Family:Whitney, Freeman (1800-1873)

Freeman⁷ Whitney (Enoch⁶, Moses⁵, Nathaniel⁴, Nathaniel³, Benjamin², John¹), son of Enoch⁶ and Hannah (Newcomb) Whitney, was born 9 Mar 1800, Standish, ME, and died 24 Mar 1873, Harrison, ME.

He married firstly, int. 3 Feb 1821, 14 Feb 1821, Harrison, ME, Mary S. Gray,^[1] daughter of James and Mary (Stickney) Gray. She was born 16 Aug 1797, Beverly, MA, and died 25 Oct 1870, Harrison, ME.

He married secondly, int. 1 May, cert. 8 May, m. 8 May 1871, Harrison, ME, Melinda A. (Packard)(Rich) Trafton,^[2] daughter of Asa and Eleanor (Bradbury) Packard. She was born 21 Nov 1819, Norway, ME, and died after 1880. She had married firstly, about 1849, Samuel Reuben Rich, who was lost at sea. She married secondly, 17 Aug 1852, Harrison, ME, Joshua Trafton, who died about 1856. They were divorced in 1854.

He came to Harrison with his father when he was ten years of age. He was a farmer and resided in Harrison till his death.

On 5 Mar 1821, Freeman Whitney was chosen, a hog reeve.^[3] On 4 Mar 1822, “Olive Edwards was bid of to Freemane Whitney at 26 Cents pr. Week for one year”.^[4]

Children of Freeman⁷ and Mary S. (Gray) Whitney:

i.	Stephen Thomas8 Whitney, b. 15 May 1821; m. Catherine Brown.
ii.	James Gray Whitney, b. 20 Dec 1822; m. Betsey H. Carsely.
iii.	Edward Kendall Whitney, b. 9 Sep 1824; m. Arvilla Caswell.
iv.	George Freeman Whitney, b. 12 Jun 1826; m. Mary A. Bailey.
v.	Eleazer Kimball Whitney, b. 13 May 1828; m. Mrs. Olive (Tebbitts) Green.
vi.	William Lyman Whitney, b. June 12 1833; m. Hannah M. Simpson.
vii.	Mary Elizabeth Whitney, b. 25 Jan 1836, Harrison, ME; m. 10 Oct 1866, John Hubbard Caswell of Bridgton, ME, b. 6 May 1833, Harrison, ME, the son of Marquis DeLafayette and Sally (Nutting) Caswell. John's sister Arvella Caswell m. Edward Kendall Whitney, Mary's brother. Mr. Caswell settled in Bridgton as successor to his brother, Francis B., in 1873, and has remained there as a skilled jeweler and dealer in jewelry, watches, and silver and gold merchandise.
viii.	Irene I. Whitney, b. 29 Jul 1838, Springfield, Penobscot Co., ME; d. 6 May 1846.

Child of Samuel Reuben and Melinda A. (Packard) Rich:

i.	Llewellyn Ambrose Rich, b. 1850. He took the surname Trafton. He moved to Kansas, near his uncle Rev. Newell Trafton, and later m. Barbara A. Ford.

Joshua and Melinda A. (Packard)(Rich) Trafton had no children.

Freeman⁷ and Melinda A. (Packard)(Rich)(Trafton) Whitney had no children.

Census

• 1830, Conway, Strafford Co., NH: Freman Whitney, 1 male 30-39, 3 males 5-9, 2 males 0-4, and 1 female 30-39. Due to the shape of this family, this record is assigned to it.
• 1840, Harrison, Cumberland Co., ME: Freman Whitney, 1 mald 40-49, 3 males 15-19, 2 males 10-14, 1 female 40-49, and 2 females 0-4; 1 engaged in agriculture.
• 1850, Harrison, Cumberland Co., MA:

572 582 Freeman Whitney 50 M - Farmer $700 Maine Mary Whitney 52 F - Mass. Eleaser H. Whitney 22 M - Shoemaker Maine William L. Whitney 17 M - do Mary E. Whitney 14 F - do

• 1860, Harrison, Cumberland Co., MA:

419 422 Freeman Whitney 59 M - Farmer $1200 $300 Standish " Mary " 61 F - Wife Beverly Mass. Mary E. " 24 F - Milliner Harrison Me. 423 Geo. F. Whitney 33 M - Works in Wire Mill $400 $100 " " Mary A. " 37 F - Wife Westbrook " Geo. F. " 9 M - Harrison " Attended school Frank H. " 8 M - " " Attended school Mary A. " 5 F - " " Attended school Ebenezer Gray 49 M - Farm Laborer $30 Bridgton "

• 1870, Harrison, Cumberland Co., MA:

21 21 Whitney, Freeman 70 M W Farmer $800 $200 Maine Male citizen over 21 -----, Mary 72 F W Keeping House Massachusetts Sampson, Susan 52 F W Domestic servant Maine

• 1880, Greenwood, Oxford Co., ME:

August NOYES Self M Male W 53 ME Farmer ME ME Augusta NOYES Wife M Female W 49 ME Keeping House ME ME Marshie A. NOYES Dau S Female W 21 ME At Home ME ME John F. NOYES Son S Male W 16 ME At Home ME ME George W. NOYES Son S Male W 13 ME ME ME Abbie A. NOYES Dau S Female W 11 ME ME ME Earnest M. NOYES Son S Male W 5 ME ME ME Melinda WHITNEY Other W Female W 60 ME Domestic Servant ME ME

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), p. 407.

• Moulton, Alphonso, Howard L. Sampson, and Granville Fernald, comps. and eds., Centennial History of Harrison, Maine: Containing The Centennial Celebration of 1905, and Historical and Biographical Matter (Portland: Southworth Printing Company, 1909), pp. 412, 477, 704, 710.

• From Carol Brassfield: "Malinda or Melinda [Packard Trafton] as she is sometimes referred to was born 1819 (daughter of Asa Packard and Eleanor Bradbury)and married Freeman Whitney 08 May 1871. She was born Malinda A. Packard and first married Samuel Reuben Rich abt 1849. Their son Llewellyn Ambrose Rich was born 1850. Following a celebrated divorce in 1854, which she won together with custody of Lew (although he husband had brought the divorce charges) she remained with her 2nd husband Joshua Trafton whom she had married in 1852, believing Reuben to have been lost at sea. Lew took Joshua's name although I'm not sure if he actually adopted him. Joshua died a couple of years later and Malinda later married Freeman Whitney. Lew moved to Kansas where his adopted uncle Rev. Newell Trafton was and later married Barbara A Ford. They were my husband's maternal great grandparents. Malinda is shown on the 1880 census widowed and working in the household of an Alfred Noyes in Maine. I can give you more details if you are interested. My late husband was from Colorado and I now live back in England but have continued the research for my son and granddaughters."

1.^  Harrison, Maine, Vital Records.

2.^  Harrison, Maine, Vital Records.

3.^  Harrison, Maine, Vital Records.

4.^  Harrison, Maine, Vital Records.

---

Copyright © 2006, 2010, 2021, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group