Family:Whitney, Imri S. (1824-1899)

Imri S.⁸ Whitney (Asa⁷, Eleazer⁶, Alexander⁵, Eleazer⁴, Eleazer³, Thomas², John¹), son of Asa⁷ and Patty (Rice) Whitney, was born 20 Sep 1824, Henniker, NH, and died 8 Feb 1899, New Boston, NH, aged 74 years 4 months 19 days, of Bright's disease of the kidneys.^[1] He was buried in the City Tomb, Manchester, NH.

He married firstly, 13 Nov 1848, Nashville, NH, Zeviah C. Webster.^[2] She was born 9 Oct 1828, Newport, NH, and died 19 Sep 1891, Riverdale.

He married secondly, 15 May 1894, Henniker, NH, Mrs. Lenora A. (Woods) Whitney, daughter of Alanson and Mary (Colby) Woods.^[3] She was born 17 Oct 1836, Henniker, NH, and died after 1900. She had married firstly, 13 Feb 1855, his brother Jason H.⁸ Whitney.

At an early age he gave signs of great love for music and was an apt scholar at his first school. When twenty years of age he taught his first singing school in his native town. In 1848 he began a regular course of musical studies at Nashua, NH, and then composed his first song, "My Cottage Home," which was very popular and sold extensively. In 1849 he began his successful career of teaching juvenile classes. Since then he has accomplished quite as much in the line of concerts with children as well as adults as any man in the country, having taught hundreds of juvenile classes, varying from fifty to eight hundred in a class. He has given hundreds of juvenile concerts and a large number with adult classes, and has taught in many of the towns of New Hampshire between the Merrimack and the Connecticut rivers. Mr. Whitney settled in Manchester, NH, Dec 1855, where he was first employed to teach a singing school and to lead the choir for the then Elm St. Baptist church, now the Merrimack St. Society. During the years of 1856-57-58 and 1859 he was engaged to teach music in the "Teachers' institutes" of the state. Here he advocated what he has since shown in the city of Manchester, that vocal music can be successfully taught in the public schools. After laboring with the school committee of Manchester every way possible, to induce them to try vocal music in the city schools, they at last engaged Mr. Whitney, Sep 1860, for one term, to try the experiment. After training the children some three months, he brought together some fifteen hundred of them for a public exhibition. This task was no small matter for one man to undertake. The thing, however, was done, and successfully. A public exhibition was given, and the people were astonished that so many children could be made to sing together in good tune and time. So well were the school committee pleased, that they engaged Mr. Whitney for another term, and appointed him teacher in the public schools. Mr. Whitney has had very large experience in teaching both juvenile and adult singing classes. In this department of music he stands at the head of his profession. Many years of constant training has made him famous as an instructor of children. He has always been a close student and a hard working man. As a teacher of music Mr. Whitney has become extensively known. He has never labored to become a public performer upon any instrument, or to become a public singer, and yet there are few men better qualified in the various departments of music than he is. He has thoroughly studied and had a large experience in all branches of the science, has published some popular compositions, and has a good collection of original music in manuscript. In Nov 1883, he bought a farm at Riverdale. He resides in New Boston; his son-in-law in Weare. After going there he continued his profession and business in Manchester, going to and from Manchester, eleven miles by rail, as suited his convenience, until Jul 1888, when he sold out his business and gave up his profession as a teacher of music on account of failing health. He held the office of superintendent of schools for New Boston for the year 1884. Since Jul 1884, he has also held the office of justice of the peace for Hillsboro county. He resigned his position as teacher of music in the public school of Manchester, 1 Jul 1871, having given eleven years of very hard work to establish a system of teaching music in the school of the city. The same system is continued to-day by the teacher who was his successor. He was noticed by the Mirror and American, the leading papers of the city, as the father of music in the public schools of Manchester. Jan 1872, he commenced to publish a musical paper called "Whitney's New Hampshire Journal of Music," which he is now (1895) publishing; resided Riverdale, NH.

Children of Imri S.⁸ and Zeviah C. (Webster) Whitney:

i.

Adah Clarissa9 Whitney, b. 1 Oct 1861, Manchester, NH (given name not given);[4] m. 23 Jan 1883, Manchester, NH, Harry Hobson Simons.[5] Children: a. Mildred Whitney Simons, b. -----. |} Census 1860, Henniker, Hillsborough Co., NH: 1047 1305 Imri S. Whitney 35 M - Music Teacher $1200 New Hamp. Zelphia C. " 30 F - " 1870, Manchester, Hillsborough Co., NH: 208 353 Tanswell, George H. 36 M W Ret. Dry goods merchant $2400 Massachusetts Male citizen over 21 -----, Martha E. 29 F W Keeping House Maine -----, Emma B. 3 F W N.H. 354 Whitney, Imri S. 44 M W Music Teacher $4000 $2000 N.H. Male citizen over 21 -----, Zepiah 41 F W Keeping House N.H. -----, Adah 8 F W N.H. Randall, Olive J. 23 F W Engraver Rmt. works N.H. Parker, Martha 20 F W Studdying Music N.H. 1880, Henniker, Merrimack Co., NH: Inire S. WHITNEY 55 Self M M W NH Music Dealer NH NH Zeviah WHITNEY 51 Wife F M W NH Keeping House NH NH Adah C. WHITNEY 18 Dau F S W NH Clerk In Store NH NH 1900, New Boston, Hillsborough Co., NH: 11 11 Whitney, Lenora Head W F Oct 1836 63 wid 3ch 3liv New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire Rents house References All data imported from Frederick Clifton Pierce, The Descendants of John Whitney, Who Came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, (Chicago: 1895), pp. 539-540. 1.^  New Hampshire, Death Records, 1654-1947, at FamilySearch.org. 2.^  "Jinri S. Whitney & Zeniah C. Webster, m. 13 Nov 1848, Nashville, Hillsborough Co., NH," according to New Hampshire, Vital Records, Marriage Index. 3.^  "Imri S. Whitney (b. 1825, Henniker, NH, s. of Asa Whitney & Patty Whitney) & Leonora Whitney, m. 15 May 1894, Henniker, Merrimack Co., NH," according to New Hampshire, Vital Records, Marriage Index. 4.^  New Hampshire, Vital Records, Birth Index. 5.^  "Adah C. Whitney (b. 1862, Manchester, NH, d. of Imri Whitney & Zeviah) & Harry H. Simons, m. 23 Jan 1883, Manchester, Hillsborough Co., NH," and "Leonora Whitney (b. 1837, Henniker, NH, d. of Alanson Wood & Mary Wood) & Imri S. Whitney, m. 15 May 1894, Henniker, Merrimack Co., NH," according to New Hampshire, Vital Records, Marriage Index. Copyright © 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2020, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.