Archive:Who is the Abigail Whitney Who Married Noah M. Soper? A Conjecture.
Who is the Abigail Whitney Who Married Noah M. Soper?
A Conjecture
by Kenneth L. Whitney
The marriage record of Abigail Whitney and Noah M. Soper has yet to be found, as well as no record of the complete middle name of Abigail M. Soper Mclain. Therefore, the identity of Abigail must be solved by conjecture.
Olena Belle Whitney was born 21 September 1875 in Chesterville, Franklin Co., Maine. She was the fourth child of George Franklin and Madorah (Tuttle) Whitney. On 31 May 1896 in Mount Vernon, Kennebec Co., Maine she married George Wesley Soper. He was born in November 1862 in Chesterville, the son of George and Sylvia J. (Carr) Soper.
George Soper, the father, was born 6 November 1830 in Passadumkeag, Penobscot Co., Maine and died 26 June 1903 in Chesterville, Maine. His death record says he is the son of Noah M. and Abigail (Whitney) Soper. George’s death record says that Noah Soper was born in Chesterville, and Abigail Whitney was born in Parkman, Piscataquis Co., Maine. It is the goal of this conjecture to elucidate the identity of the Abigail Whitney who married Noah M. Soper.
In Seavey’s Corner Cemetery, Vienna, Kennebec Co., Maine is the headstone of Abby McLain. The inscription reads: Abby, wife of Charles McLain, and former wife of Noah Soper. DIED Apr. 16, 1856, age 56. If the headstone is correct, Abby was born in 1800. In the same cemetery is the headstone of Noah Soper. The inscription reads: Noah Soper, died 10 Feb 1834, ae. 30. Also in the same cemetery is the headstone of George Soper. The inscription reads: George Soper, 6 Nov. 1830, 26 June 1903. Louisa M., his wife, 5 July 1841, 6 June 1908.
The marriage records of New Sharon, Maine record the marriage of Mrs. Abigail Sopher (sic) of New Sharon to Charles Mclane of New Vineyard, Maine on 17 June 1845 in New Sharon. They were married by Joseph Edgecomb of Vienna, Maine. Charles Mclain is buried in the Newell/McLain Cemetery, New Vineyard, Franklin Co., Maine. The headstone inscription reads: Charles McLain died Feb. 3, 1864, aged 75 years.
The Vital Records of Chesterville, Maine record the death of George Soper in Chesterville on 26 June 1903, age 72-7-20. He was born in Patsydunsic (?) (Passadumkeag), was married, and was a farmer. His father was Noah M. Soper, born Chesterville, and his mother’s maiden name was Abigail Whitney, born Parkman. His father was a Tanner & Shoemaker. He died of Acute Uremia.
The Vital Records of Parkman, Piscataquis Co., Maine do not mention Abigail Whitney. Thomas Flint Whitney, who previously resided in Guilford, moved to Parkman between 1840 and 1850. He is the brother of Abigail Merrill Whitney.
The records of the probate of the will of Noah Soper appear online at ancestry.com. In the Order Papers of the probate records is a note, dated February 22, 1834, from Abigail M. Soper to Hon. Henry W. Fuller, Probate Judge for Kennebec Co., Maine. Her husband is late of Wilton, Maine. She writes that it is inconvenient for her to administer her late husband’s will, and requests that Charles Morse be appointed administrator. Twice on the document she signs her name Abigail M. Soper.
Abigail Merrill Whitney was born in Lisbon, Androscoggin Co., Maine on 31 March 1800, the daughter of Aaron and Betsey (Hildreth) Whitney. A record of her birth is found in the family record of Aaron and Betsey Whitney, as it was recorded in the Vital Records of Guilford, Piscataquis Co., Maine:
Aaron Whitney born in Lewiston September 10th 1774
Betsey his wife born in Lewiston Sept. 10 1774
Children (as recorded):
Abigail Merrill Whitney, born in Lisbon March 31st 1800
Robert Hildrith Whitney born in Lisbon December 18th 1801
Reliance Small Whitney, born in Lisbon September 23rd 1803 (later documented as Reliance)
Annas Spears Whitney, born in Lisbon September 23, 1805" (In addition to appearing in Vol. 1, p. 110, Annas also appears on p. 69)
Relief Guildsmith Whitney, born in Litchfield September 7th 1807
Sally Spears Whitney, born in Industry, October 11th 1809
Thomas Flint Whitney, born in Industry November 13th 1813
William Hildrith Whitney, born in Industry October 7th 1815
Betsey Whitney Junr , born in Guilford October 7th 1818
It can be seen from this record that the family resided in Lisbon until at least 1805, and then removed to Litchfield for a short period. They then removed to Industry, where they were among the early settlers, by 1809. They then removed to Guilford by 1818, when their last child was recorded. By this time, Abigail would be 18 years old and residing in Piscataquis County with her family. This places her in close geographic proximity to Parkman, which was mentioned as her place of birth in George Soper’s birth record. Parkman is also where her brother, Thomas Flint Whitney, resided. This may have contributed to the record of her being born in Parkman.
The cemetery records at Seavey’s Corner Cemetery indicate that Abigail was born in 1800. In addition, the probate records of the will of Noah Soper indicate that Abigail’s middle initial was M.
I believe that all of this circumstantial evidence points to the probability that Abigail Merrill Whitney is the Abigail M. Whitney who married Noah M. Soper.
Copyright © 2019, Kenneth L. Whitney and the Whitney Research Group.
