My 2nd-great-grandfather, William Martin White, son of Austin & Lucy Ann (Thompson) White, was born 15 November 1836 in Stonington, Connecticut, and died 18 November 1925 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. He married (as his first wife) 30 October 1860 in Methodist Episcopal Church, Old Mystic, Connecticut, his first cousin, Ellen C. Hill, who was born c. 1844, daughter of Rufus & Lydia (White) Hill.
William worked both as a sailor and a farmer. For most of his life he lived at what is now 347 New London Turnpike in Old Mystic. It used to be called Old Turnpike Rd. His marriage was apparently very troubled. In August 1865 the following item appeared in The Stonington Chronology 1649-1949:
A scandalous month-while Wm M White of Wolf Neck, Stonington, was on a fishing voyage, his wife eloped with a gay deceiver named Pendleton who is also a deserter from the regular army. She left 2 children, one 6 mos. old, and took with her $500.
It seems that the couple reconciled for a while, and had three more sons together, but finally were divorced after almost 16 years of marriage on 26 September 1876. William had custody of the boys and the youngest, Samuel, was told that his mother had died. However, on the 1880 census, Ellen, age 38, was residing in the Poor House of Stonington, identified herself as a “widow,” and had with her two young illegitimate children, born after she was divorced from William. Their birth records contain statements from William denying paternity.
Sadly, I have no idea what became of my 2nd-great-grandmother Ellen.
& his second wife, Martha Bennett (1849-1921)
Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, Connecticut
After the divorce, William married (as his second wife) Martha Bennett, born 27 July 1849 and died 16 April 1921 in Stonington, daughter of Henry & Caroline (Bennett) Bennett. William’s last residence was 67 Pleasant St. in Fairhaven (Bristol) Massachusetts, and he died there of arteriosclerosis with senility. Perhaps he was living with his son Rufus there after Martha died.
Ellen & William were the parents of five sons, all born in Stonington:
1. William Henry White, born 8 February 1862, died c. 1954. He married (as his first wife) on 5 April 1885 in Easthampton, Massachusetts, Mary Ellen Twomey, who was born before 1 April 1867 in Cork, Ireland and died c. 1899, daughter of Michael & Julia (Dronny) Twomey.
William married (as his second wife and as her third husband) 2 July 1902 in Greenfield, Massachusetts, Anna C. (Schickedantz) (Jones) Hess, who was born in August 1861 in Madison, Ohio and died 20 November 1944 in Ohio, daughter of Christopher & Judith A. (Clemens) Schickedantz, and widow of Edward C. Jones, and widow of John L. Hess.
2. James Courtland White, born 15 May 1864, died in June 1879 in Stonington, about age 16. In the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885, it lists James’ cause of death was a gunshot wound. He lies buried near his father in Elm Grove Cemetery.
3. Walter Price White, born c. 1866. He married 27 November 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts, Elizabeth C. Anglum, who was born c. 1873 in Mansfield, Massachusetts, daughter of Matthew & Hannah (Hayes) Anglum.
4. Rufus Burton White, born in February 1870 and died c. 1948 in Fairhaven. He married 19 September 1894 in Fairhaven, Rosalie Weymouth Brightman, who was born 28 January 1871 in Rochester, Massachusetts, daughter of William Taber & Lucy Ann (Bump) Brightman.
5. Samuel Minor White (my great-grandfather), born 7 July 1873 and died 2 July 1949 in Abington, Massachusetts. He married 21 November 1902 in Rockland, Massachusetts, Emma Flora Atwood, who was born 5 January 1873 in Abington and died 2 February 1955 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, daughter of Reuel Gardner & Louisa Jane (Atwood) Atwood.
Ellen was also the mother of two more children:
1. Lydia F. White, born c. 1876.
2. John F. White, born about September 1879.
In the summer of 1999, my grandfather, John White, and I visited the house of his grandfather, William White, at 347 New London Turnpike in Stonington, then owned by Millicent House Goodman, who very kindly showed us around. Grandfather had only seen it one time when he was a boy. He remembered coming to Mystic by train with his father and two brothers, and then taking the trolley to Old Mystic and then walking “a great stretch” to the house. He slept in the attic with his brothers and saw a sextant there. The next day they went clam digging. They were instructed to call their step-grandmother “Aunt Martha.”
A history of the house William & Martha lived in is recorded in the book, A History of Old Mystic:
In 1717 Samuel Turner purchased land from Ephraim Fellows. He probably had this house built around 1725 when he was courting Rebecca Davison. This house is located on Rt. 184 about ½ mile east of Rt. 201. They were married on March 4, 1727/28. They raised 5 children here and it stayed in their family until 1765. In the Historic Resources Inventory done in 1981 by Blanche Higgins Schroer, she describes the interior as ‘having a large fireplace (brick with granite sides, wooden mantle) East parlor with deep sills and delicate Federal corner cupboard.’ In 1788 it was purchased by Joshua Brown and his wife Joanna Rogers Brown. This couple raised 10 children here and it stayed in the family for 100 years. In 1802 according to an old newspaper “to settle protracted dispute over highway from the Borough to Old Mystic, the country court appointed Benjamin Coit, John Hillhouse and Joshua Huntington to determine its course (the present route) but Joshua Brown’s claim for re-assessment of his land delayed construction and there was much opposition from the people in the northern part of the township since the route by-passed the Road District which was still the center of town.” In 1818 when the Post Road was established with the toll houses, the road went right past their front door. This home has had many owners and in 1981 it was purchased by Mrs. Millicent House. Soon after the ell on the back burned along with part of the house. Mrs. House rebuilt the ell enlarging it yet maintaining its colonial character, at this time she also added height to the upstairs rooms.
Last Revised: 31 August 2024