Archive:The Descendants of John Whitney, page 191
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The Descendants of John Whitney, Who Came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, by Frederick Clifton Pierce (Chicago: 1895)
Transcribed by the Whitney Research Group, 1999.
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| WHITNEY GENEALOGY. | 191 |
sheep around the long boat, young Henry, armed with a dirk and the cook with boil- ing water, bringing up in the rear. In their panic, following their leader, the men rushed below, when the companion way was closed and the cook stationed with a junk bottle to beat them down should they attempt to come up. This was the work of a moment. The prize-master, who had in the meantime regained the deck, stabbed Henry in the side and disabled him, but Capt. WHITNEY felled the officer by a blow from a handspike, and shortly after placed him below with the crew. He now made sail for an English port, when he was again captured by another French- man. Mr. WHITNEY used to relate that the mortification and rage of his new captors when they learned the state of affairs on board was most amusing. His brother, Henry and the cook were now taken off, and seventeen men being placed in the ship, he was tauntingly told that he was to be left on board to retake her if he could, although he was really left to assist in the navigation. He secretly accepted this challenge, basing his hopes in putting the instruments out of order; and at length succeeded in so changing them that his captors were completely lost. Capt. WHIT- NEY in the meanwhile, having kept his own reckoning, had altered the ship's course and was quietly taking her into New York, and the high lands were in sight before the crew knew where they were. He now told them that if they would allow him to take them in he would pledge himself for their safety; but after consultation, not dreaming by whose means they had got where they were, they concluded to try again, and shaped their course for the West Indies. Capt. WHITNEY again disar- ranged the instruments, and carried the ship into an English port (Jamaica it is thought), alongside of an English frigate lying at anchor. The frigate set off a barge to them, which was the first intimation the Frenchmen received of their hav- ing been outwitted. The English took possession and claimed the vessel as a capture from the French, but Capt. WHITNEY argued that he himself recaptured the ship by running her into port under their guns. The case was taken into their Court of Admiralty, where an award of 810,000 ws made to the frigate. This sum Mr. WHITNEY paid, shipped a new crew, and brought his vessel safely into New York. (Condensed from family MSS). He d. Oct 15, 1846; res. Lincolnville, Me. 2632. i. SAMUEL, b. July 30, 1802; m. Rebecca W. HOWE. 2633. ii. LUCY, b. Apr 1, 1804; m. Nov 17, 1829, Dr William LUDWIG; 2 ch. 2634. iii. JOHN PERKINS, b. Dec 30, 1805; m. Tempe. P. JOHNSTON. 2635. iv. MARY JANE, b. July 2, 1811; m. Dec 10, 1843, William A. SCHENCK; 2 ch. 2636. v. PHEBE, b. July 5, 1816; m. May 22, 1843, Dr. Edward Wm. HOOK; 4 ch. 1146. JOSEPH WHITNEY (Samuel, Benjamin, Thomas, Thomas, John), b. Sept. 19, 1771; m. Sept 24, 1793, Sally COLLINS; b. 1773; d. at Newburyport, Mass., of yellow fever, Sept 22, 1799; m. 2d, Oct 18, 1803; Catherine SMITH, b. -----; d. June 20 1809; m. 3d, Mrs. Catherine WHITNEY, b. 1774; d. May 27, 1836. He is buried in the Granary burial ground. He d. June 24, 1812; res. Boston, Mass. 2637. i. JOSEPH, b. June 11, 1796; m. Elizabeth PRATT. 1149. CYRUS WHITNEY (Samuel, Benjamin, Thomas, Thomas, John), b. Dec 24, 1774; m. Dec 28, 1795, Mary BREWER; res. Geneva, N.Y. 2638. i. -----, b. -----; m. David B. DOWNING; res. Geneva, N.Y. 1151. HENRY WHITNEY (Samuel, Benjamin, Thomas, Thomas, John), b. Jan 29, 1783; m. Mar 27, 1807, Lucy PERKINS. He d. Havre, France, Apr 27, 1837; res. Cas- tine, Me. 2639. i. NANCY, b. July 15, 1808; m. 1825, Joshua C. ADAMS; d. Jan 15, 1852; 15 ch. 2640. ii. HENRY, b. Feb 15, 1810; merchant; unm.; res. Liverpool, Eng- land. 2641. iii. WILLIAM, b. Nov 17, 1811; d. Feb 8, 1814. 2642. iv. LUCY, b. Aug 15, 1813; m. Moses GAY, Jr. She d. s.p. at Havre, France, Sept 26, 1841. 2643. v. WILLIAM CUTLER, b. July 20, 1815; d. Sept 30, 1816. 2644. vi. CHARLES, b. Oct 29, 1817; drowned Penobscot Bay, Oct 1, 1831. 2645. vii. SAMUEL AUSTIN, b. -----; m. Ann E. AULD, and d. s.p., N.O., La., Oct 28, 1850. 2646. viii. JOHN PERKINS, b. Jan 20, 1820. He d. unm. at N.O., Aug 11, 1839.
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