The family of John Whittemore 1714-1778

 John Whittemore, who fought in the French and Indian War and was on the expedition to Crown Point in 1757, deserves to tell more of his story than we know so far.  And again, what we do know is limited and confusing.  Nevertheless, there is enough to follow our line, and so we will take what we can get.

John is the son of John and Elizabeth Lloyd Whittemore, and was born in 1714 in either Charlestown or Boston, Massachusetts.  He married Lydia Clough, the daughter of Benjamin and Faith Hart Clough, in 1742.  Lydia lived only a few more years, dying June 15, 1750.  John is said to have married again, but his second wife is unidentified as of now.  (There are a couple of possibilities in Worcester County but I can't prove or disprove either of those yet.)

John and Lydia had at least three children,  

John was born in 1743 and married Abigail Osborn, the widow Bodge, daughter of Thomas and Abigail Pierce Osborn.  I can find no record of children for them.  John died in 1790 in Charlestown.

William was born in 1745 and died in 1822.  He married Bethiah Collins, daughter of John and Bethiah Mansfield Collins.  They had at least one child, William.  

Josiah was born in late 1748 or early 1749 in Boston.  He married Lucy Snow, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Stevens Snow.  Thier children are William, John, Salmon, Mary, Lucy, Josiah, Levi, Cephas, Otis, and Betsey.  Lucy died in 1794 and Josiah then married Martha Parkhurst, the widow Rider.  She was the daughter of Nathaniel and Eunice Harrington Parkhurst.  This marriage took place in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, which is why I think it might be worthwhile looking at the possibilities mentioned above for John's purported second marriage.) Josiah and Martha had at least four children together: Cephas, Zenas, Martha, and Sylvanus. Josiah died in 1814 and I will follow this family in my next blog post.

There is also a mention of Samuel Whittemore as the child of John and Lydia, but I could find no information about him.  He may have died as an infant, and his mother Lydia may have died as a result of childbirth.  

If John did marry again, he and his second wife may have had a daughter Sarah, born in 1775.  That would have made quite a gap in ages between John's youngest with Lydia and this daughter, but it's not impossible.  I haven't found records for her but maybe I've not looked in the right places.

Once again, this particular branch of the Whittemore family seems to play hide and seek with us.  We can see some faint traces of where some may have hidden, but after so many years, it's hard to be sure because by this time there were too many John Whittemores to count, in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.  We will hold tightly to the ones we know about, and continue to search for more ties to our Whittemore family.

The family of John Whittemore 1685-1748

I've written of this John Whittemore, known as Captain John Whittemore, earlier and I still am fascinated with this man.  I would still love to know more of his life and his travels.  He was a "mariner" for many years, which apparently earned him the title of Captain, and he lived in Boston prior to the American Revolution, when it was still a very British colony.  There are so many questions I'd like to ask him!

However, we do know that his parents are John and Elizabeth Annable Whittemore, that he was born December 23, 1685 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and that he died April 21, 1748 in Boston.  He was married in 1711 to Elizabeth Lloyd, daughter of Edward and Hannah Griffin Lloyd.   Elizabeth died in 1746.

John and Elizabeth had at least four children together.

John was born in 1714 and married Lydia Clough, the daughter of Benjamin and Faith Hart Clough.  Their known children are John, William, and Josiah.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Elizabeth was born in 1716, and married Nathaniel Breed, the son of Nathaniel and Sarah Davis Breed.  They had two children, Nathaniel and Elizabeth.  Nathaniel died in 1744 and Elizabeth then married Anthony Sigourney, the son of Andrew and Mary Germaine Sigourney.  Elizabeth and Andrew had two children, Anthony and Andrew. Elizabeth died in 1804.  Full disclosure: Some trees are showing that this Elizabeth Whittemore was the daughter of another Whittemore family, but from the limited evidence I have, I think it more likely that I have placed her correctly.  I'd love to see documentation one way or the other.  

Edward was born in 1718.  He married Sarah Gridley, who may be a daughter of John Gridley.  They had two children, Edward and Elizabeth.  Edward died in 1772.

And then there was Sarah, born in 1720.  She died as an infant, in 1721.

This is a short post because it's a small family.  John and Elizabeth became the grandparents of just 9 grandchildren, in contrast to many of the other families I've written of.   Nevertheless, John had one of the more interesting (to me) occupations and lived in a location that has long felt like home to me.  It's been fun to travel back in time, even just to see John and Elizabeth at a distance.

The family of John Whittemore 1662-1702

 This is the second of four John Whittemore's whose families I'm following.  This John Whittemore, the son of John and Mary Upham Whittemore, has a mostly sad story.  He died before his fortieth birthday, having buried his first wife and five of his children, and leaving a widow and six children to get along as best they could.  The survivors must have been very strong people.  

John was born in 1662.  His first wife was Elizabeth Annable, the daughter of John and Anna Whipple Annable.  (I think I've resolved my confusion in my last post.  Anna Whipple Annable married Nicholas Clapp after the death of John Whipple, which is why I was finding both the Whipple and the Clapp names attached to her.)  John and Elizabeth had just one child, John.

The third John Whittemore was born in 1685 in Charlestown, Massachusetts and died in 1748 in Boston.  His wife was Elizabeth Lloyd, the daughter of Edward and Hannah Griffin Lloyd.  They had two children, John and Elizabeth.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

After Elizabeth's death in 1686, John married, about 1688, Sarah Hall, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Colicott Hall.  They had at least 11 children together.  

Jonathan was born in 1689 and died in 1690.

Richard was born in 1691 and died at sea in about 1726 (several of the Whittemore men were mariners). His wife was Mary Phipps, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Kettell Phipps.  Their children are Joseph, John, Richard, and Mary.

Joseph Whittemore was the next, born in 1693. He married Sarah Welsh, daughter of Thomas and Hannah Mousall Welsh, in 1721.  Their son was Josiah, and there may have been more children but as yet I am unable to locate records to show that.  Joseph died about 1729.

Next were four infants, born annually from 1696 to 1699, none of whom survived more than a few months.  They are Experience, Thomas, Experience, and Jonathan.  I cannot imagine the grief during this time period, and ever after.  

Their first daughter, Abigail, was born in 1700.  She married Stephen Blanchard (Blancher), the son of Joseph and Hannah Shepard Blanchard.  Their children are Joseph, Stephen, Abigail, Sarah, Hannah, Mary, John, Ruth, Josiah, and Anna.  Abigail died in 1736, perhaps worn out from child bearing.

Another daughter, Anna, was born in 1701 and married John Smith, possibly the son of Thomas and Rebecca Glover Smith.  I have not found birth records for any children they may have had.  Anna (seen as Ann also) died in 1746.

And finally, there was Josiah, born in 1702.  He married Catherine Fowle, the daughter of James and Mary Richardson Fowle.  Their children are Katherine, Sarah, and Esther.  Josiah was the only one of this list to live a long life, dying in 1783.  

John Whittemore is somewhat unusual in the families I've studied so far.  Most of them have lived reasonably long lives, but not John.  Most of them have had large families, who in turn had large families, but not John.  Only one of his children, Abigail, is known to have had more than four children.  Only one child, as noted, lived a long life.  Our Whittemore line, at this point, is hanging on by a thread. 

The family of John Whittemore 1639-1694

 I am reasonably sure there are errors in this post, because there are so many Whittemores by this generation with the same first names.  Many of the trees I've looked at have errors, too, so I'm not alone.  I hope I have weeded out some of the most obvious mistakes and humbly ask your help in getting this family correctly identified and located.  

John was the son of Thomas and Hannah Chawkley Whittemore.  He was born in 1639 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England and died in 1694 in Cambridge, Massachusetts Bay Colony, having arrived here in 1642 with his parents and his brother, Benjamin.  He married at least twice, and had children with each wife.  His first wife was Mary Upham, daughter of John and Elizabeth Slade Upham, whom he married in 1661 and who died in 1677.  His second, married in 1677, was Mary or Marie Miller, the daughter of John and Lydia (maiden name not known but "Combs" has been suggested) Miller.  There were children, perhaps as many as 15, from the two marriages.  

John and Mary's children are:

John, born in 1662 and died in 1702.  He married Elizabeth Annable, the daughter of John and Anna (Whipple or Clapp? I've seen both!) Annable.  They had one child, John.  He next married Sarah Hall, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Collicott Hall.  Their children are Jonathan, Richard, Joseph, Sarah, Experience, Thomas, Experience, Jonathan, Abigail, Anna, and Josiah. I will write more of this family in my next blog post.

Thomas was born in 1664 and died in 1717.  He married Mary, the widow of Samuel Pease, as yet not further identified.  (Some trees say he married Mary Ann Gallaudet but that marriage was much later, and a different Thomas.)  Their children are Thomas, Martha, Francis, Mary, and Daniel.  I sure would like confirmation about Francis-he may belong to a different family.

Next was Joseph, born in 1666 and died in 1716.He married first Joanna Mousall, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Richardson Mousall.  Their children are Joanna and Joseph.  He next married Susanna Frost, the daughter of Joseph and Hannah Miller Frost.  Their children are Jabez, Susanna, Hulda, Abiel, Josiah, and Abiah.  

Benjamin is the next son, born in 1669 and died in 1734.  He married Esther Brooks, the daughter of Deacon Joshua and Hannah Mason Brooks.  Their children are Mary, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Grace, Mehitable, Esther, Joel, and Aaron.  

Nathaniel was born in 1673 and died in 1754.  He married Sarah French, the daughter of William and Sarah Danforth French.  Their children are Thomas, Jacob, Sarah, Abigail, John, and Nathaniel.  

Then there are two sons named Joel.  The first was born in 1676 and died very soon.  The second was born in 1677.  He died at sea in 1711, unmarried.  It would be interesting to learn more of his story.

So Thomas and Mary had seven sons, the last one probably costing Mary her life.

Just a few months after Mary died, John married again.  I will refer to the second wife as Marie to avoid confusion; her name is seen as Marie and as Mary in records.  John and Marie had several children also, Marie being 13 years younger than John.

The first was Mary, who was born in 1678 and died sometime after she chose her half-brother, John,  to be her guardian in 1694.  Apparently there are no further records for her.

Pelatiah was born in 1680 and died in 1724.  He married Margery Pepperell, daughter of William and Margery Bray Pepperell.  Their children are Pelatiah, William, Mary, Margery, and Joel.

Next was Amos, born in 1681 and died in 1738. He married Mary, possibly Owen but unconfirmed,  and they had Daniel, Jane, Josiah, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Mary.  He next married Hannah Ellis, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Fisher Ellis.  Hannah was about 44 when they married and she is not known to have had any children with Amos.

Elizabeth was this couple's first daughter.  She was born in 1683 and died in 1728.  She married Joseph Blanchard, the son of Joseph and Hannah Shepard Blanchard.  Their children are Elizabeth, Johane, Mary, Joseph, Hannah, Jemima, Keziah, and Simon.  

Daniel was next, born in 1685 and died the following year.  (There is a slight possibility that he died in 1721 in Ridgefield, Ct but I don't think this is the same Daniel.)  

Rebecca was born in 1687 and died in 1757.  It's reported that she did not marry.  

Hannah was born in 1689 and, like her half sister Mary, was alive in 1694.  She is another female I have not been able to trace.  

Their final child was Daniel, born in 1691 and died in 1757.  He married Mary Turrell, the daughter of Samuel and Lydia Stoddard Turrell.  This couple had two children, Daniel and Samuel.  Apparently this Daniel was not the best of husbands.  He died in Halifax, Nova Scotia and his widow needed financial help to survive.  He is also said to have had little to do with his two sons.  

Fortunately, most Whittemore children were good citizens, family men (or women), and several of them fought for their colony.  John is the grandfather of 48 grandchildren, if we accept this list as complete and correct, which it may not be.  

 

The family of Thomas Whittemore 1593-1661

 This post will start a series of seven posts about my ancestors in the Whittemore family.  Actually, I've written about each of them previously (use the search bar at the bottom of the post to find them) but these will concentrate more on the children of each of my ancestors.  Today's subject is Thomas Whittemore, baptized January 6, 1593 in Hitchin, Herefordshire, England, and died in 1691 in Malden, Massachusetts.  

Sometimes I learn more about an ancestor when I'm going back to look at his children, and this is one of those cases. Thomas was married three times, as it turns out.  His first wife is not yet known.  There was a daughter, Sarah, born to this marriage, who lived just a matter of days.  

His second wife was Sarah Deardes, whom he married in 1623,  the daughter of John and Mary Harflitt Dardes.  There were at least two children born to this marriage.  Mary was born in 1624 and married "Onliker" Jackson.  I have seen that first name transcribed as "Oulifer", which makes me wonder if it's an Oliver Jackson we're looking for.  I have not found a record that this couple had children.

The second child was a son, Thomas, born in 1626.  As far as I can tell now, he did not come to New England with his father, and there are records that he was still in England in 1660.  I have not located any further marriage, children, or death records for him.  However, it appears to me that he is not the Thomas Wetmore who died in Middleton, Connecticut in 1681.  The dates don't work for the known information about this Connecticut Wetmore.  I would love to find records for him in England, as we may have distant cousins there, too.

Sarah died in 1628, and in 1632 Thomas married Hannah Chawkley, the daughter of John and Frances Deardes Chalkley.  I have not worked out the relationship between Sarah, Thomas's second wife, and Frances, Thomas's third mother in law, but this was a small, not densely populated area (Hitchin, still) so there was likely some sort of family tie.  Thomas and Hannah had ten children together, the first four born in England. 

Daniel was the first born, in 1633.  He married Mary Mellins, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Barrett Mellen.  (Note:  I am using the spellings as I find them, so be sure to check both ways, if you are doing further research.)  Their children are Daniel, John, Thomas, Mary, Nathaniel, James, and Pelatiah.  Daniel died in 1683.

Next was a son who lived for only a short time, John.

Nathaniel was born in 1636.  He married Mary Knower, the daughter of George and Elizabeth Kendall Knower.  Their children are Mary and Nathaniel.  Nathaniel died in 1671, only 35 years old.  

Next born was John, in 1638.  He first married Mary Upham, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Slade Upham.  Their children are John, Thomas, Joseph, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Joel, and a second Joel.  Mary died in 1677, and later that year, John married Mary Miller, the daughter of John and Lydia (maiden name unknown) Miller.  Their children are Mary, Pelatiah, Amos, Elizabeth, Daniel, Rebecca, Hannah, and a second Daniel.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Benjamin was born in 1640, in Massachsuetts.  (Mother Hannah must have had a fun time bringing four little ones to New England, probably while pregnant with Benjamin!) He married Elizabeth Bucknam, the daughter of William and Sarah Knower Bucknam.  Their children are Hannah, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Benjamin.  (Quite probably the first two Benjamin's died young.)  Benjamin died in 1726.

Elizabeth was born in 1643.  She is said to have married Hopestill Foster, but this may be a mis-reading of Torrey's New England Marriages to 1700.  I think the verdict on Elizabeth is out, and it's possible that she died young.  I'd love to know her story.

Thomas (the second one, because one was still in England) was born in 1645.  He married Elizabeth Pierce, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Cole Pierce.  They had at least one child, Joseph.  Their may have been a second child, Hannah, but that seems inconclusive as of now.  Elizabeth Pierce Whittemore then married Hopestill Foster (see the confusion mentioned in the above paragraph) and later yet married Nathaniel Pierce, having four children with each man.  Thomas, sadly died in 1670, aged about 25.

Samuel was the next born, in 1647.  He married Hannah Rice, possibly the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Uggs Rix.  Their children are Samuel, Hannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, Abigail, Susanna, Thomas, and Samuel again.  

Pelatiah was born in 1650 and lived until 1679. He or she (sites differ as to gender, though Pelatiah is generally a masculine name) did not marry and I haven't found a record of any children.

Abraham was born in 1653 and died in 1691.  He also is not known to have married, although I have seen that some attribute a son, William, to him.  

So Thomas was the father of thirteen children, ten of them with Hannah Chawkley.  Thomas and Hannah had at least 30 grandchildren, although some died young.  These offspring fought in the wars and were good citizens of the Massachusetts Bay colony.  We can be proud of them.