Whitney lineage possibly bogus?

Question

TAG 81:249-262 by Robert Leigh Ward and Tim Doyle gives a plausible, and, IMO, more credible descent of Thomas Whitney (father of immigrant John) through a cadet branch of the Whitneys of Whitney.  Unfortunately for many potential Magna Carta folks, this alternative, more credible version of the family bypasses Sybil Baskerville and Blanche Milbourne.  How does the Magna Carta Project deal with this sort of disputed lineage?  

(Yes, accepting this version probably negates a few of the Magna Carta lines in my tree.  I guess I'm more interested in accuracy.  And, yes, I'm a newbie to the MC project...apologies if this has already been reviewed.)

 

edit - added Whitney tag

Comments

Thanks Robin. I must say that I was thrilled when I saw you were interested in the Whitneys. They are a bit of a mess in WikiTree. Any that I manage - have at them! (And send me a trusted list request if you would like to be added... if you'd like to be manager, let me know in the request.)

@ Joe - didn't know you'd reviewed the Whitneys! If there are specific "disproven" bits you could add to profiles, that would help.

Cheers, Liz

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Thanks, Liz!  Check it out, I updated the lineage from Thomas of Westminster to Robert of Whitney, copying the work of Ward and Doyle (TAG article).  Haven't done siblings so much, but think it works much better.

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nice!

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Thank you for making the Thomas Whitney corrections based on the TAG research.  I am a descendant of John & Thomas Whitney through my maternal grandmother Lottie Whitney of Jonesboro & Edmunds, Maine. I have been following the research reported in several TAG articles and have corresponded with members of the Whitney Research Group (WRG). Thanks again!

Answer 1

I've reviewed the article.  It's a bit complicated but the lineage in wikitree has been long disproved.  Go with the modern research presented in the TAG article.

Answer 2

Thomas Whiteney

mentioned in the record of Thomas Whiteney and Mary Bray

Name	Thomas Whiteney
Spouse's Name	Mary Bray
Event Date	12 May 1583
Event Place	Saint Margaret,Westminster,London,England

Citing this Record

"England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V526-F8Q : 10 February 2018), Thomas Whiteney and Mary Bray, 12 May 1583; citing Saint Margaret,Westminster,London,England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 942 B4HA V. 64, 942 B4HA V. 88, 942.1 W1 V26M PT 1, 942.1 W1 V26M PT 2.

Answer 3

Thomas Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Nowell Whitney  

Thomas Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Robert Whitney  

Thomas Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: John Whitney  

Thomas Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Arnewey Whitney  

Thomas Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Frances Whitney  

Thomas Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Agnes Whitney  

 

Thomas Whytney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Margaret Whytney  

Thomas Witney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Francis Witney  

Thomas Whytney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Mary Whytney  

Thomas Whittnay

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Thomas Whittnay  

Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Ann Whitney  

Whitney

Father

 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

 

child: Catherine Whitney

Comments

It looks OK to me. I'm not certified to go back before 1500.

Answer 4

The Whitney lineage has certainly been a major puzzle over the years.  The current parentage for Thomas Whitney shown on WikiTree, naming him as the son of Robert Whitney and Elizabeth Guillims, is definitely uncertain.  The Whitney Research Group, on its page "Alleged Royal Ancestry of John Whitney" by Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group, indicates that this parentage is doubtful.  The reasons are probably some discussed on Gen-Medieval, which can be found in this thread entitled "Re: Whitney article in October TAG" (first post in the thread by Martin Hollick).  I'm not sure where research stands now, but if WRG is correct, Thomas's parents should be marked uncertain.

Comments

Well, per recent discussions, his parentage is not marked at all...not certain nor uncertain.

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Based on the current state of research (unless there's something I haven't seen yet, which is very possible), it is more likely than not that Thomas Whitney's parentage on WikiTree is incorrect.  In one of his posts, Mr. Hollick pointed out that Thomas is omitted entirely in the wills of his putative father and sibling, and is also not identified by a Whitney lawsuit as an heir.  It seems like marking his parentage uncertain would reflect the current concerns about the proposed lineage.

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According to TAG81:261, Thomas and Richard Whitney of Castleton are mentioned in Robert's will.  The question is whether that Thomas is our Thomas.  The evidence seems to lean that way.

I'll mark it uncertain if it will make you happy.

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Mea culpa, I think I may have misunderstood Mr. Hollick's post re: Thomas not being named in father's will, but am still of the opinion that marking Thomas's parentage uncertain might be for the best.  In addition to the Whitney Research Group's page indicating that Thomas's parentage is in doubt, Thomas's individual WRG page doesn't link him to parents, either.  On Robert Whitney's WRG page, he is shown as having a son named Thomas.  This Thomas has no page of his own, and the biography mainly details a court case pertaining to his having inadvertently killed Howell Watkins.  To my knowledge, John Whitney is also not included in the most recent "Plantagenet Ancestry" by Douglas Richardson or Gary Boyd Roberts's "Royal Descents of 900 Immigrants" that was released this year.  It doesn't make me happy to see one of my ancestors having uncertain ancestry again but I am still hopeful that his lineage will be cleared up-so much great research has been done.

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I marked it uncertain, and am with you in the hope that our mutual ancestor's uncertain ancestry will be resolved.