Family:Whitney, Seth Dunbar (1807-1890)

Seth Dunbar⁷ Whitney (Moses⁶, Jacob⁵, Jonas⁴, Eleazer³, Thomas², John¹), born in Milton, Massachusetts, 13 Sep 1897; married at Dorchester, 7 Nov 1843, Adeline Dutton Train; born 15 Sep 1824. Adeline Dutton Train Whitney, author, born in Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 15, 1824. She is the daughter of Enoch Train, founder of a line of packet ships between Boston and Liverpool, and a sister of Geo. Francis Train. She was educated chiefly in Boston, and at the age of 19 married Seth D. Whitney, of Milton, Massachusetts. Mrs. Whitney has patented a set of "Alphabet Blocks" which are now in general use. Besides contributing to magazines for the young, she is the author of "Fottsteps on the Seas,"a poem (Boston, 1857); "Mother Goose for Grown Folks" (New York, 1860, revised eds. Boston, 1870 and 1882); "Boys at Chequasset" (Boston, 1862); "Faith Gartney's Girlhood" (1863); "The Gayworthys" (1865); " A Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite's Life" (1866); "Patience Strong's Outings" (1868); "Hitherto" (1869); "We Girls" (1870); "Real Folks" (1871); "Pansies," poems; "Insights" (1876) "Just How; A Key to the Cook Books" (1878); "Odd or Even" (1880); "Bonny borough" (1885); "Homespun Yarns" and "Holy Tides" (1886); and "Daffodils" and "Bird Talk" (1887). The last three are volumes of verse besides many others.

Seth Dunbar Whitney, son of Gen. Moses Whitney, was born in Milton, Massachusetts, where he resided all his life or was a householder. He was educated partly in Milton and partly at the academy in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Early in life he became his father's assistant in business-wool and morocco dressing. Their works being near their home and upon their estate in Milton, at Milton Hill. Later, in 1839, with a partner purchased the long lease of a wharf adjoining the Whitney property and carried on for several years the lumber business of which his father had laid the foundation. In 1843, at the time of his marriage he entered again the wool business with his father, and continued in it for some ten years, when he connected himself with a hide and leather firm in Boston, which then took the style of Whitney, Kendall & County, from which he finally withdrew and retired from active business altogether soon after Gen. Whitney's death in 1859. At the time of his marriage he erected a house upon lands purchased from the Russell estate, Milton Hill, on the opposite corner to the "Whitney house," built by his father in 1819. He lived there until 1861, when, having bought of Charles Barnard, Esq., the old "Vose mansion" at Milton Center, and moved it across to a piece of land which he inherited from his father, and removed to this place, which was the home, although he left it at intervals for travel and temporary residence elsewhere, until Mr Whitney's death, 4 Oct 1890. Since then, his son having inherited and occupied the "Whitney house," built by his grandfather on Milton Hill; Mrs Whitney built beside him on the old estate a small house for herself and the "Elm Corner" house as is called the upper Milton place, is rented. The children were all born in the first home on Milton Hill, but nearly all of Mrs. Whitney's literary work has been done at "Elm Corner," as they grew up. Mr Whitney was a very active man, but reserved and quiet in social life, and strong in his domestic habits and attachments. An "old time Whig," he had much to do with local politics and their interests, all through his middle life, until the breaking up of parties and his own disabilities, chiefly from a deafness that came upon him, and retired him more and more as he grew older - withdrew him gradually from outside affairs. "We were both for a long time occupied with our family - our children's marriages, and our frequent adaptatio of our plans to theirs, in the temporary absense I have mentioned; and the last years were spent in a very unbroken quiet, as his health declined, at his Milton home." He died Oct. 4 ,1890; resided Milton, Massachusetts.

Children of Seth Dunbar⁷ Whitney:

i.	Mary Adeline8 Whitney, born 27 Sep 1844; married 17 Feb 1867, Colorado. Charles Russell Suter, U.S. corps of engineers. She died at St. Paul, Minnesota, 16 Dec 18667; only one child, a son, Chas. R., Jr., died a few weeks old.
ii.	Theodore T. Whitney, born 26 Apr 1846; married Annie Caroline Mann.
iii.	Marie Caroline Whitney, born 25 Aug 1848; died 5 Sep 1849.
iv.	Caroline Leslie Whitney, born 10 Nov 1853, married 13 Oct 1875, James A. Field, of Beloit, Wisconsin. He was born 8 Aug 1847; died 17 Jan 1884. She resided Guilford, Connecticut. Mr Field was born in Beloit. he was educated first at an academy in New Jersey, and later in Boston in the institute of technology and afterwards at the university at Munich, in Bavaria. By profession he was a mechanical engineer. After his marriage he went with his wife to Beloit for a time, where he had an interest in the iron works. Later they made their home in New Jersey. Ch.: Wm. Lusk Webster, born 17 Jul 1876; Jas Alfred, born 26 May 1880; Douglas Grahame, born 1 Oct 1892.

References

1. 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. 347-349.

---

Copyright © 2006, The Whitney Research Group