Family:Whitney, Asa (c1802-a1860)

Asa⁸ Whitney (Jonathan⁷, Jonathan⁶, Joseph⁵, Benjamin⁴, Joseph³, John², John¹), son of Jonathan⁷ and Lucy (Parks) Whitney, was born about 1802, Watertown, MA, and died after 1860.

He married, 15 Nov 1825, Rhoda Blaisdell, daughter of John Drew and Olive (Horsum) Blaisdell. She was born 15 Dec 1806, Jay, ME, and died 11 Mar 1889, Auburn, ME. She married secondly, 9 May 1869, Auburn, ME, Sanders Macomber,^[1] as his second wife. He was born 7 Oct 1797, Marshfield, MA, son of William and Sarah (Hatch) Macomber.

Children of Asa⁸ and Rhoda (Blaisdell) Whitney (probably incomplete):

i.	Mary Elizabeth9 Whitney, b. 22 Apr 1827, Jay, ME; m. 5 Jul 1856, Watertown, MA, William Stone, b. ca. 1822, Salem, MA, son of Isaac Stone.[2]
ii.	(daughter) Whitney, b. 1830-1835; deduced from 1840 Census.
iii.	Jedediah W. Whitney, b. 22 Apr 1835, Jay, ME; m. Angeline Huntoon.
iv.	(prob.) Samuel Whitney, b. 25 Jan 1837, Jay, ME; m. Minerva Sylvester Gallison.
v.	Jesse Coolidge Whitney, b. 6 May 1841, Jay, ME; m. Paulina G. Farmer.
vi.	Francis C. Whitney, b. 7 Dec 1847, Jay, ME; m. Cynthia Ann (Tribble) Whitney.
vii.	(poss. adopted) George Washington Whitney, b. ca. 1853, Readfield, ME; m. Clara Lillian Sturtevant.

Notes

The absence of Asa and Rhoda from the 1850 census of Maine is perplexing. Several (possibly all) of their children were living with other families, yet they reappear in 1860. Possibly they were working in Hopkinton, MA, at that time.

The evidence to support this theory is that there was a Jesse Coolidge born in Watertown, MA in 1791, the same town where Asa was born. Also, there is a Jesse Coolidge enumerated in the Federal Census in Jay, ME in 1820, 1830 and 1840. The 1820 census shows a male in the age range Asa would have been whereas his father's household in Watertown does not have a male in this age range. Asa might have left Watertown with Jesse to live in Maine as a teenager. The fact that Asa named a son Jesse Coolidge also supports the strong connection between the two men.

Furthermore, Jesse Coolidge's grandfather Josiah Norcross and Asa Whitney's grandmother Susanna (Norcross) Whitney were siblings, so they were second cousins.

Census

• 1830, Jay, Oxford Co., ME: Asa Whitney, 1 male 30-39, 1 female 20-29, and 1 female 0-4.
• 1840, Jay, Franklin Co., ME: Asa Whitny, 1 male 30-39, 1 male 5-9, 1 male 0-4, 1 female 40-49, 1 female 10-14, and 1 female 5-9; 3 in agriculture.
• (poss.) 1850, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., MA:

393 456 Jesse Coolidge 59 M - Farmer Mass. Sarah D. " 51 F - " Ann E. N. Eddy 25 " - " Asa Whitney 49 M - Laborer " Edward Goslin 14 " - Ireland Margaret Pierce 30 F - "

• (poss.) 1850, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., MA:

Coffee House 26 31 Thomas Barber 52 M - Innholder $3000 Mass. ... Rhoda Whitney 45 F - Maine ...

• (prob.) 1850, Weld, Franklin Co., MA:

91 98 Luke Goding 57 M - Farmer $600 Mass. Prudence " 41 F - Me. Flavel " 14 M - " Attended school Francis " 11 M - " Attended school Emulus " 8 M - " Attended school Marietta " 7 F - " Attended school Henry " 5 M - " Attended school Valorus " 3 M - " Mary Whitney 23 F - " Illiterate, Pauper Rhoda " 3/12 F - " Pauper

• (prob.) 1850, Weld, Franklin Co., MA:

43 46 Reuben Townsend 34 M - Farmer $1300 Me. Betsey " 39 F - " Samuel Whitney 13 M - " Attended school Philander Wright 4 M - " Attended school Nancy M. Harnden 2 F - "

• 1855 Massachusetts State Census, Bedford, Middlesex, MA:

59 61 Asa Whitney 54 M - Farmer Mass. Rhoda 49 F - " George Phillips 40 M - " Minerva Phillips 36 F - " George Phillips Jr. 15 M - " Estella M. Phillips 1 F - "

• 1860, Mount Vernon, Kennebec Co., ME:

54 58 Asa Whitney 58 M - Farmer $650 $200 Mass. Rhoda Whitney 53 F - Maine Francis " 13 M - Do Attended school George Whitney 7 M - Do Attended school

• 1860, son Samuel not found.

References

• Jedidiah Whitney Family Bible.

1.^  "Sanders Macomber and Mrs. Rhoda Whitney, both of Auburn, [intentions] 3 May 1869," and "Sanders Macomber and Mrs. Rhoda Whitney, both of Auburn, 9 May 1869," according to Auburn, Maine, Vital Records.

2.^  "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," from original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; volume 100, page 216.

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Copyright © 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.