Reuben Whittier, Jr. was born in Salisbury, MA in 1716, the son of Reuben and Deborah Pillsbury Whittier. He was their fourth child. Reuben Sr. was the son of Nathaniel and Mary Stevens Osgood Whittier. He spent his life in Salisbury, Massachusetts. Not much is known about Reuben Sr. On 19 December 1708 he married Deborah Pillsbury of Newbury. He did military service in 1710 and he died at the age of 36 in 1722. He left his wife with 7 children, the oldest was 12 and the youngest only an infant. Reuben Jr. was 6. His widow remarried two years later to Zachariah Eastman.
Deborah was Zachariah's third wife and they had two children together. It would seem logical to say that Deborah raised her Whittier children with her new husband in Ipswich. Zachariah died in Ipswich, Mass in 1732. I am related to his brother Roger and his Aunt Ruth Eastman. It is not known when Deborah died.
Children of Reuben Whittier and Deborah Pillsbury:
Mary b. 25 Sept 1709 m. Samuel French Jr.
Nathaniel b. 12 Aug 1711 m. Hannah Clough
William b. 20 Nov 1714 m. Phoebe Morrill d. 1771 Kingston, NH
Reuben b. 1716 m. Mary Flanders d. 1790 Raymond, NH
Richard b. 1717 m. Tabitha Piper and Mary Chase
Joseph b. 2 May 1721 m. Martha Evens
Benjamin b. 4 March 1722 m. Abigail Stevens d. 1803 Nottingham, NH
Reuben Jr. married on 4 January 1739/40 to Mary Flanders daughter of Joseph and his third wife Mary Flanders. There were at least four Mary Flanders at that time and they are frequently mixed up. This was taken from a message board:
Mary Flanders b. Mar 23, 1714 did NOT marry Reuben Whittier/Whicher
Rueben and Mary had a daughter Deborah Whittier b. 1766 in Raymond, NH.
Making the Mary Flanders b. 1714 52 years old when born, not probable.
Mary Fllanders b. Mar 23 1714 d. Apr 22 1741 d/o Stephen Flanders and Sarah
Bliasdell married Nov 12 1737 John Lunt
Mary Flanders b. Feb 21 1721 d/o John Flanders and Sarah Prince married Oct
25 1739 Nathan Dow
Mary Flanders b. Aug 6 1721 d/o Joseph Flanders and Mary (--) Ash married
Reuben Whittier/Whicher
SOURCE: "The Flanders family from Europe to America : being a history of the
Flanders family in America and its probable origin in Europe" Rutland, Vt.:
Tuttle Pub. Co., 1935, 1088 pgs. Edith Flanders Dunbar.
Reuben is mentioned briefly in the History of Raymond, New Hampshire. He and his family moved there at some point and this is where he died in 1790. The history says that he and Mary had 11 children between 1740 and 1758. They lived on lot number 30 in the southwest corner of town. His death is recorded in this book as March 28th, 1790.
In the History of Nottingham and Deerfield and Northwood, the author incorrectly states that the Whittier family came to New Hampshire from Scotland in 1730. The history says that Reuben was first in Exeter, then Newton and finally Raymond. However, looking at the place of birth of their children it would appear that they began their family in Chester, NH. They were in Chester until 1753 when they moved to Raymond.
Moses 19 July 1739 Salisbury m. Anna Webster d. in 1798 in Readville, Maine
Reuben b. 11 April 1742 Chester, NH died young
Richard b.30 Jan 1743 Chester, NH m. Martha Boynton
Josiah b. 6 April 1747 Chester, NH m. Sarah Severence
Reuben b. 30 January 1749 Chester, NH m. Abigail Putney d. 1831 Wentworth NH
Mary b. 17 September 1751 Chester, NH m. Charles Moore Jr.
Joseph b. 8 May 1752 Chester, NH m. Anna d. 1815 Albany, NY
Daniel b. 5 May 1753 Raymond, NH m. Mary Quimby served in the Revolution Deerfield
Deborah b. 3 Feb 1755 Raymond, NH died young
Sarah b. 17 Jan 1757 Raymond, NH m. Joseph Gliddin
Mirriam b. 13 March 1758 Raymond, NH m. Zacheus Clough
Phineas b. 3 July 1759 Raymond, NH m. Mehetible French d. June 1828 Chesterville, Maine
Aaron b. 3 July 1761 Raymond, NH m. Molly Merrill
Clark 4 June 1764 Raymond, NH m. Deborah Clough and Sarah White
Deborah b. 26 March 1766 Raymond, NH
This is the last Whittier in my line. This line continues with Reuben son of Charles Moore and Mary Whittier.
Sources:
David Hoyt, Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury
Guy S. Rix, History and Genealogy of the Eastman Family in America
Joseph Fullonton, The History of Raymond, NH
Elliott Colby Cogswell, History of Nottingham, Deerfield and Northwood
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