benjamin whiton and joanna gardner

I know that the names of one set of my 6th great-grandparents are Benjamin Whiton and Joanna. I know this because my 5th great grandfather, their son Benjamin Whiton (b 1772), died in 1858 and the death index for the South Scituate vital records on americanancestors.org lists Benjamin and Joanna as his parents. This death record also states Benjamin was 85 years old when he died, and was born in Hingham. According to the Hingham records available on americanancestors.org, a Benjamin Whiton and a Joanna Gardner married in Hingham on April 27, 1766. This was the only Benjamin Whiton in Hingham listed on the Hingham index marrying a Joanna during this time. As of now, this is the best documentation I have that Benjamin Whiton and Joanna Gardner are my 6th great grandparents.

The History of the Town of Hingham (1893), also came to the conclusion that Benjamin and Joanna Gardner are Benjamin's parents; as seen in the excerpt below from google books:



The book has a bit more information on the couple than I have been able to find using only online resources. I was only able to locate the birth records of two of their children on americanancestors.org, Benjamin (mentioned above b. 1772 d. 1858) and Joanna (b. 1768). The Hingham book has my 6th great grandparents having 6 children in Hingham. My guess as to where the authors found this information would be church records, land records, or probate.

Rather than writing a post on information I have on Benjamin and Joanna, I am going to focus on how I will eventually go about finding these church records, land records, and probate records. These documents will provide further evidence that Benjamin and Joanna are who I think they are.

My first step will be to go to the Hingham Public Library as it looks like they have a large collection of historical documents for the town of Hingham, including vital records. The NEHGS database online that I have access to seems to only be a handwritten transcription of Hingham records, so looking at copies of the original documents may provide more information. In these birth records I would be looking for Joanna's last name, hopefully Gardner, and other children of Benjamin and Joanna.

The Hingham Public Library also produced a list of other historical documents which may be of interest. One item I would be looking for is a deed or will of Joanna Gardner's father to see if he mentions Joanna and her husband Benjamin Whiton, further evidence that Joanna's last name is Gardner. The resource list for Hingham Public Library states they hold some Hingham deeds. According to the History of Hingham book, Joanna's father was John Gardner who died in Hingham in 1802.


Joanna Gardner's family from History of the Town of Hingham, vol 2 (1893)


If Hingham Public Library does not have the deeds or probate I am looking for, I will next have to find these records at the courts. Hingham was part of Norfolk County until 1803, so I need to find a probate book which indexes records in Norfolk and maybe even Plymouth County since the year is so close to the change in counties. There is a book titled, Probate index, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1793-1900, which would tell me if John Gardner created a will. Hingham Public Library does not hold this book though, but the New England Historic Genealogical Library does. The actual records are also on microfilm at NEHGS and the Family History Centers. The Family History Centers also hold microfilm of Land records - Deeds, 1793-1890 for this time period from Norfolk County. I will have to do the same for Plymouth County probate and deeds - both at Family History Center. The NEHGS library also holds Plymouth County probate index and records.

I do have some idea of where Benjamin and Joanna may have lived in Hingham. Gathering information from historical maps, census, and the Hingham history book, I wrote about Benjamin's land in another post. It would be great to find the deeds or probate relating to these land transactions.

While I was researching another ancestor in Hingham, George Lane French (whose grandson would marry Benjamin's grandaughter), I came across a resource that may also provide information on the Whitings in Hingham. There are church documents available for the First Church in Hingham, records by Reverend Ebenezer Gay, which the Massachusetts Historical Society and the New England Historical Genealogical Society both hold. From all the information I have on the Whitings though, it seems they lived in the Southern part of Hingham. Therefore, they may not be listed in these documents which are from the First Parish, not the Second Parish. The document that the Massachusetts Historical Society holds does state in the description that it contains some information on the Second Parish though. I am not sure if the Hingham Public Library holds similar documents, but they may be included in their Hingham Vital Records 1633-1900 on microfilm, as this is how the NEHGS catalogs the document in their library.

I have not been able to find a similar document for the Second Parish which lists births, marriages and deaths for Hingham. The only book I found that might contain some information is Two hundred years in South Hingham, 1746-1946, at the NEHGS library. This looks to be a history of the Second Church of Hingham, so it probably does not contain much vital records.

Once I find more information on Benjamin and Joanna, I will write a little about their life together in Hingham. I produced a lengthy to do list below organized by repository; hopefully I will be able to visit at least one library in the near future. I also searched the cenuses for 1790-1810, as these are the censuses available when Benjamin and Joanna were supposedly living. I will put all this information together in another post, but have noted my thoughts below.

Looking at census :

1790 Hingham,
Benjamin Whiting Senior: 1 male over 16, 1 female (prob. Benj. parents)
Benjamin Whiting Junior: 3 males under 16 (Joseph, Archelaus, Luther); 1 male over 16 (Benj), 2 females (Joanna, Asenath) (but where would his son Benjamin be - he would be abt. 18 years old in 1790 - but not married yet - maybe he is apprenticed somewhere - he becomes a blacksmith)

1800 Census, Hingham
Benjamin Whiton Jr.: 1 male 16-25 (Luther or Joseph, Benj. and Archelaus are married), 1 male 45 and over (Benjamin), 1 female 26-44 (Asenath - did she marry), 1 female 45 and over (Joanna)
Benjamin Whiton: 1 male 45 and over, 2 females 45 and over (probably Benj. parents - and maybe a mother in law)
1800 Census, Hanover (actually Scituate on lower page)
Benjamin Whiting: 2 males under 10 (Jared and Richard), 1 male 26-44 (Benjamin), 1 female 26-44 (Lydia)

1810 Census, Hingham
Benjamin Whiton: 1 male 26-44 (Luther or Joseph or Archelaus whose wife died), 1 male 45 and over (Benj), 1 female under 10 (? maybe archelaus daughter elizabeth - mother died, archelaus enlisted in 1812), 1 female 26-44 (Asenath)

to do:

Hingham Public Library :
1. vital records on microfilm
    a. see if Joanna's last name is listed on birth record of their son Benjamin
    b. find birth records of other children of Benjamin and Joanna
    c. find marriage record of Benjamin and Joanna - does it provide any more information
2. look for deeds and/or probate records for Benjamin Whiting Sr.(d.1806) and John Gardner (d.1802) to see if they list Benjamin and Joanna or their children.
3. look at George Lincoln's Diary
4. book on the History of the Second Church of Hingham, Two hundred years in South Hingham, 1746-1946 : the story of a church and a community / by Donald F. Robinson

NEHGS:
1. vital records - contains Rev. Ebenezer Gay for First Parish - maybe has info on second parish
2 book History of Second Church, Two hundred years in South Hingham, 1746-1946 : the story of a church and a community / by Donald F. Robinson
3. probate index and records on microfilm for norfolk county, MA - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
4. probate records and index for plymouth county - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
5. book on Whiting Genealogy : The Whiton family in America and genealogy of the descendants of Thomas Whiton (1635).
6. book on Whiting family : Memoir of Rev. Samuel Whiting, D.D., and of his wife, Elizabeth St. John, with references to some of their English ancestors and American descendants / William Whiting. Also a database online at americanancestors.org
7. There are three pages in the NEHGS library catalog when you search under subject Whiting Family.

Massachusetts Historical Society:
1. town records - contains Ebenezer Gay records but also contains some Second Parish information

Family History Centers :
1. probate index and records on microfilm for norfolk county, MA - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
2. land deeds for Norfolk County - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
3.  do the same for Plymouth County probate and deeds