Angeretta Williams WHITFORD

Notes:

I have a photocopy of her original birth record in the official Book of Births for 1870 in the Town of West Greenwich, p. 20; a copy of the original marriage record from the official Book of Marriages for 1891 in the Town of Coventry, p. 89; a copy of the marriage certificate from the State Offices at Providence, RI; a copy of her death certificate from the State of Rhode Island; and a copy of the newspaper obituary. Her gravestone has been photographed.

Angeretta was a midwife.

I remember occasionally going to visit my Great-grandma Remington in a house on Knotty Oak Road in Coventry, RI, where she lived with "Aunt Ollie and Uncle Allen," who were actually my great aunt -- Angeretta's sister -- and her husband, Allen Hopkins. The older folks would sit around the living room and talk, while we children would sometimes sit and listen, and sometimes amuse ourselves by walking around -- but never upstairs, as I recall. There was a square metal grate in the floor between the living room and kitchen, through which the heat would blow from the basement furnace. Being a small child, I had to take a rather large step to walk, or rather jump, over this grate, and I was somehow worried that I might fall through!

Great-grandma Remington came to stay overnight with us once, and she slept in the room next to mine. When she was in the hospital with her final illness, I was allowed to go up to her hospital room to see her one last time. I was seven years old.

Aunt Ollie lived quite a few years longer, and died when I was sixteen. I have memories of going to her funeral. But the best memories are of the three generations of family sitting around that comfortable living room, where the older folks would talk in their gentle and pleasant voices.

Angeretta married John Allen REMINGTON 10 Nov 1891, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. John (son of Benjamin Franklin REMINGTON and Adeline Tripp MANCHESTER) was born 1 Dec 1866, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; died 1 May 1895, Cranston, Providence Co., RI; was buried , Greenwood Cemetery, Phenix, RI. [Group Sheet]

1. John Francis Remington was born 18 Jul 1892, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 26 Apr 1968, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI.
2. Chester Philip REMINGTON, Sr. was born 10 Feb 1894, Anthony Village, Coventry, RI; died 9 May 1948, Providence, Providence Co., RI; was buried 11 May 1948, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of his original birth entry at the Town of West Greenwich. Charles Carmi was named for his two grandfathers, Carmi Whitford and Charles Tibbetts. I also have a photocopy of his death entry in the Book of Deaths for 1910, p. 30, in the Town of Coventry.
We have one picture of my Great-great-grandfather Whitford. This is posted at our family website [www.thesorensens.net]. Also there is a photograph of his gravestone at Maple Root Cemetery.

All of the children and their birth dates are listed in the book "Records of the Bailey Family," p. 61.

In the 1860 Federal Census at West Greenwich, Charles is 25 and living with his parents, along with his married sister, Marcy W. Church, 29. In the 1870 Federal Census, Charles C. 34 and his wife Harty 21 are still living at West Greenwich, RI. They have a child Hattie L., age 1. The family is in the household of Jeremiah & Sally W. Whitford, ages 64 & 61, Charles's parents. The 1880 Census at West Greenwich shows him married, age 45, with his wife and five daughters, again living in the household with Jeremiah and Sally Whitford, Charles's parents. This is probably the family farm on Rt. 3 in West Greenwich, where there is now a motel and gas station, at the intersection of Interstate 95. He is age 65 in the 1900 Census at Coventry, and is listed as the head of the household which includes his children as well as two grandsons, Angeretta's sons. I have photocopies of the pages from these three censuses.

Example -- 1880 Census:
Charles C. Whitford age 45
Harty P. Whitford 30
Hattie L. 11
Angeretta W. 9
Julia E. 6
Lena M. 4
Olive 2

Charles was elected to the Exeter Town Council in 1888 (was this a different Charles Whitford?).

There is a paragraph about Charles C. Whitford and his family on p. 1343 of J. R. Cole's "History of Washington and Kent Counties," published in 1889. Although the writer has made two mistakes (names Charles's grandfather as Jeremiah instead of Carmi, and names his wife as Hattie instead of Harty), he does offer other information that is more reliable. We are told that Charles was born in 1834 in West Greenwich, and that he has been a farmer all of his life, having bought the farm where he now lives in 1884 (probably the farm on Knotty Oak Rd. in Coventry). It says he was married to [Harty] in 1866, and lists his children as: Hattie L., Angeretta W., Julia E., Lena M., Olive L., Charles W., and Nelson J. Lastly, he comments that "the family is said to be of Welsh descent."

Of the individuals in this family, the ones I have personal memories of are Angeretta, who was my great-grandmother Remington; Olive, who was my great "Aunt Ollie"; Charles W., who we called "Uncle Will"; and J. Nelson, who was my great "Uncle Jerry."

My dad, Norman Remington, says he remembers driving by the site of the old family homestead, which was on Rt. 3 between Harkney Hill Road and the present Interstate 95. About where the Best Western/Congress Inn is today, there was a spring. Further up the road, where the plat Wood Estates is now located, there must have been a family burial site, because when the plat was being planned (perhaps in the 1960s?), certain Whitford heirs had to sign, acknowledging there were interments on the property, and giving their permission for the project to proceed.

Charles married Harty Potter JOHNSON 25 Nov 1866, Richmond, RI. Harty (daughter of Philip JOHNSON, Jr. and Tryphena Hoxsie GREENE) was born 12 Apr 1850, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 27 Nov 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

We have a picture of Great-great-grandma Harty Whitford, taken in 1912 in a five-generation group which includes her father. More recently I was given a picture of her as a young mother. These and other family pictures are posted at our family web site [www.thesorensens.net].

I have a photocopy of her original death entry in the Book of Deaths in 1917, p. 51, for the Town of Coventry. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

I think she must have been named after Harty (Potter) Johnson, wife of her uncle Caleb Johnson.

Notes:

The original marriage entry is at the Richmond Town Hall in the "Book of Marriages and Deaths, 1850-1910, p. 14. It says, "In Richmond, Nov. 25th (1866), Charles C. Whitford born in West Greenwich, age 31 -- a farmer, and Hatty P. Johnson born in Coventry, age 17; parents of each: Jeremiah and Sally W. Whitford, Phillip and Tryphena H. Johnson; married by Gilbert Tillinghast, Minister of the Gospel." It was the first marriage for both of them.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of his birth entry at West Greenwich. Also, a photograph of his gravestone has been posted on the family tree at our web site [www.thesorensens.net].

In the 1850 Federal Census, Jeremiah is 44 and Sally W. is 41. Their children, Marcy W. & Charles C., are 19 & 15. The family is living in West Greenwich, RI.

In the 1860 Federal Census, Jeremiah, 54, & Sally W., 53, are still at West Greenwich. Son Charles C., 25, is with them, as well as married daughter Marcy W. Church, 29.

In the 1870 Federal Census, Jeremiah & Sally W., ages 64 & 61, are living at West Greenwich, RI. With them is married son Charles C., 34, his wife Harty 21, and their child Hattie L. 1.

In 1880 Jeremiah & Sally W. Whitford, ages 74 & 71, are still at West Greenwich. In the household with them are Charles C. & Harty P., ages 45 & 30, and their five daughters. Jeremiah is a retired farmer; his son Charles is a farmer.

I believe the Whitford farm was up on the hill near the intersection of Rt. 3 and Interstate 95, where a motel is now. This is where my great-grandmother lived as a child. At one time there was a spring there, about where a gas station is now.

Jeremiah married Sally Williams TIBBETTS 24 Dec 1826, Warwick, Kent Co., RI. Sally (daughter of Charles TIBBETTS and Maplet REMINGTON) was born 30 Dec 1808, East Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 15 Dec 1899, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have copies of census pages from 1860 and 1880 showing Sally at ages 52 and 71, also a certified copy of her death certificate from the town of Coventry, as well as a photocopy of the original death record in the Coventry Book of Deaths for 1899. A photograph of her gravestone has been posted on the family tree at our web site [www.thesorensens.net].

Notes:

The marriage of Jeremiah and Sally was recorded in two newspapers: The Providence Journal of 11 Jan 1827, and the Providence Phenix of 24 Dec 1826. (See newspaper announcements transcribed in Arnold's Vital Record of RI)

I have a photocopy of the original marriage entry recorded at West Greenwich Town Hall (p. 46), which reads: "Warwick December 24th AD 1826 -- I hereby Certify that Mr. Jeremiah Whitford and Miss Sally W. Tibbits were Lawfully Joined Together in Marriage by me the Subscriber Jonathan Wilson"

The family Bible says they were married at West Greenwich. It is unclear exactly where they were married, although the record at West Greenwich has a reference to Warwick.

Under that entry the births of their two children are recorded: Mercy Waterman Whitford and Charles Carmi Whitford. Also, according to "Alden G. Beaman's Vital Record of RI, New Series," an infant son was born in 1830 and died 1 April 1830, buried in West Greenwich.

Notes:

We have a nice five-generation picture which includes Philip in 1913, when he was ninety. There is another one taken around the same time in which he has Margaret Estelle Whitford on his lap. The story is that he was blind in his old age.

Philip's gravestone has been photographed. According to the RI Cemetery Database, the Maple Root Cemetery "is a very old cemetery containing many inscribed field stones for the earliest settlers in this area. Records at Town Hall indicate that the first lot in the newer section was sold to Philip Johnson on 7 Nov 1893." I would guess that this was my 3xGreat-grandfather Johnson, or else his son Philip R. Johnson.

In the 1860 Federal Census, Philip & Triphina H. Johnson are living in Coventry, RI. In the home are Hearty P. 10, Philip R. 9, and Triphina 5, as well as Persilla Johnson, 74, Philip's mother.

By 1870 Philip has remarried, and he and Phebe are at Coventry with three children in the household: Ednah P. 9, Patience J. 6, and Zilpha W. 1.

In 1880 they are still at Coventry, and two daughters are with them: Orvilla P. 24 and Zilpha W. 11. Orvilla is Phebe's daughter from her previous marriage to Isaac Paine.

Philip married Tryphena Hoxsie GREENE 25 Nov 1849, West Greenwich, RI. Tryphena (daughter of Hiram GREENE and Abigail JOHNSON) was born 19 Aug 1827; died 9 Jul 1866, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Her gravestone has been photographed. Her surname has been spelled as Green and Greene, as has the name of the clergyman who married them, Caleb Green(e).

"Tryphena Greene-Johnson, daughter of Hiram, m. her second cousin, Philip Johnson [Philip, Philip, Ezekiel, EIizabeth Greene-Johnson, Usal Greene, John, John]. Their children have five strains of Greene blood. Harty Johnson-Whitford, m. Carmi Whitford. Philip R. Johnson. Has a son and a daughter." (source: "The Greene Family and its Branches" by Lora S. LaMance, Mayflower Pub Co.)

The following is a partial quote from "Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" pub. by Henry Ward, Sec'y, 1846, p 7: "Upon the petition of Abigail Greene of Coventry, A. Greene, in this State, guardian of the persons and estates of Tryphenia H. Greene and Benjamin Greene, minors, children of Hiram Greene, late of said Coventry, deceased, praying for the reasons therein stated, that . . . "

Notes:

I have a photocopy of the original record from the official book of the Town of West Greenwich for 1851, p. 77. They were married on 25 Nov 1849 by Caleb Green, Minister of the Gospel, and the marriage was recorded by John James, Town Clerk, about a year and a half later. The minister, Elder Caleb Green(e) (elsewhere it is spelled with a final "e"), was married to Lucetta Nichols, daughter of Susanna Whitford and Ambrose Nichols.

Notes:

Several generations of Whitfords are buried, with their spouses, in Coventry Historical Cemetery #135 on Harkney Hill Road, directly across from the historic Maple Root Baptist Church. There are two cemeteries next to each other; the Whitford graves are in the one situated toward the west, which is the older one of the two, commonly known as Maple Root Cemetery. In one lot there are six stones standing in a row, representing three consecutive generations beginning with the ones for Carmi and his wife Barbary, then Jeremiah's and Sally's, then the two for Charles and Harty. I have pictures of the stones individually, as well as the whole group. There is a saying carved on Jeremiah's stone: "Dear husband, you have passed away, and left me here so lonely, But I hope to meet you in that heavenly land where we shall part no more." Some of the next generation are also buried nearby.

Pictures of these gravestones are posted on the family tree at our web site [www.thesorensens.net].

I believe Carmi's farm was up on the hill near the intersection of Rt. 3 and Interstate 95, where a motel is now. This is where my great-grandmother lived as a child.

Carmi's will was proved in West Greenwich on 28 Jan 1843. In it he mentions his father Nicholas; wife Barbara (Barbary); and sons Caleb B. and Jeremiah (our ancestor), the youngest; daughters Susannah Nichols and Phebe Potter; and granddaughter Lucitta Nichols.

An online genealogy shows this family group with two more children: John, b. c. 1800, and Lucietta, b. c. 1805. However, these names are not found on the page with the birth records of the other four children, and are not named as children in the will.

The 1850 census of Oneida County, New York shows a Lucetta Whitford, age 45, born in RI, along with Warren Tillinghast, 38. However, she was not of Carmi's family; she was Lucetta Tillinghast, daughter of Elder Pardon Tillinghast. Lucetta had married William M. Whitford on 5 Sept 1824, probably at East Greenwich. Warren was probably her younger brother.

Carmi married Barbary BAILEY 24 May 1787, West Greenwich, Kent Co., RI. Barbary (daughter of William BAILEY, Jr. and Phebe OLIN) was born 16 Sep 1765, East Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 19 Dec 1846, East Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Harkney Hill Rd., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Barbary and her sister Comfort married two half brothers, Carmi and Reuben Whitford. Barbary's gravestone has been photographed along with her husband's. Some records show her name as Barbara; the gravestone says Barbary.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of their marriage entry from West Greenwich. It reads: "These May Certify all persons whom it may Concern that Carmy Whitford of Westgreenwich and Barbary Bailey of East Greenwich was Lawfully Married May the 24 AD 1787 By me James Wightman Elder"

Notes:

The Providence Phenix recorded the death of Charles Tibbitts on Oct. 2, 1812, in his 47th year. It stated that he left a wife and two children (see James Arnold's Vital Record of RI, 1636 - 1850, Deaths From Newspapers). His gravestone has ben photographed, but it is very difficult to read.

Charles married Maplet REMINGTON 1 Jun 1806, Warwick, Kent Co., RI. Maplet (daughter of Jonathan REMINGTON and Phebe UNKNOWN) was born 2 Mar 1782, RI or MA; died 20 Dec 1861, West Greenwich, RI; was buried , Pine Grove Cemetery, Washington St., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The RI Cemetery Database gives the name of Charles's wife as Marcy Remington. Probably this was a transcription error. Maplet Battey's grave is in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Coventry, but the gravestone is missing. The West Greenwich death record says she died 20 Dec 1861 at 79 yrs., 9 mos., and 18 days. It identifies her birthplace as Warwick, but does not name her parents. However, the 1850 WG census gives her birthplace as Massachusetts.

In the 1860 Census at West Greenwich, Maplet was age 78, living with Charles and Ann Battey, her son and daughter-in-law.

Notes:

Charles & Maplet were married by Elder Samuel Littlefield, who pastored the First Baptist Church of Warwick for 36 years. Elder Littlefield was born in 1746, and died 22 Oct 1830, at the age of 84.

Notes:

Philip's gravestone is at Maple Root Cemetery, but he died in Ohio, so perhaps he is buried there.

According to Beaman's RI Genealogical Register, there was a Philip Johnson admitted to membership at Maple Root on 6 August 1814. This is probably the husband of Priscilla, and it was their son Philip who was born in Ohio in 1822. When, and for what reason, did they move to Ohio?

Supposedly there was another Philip Johnson admitted to membership at Maple Root on 30 June 1785, and this one died 13 July 1785. Who was this Philip? Was he an uncle, brother to Philip's father Ezekiel? Or perhaps his father wasn't Ezekiel at all, as stated in J.R.Cole's "History of Washington and Kent Counties," but rather was another Philip (?).

Ruth Nichols Reynolds, in her article titled " A Line of Descent from David Nichols of Coventry," writes that Prisilla Nichols, d/o Jonathan & Prisilla Nichols, married a Philip Johnson who was admitted a member of Maple Root on 30 June 1785 and died 13 July 1785. Where did she get this information from, that his wife was Priscilla? Could our Philip Johnson have been a son of this couple, born after the father died? If so, why does the "History of Washington and Kent Counties" say his father was Ezekiel?

What makes this confusing is that our Philip actually did marry a Priscilla Nichols, but not the one who was a daughter of Jonathan & Priscilla. She was a daughter of David, s/o Jonathan & Priscilla.

Philip married Priscilla NICHOLS Abt 1807. Priscilla (daughter of David NICHOLS and Mary GREENE) was born 30 Oct 1785; died 27 Jul 1879; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She is named as his daughter Priscilla Johnson in the will of David Nichols, dated 8 Sept 1815, proved 6 November 1815 in Coventry. Her gravestone, located in the cemetery across from Mapleroot Baptist Church in Coventry, RI, says she died at age 93, 8 months, and 27 days.

Notes:

Apparently Hiram was married twice, but no marriage records for either marriage have been found.

According to Hiram's gravestone, he died in the 23rd year of his life.

See the following quote:

"Hiram Greene, son of Judge Benjamin and grandson of Col. Isaac. His first wife's only son died at manhood. His second wife was Abigail Johnson of Greene descent. [Abigail, Daniel, Abigail Greene-Johnson, Usal Greene, John, John]. By her he had Tryphena and Benjamin. Hiram died, aged but 23, though twice married and the father of three children." (source: "The Greene Family and its Branches" by Lora S. LaMance, Mayflower Pub Co.)

Also note this from Google Books (snippet view available only):

The following is a partial quote from "Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" pub. by Henry Ward, Sec'y, 1846, p 7, January, 1846: "Upon the petition of Abigail Greene of Coventry, A. Greene, in this State, guardian of the persons and estates of Tryphenia H. Greene and Benjamin Greene, minors, children of Hiram Greene, late of said Coventry, deceased, praying for the reasons therein stated, that . . . "

Hiram married Abigail JOHNSON Abt 1826. Abigail (daughter of Daniel JOHNSON and Freelove ARNOLD) was born 25 Oct 1802, West Greenwich, RI; died 12 Sep 1856, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The following is a partial quote from "Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" pub. by Henry Ward, Sec'y, 1846, p 7, January, 1846: "Upon the petition of Abigail Greene of Coventry, A. Greene, in this State, guardian of the persons and estates of Tryphenia H. Greene and Benjamin Greene, minors, children of Hiram Greene, late of said Coventry, deceased, praying for the reasons therein stated, that . . . "

Some of our family info has her name as Abigail Matteson, but a couple of online genealogies at Rootsweb have her surname as Johnson, daughter of Daniel. If that is true, I have traced her ancestry. (This needs more research. I have not yet checked the death record at Coventry.) See Lora LaMance's book on the Greene family; she says Hiram's second wife was Abigail Johnson, d/o Daniel.

According to the above official document, she was Abigail Greene on or about January 1846.

The will of Daniel Johnson of West Greenwich dated 28 Nov 1833 mentions a wife named Freelove and a daughter named Abigail Greene. For this reason and the above evidence, I have placed Abigail in this family.