Archive:Which Samuel Whitney m. Anne Laboree

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The Parents of Samuel Whitney, m. 1722, Anne Laboree

by Robert L. Ward


Joan W. Hantel wrote on 13 Dec 1996:

I was told to contact you for further information re. my Samuel Whitney (1688-1753, Norwalk and Stratford) who m. Anne Laboree 18 Jan. 1722, Norwalk. Their daughter, Sarah (1723-1794) m. Daniel Foote (1717-1790) 1746, Stratford, both later of Newtown. (My 5-great grandparents.) Ann Laboree, Huguenot, daughter of Rev. Dr. James Laborie and Jeanne Ressiguie. From Whitney Genealogy as mentioned Samuel was son of John (1646-1720, Southold and Norwalk) and Elizabeth Smith; And, John, son of Henry? Is this correct? Dates for John? Wife of Henry (not 2nd wife, Sarah, widow of Edward Ketcham.) All help appreciated! thanks

A. Whitney Brown wrote on 29 Aug 1997:

The reason I'm confused is because I have three sources that attribute this Samuel to Henry:
1. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Rev. Samuel Orcutt, 1886.
2. The History and Genealogies of the Families of Old Fairfield, (Jacobus? my title page is missing)
3. Phoenix
The Fairfield book, which is pretty good, says that Samuel, b. abt. 1688, d. at Stratford, 6 Dec 1753, (recorded at Norwalk) ae. 66, m. at Stratford, 18 Jan. 1721/2, Ann Laborie, who m. (2) 23 July 1759, Benjamin Banks of Greenfield.
Orcutt says Samuel and Ann were married the same date. After giving Henry, of Southold, his next entry is John - "John, the son of Henry above, was a miller and mill-wright at Norwalk, and had a famiy of eleven children, one of whom was Samuel, born in 1688, settled in Stratford.". Whitney12 says Samuel was born 17 Jan 1687, not saying which calendar.
Savage gives only four of John the miller's children, John, Joseph, Henry, and Richard. He also gives Samuel, son of Nathaniel, baptised (not born!) 17 July 1687. (This is a constantly annoying mistake in every database.)
And finally, from Hall's Norwalk Records, the Ancient Records of the Town of Norwalk, Connecticut
1. "John Whitney tooke to wiffe Elissabeth Smith, the daughter of Richard Smith, and ws married the 17 of March, Anno 1674,75.
2. John Whitney, the sonne of John Whitney, was borne the 12th of March, 1676, 77.
3. Joseph Whitney, the sonne of John Whitney, was borne the first of March, 1678.
4. Henry Whitney, the sonne of John Whitney, was borne the 21th of ffebruary, 1680.
5. Richard Whitne, ye son of John Whitne, born April 18, 1687."
These are all the sons of John the miller I could find in Norwalk, possible since it's the same four as Savage, that was his source. It would appear from the limited sources I have here that it is unlikely Samuel of Stratford was John the miller's son, since he was baptised only 3 months after the birth of Richard. On the other hand, there is a big gap in John the miller's children, 1680-87, and there could easily be more children in there. I'm sure this whole issue was resolved long ago, but for now I await the opinion of an expert.

Then A. Whitney Brown wrote, also on 29 Aug 1997:

The Fairfield History also mentions Richard, (b. Norwalk 1687, N.VR) m. Hannah Darling (ibid) daughter of John Darling, b. abt. 1689, d. at Greenfield, 20 October, 1774, ae. 85. "He built a mill at Sasco River, but by 1714 had settled in Stratford". Then gives his children, two at Norwalk, one Stratford, one Stratfield. My point is this: He was the brother of the alleged Samuel (John, Henry), he was a miller, as was his father, AND, his wife, from Norwalk, died at Greenfield, which is where his son (another Samuel, b. 1712) died, and most significant, where the alleged second husband of Ann Laborie (Benjamin Banks m. 23 July, 1759) was from. Is this a point in favor of Samuel being related to Richard, and therefore from Henry the miller?) Anyone have VR from Stratford or Greenfield?

Samuel4 WHITNEY of Stratford, CT, was baptized 17 Jul 1687, Watertown, MA, son of Nathaniel3 and Sarah (HAGAR) WHITNEY, grandson of John2 and Ruth (REYNOLDS) WHITNEY, and great-grandson of John1 and Elinor (-----) WHITNEY, the immigrants from England. He died 6 Dec 1753, Stratford, CT in his 66th year.

He m. 18 Jan 1720/1, Stratford, CT, Anne LABOREE, and had at least four children:

i. Sarah5 WHITNEY, b. 29 Aug 1723, Stratford.
ii. Mary WHITNEY, b. 19 Nov 1725, Stratford.
iii. Samuel WHITNEY, b. 13 Dec 1727, Stratford.
iv. Anne WHITNEY, b. 15 Nov 1730, Stratford.

The proof that he was the son of Nathaniel3 and Sarah (HAGAR) WHITNEY (John2, John1) of Watertown (and Weston), MA, and not son of John2 and Elizabeth (SMITH) WHITNEY [Henry1] (no relation to Nathaniel!), lies in the probate records of his father, Middlesex County, MA, File No. 24731. On 2 Dec 1734 an administration account on the estate of Nathaniel WHITNEY was presented in court; and present was Mr. Josiah Hobbs, attorney for Samuel WHITNEY. On 13 Jan 1734/5 the real estate was settled on William WHITNEY, Jr., a grandson, he to pay his uncle Samuel WHITNEY £60-7s-11&1/7d. On 10 Nov 1735, another administration account was presented, including payment to Josiah Hobbs, attorney to "Saml. WHITNEY of Stratford".

This is definitive, despite what has appeared in print. All of the authorities you quote are wrong. This is a classic case of a mistake being copied and recopied. The mistake is that someone assumed, because of the proximity of Samuel4 WHITNEY and the children of John2 WHITNEY, and their similar ages, that they had to be related. There is no documentary proof from primary sources that John2 and Elizabeth (SMITH) WHITNEY had a son Samuel, and there is documentary proof, cited above, that Samuel WHITNEY of Stratford was son of Nathaniel3 WHITNEY of Weston, MA.

Some sources which erroneously say that Samuel was son of John2 and Elizabeth (SMITH) WHITNEY [Henry1] are:

  1. Phoenix, S. Whitney, The Whitney Family of Connecticut and Its Affiliations. Being an Attempt to Trace the Descendants, in the Female and the Male Lines, of Henry Whitney, from 1649 to 1878. To Which is Prefixed Some Account of the Whitneys of England (1878), volume 1, p. 17f.
  2. Orcutt, Rev. Samuel, A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut (1886), Parts 1 and 2, p. 1345.
  3. Jacobus, Donald Lines, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield , p. 688.

Some sources which correctly identify Samuel's parents are:

  1. Pierce, Frederick Clifton, Whitney. The Descendants of John Whitney, Who Came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635 (Chicago: 1895).
  2. Vital Records of Weston, Massachusetts, (n.d.).

Copyright © 1999, 2006, Robert L. Ward and The Whitney Research Group