Archive:The Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton

Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton, Whitney Chapter

Dean Crawford Smith and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, The Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton, 1878-1908. Part I: The Ancestry of Warren Francis Kempton, 1817-1879 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1996).

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[p. 523]

WHITNEY

THOMAS^A WHITNEY, gentleman, born England say 1560 or earlier, buried St Margaret, Westminster, Middlesex, England 15 April 1637; married by license St Margaret, Westminster 10 May 1583 "of Lambeth Marsh, gent." MARY BRAY, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 24 December 1564, buried St Margaret, Westminster 25 September 1629, daughter of JOHN and MARGARET (HASLONDE) BRAY (see Appendix).

John Bray, tailor, died in 1615 and Thomas and Mary (Bray) Whitney were executors of his will. Unfortunately, the will does not survive, and its possible revelations regarding surviving family members are lost.

The parentage of Thomas Whitney is currently unknown. A fraudulent royal pedigree was published in Ancestry of John Whitney . . . 1896, by Henry Melville. His otherwise excellent work fell victim to a pretender's claim to the inheritance of the Whitneys of Whitney, Herts. [sic -- should be Herefordshire. RLW]

Melville used many interesting sources in tracing the movement of the early English Whitneys, among them the churchwarden's accounts from St Margaret's. About Mary (Bray) Whitney he says

[She] hired a part of a pew in St. Margaret's Church. She is on record, for example, as paying "IIIs IIIId" for it in 1605, and quot;IIIIs" in 1616 and 1621. The fact that the transaction was in her name and that a whole pew was not needed may indicate that Thomas was not particularly interested in such matters. A possible reason is that he had embraced Puritanism and becom a nonconformist to the discipline of the church of England (Melville, 215).

Another possible reason for this was that Thomas may have been splitting his time between St Margaret's and Isleworth for business or personal reasons. His eldest daughter, Margaret, died at Isleworth at the same time Mary was paying for a pew in St Margaret's.

Further records from the churchwarden's accounts show that when "M^ris Marie Whitney" died, 6s 8d was paid for her grave, 2s 6d was paid for her shroud, and 6s was paid for the tolling of the church bells. Likewise, when "Mr Thomas Whitney" died, 5s 4d was paid for his grave, 2s 6d was paid for his shroud, and 6s for the tolling of bells (St Margaret, Westminster Churchwarden Account Book, 1637, Week 51).

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[p. 524]

It was customary at the death of a leading person that friends, family, or the decedent himself would see that a small "benevolence" was given to the poor in his community. Thomas Whitney was styled "gentleman" and was a tailor and a merchant, like his father-in-law. When Thomas Whitney died, 20s was given to the "poore Hospitall Children" (St Margaret, Westminster, Churchwarden Account Books).

On 22 May 1637, adminstration of the estate of Thomas Whitney went to his sons Francis and Robert Whitney (Dean and Chapter of Westminster 4:49). Ordinarily, the eldest son or sons would be selected as administrators, yet John Whitney was Thomas' eldest surviving son and no refusal by him is recorded. If he was living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony at this time, the reason that he failed to administer his father's estate would be obvious. It is possible that, just two years before his father's death, John may have taken his patrimony with him in the form of a lump sum to assist him in his settlement in Watertown.

The administration of Thomas Whitney's estate showed an inventory total of £233 (Dean and Chapter of Westminster 4:49, Account #31).

The Accompt of Francis & Robert Whitney the Sonnes &
Ad[ministra]tors of the goodes & chattells of Thomas Whitney
late of the p[ar]ishe of St Margarett in Westm[inste]R
deceased, made as followeth.
the Charge
Inprimis the s[ai]d Accomptantes doe charge themselves
w[i]th the somme of two hundred thirtie & three poundes
of lawfull money of England, for the true value of all
& singuler the goodes chattells debtes & certaine estate
of the said deceased as they are comprized & valued in an
Inventary hereof made & ex[hi]b[it[ed] unto this Court &
there remayning, w[hi]ch said goodes & estate have come
to these Accomptants handes	CCxxxiij li
Item they farther charge themselves w[i]th /
sixe pounds tenne shillings in p[ar]te of paym[en]t
of the desp[er]ate debtes mencioned under the somme
totall of the said Inventary, received by them since
the said deceaseds death
Summa oneris	CC xxxix li x s.
The discharge:
Debtes owinge by the said deceased at his Death & since
paied [&] satisfied by these Accompt[ants] as followe.
Imprimis paied & satisfied
to severall Brewers for beer w[hi]ch the said
deceased had of them, the somme of	lxx li.

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[p. 525]

Item to severall workemen as Brickelayers Carpenters
Glasyers & other workemen, for materialls & other
charges touchinge the repayringe of the said deceaseds
dwelling howse, before his death, the somme of	xl li.
Item to Mrs Starchie	viii li.
Item to Goodwife Barnes	xxxs.
Item to one Bridgett	xx s.
Item to William Watts	v li.
Item to John Wandricke	xx li.
Summa debitor[is] hui[us] mo[d]i	Cxlv li x s.
other paym[en]tes necessarily disbursed by these
Accomptantes by reason of their said Administratorshipps,
as p[ar]ticulerly followe, w[hi]ch they crave to be allowed.
Inprimis for all manner of charges aboute the said
deceaseds buriall	xx li.
Item for the letters of Ad[minstra]c[i]on the apprizeinge
of the deceaseds goods, the double ingrossinge &
exhibitinge the Inventary unto this Court, w[i]th the p[ro]ctors
fee & other charges there unto incident, the somme of
iii li.
Item for the drawinge & double ingrossinge of the
Accompt, w[i]th the fees of the R[     ]
Judges seale, p[ro]ctors fees & other charges thereunto
appertayneinge, the somme of	xl s.
Summa exoneraceis	Clxx li x s.
Soe deductis deducend[um] et allocatis allocand[um]
there remaineth in these Accamtantes handes, the somme of	lxix li.
x:o Martii: 1637:
Mr. Eresheldi fecit fidem [ ] animam &c Will: Sammes

Despite giving birth to at least ten babies, only four of this couple's children reached adulthood.

Children, surname WHITNEY:

i.	MARGARET, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 18 October 1584; buried Isleworth, co. Middlesex 12 January 1604/5.
ii.	THOMAS, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 25 July 1587; buried St Margaret 19 August 1587.

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[p. 526]

iii.	HENRY baptized St Margaret, Westminster 11 November 1588; buried St Margaret 4 January 1588/9.
iv.	ARNWAYE baptized St Margaret, Westminster 2 February 1589/90; buried St Margaret 11 August 1591.
v.	JOHN baptized St Margaret, Westminster 20 July 1592.
vi.	NOWELL baptized St Margaret, Westminster 30 October 1594; buried St Margaret 28 February 1596/7.
vii.	FRANCIS baptized St Margaret, Westminster 27 Jan 1598/9; died Westminster August 1643; married ELIZABETH (_____), buried St Margaret 15 January 1670[/1]. Children, both deceased before their mother, names unknown. In her will Elizabeth requested that she be buried "by her husband and two children at the west end of the new Chappel by the greate window" (Dean and Chapter of Westminster 6:48).
viii.	MARY, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 2 August 1600; buried St Margaret 8 August 1600.
ix.	ROBERT baptized St Margaret, Westminster 10 November 1605, buried in the east yard at St Peter's, Cornhill, London 3 April 1662; married say 1636 MARY perhaps WEST, buried as "widow Whitney" St Peter's, Cornhill 27 October 1667. In her will, Mary made a bequest to her "loveing Cozen" Mary West, daughter of Edward West (Archdeaconry Court of London 9:168). Children, surname Whitney: John, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 10 February 1638/9. Thomas, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 27 December 1640. Robert, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 30 October 1642. Thomas, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 29 July 1645. Richard, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 14 October 1647. Margaret, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 31 July 1651. Robert, baptized St Peter's Cornhill 13 Jul 1654. Mary Frances, named in the wills of both her parents, a minor in 1667/8 (Archdeaconry court of London 9:168, 9:23).
x.	probably THOMAS, if a son of this couple he was unrecorded, born about 1609 (calculated from age at marriage, vide post); buried St Margaret's Church, Westminster 20 May 1637; married St Gregory, London by license dated 31 January 1632/3 (Faculty Office 89) MARGARET (MOGGE) GEORGE, widow of Thomas George, born about 1591. "Whitney, Thomas, of St. Margaret, Westminster, gent., bachelor, 24, and Margaret George, of same,

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[p. 527]

42, widow of Thomas George, late of same, butcher - at St. Gregory, London 31 Jan. 1632/3. F.* She was on the far edge of childbearing years and likely they had no children. It was probably his administration granted to widow Margaret in Dean and Chapter of Westminster 4:48. Margaret had married first St Margaret Westminster 19 November 1609 Thomas George, buried St Margaret 18 May 1632 (199 Camden IV, 3, Dean and Chapter of Westminster).

xi.

possibly JAMES, buried as "Mr. James Whitney" St Margaret, Westminster 13 March 1636/7.

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[pp. 528-550, following line of Sarah⁴ WHITNEY (Jonathan³, Jonathan², John¹), who m. Jonathan WARREN.]

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[p. 551]

BRAY Appendix

JOHN^B BRAY, born say 1520s; died probably St Margaret, Westminster, Middlesex, England before 6 December 1615 when his will was proved (Dean & Chapter of Westminster, 3:267); married St. Margaret's Westminster 13 August 1553 MARGARET HASLONDE, buried St. Margaret's 28 March 1588.

John Bray wrote a will which was proved 6 December 1615 (Dean & Chapter of Westminster, 3:267). While the Act Book reveals that John's only surviving child Mary, and her husband Thomas Whitney of St Margaret, were executors, the will itself does not survive.

Children, surname BRAY:

i.	JOHN, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 30 December 1554; buried St Margaret 28 April 1555.
ii.	MARGARET, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 17 February 1556/7, buried St Margaret 2 March 1556/7.
iii.	LAURENCE, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 11 October 1558, buried St Margaret 24 March 1569/70.
iv.	JOAN, a chrisom child (unbaptized), buried St Margaret, Westminster 27 June 1560.
v.	THOMAS, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 29 November 1562, buried St Margaret 22 March 1569/70.
vi.	MARY, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 24 December 1564; buried St Margaret, Westminster 25 September 1629; married St Margaret, Westminster 10 May 1583 THOMASA WHITNEY, born say 1560 or earlier, buried St Margaret, Westminster 15 April 1637 (see Whitney Chapter).
vii.	HENRY, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 6 October 1566.
viii.	HENRY, baptized St Margaret, Westminster 4 February 1567/8.

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Copyright © 1996 Dean Crawford Smith, © 2004 Whitney Research Group.