Archive:Centennial History of Harrison, Maine
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Moulton, Alphonso, Howard L. Sampson, and Granville Fernald, comps. and eds., Centennial History of Harrison, Maine: Containing The Centennial Celebration of 1905, and Historical and Biographical Matter (Portland: Southworth Printing Company, 1909).
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The Whitney family has been most numerously represented among the inhabitants of Harrison, and it seems eminently proper that something in regard to the ancestry of our many fell ow citizens of this name shall be given at the beginning of this sketch.
The Whitney family trace their descent from Turstin de Wigemore, a Fleming, who came to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror, and participated in the battle of Hastings in October of that year. The family took their name from their residence, called Whitney Court, at Whitney-on-the-Wye. Each succeeding generation of the family married into the best families of England, and held prominent positions at the court of the king. The estate not being entailed, and the last Whitney of Whitney Court having only daughters, it was sold, but is still called Whitney Court.
Thomas Whitney and wife Mary, belonging to a younger branch of the family, moved to Westminster, England, where their son, John, was born in 1589. He emigrated to America in 1635, and lived in Watertown, Massachusetts. He had nine children, from the youngest of whom, Benjamin, the Harrison Whitneys are descended.
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Nathaniel Whitney, son of Benjamin, and grandson of John, was born in York, Maine, April 14, 1680, and it appears that he was a resident of that town during his whole lifetime. He must have lived to a good old age, as it is known that he was living in York as late as 1760, and his estate was not settled till 1768. He married Sarah, daughter of John Ford of Kittery, by whom he had ten children.
Nathaniel Whitney, second son of Nathaniel and Sarah (Ford) Whitney, was born in York, December 12, 1709, and moved to Gorham from Falmouth, about 1769, having previously lived in Biddeford, where the most of his children were born. The hill in Gorham where he and some of his brothers made their settlement is still known as Whitney's Hill. He married Hannah Day of Wells, and they had nine children.
Moses Whitney, son of Nathaniel and Hannah (Day) Whitney, was born in Biddeford, March 17, 1739, and was said to have been remarkable for his strength and courage. He served in the French and Indian wars, and also in the Revolution, and finally settled in Gorham, where he married Susanna Crockett, by whom he had one daughter. Mrs. Whitney died when her daughter was but two days old. On September 6, 1763, Mr. Whitney married Molly Page of England, an old diary of the time, chronicling it as "a tall wedding," and by her he had eight children. On Jan uary 22, 1792, Mr. Whitney married, for a third wife, Mrs. Abigail (Skillings) Kimball, by whom he had one daughter, Sally, who married Rev. Joseph H. Phinney of Harrison on September 26, 1812. Mr. Whitney moved to Harrison about 1813, and resided with his son-in-law, Mr. Phinney.
ENOCH WHITNEY, son of Moses and Molly (Page) Whitney, was born in Gorham, April 8, 1773, and married, first, Hannah Newcomb; second, Mrs. Kendall, mother of the celebrated bugle player, Ned Kendall; and, third, a
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Mrs. Dennett of Brownfield. He lived in Limington, Standish, and Buxton, and subsequently, in 1810, moved to Harrison, settling on the Joseph Phinney farm. He had ten children, all by the first wife:
DANIEL, b. in Limington, Jan. 22, 1793; married Jan. 19,
- 1815, Susan, daughter of Naphtali Harmon, 2d, of Harrison, b. Aug. 31, 1792. He settled in this town and lived many years on a small farm at the turn of the road leading to the residence of Fred Whitney. "Uncle" Daniel had some of the best traits of his ancestral family. He was honest, kind and true as neighbor or friend and "Aunt" Susie was his perfect counterpart. Daniel Whitney died Mar. 24, 1873. Mrs. Susan Whitney died Oct. 31, 1875. They had one daughter:
- I. Sarah P., b. Feb. 29, 1816; married Ebenezer Whit-
- ney of Bridgton, b. ---; died Dec. 20, 1877. Sarah P., his widow, died Sept. 10, 1883. Ebenezer and Sarah P. Whitney had: Susan Augusta. Calvin Crocker, b. Feb. 22, 1839; married Sarah Blake of Gorham, Sept. 3, 1841. He died in Bridgton, Sept. 30, 1896. She died Feb. 7, 1907. Calvin C. Whitney was a carriage painter of high professional ability. He worked many years in the great carriage factories of Charles P. Kimball in Portland, Me., and in Chicago, Ill. He also worked in the great Pullman Car Shops in Pullman, Ill. Their children: Eveline Augusta, b. Sept. 1, 1862; died Feb. I1, 197; unmarried. Margie Isadore, b. Apr. 3, 1864; married Willis E. Marriner of Bridgton, June 29, 1889; children, Ernest Cummings, b. Oct. 16, 1891; student in Bridgton High School, college preparatory year. Frederick Whitney, b. Feb. 5, 1896. Evelyn Louise, b. Feb. 2, 1905. Fred Ernest, 3d child of Calvin, b. in Gorham, Aug. II, 1867; married Emily Brackett of Watertown, Mass.; and resides there. He is a provision dealer in Cambridge, Mass. James Cummings Sloan, 4th child of Calvin, b. in Portland, Sept. 19, 1869; was grocer in Bridgton for years; now of the firm of Whitney & Hobson, in trucking business in Portland; married Georgia McGee of Bridgton; they had one son: Clarence Eastman Whitney, b. Mar. 5, 1897; died May 6, 1906. Mar-
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- garet Edith, b. Nov. 10, 1906. Lillian, b. Aug. 19, 1871; married Willis E. Crosby of Bridgton, Nov. -, 190I; children: Mary Lela, b. Aug. 20, 1903. Calvin, b. July 19, 1905. Maude Esther, b. Nov. 19, 1873; married Edwin Rae Hill of Cumberland,Me. Clifford Calvin, b. Apr. 13, 1882; grocer; resides in Portland.
MARY; married William Decker of Casco.
FREEMAN, b. in Standish, Mar. 9, 1800, coming to Harrison
- with his father when he was ten years of age. He married Mary S., daughter of James and Mary (Stickney) Gray; and, second, Mrs. Melinda (Packard) Trafton. He was a farmer and resided in Harrison till his death Mar. 24, 1873. Their children:
- 1. Stephen T., b. May I5, 1821; married May 4, 1845,
- Catherine Brown of Waterford, and settled in town as a farmer and veterinary surgeon. He died Dec. 15, 1897. They had nine children: Mary, b. Apr. 10, 1846; died in infancy. Irene L., b. June 110, 1847; died June 23, 1865. Ann Eliza, b. July 11, 1849; married George E. Tarbox of Harrison; they have one child, Chester D. Tarbox, who is proprietor of a flourishing livery business in Harrison Village. George E. Tarbox was engaged a number of years in the business of manufacturing clothing for Boston contracts. He has been an active farmer, and has served the town on board of selectmen and as a member of school committee. He represented his district (Harrison and Otisfield) in the Legislature of 1907. He has been station agent for the Bridgton & Saco Valley R. R. at Harrison Village and is now employed in an extensive lumber business in Cornish, for the Maine Central R.R. Co. Frances D., b. Feb. 19, 1851; married Daniel Woodsum of Harrison. (See Woodsum family.) Charles Sumner, b. May 6, 1853; married Anna Decker, daughter of Rev. Gideon T. Ridlon; their children: Harvey Sumner, b. Apr. 17, 1878; married Flossie Belle Winslow of Bridgton, b. Aug. 5, 1884; their son, Donald Harvey, b. Feb. 5, 1908. Flora Ethel, b. Sept. 27, 1883. She graduated from Bridgton Academy in class of 1902, and was two years in Bridge-
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[Photo of Edward Kendall Whitney]
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