Henry William Whitney was born on December 12, 1845 in Port Credit, Peel, Ontario to Stephen Whitney and Catherine (McPhee) Whitney. On October 20, 1868, Henry was married to Matilda Ann Carter in Barrie, Simcoe, Ontario at the age of 22. The couple had an unusual age difference: Matilda was six years older than Henry. They had six children: Stephen Henry (b. April 24, 1870), Angelina Catherine “Lina” (b. March 11, 1871), Nancy Victoria “Vic” (b. February 7, 1873), Malcolm Grantley Douglas (b. June 19, 1875), Angus Duncan Lankford (b. March 1, 1878), and William Abraham John (b. September 23, 1879).
Stephen Whitney, Henry’s father, killed a man in a bar fight and fled from the law in 1874. Henry was 29 years old. His younger brothers Abraham (b. 1863) and John (b. 1865) were left fatherless, so Henry likely played to father role for them and assisted his mother after this traumatic event.
Henry Whitney’s Oldest Son, Stephen Henry
Henry passed away on December 24, 1915 in Simcoe. His obituary, entitled THE LATE HENRY WHITNEY(source unknown) read:
“On Friday morning, December 24, Henry Whitney, a pioneer of this community, passed to his reward at the age of seventy years and twelve days. He bore his lingering illness with great fortitude and patience, and his many friends scarcely realized that the end was so near. The late Mr. Whitney took an active interest in anything that was beneficial to the community. He served on the Trustee Board of Ardtrea Methodist Chruch, and was President of the Morrison Agricultural Society, and was one of the first members of the Ardtrea Farmers’ Club. It was largely through his efforts that rural mail was obtained in this community. Painstaking and thorough, he was the possessor of one of the cleanest farms in the township. He was a true neighbor and a faithful member of the Methodist Church. He was born at Port Credit on December 12, 1845, and at the age of eight years came with his parents to Orillia, where he resided for seven years. Then he moved to Lake St. George, North Orillia. In 1868 he married Miss Matilda Carther, of Stormont, who survives him. He resided with his bride at Maple Hall, the farm now occupied by Mr. A. A. Cunningham, for seven years, after which he moved to his late residence, lot 6, concession 10, North Orillia, where he died. He leaves a widow and six children: Stephen H., of Oregon; Mrs. Paterson, Buffalo; Mrs. Irish, Barrie; M. D. Grant, Washington; A. D. Langford, North Dakota; and William A. J., of St. George’s Lake. On Sunday, December 26th, the remains were laid to rest in Ardtrea Methodist cemetery, when a large number of sorrowing friends paid their last respects to the departed. Messrs. Alex Ego, Charles Brailey, Henry Wood, John Telford, James Hawkins, and A. A. Cunningham were pallbearers by special request. The funeral and memorial services were conducted by Mr. Thos. Swindle.
