

Children of John⁶ and Lois (Wadsworth) Whitney:^[2]

i.	Joseph7 Whitney, b. ca. 1794; m. 29 Mar 1812, Betsey Mains.
ii.	(poss.) Samuel Whitney, m. 17 Nov 1816, Leeds, ME, Salome Berry.
iii.	Joanna F. Whitney, b. 1797, Linconville, ME.
iv.	(poss.) John Whitney, b. ca. 1800; m. Mahala Clark
v.	Sedate Whitney, b. 7 Feb 1803 (twin), Leeds, ME; m. 25 Mar 1825, Dolly Ann Heal/Held/Head.
vi.	----- Whitney, b. 7 Feb 1803 (twin), Leeds, ME; this was probably a female as Sedate stated he was the youngest son.
vii.	(poss.) Lois Whitney, m. 25 Jan 1821, Leeds, ME, James L. Bishop.
viii.	----- Whitney.
ix.	----- Whitney.

Census

• 1790, Littleborough Plantation, Lincoln Co., ME: John Whitney, 3 males over 16, 1 male 0-15, and 6 females.

References

1.^  Burgess, Rev. G. A., and Ward, Rev. J. T., Free Baptist Cyclopaedia. Historical and Biographical (Chicago, IL: Free Baptist Cyclopaedia Co., 1889).

2.^  E-mail message from John L. Whitney, 10 Oct 2002.

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