Ancestors
John Whitney
1592-1673
Born 1592, Westminster, Middlesex, England
Died 1673
Father: Thomas Whitney
Mother: Mary Bray
Children include John
John Whitney was christened at St Margaret's, Westminster, on 20 July 1592, the son of Thomas Whitney, gentleman, and Mary Bray. In February 1607, at fourteen, his father bound him apprentice to William Pring of the Old Bailey, a freeman of the Merchant Taylors' Company, one of the great London livery companies. He was made free of the company on 13 March 1614, which let him trade and take apprentices of his own.
He married Elinor soon afterwards and set up house at Isleworth on the Thames, eight miles upriver from Westminster. Three children were christened there: Mary in May 1619, John in September 1621 and Richard in January 1624. In November 1624 his father bound his youngest brother Robert apprentice to him. By 1627 he had moved into London, to Bow Lane in the parish of St Mary Aldermery, where his daughter Mary died and his son Thomas was christened. In September 1631 he put his eldest boy John into the Merchant Taylors' school.
In April 1635 he embarked at Ipswich in the Elizabeth and Ann, Roger Cooper master, with his wife Ellin and five sons between eleven and one. The list gave his age as thirty five. He was really forty two, and every one of the family's ages on it was understated. He was admitted a freeman at Watertown the next March, sat as a selectman in several years between 1638 and 1655, and was town clerk in 1655. In 1642 his home lot of sixteen acres, where he lived for the rest of his life, lay between William Jennison's land on two sides, Martin Underwood's on the west and Isaac Mixer's on the north, and he held eight other lots amounting to two hundred and twelve acres. The registry of deeds shows him adding to them.
His father died at Westminster in April 1637, and because John was out of England the estate was administered by his brothers Francis and Robert. Ellin died in May 1659 and in September he married Judith Clement. He died a widower on 1 June 1673, having already settled most of his land on his sons. His will names six of them.
Sources
HENRY BOND, Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, the WHITNEY family and the BARRON family.
"Embarked at Ipswich, Eng. Ap., 1635, for New England, in the Elizabeth and Ann, Roger Cooper, master, JOHN WHITNEY, aged 35; wife ELLIN (Elinor), aged 30; sons John, aged 11; Richard, aged 9; Nathaniel, aged 8; Thomas, aged 6; and Jonathan, aged 1 year. He was admitted freeman, Mar. 3, 1635-6; was Selectman several years between 1638 and 1655 inclusive, and was Town Clerk, 1655. In 1642, his homestall lot of 16 acres (where he continued to reside), was bounded E. and S. by William Jennison; W. by Martin Underwood; N. by Isaac Mixer. He at the same time owned 8 other lots, amounting to 212 acres. The Registry of Deeds shows that he made additions to these possessions. His early admission as a freeman, and his early election as Selectman, show that he held a respectable social position. His wife, Elinor, d. May 11, 1659, and he m. (2d), Sept. 29, 1659, JUDAH (Judith) CLEMENT. He died a widower, June 1, 1673, aged 74. His Will, dated Ap. 3, 1673, attested by William Bond, Sr., and Sarah Bond, Sr., mentions sons John, Richard, Thomas, Jonathan, Joshua, and Benjamin."
(II.) "JOHN WHITNEY, Jr., was adm. freeman, May 26, 1647, then aged 23; was Selectman, 1673, '74, '75, '76, '78, and '79. He m. RUTH, dr. of Robert Reynolds, of Boston. [The Will of Robert Reynolds, of Boston, dated April 20, 1658, mentions his dr. Ruth Whitney, and her eldest son; his dr. Sarah Mason, and her son Robert.] He d. Oct. 12, 1692, and adm. granted to wid. Ruth, and sons John and Benjamin. Inventory, dated Oct. 26, 1692, taken by Elnathan Beers and Thomas Hammond. It embraced 18 lots or parcels of land, amounting to about 210 acres, and prized at 197l. 15. It embraced one lot of 17 acres, 'purchased of father Arnold.'" Ten children, the eighth of them "Elizabeth, b. June 9, 1656; m., Dec. 19, 1678, Daniel Warren."
"ELLIS BARRON (often written Elliz), adm. freeman, June 2, 1641; constable, 1658; selectman, 1668 and '73; d. Oct. 30, 1676. He had two wives. 1st. GRACE, the mother of his child. He m. (2d), HANNAH, wid. of Timothy Hawkins, senr. She d. Sept. 1, 1685. The births of only 2 chil. recorded. His Will, dated Oct. 26, proved Dec. 19, 1676. Inventory, 139l." His children: Ellis, who married Hannah Hawkins in 1653 and moved to Groton, and "Mary, m., Dec. 10, 1650, Daniel Warren. She d. Feb. 13, 1715-16." Frederick Clifton Pierce, Whitney: The Descendants of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635 (Chicago, 1895), pages 16 to 19, printing Henry Melville's account of the English ancestry, his extracts from the books of the Merchant Taylors' Company, and the Isleworth register (archive.org whitneydescendan00pier). Westminster Abbey, commemorations, "Thomas Whitney and family" (westminster-abbey.org), for the St Margaret's christenings, burials and the marriage of 12 May 1583.
"Feb. 22, 1607, John Whitney, son of Thomas Whitney of the city of Westminster, yeoman, apprenticed to William Pring of the Old Bailey. March 13, 1614, John Whitney made free by William Pring, his master." "March 8, 1624, Robert Whitney, son of Thomas Whitney of the city of Westminster, gentleman, apprenticed to John Whitney of Isleworth." "1621, Sept. 14, John Whitne and Ellin had John their son baptized. 1623-4, Jan. 6, John Whitne and Elinor his wife had their son Richard baptized."
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Cite: Heirology, "John Whitney (1592-1673)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/john-whitney-1592-1673-02ceb0.