Lydia (Mitchell) Whitten
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Lydia M. (Mitchell) Whitten (abt. 1839 - 1915)

Lydia M. Whitten formerly Mitchell
Born about in Sharon, Vermontmap [uncertain]
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of and
Sister of and
Wife of — married 28 Oct 1852 in Unity, Waldo, Mainemap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , , , , , , , and
Died at about age 76 in Ashburnham, Massachusettsmap [uncertain]
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Chris Whitten private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 8 Aug 2008
This page has been accessed 2,415 times.

Contents

Biography

Lydia was born in Sharon, Vermont.[1]

Lydia appears in the 1850 Census of Unity, Waldo, Maine, with possible Sister, Altha (17 years her senior), her sisters husband and their son Gus.[2]

Click for larger image.
See notes in Mystery section for more.

She married in about 1854.

The 1860 census has her at age 22. Her son Albion was six, meaning newly-married 16-year-old Lydia had a baby.[3]

In 1900 Lydia is living with her husband Samuel, her children Anna and Maurice as well as her daughter Anna's husband Benjamin Alling and their daughter Marjorie:

Anna Alling, Daughter F 41 Maine
Benjaman Alling, Son-in-law M 34 Connecticut
Morris Whitton, Son M 19 Maine
Marjorie M Alling, Granddaughter F 1 Massachusetts[4]

Her son Morris was born in 1881. In the 1910 census the 18-year-old is listed as the son of Samuel and Lydia; they would have been 52 and 43. This census has her at age 70, a widowed mother-in-law living with Inez and Charles Frost in Lowell Ward 7, Middlesex, Massachusetts.[5]

Death

Lydia Mitchell died October 28, 1915 of heart disease in Ashburnham Mass. Her parents are listed on her death certificate as Ezra Mitchell and Jodidah Morse. The informant for this information is Mrs. E. E. Livingston who also resided in Ashburnham.

Clock for larger image.

She was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Fitchburg, October 31, 1915.[6]

Research Notes

It was previously believed that Lydia's parents were Solomon and Hannah (Wells?) Mitchell but their daughter Lydia S. Mitchell is not our Lydia (Mitchell) Whitten. Both Lydia Mitchells were born in Vermont at about the same time.

This was discovered by T88Chloe (Tom) and noted in this Ancestry.com message board post from March 2011.

Tom pointed out that in the 1850 census Lydia "was in the HH of William Coombs m. in 1844 to Althea Mitchell (b. 1822 in VT) in Unity, Waldo, ME. Althea M. and Lydia M. were 16 years apart. Sisters? ... Lydia Mitchell Whitten in 1860, '70 and 1900 show her born VT father Maine, mother VT."

Presumably Althea (Mitchell) Coombs is the older sister of Lydia. Given the 16-year difference in ages, Althea could also be her mother, but in this case Althea would need to have remarried. Living in Unity would explain how the Vermont-born Lydia met Samuel Whitten. He was from Unity.

The death certificate, brought to our attention by Harold Mitchell, includes the parents: Ezra Mitchell and Jodidah Morse. This is unequivocal, though we can't rule out that Lydia represented her parents as Ezra and Jodidah, even though they were her grandparents. However, this appears to be a speculation that keeps getting repeated. Unless there is more evidence for it, it should be assumed that the parents are Ezra and Jodidah. Whitten-1 16:30, 16 November 2016 (EST)

Another Lydia in another Untiy

An AncestryDNA autosomal match for Chris Whitten, Barrybuchele, has these Mitchells in his tree, including a Lydia. This would not seem to be the right Lydia, but there's a Unity connection?!

  • Isaac Mitchell, B: 1759 in Unity, Waldo, Maine, USA. D: 1841 in Unity, Kennebec, Maine, USA
  • Hannah Vickey Mitchell, B: 1771 in Unity, Kennebec, Maine, USA. D: 1839 in Unity, Waldo, Maine, USA
  • Lydia E MITCHELL, B: 1809 in Maine, USA. D: 25 May 1881

Whitten-1 20:56, 8 August 2013 (EDT)

Probably not. "Unity is an unorganized territory (township) in Kennebec County, Maine, United States."[1] While Unity, Maine "...is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States."

DNA Connections

Harold Mitchell shares DNA with Chris Whitten on Chromosmes 3 and 10, with a total cM of 40.7, with Chromosome 3 having the largest segment at 30.6cM.

Harold states that Lydia's parents are Ezra Mitchell and Jedidah Morse. In reviewing the 1840 Census for Ezra there is no female child in his household under the age of 10. If Lydia was born in 1839, one would assume she would have appeared on this Census. Is she actually Altha's daughter?

Ezra and family in Unity, Waldo County, Maine in the 1840 Census.[7]

There is also an Ezra Mitchell, Jr. with a war record for Maine from the Civil War though no Ezra Mitchell is included in Harold's Ancestry information.[8] This Jr. Could or could not be connected to this family.

Sources

  1. ↑ The 1870 census says Vermont. Albion Whitten's death certificate lists his mother's birthplace as Sharon, Vermont."United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6DR-Y79 : accessed 25 May 2016), Lydia Whitten in household of Samuel Whitten, Maine, United States; citing p. 76, family 640, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,053.
  2. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6VH-15S : 9 November 2014), Lydia Mitchell in household of Wm Coombs, Unity, Waldo, Maine, United States; citing family 207, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
  3. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDHG-8P1 : accessed 25 May 2016), Lydia Whitten in entry for Samuel M C Whitten, 1860.
  4. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9TH-MDC : accessed 25 May 2016), Lydia Whitton in household of Samuel R Whitton, Malden city Ward 3, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; citing sheet 4B, family 94, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,662.
  5. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2VF-JWP : accessed 25 May 2016), Lydia Whitten in household of Charles E Frost, Lowell Ward 7, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 871, sheet 1A, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,613.
  6. ↑ Death certificate.
  7. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHT6-2QG : 24 August 2015), Ezra Mitchell, Troy, Waldo, Maine, United States; citing p. 289, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 153; FHL microfilm 9,709.
  8. ↑ "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS45-G32 : 4 December 2014), Ezra Mitchell, Jr., Private, Company , 9th Regiment, Maine Infantry, Union; citing NARA microfilm publication M543 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 14; FHL microfilm 881,860.
  • Death certificate for son Albion, attached to his profile.
  • 1860, 1870, 1910 US Census, as viewed and recorded by Chris Whitten.




Memories: 1
Enter a personal reminiscence or story.
T (Clougher) C
Our aunt said that her mother used to drive from Harmony, ME, to Unity, ME, to visit the Mitchells. Her grandmother was Altha Coombs b. 1861 or so. Her mother was Altha or Althea Mitchell b. 1823 in VT to a f. b. ME & m. b. VT. Lydia Mitchell b. 1839, in VT to f. ME & m. VT was in HH in 1850.

I searched Unity in 1850 and found Jennett Mitchell, 18, servant in HH of James Connor, 64, his wife, son, Simon, 26, and sibs. In 1860, James C, 75, was widowed and Simon, 38, was m. to Gennett, 30, no children. In 1870, Simon & Jennett had 4 kids and Ezra Mitchell, b. ME, widower, was in HH. In 1880, they had a servant, Altha Coombs, 19, and Jennett was shown b. VT, f. ME, and m. VT. On 11 May 1906, Jennett Connor,76 (76yrs,4mo,4days)(b.1829) spouse Simon, died in Unity, ME, & was b. in Sharon, VT, f. Ezra Mitchell b. ME, m. Jerusha (Morse) b. VT. I could not find a Mitchell from ME m. to a VT woman in VT State Archives & Records Administration (VSARA). This is instructive but not definitive of relation of Altha, Lydia and Jennett. The Connors would be Lydia's nieces and nephews if all were sisters. This would be why Florence would visit the Mitchells.

posted 29 May 2012 by T (Clougher) C   [thank T]
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Lydia 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 Lydia:

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Images: 3


Lydia Mitchell, 1850 Census
Lydia Mitchell, 1850 Census
Lydia M. Whitten Death Certificate
Lydia M. Whitten Death Certificate


Comments: 2

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T (Clougher) C
hi sorry for the delay...........there is nothing in the Unity VR book on Altha Mitchell except the record of her marriage.........lots of Mitchells.........there is a marriage record for a Lydia Mitchell and Mr. S.M.R. Whitten Oct 28, 1852. wish i could have been more help
posted by T (Clougher) C
T (Clougher) C
Glad to help, Chris.

ME Roots just replied to my request for Vermont birth info on Altha and Lydia. I forwarded her reply to you. Nothing on Vermont, not that just finding Altha Coombs' mother (sister?) wasn't exciting. So, for this info, the Whitten descendent will like the S.M.R. Whittten marriage verification. I like that Unity had lots of Mitchell family.

I am using your Webmaster address to get to WikiTree. I found that otherwise but it looked like WikiPedia in format and not like what I first encountered.

In the meantime: since Lydia became a Whitten:

Her half-brother (nephew?), Gustavus "Gus" Coombs (1845-1863) was killed around New Orleans in June, 1863, as a Sergeant, and is buried in Chalmette, Louisiana, National (?) Cemetery. Her step-father (or brother-in-law?) William Coombs was killed in 1863 or 1864 and was in a ME Regiment. Making Altha C. a single mother of two girls.

My wife told me for the first time that her grandmother, Florence Manson Reed of Harmony, Maine, said that her mother, Altha (pronounced Al- thee, not "dhee") Coombs Manson, talked about their loss a lot. Lydia, out of the house by 1852, may have heard from Altha Mitchell Coombs about the news.

I'll copy that stuff to WikiTree. Tom

posted by T (Clougher) C

Featured National Park champion connections: Lydia is 15 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 21 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 13 degrees from George Catlin, 16 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 23 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 13 degrees from George Grinnell, 24 degrees from Anton Kröller, 14 degrees from Stephen Mather, 19 degrees from Kara McKean, 15 degrees from John Muir, 17 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 27 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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