Family:Whitney, Eli (1797-1867)
Eli Whitney (James), son of James and Phebe (Higgins) Whitney, was born 31 Jul 1797, Dutchess Co., NY, and died 5 Apr 1867, Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY. He was buried in the Methodist Church Cemetery, Shandaken.
He married, 21 Jan 1821, Shandaken, NY, Catherine Longyear, the daughter of Johannes Longyear and Annatje (Winne) Longyear. She was born 6 Nov 1799, Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY, and died 26 Jan 1884. The 1880 Census lists Catherine living with her son Hiram, in Shandaken.
Eli was in the War of 1812, Capt. Peter Wynkoop's Company, New York Militia, from 7 Sep 1814 to 13 Dec 1814. He was a substitute for his uncle, John Higgins. Pension Bureau record indicates that Eli was 57 years old in 1855. For his service he received two land warrants--one for 40 acres under the Bounty Land Act of September 28, 1850, and one for 120 acres under the Act of March 3, 1855. In 1878 Catherine Whitney was awarded a pension allowance of $52.
Jacob M. Whitney's grandson, John Howard Whitney, in notes he penned in 1919, speculated that the father of Jacob M. and Eli Whitney may have been a John Whitney, who "built the first fanning mill made in NY and owned by a Joseph Risley of Allaben." (Allaben is in Ulster Co., NY.)
Children of Eli and Catherine (Longyear) Whitney, all born Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY:
i. Jacob Whitney, b. 5 Dec 1821; m. Elizabeth Bradstreet. ii. Elizabeth "Eliza" Whitney, b. 19 Aug 1822; d. 18 Jul 1891; m. (1) 17 Nov 1840, Henry William Longyear; m.(2) 24 Apr 1853, Joseph Sitts. iii. John Whitney, b. 9 Aug 1825; m. Delilah Piper. iv. Phoebe Whitney, b. 12 Jul 1826; d. 5 May 1887, Stone Ridge, NY; m. 7 May 1846, Henry D. Knight. v. Hiram Whitney, b. 6 May 1828; m. Anna Fredenburgh. vi. Jane Whitney, b. ca. 1830; d. 19 Dec 1864, Shandaken, NY; m. bef. 1857, Hiram W. Miller. vi. (child) Whitney, b. say 1832; d. in infancy. vii. Giles Whitney, b. 4 Apr 1835; m. Mary Crispell. viii. Sarah "Sally" Ann Whitney, b. 4 Nov 1837; m. 24 Feb 1859, Cornelius Ostrander; d. 17 Jan 1919. ix. William Henry Whitney, b. 20 May 1841, NY; m. Nettie Winter.
Census
- 1820, Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY: Eli Whitney, 1 male 18-25 and 1 female 16-25.
- 1830, Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY: Eli Whitney, 1 male 30-39, 2 males 5-9, 1 male 0-4, 1 female 20-29, 1 female 5-9, and 1 female 0-4.
- 1840, Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY: Eli Whitney, 1 male over 40, 1 male 15-19, 1 male 10-14, 1 male 5-9, 1 male 0-4, 1 female over 40, 1 female 15-19, 1 female 5-9, and 1 female 0-4; 2 engaged in agriculture.
- 1850, Shandaken, Ulster Co., NY:
93 98 Eli Whitney 52 M - Farmer $2000 New York Catharine Whitney 50 F - " Jane " 20 F - " Giles " 17 M - " Sarah " 10 F - " Attended school William " 8 M - " Attended school John " 27 M - Farmer " Pheebe " 80 F - "
160 Frame $200 160 Eli Whitney 56 M - - Duchess 1 - 40 Farmer 1 - - - - 1 - Cathrine Whitney 45 F - Wife Ulster 1 - 45 None - - - - - - - Giles Whitney 21 M - Chld Ulster - - 21 Farmer 1 - - - - - - Sarah A. Whitney 18 F - Chld " - - 18 None - - - - - - - William Whitney 14 M - Chld " - - 14 - - - - - - - - John Whitney 27 M - Chld " 1 - 25 None 1 - - - - - - Delilah Whitney 25 F - Wife Michagan 1 - 2m None - Hiram Whitney 1 M - Chld " - - 2m - - - - - - - -
[Note: Eli's age should be 58, or at least 57 (b. 1797), and Catherine's age should be 55 (b. 1799); John was also 27 in 1850 Federal Census, but was actually 25 then (b. 1825) -- so five years later, in 1855, he should be 30.--Sally Whitney Goodfellow].
1459 1410 Eli Whitney 63 M - Farmer $1100 $500 New York Illiterate Catherine " 61 F - " Illiterate Giles " 26 M - Butcher " William H. " 18 M - Day Laborer " Attended school Mary J. Howland 17 F - Domestic "
- 1870, widow Catherine not found.
References
- Edmund J. Longyear, The Descendants of Jacob Longyear of Ulster County, New York (Los Angeles, privately printed, 1942), p. 17.
- New York State Archives, No. 8825: Eli Whitney of Ulster County, Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812. New York Adjutant-General's Office (1860, 1969).
- Letter of Feb. 20, 1925, from Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D.C., to John H. Whitney, Albany, NY, citing Eli's service and Catherine's pension claim (Widow Certificate 22335). The end of the letter states, "The names of the parents of soldier are not on record."
- Delaware (County, NY) Gazette 1819-1895.
- Commemorative Biographical Record of Ulster County, NY (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1896).
Copyright 2011, 2013, 2014, Sally Whitney Goodfellow, and the Whitney Research Group.
