Saturday, July 2, 2011

Walter Whitney, Revolutionary War Soldier

Hidden in almost knee-deep clover and grass on the North Ridge is a white marble monument to one Walter Whitney. The monument tilts forward so much that you may need to kneel in order to see the carved eagle and cannons above the inscription. A small metal marker from the Sons of the American Revolution is staked into the ground next to it.

Walter Whitney was born in Fairfield, Connecticut on January 23, 1760 to Samuel Whitney and Amy Northrup. Revolutionary War pension rolls list him as having served as a private and corporal in the Connecticut militia. After the War, he married Anah Wells and eventually relocated to the Albany area. Genealogical records give his occupation as both a farmer and a school teacher. He died "of a fall" in Albany on July 18, 1846. At the time of his death, his residence was listed as 26 DeWitt Street (now a very small cul-de-sac between Broadway and Erie Boulevard). Walter was the father of six children; Amy, Mary, Hezekiah, Charles, Betsey, and Nehemiah.

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