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Dorothy (Blair) Whidden (1757 - 1807)

Dorothy Whidden formerly Blair
Born in Leicester, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
Ancestors ancestors
Wife of — married 1777 in Middle Stewiacke, Nova Scotiamap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 49 in Middle Stewiacke, Nova Scotiamap
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Profile last modified | Created 20 Jul 2012
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Biography

Dorothy Blair was the daughter of Capt. William Blair and Jane Barnes. She was born in 1753 in Leicester, Massachusetts[1].


In 1775 Dorothy Blair married Simeon Whidden. They had the following children:

  1. Mary (11 Sep 1778-)
  2. James (11 Jul 1780-)
  3. Sarah (1782-11 Feb 1871)
  4. William (11 Apr 1784-Feb 1857)
  5. Simeon (17 May 1786-25 Oct 1859)
  6. Robert (2 Apr 1788-1 Apr 1834)
  7. Rev. John Blair (21 Nov 1791-19 Jul 1864)
  8. Dorothy (29 May 1794-4 Sep 1850)
  9. David (1796-19 Jul 1882)
  10. Jane Blair (22 Jan 1798-8 Mar 1890)
  11. Abigail. Born in 1799 in Middle Stewiacke, NS. She was never married.

When Simeon married Dorothy, her sister's husband arranged with a number of the male guests to run off with the bride immediately after the marriage ceremony. One of them took Dorothy in front of his saddle, and they rode away on horseback. Simeon Whidden followed his "runaway bride" and captured her. One person connected with this most novel wedding tour had a leg broken by a fall from his horse.

Dorothy and Simeon settled in Middle Stewiacke about the year 1782. In March 1786 a grant of land was made to Simeon Whidden and five others, containing in all 2,500 acres. In January 1800, he was loading logs in the woods, when a log rolled on him and broke his leg. He died three days later.

Dorothy was the first settler in Middle Stewiacke to be left a widow.

When James Downing asked the consent of Dorothy to the marriage of her daughter, young Dorothy (b. May 29, 1794), she objected, on account of "his being rather wild[2]." "O," said he, "don't you know that a wild colt always makes a fine horse?" "Ah, yes," she replied, "but I think it looks rather dark now." "You forget," he replied, "that a foggy morning always turns out a fine day." "Take her, take her, I can make nothing of ye." she replied.

Sources

  1. Whidden Family Register Report. H. Douglas Goff, 2019. Citing
    • The Whidden Family of Nova Scotia, 1973, by Miss Helen H. Whidden and her nephew Phillip Whidden Barlow
    • The Whidden Family of Colchester, by Jane Currie Wile.
    • Whidden, Paul David and Raymond Marvin Whidden. 2007. Whidden: NH, NS and beyond, 1662-2002. A Family Odyssey. 2 Volumes.
  2. Israel Longworth's History of Colchester County, Nova Scotia (circa 1886), pg.26; Stewiacke 1780-1900: The Centenary Celebration, pg. 120.
  • Leavitt, Emily Wilder, The Blair Family of New England, David Clapp & Son, Boston, 1900, Pgs. 42-3.
  • Miller, Thomas, Historical and Genealogical Record of Colchester County, A&W Mackinlay, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1873.
  • Smith, Col. Leonard H. Jr and Smith, Norma H., Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1992, Pg. 33.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Dorothy by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Dorothy:

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Categories: Middle Stewiacke, Nova Scotia Colony