User:Lowellthomaswhitney

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J W.png This WRG Member is a Descendant of the immigrant John Whitney.

My Whitney Line
  • Thomas L. Whitney, m. Elizabeth (Lizzie) Jeffries
  • Frank Monroe Whitney, m. Mary Jane Tabler
  • Thomas Earl Whitney (Sr.), m. Edith Ellen Givens
  • Thomas Earl Whitney Jr., m. Madeline Thompson
  • Lowell Thomas Whitney, m.

Edit My Whitney Line

My father, Thomas Earl Whitney, Jr., was the first in his family to attempt to discover his origins, and he became a pretty good genealogist. He discovered an awful lot, however, he ran into a brick wall trying to figure out who Thomas L. Whitney's parents were. Based on a notation in his wife's (Lizzie) Bible, Thomas L. was born in Perry Co. Ohio in 1834. In one of the US Census records was a notation that Thomas L's father was born in NY.

Several interesting non-Whitney items my Dad discovered were:

  • One Great Granddad was killed at the Battle of Chicamauga fighting for the Union Army.
  • Another Great Granddad served with the Union Cavalry during the Civil War, fought in the Battle of Franklin, TN, the Battle of Nashville and was later captured and spent time in the Confederate prison of Andersonville.
  • One GG Granddad died of illness in SC while marching with Sherman's Army towards the end of the Civil War.
  • The above GG Granddad was a Hatfield and was part of the Hatfield family that was involved in the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud.

My Dad served in the Navy during WWII. His first assignment was on the USS Hugh L. Scott, a troop ship carrying soldiers to North Africa in Operation Torch. After dropping off the soldiers, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat near Casablanca. He survived and was then assigned to the USS Yorktown, a new Essex Class aircraft carrier. This ship participated in many of the battles in the south Pacific .

My Dad died in 2005 and I took over the genealogy work he had started. I discovered the WRG and DNA testing. I submitted my DNA primarily to determine if, indeed, I was a "Whitney". I was beginning to suspect that Old Thomas L. might have been orphaned or adopted and wasn't really a "Whitney". My DNA proved that I am a descendant of John & Elinor Whitney. Eventhough I have had my DNA tested thru 67 markers, I still have not identified Thomas L's parents. Hopefully, time and additional DNA samples will help me close the gap.