Maurice James Whitten (1898 - 1958)

Born 18 Oct 1898 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Roseanna Mary (Julian) Whitten — married 11 Nov 1924 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 4 Feb 1958 at age 59 in Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Chris Whitten [send private message]

Biography

Maurice was born in South Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and lived in Fitchburg for all or most of his life, or possible in the Whalom area of Lunenburg. He may have died when he was in his 40s.^[1]

The 1900 census has the one-year-old Maurice J.

The 1919 and 1920 city directories for Fitchburg, Massachusetts, show Maurice J. as employed at 105 Fairmount and living at 193 Charles Street, with his parents.

The 1920 census lists him as living with his parents at age 21 and working as an electrician at an electric company.

Maurice's World War 1 draft registration card still has him living at home with his parents at 183 Charles Street in Fitchburg.

A September 25, 1922, announcement in the Fitchburg Sentinel says that Maurice James Whitten, son of Edward D., was engaged to Mildred Abbie Whitney of Rollstone Street. It doesn't appear that they were married.

A November 11, 1924, announcement in the Sentinel says that Maurice married Roseanna.^[2]

The 1924 city directory for Fitchburg still has him living at home at 193 Charles Street and working as an electrician.

The 1927 city directory has Maurice J. (wife Rose) living at 57 Boylston Street and working as an electrician.

The 1930 census (taken April 3) lists the 31-year-old Morris J. Whitten as renting for $25/month at 86 Nashua Street with his wife and two daughters (Lillian M. and Barbara L.) and his parents. He was working as an electrician at New England Power. He was not a veteran, so that rules out his serving in World War I.

His parents, Edward D. and Mary M. (M?) are living with Morris and Rosanna at the time of the 1930 census.

In 1944 the Fitchburg city directory has Maurice J. serving in the US Navy, home at 82 Rollstone Street. This directory lists his wife as Ruth A., and has a separate listing for Ruth A. working as a winder at FYCo.

An image from the U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 shows a Maurice James Whitten mustered on July 31, 1944.

Maurice donated the ship carved by his father Edward D. Whitten to the Fitchburg Historical Society: http://www.museumresearcher.com/fitchburg/exhibit1/e11534b.htm

Note that Maurice had an uncle named Maurice Whitten who was also known as "Morris". It's curious that his uncle also died at about age 40 and may also have lived in Lunenburg. There may be mixed information here.

Sources

1. ↑ At some point I had that he died at 41. What is the source for this? I can't remember. See the note about a 1944 Navy muster, when he would have been about 46 years old. Whitten-1 14:06, 28 March 2016 (EDT))
2. ↑ Both found at WorldVitalRecords.com June 2012 by Whitten-1.

• Sources for this page include the Whitten family bible. The comments about his daughter(s) are very difficult to understand.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XQR1-M1C : accessed 22 April 2017), Morris J Whitten, Fitchburg, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 160, sheet 2B, line 92, family 41, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 962; FHL microfilm 2,340,697.