User:JohnWhitneyMurphy1941
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I am a member of the John Whitney branch of the Whitney Family. John Whitney settled in Watertown, MA in 1635. I am just beginning my search and never did this before so my info is very limited at this point.
I do know that my great grandfather was Amos Whitney, founder of Pratt and Whitney Company. My grandmother was an Irish immigrant and worked as a servant. She met Clarence through her work and they were married. They had 3 children. My mother was the eldest and her name was Mary Theresa Whitney and she married Daniel Murphy, my father in 1922 and they had 8 children of which I am the eldest son.
The Whitney name was forbidden in our household and only heard in whispers. My Mother told Diane and I many stories about her life as a Whitney and how she loved her father Clarence who died suddenly in 1918, a victim of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Mother's life was dramatically impacted by her father's death and her Mother was left to raise 3 small children alone and without funds. She led a very difficult and sad life based on stories she told us.
Apparently, Amos disowned his only son Clarence for possibly leaving his wife to marry my grandmother. I have had great difficulty searching Clarence, its almost as though he never existed. I suspect there may have been a scandal.
I would like to find out more about Clarence and if he had children with his first wife.
I had no idea I had lineage back to the days of the Mayflower. This project has become so exciting and fascinating. We have spent many hours reading tons of materials and would welcome some advice on how best to search for family information.
