Family:Whitney, John (1790-1864)

John⁸ Whitney (Oliver⁷, Silas⁶, David⁵, Benjamin⁴, Thomas³, Thomas², John¹), born Clarendon, Vermont, 18 Dec 1790; married at Frelighsburg, Canada East, 7 Jul 1811, Lucy Leonard, born Saint Armand, 7 Jul 1794; died 30 Jun 1863.

He was a native of Clarendon, Vermont, and early in life moved to Canada with his parents. He had a fine farm and managed it well, but he was more of a speculator than farmer, trading, buying and selling and making more money in this way than from the farm. He died 7 Sep 1864; resided Saint Armand, Canada East.

Children of John⁸ and Lucy (Leonard) Whitney:

i.	Hannibal H.9 Whitney, born 9 Jul 1814; married and resided Montreal, Canada. He died 29 Jan 1877. His wid. and son resided Seattle, Washington.
ii.	Rebecca Leonard Whitney, born 15 Aug 1817; married 14 Dec 1837, at St. A., Dr. William H. Ellsworth. He was born 12 Sep 1815; died Feb. 10, 1864; resided Greenville, Michigan Ch.: Julia Caroline, born May 11, 1840; married 4 Sep 1860, to Alexander Mcpherson, Detroit, Michigan; Mary ELisabeth Susan, born 30 Oct 1841; married to Charles Jesse Church, 19 Nov 1860; resided Greenville, Montcalm County, Michigan; John Charles, born 24 Aug 1847; address Fowlerville, Michigan; married Feb. 28, 1874; Gertrude, born 17 May 1855; married to C. F. Morgan, M. D., June, 8, 1875. Dr. William H. Ellsworth, late of Greenville, Michigan, died at Michigan City, Indiana, 1864, of typhoid pneumonia. Dr. Ellsworth was born in Berkshire, Franklin County, Vermont, in the year 1815; studied medicine with his father, Dr. William C. Ellsworth; attended the medical college of his native state, at Woodstock, for some time, but completed his professional education in Montreal, Canada. He settled in his native village where he was obliged not only to compete with his father, a distinguished physician of long experience, but with many other justly celebrated physicians, yet he soon succeeded in establishing for himself a reputation equal to any around him. In 1855 the doctor went to Michigan and settled in Greenville, Montcalm County, and immediately entered upon the practice of his profession, and in a remarkably short time acquired a large practice, which he retained until his death. By his unwearied attention and kind sympathies toward the sick and suffering, he won the confidence and love of a vast number, and to a wonderful degree, which was strikingly exhibited by the tearful eyes that gathered around his lifeless remains when they were borne back to his home by his stricken companion. Only a few weeks before the doctor went south with his brother, Maj. C. C. Ellsworth, to visit the Army of the Cumberland, and on his return home was seriously injured by a railroad accident, which occurred in the state of Indiana, and which induced the disease of which he died. Dr. Ellsworth was in the very prime of life and in the midst of his greatest usefulness. This strange providence has cast a deep gloom over the entire community, and his loss will be long and heavily felt.
iii.	Nathanial S. Whitney, born 2 Dec 1820; married Helen I. Mills.
iv.	Lucy Ann Hibbard Whitney, born 27 Jul 1824; married 10 Feb 1845, Rev. Aaron Slaght, the son of Aaron Slaght and Catherine Whitehead, and was born in Townsend, County of Norfolk, Province of Ontario, Canada, in the year 1822, on Aug. 18. He was married at St. Armand, Province Quebec, by the Rev. F. N. Jersey, Baptist minister. She died 25 May 1849, at Waterford, Canada West. She was an active member of the church and worked quite actively among the young people, with whom she was a great favorite. Her remains were interred at the cemetery near that place. The first child was Lucy Annabelle, born 8 Jun 1846, the second child was Mary Helen, born 15 Jun 1848; was married April 12, 1872, to John Bostwick Backus, M. D., at London, Ontario, by the Rev. Dr. Cooper, then pastor of the London Baptist Church. She removed to Braidwood, Illinois, with her husband, and died there on 30 Mar 1874, leaving one daughter six days old, who is living and at present at school in Hartford, Connecticut, named Helen Whitney Backus. On 23 Aug 1876, Lucy Annabelle Slaght was married to John Bostwick Backus, M. D., at Waterford, Ontario, by the Rev. Mr. Cameron, pastor of the Brantford Ontario Church. There are two children of this union, Grace Constance, born June 8, 1878, and Erie Waters, born 28 Jul 1879, both of whom are living. Mrs. Backus was noted for her gentleness of demeanor, kindliness of disposition and purity of character, and was endeared to a large circle of friends and acquaintances at her demise. John Bostwick Backus, M. D., is the son of John A. Backus and Sarah M. Bostwick (both deceased), born 27 Apr 1845, at Simcoe, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada; attended McGill college, Montreal, and graduated in medicine in 1870. He practiced a few months in Simcoe and then later at Braidwood, Illinois, where he still resides.

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. 531-532.

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