Revised 11 Aug 2020
2.5 - Was Captain John (of R.I.)
born in Bocking, Eng., or in Wales?The Dictionary of American Names, page 232, states that a Whipple was originally "one who came from Whimple (white stream) in Devonshire [England]."
According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names, Whimple is from the Welsh "gwyn" (white) and "pwll" or "poll" (pool, stream). Variant forms of the name include Winple, Wimpoll, and Wympol.
The oldest record of the name is in the Domesday Book (A.D. 1086), where it is spelled "Winple."
The Whimple History Society (from Whimple, Old England) presents a compelling argument that the name Whipple means other than "white stream". The Society asserts that Whipple probably should have been interpreted as "fair" or "fine" stream. [Submitted by Charles M. Whipple, Jr.]
Although published books claim that Henry De V. Hipple was the first Whipple, none of them provide supporting documentation. Blaine Whipple has written a more complete answer.
No. The Whipples of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana (for example), are descendants of George Whipple of Baden-Baden, on the western foothills of the Black Forest in the present-day German state of Baden-Württemberg. The 1900 census of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, shows George's son, Charles Frederick Whipple, as a head of household. Charles was born 20 Feb 1841 in Baden-Baden; he immigrated to the U.S. in 1844 (according to the same 1900 census).
(Additional research is needed to determine which German surname became the anglicized Whipple surname. Might Charles Frederick have been named Karl Friedrich in Baden-Baden? Was his father named Georg--without the final "e"? If you have insight, please share it with us!)
The first Whipple in America was John Whipple, who arrived in Dorchester (now part of Boston), Massachusetts, on 16 Sep 1632 as a teenager. (In 1658 he moved to Providence, R.I., and later became "Captain" John Whipple.) Research leading up to 2020 determined that John was baptized on 13 Dec 1618 at St. Mary and St. Lawrence Church, Great Waltham, Essex, County, England. (The baptism register spells his name Whaples.) John's father was also named John. His grandfather and great grandfather were both named William. Great grandfather William Whaple died in 1597.
The second group of Whipples to arrive were the brothers Matthew and John Whipple, who arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1638, together with their children. Both Matthew and John were born in Bocking, Essex County, England. This John is generally referred to as "Elder" John Whipple (to differentiate him from the teenage John who had arrived six years earlier and eventually became known at "Captain" John of Rhode Island. Note: Several John Whipples have been referred to as "Captain". See the blog post "Captain Who?" for a few others known as Captain John Whipple.
In the fall, 2006, William Wyman Fiske published an article entitled "The Whipple Family of Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire: Proposed Ancestral Origin of Matthew Whipple of Bocking, Essex, and a Whipple Ancestral Line for Arthur Gary of Roxbury, Massachusetts" in The Genealogist (Vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 191-217. ISSN: 0197-1468). He convincingly concludes that Matthew Whipple (the "Elder")--father of brothers Matthew and John who immigrated to Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1638--is the son of Thomas Whipple of Braintree and Newport, Essex, England, whose father is Thomas Whipple of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.
One published genealogy claims (without documentation) that a Marion Whipple--wife of Richard Rathbone and grandparents of John Rathbone who died in Block Island, Rhode Island in 1702--is an aunt of Matthew and John of Ipswich. Marion and Richard are "believed to have sailed from England [to New England] in the Ship Speedwell about 1621. W.W. Fiske (see above) did find a Richard Rathbone who is the uncle of Matthew and John Whipple of Ipswich. (See pp. 192 and 203 of his article.) However, this second Richard Rathbone was married to Margaret (not Marion) Whipple. Margaret (Whipple) Rathbone--aunt of the brothers Matthew and John Whipple of Ipswich, Massachusetts--was buried in Bocking on 19 Jan 1627/8. According to Fiske, "there appears to be no basis in fact" for the assertion that the Marion Whipple and Richard Rathbone who migrated to America in 1621 (if they existed at all) are the aunt and uncle of the brothers Matthew and John Whipple of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
See Blaine Whipple's answer to this question.
Whipple research has been unable to establish any relationship between Captain John Whipple (who settled in Providence, R.I., after living in Dorchester for 26 years) and the Ipswich brothers, Matthew and John. However, researchers continue to look for a connection. Blaine Whipple has a more interesting answer to this question.
Note: William Wyman Fiske (see FAQ 2.1 above) is aware of the absence of information regarding the parentage of Captain John Whipple of Rhode Island. In his fall 2006 article on the ancestry of the Ipswich Whipples, he alludes to that fact in his discussion of John Whipple (John, Thomas), b. abt 1535, of Bishops Stortford, England. (This newly documented John Whipple would be a first cousin once removed of the brothers Matthew and John of Ipswich, Massachusetts. This John is not the Captain John Whipple of Providence, R.I., by the way!). Here is Fiske's reference to Captain John:
The family of John is included here on the chance that a future connection might be made with the English origin of Capt. John Whipple of Providence, who is believed to have been born say 1610. Both men chose to name their second sons Samuel; as trivial a coincidence as this might seem, it does provide at least one avenue for further inquiry into Capt. John Whipple's origin, which to date remains unknown.
During the second decade of the 21st Century, Dr. Charles M. Whipple and other researchers determined that Captain John Whipple of Providence, R.I. was from Great Waltham, Essex County, England, where he was baptized 123 Dec 1618. No connection has (yet?) been made between the three known generations of John's Whipple Great Waltham ancestors and the Bocking/Bishop's Stortford Whipples.
The Google Maps web site shows Bishop's Stortford 21.8 miles west of Bocking, on highway A120. (Click here for a map and driving directions.) Bishop's Stortford is located opposite London Stansted Airport on the M11 expressway (the main highway from London to Cambridge).
Absolutely.
Before Captain John of Providence settled in Rhode Island, he lived in Dorchester, Massachusetts (not all that far from Ipswich). Both Johns had a wife named Sarah (according to some sources). It would be easy to conclude that they are the same person. (In fact, the L.D.S. Church's FamilySearch site has periodically [incorrectly] merged the two.)
However, the 19th-century writer, John Osborne Austin, wrote (at least) two different books about families in New England. In the first book of interest, Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island (Albany, 1887; reprinted Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1978), Austin gives information on the Whipples (including Captain John) who settled in Rhode Island. His second book, One Hundred and Sixty Allied Families (Salem, Mass., 1893; reprinted Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1977), gives information about the Ipswich Whipples (including John). Reading the two books side by side, it is clear that there were two different Whipples named John, each with separate occupations and friends, and each figuring prominently in his community.
Another common error is the merger of Captain John of Providence (baptized 1618) with the son of Elder John of Ipswich, Massachusetts. That son, often referred to as Captain John Whipple, was born 21 Dec 1625 in Bocking, England, and came with his father and uncle to Ipswich, Massachusetts as a 12-year-old. He was known as both a Captain and a "Cornet"
Remember Patience Whipple, whose Diary of Remember Patience Whipple is available in bookstores, is a fictional person--her diary is historical fiction. No Whipples sailed to America aboard the Mayflower in 1620.
Although no Whipples sailed aboard the Mayflower, Elizabeth Sprague, who married William Whipple and had 17 children, was a descendent of Richard Warren who not only sailed on the Mayflower but also survived that first winter (which claimed the lives of more than half of those that sailed on the Mayflower). Richard also signed the Mayflower Compact. Therefore, all who are descendants of William and Elizabeth have a Mayflower connection.
Research in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has identified Captain John Whipple as the John Whaple or Whaples who was baptized 13 Dec 1618 at the St. Mary and St. Lawrence Church in Great Waltham, Essex, England. See Charles M. Whipple's "Genetic Antecedents of Captain John Whipple" and the earlier "Seeking the Origins of Captain John Whipple of Dorchester MA/Providence RI" for more information.
The Google Maps web site shows Great Waltham approximately 11 miles (a 20 minute drive) south-southwest of Bocking/Braintree. It is also a 20 minute drive east-southeast from London Stansted Airport. (Click here for a map and driving directions.) Stansted Airport is east of and adjacent to Bishop's Stortford, across the intersection of the M11 and A120 expressways.
This question is answered in the Whipple Blog post "John Whipple Houses".
Dorchester is in present-day Boston. (It was annexed by Boston in 1869.) Dorchester was founded on June 6, 1630, by a colony of 140 persons who sailed from Plymouth, England, aboard the ship Mary & John. Dorchester was the first settlement in present-day Suffolk County (Boston's county).
Captain John Whipple lived in Dorchester before settling in Providence, R.I. (and before becoming "Captain"). Many of his children were born in Dorchester.
The gravestone of Captain John Whipple's wife, Sarah (in the North Burial Ground, Providence, R.I.), indicates that she was born in Dorchester in about 1624. (It reads: "She was born in Dorchester, in New England; and died in / Providence, Anno Dona, 1666 / aged about 42 years.") According to Thayne Whipple, "there are numerous histories of the area that indicate European settlers there prior to 1630 and the official founding of the city. It is presumed that they left when the 'chartered' colonists came, but it will take a lot of work to really prove anything one way or the other."
A Whipple Website Weblog post of October 27, 2009, gives a good summary. We quote it here:
It was the young John Whipple who later became known as Captain John Whipple and died in Providence, Rhode Island. It was not the John who came to New England with his brother Matthew six years later in 1638.
Whipple genealogical researcher and publisher Blaine Whipple recently responded to that question as follows:
There are records supporting my position that brothers Matthew and John Whipple settled in Ipswich, Mass. in 1638 and were not passengers on the Lyon's 1632 voyage to Boston.
- Matthew's son Lt. John Whipple was born in Bocking, Essex Co., England 6 Sept. 1632. The Lyon docked in Boston Harbor 16 Sept. 1632 after a journey of 12 weeks.
- Matthew's son Matthew was born in Bocking ca 1635.
The source of this information is from the Parish Records of Bocking's St. Mary's Church available from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, film 1471886 Items 12 and 13.
- John's daughter Anna was born in Bocking 2 June 1633.
- His daughter Mary was born there 20 Feb. 1634.
- His daughter Judith was born there in August 1636.
- His son Matthew was born there 17 February and died 30 March 1638. His death date also gives credence to the parent's land grants in Ipswich 1 Sept. 1638.
I have presented this information to a number of Whipple researchers who after confirming the information agreed that, despite various sources to the contrary, the Whipple brothers were not passengers on the Lyon.
(See two versions of the Lyon passenger list on this site.)
It isn't entirely clear exactly what John did militarily to merit the designation "Captain." It seems related to King Phillip's War, however. "King Phillip" was a Wampanoag Indian chief who tried to drive the white settlers out of Providence. In the year 1675, John and about 25 others met in a Providence town meeting to decide whether to flee to Newport in order to avoid King Phillip. Most of the residents of Providence accepted the offer and fled to Newport, leaving Providence nearly deserted. John was one of a small number who "staid and went not away" to Newport, choosing instead to remain and defend Providence. In 1676, King Phillip attacked Providence, burning many houses and injuring those who had remained in Providence. John Whipple's house survived the attack.
It appears that the Rhode Island General Assembly must have given John the designation "Captain," in 1679. That was the year the General Assembly appointed John to a committee to report on King Phillip's War. From that time onward, John was called Captain John.
(Sources: A Brief Genealogy of the Whipple Families Who Settled in Rhode Island, by Henry E. Whipple (Providence: A. Crawford Greene, 1873), p. 8; Sons and Daughters of Jesse: A 360 Year History of the Whipple Family, by Charles M. Whipple (Oklahoma City: Southwestern Press, 1976), p. 11; Whipple Family Tree, by Dwane V. Norris (Jackson, Mich., 1996), p.81)
Apparently someone named Whipple received a Coat of Arms in the past. (Check out our large graphic of the coat of arms.) We are unaware of any Whipples who can actually claim (and prove) to be descendants of whoever received it. It is described on page 1100 of Bernard Burke's General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales (London: Harrison,1884) as follows:
Whipley, or Whipple (co. Norfolk). Sa[ble] on a chev[ron] betw[een] three swans' heads erased ar[gent] as many crescents of the field.
Earlier in the book, the author defines some of the terms in the above description:
Charles H. Whipple's Genealogy of the Whipple, Wright, Wager, Ward, Pell, McLean, Burnett Families (1917) includes a drawing of the Whipple coat of arms on page 9. Above (and separate from) the shield is a drawing of an elephant. Charles quotes the 1878 edition of Burke's General Armory, as follows:
Sable on a Chevron between Three Swan's Heads erased argent, as many crescents of the field.
Crest, an elephant passant ermine.
The 1878 description is identical to the 1884 description except for the addition of "Crest, an elephant passant ermine." Rothery's Concise Encyclopedia of Heraldry gives the following definitions:
Based on these definitions, it seems that the elephant crest is not part of the coat of arms per se, but is rather a figure placed on the helmet. A knight might carry a shield bearing the coat of arms and wear a helmet that has a figure of an elephant? (Please share your insight with the webmaster [wwhipple.com].)
"Fidèle et brave." [Translation from French: Faithful and brave.]
None of William's children survived past infancy. Some sources indicate that he might have had as many as seven children, but we know of only one for certain. Unfortunately, no one alive today is a descendant of William Whipple, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. (See William Whipple, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, on this site.)
Donna Wilson (DWilson33@aol.com) originally asked:
I heard that if a person is related to the Whipple that signed the Declaration of Independence, they and their children or grandchildren could attend college free. Do you know anything about that? A person in the Genealogical Society I belong to said she read it in a Readers Digest.
What does it mean to "be related" to someone? William and his wife Katharine (Moffat) Whipple had one known child--who died in infancy. Thus, contrary to many popular rumors heard today, no one alive today is a descendant of General William Whipple!
At least one other Whipple descendant who signed the Declaration of Independence: Stephen Hopkins. He was a colonial governor of Rhode Island.
Whipple's disease is a multisystem disorder caused by chronic infection with a bacterium, Tropheryma whippelii. Many patients have malabsorption, which means an impairment of the body's ability to absorb certain nutrients. The disease frequently causes weight loss, irregular breakdown of carbohydrates and fats, resistance to insulin. Most patients have dysfunctions of the immune system. When recognized and treated, Whipple's disease can be cured. Untreated, the disease is usually fatal.
Whipple's disease was named after George Hoyt Whipple, who first observed the disease in 1907 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Whipple was a staff member there from 1905 until 1914. He won the 1934 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine. (See Blaine Whipple's article on this site and George Hoyt Whipple's ancestry in the Whipple Genweb.)
The Whipple Procedure is a pancreaticoduodenectomy, first performed by Dr. Allen Oldfather Whipple in 1934, when he was a Professor of Surgery at Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Whipple performed 37 of the procedures during his career.
The pages of the Whipple Genweb (https://gendev.whipple.org) are still generated by a program called GED2HTML (GEDCOM to HTML), written by Gene Stark in the 1990s. The Whipple Website dates from January 1997. The first use of GED2HTML was in the summer of 1997.
The Whipple Database (/tng) uses The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding ("TNG"). The information is the same as the information in gendev.whipple.org, but in a different format. It came into use in about 2010?
About once per week.
See "Scope of This Site" to read about the focus and what names we accept.
Instructions are posted on the "About This Site" page.
It has been under consideration for several years. It make take several years to take place--if it is implemented.
You might want to try printing copies of a blank pedigree chart and family group sheet. (If your browser can't display them properly, try downloading--for free--the Adobe Acrobat Reader)
We generally modify indicate that dates are approximate by using modifiers "Abt," "Aft," "Bef" and "Bet":
This is common when censuses give an age but no birth year--we just subtract the age from the census year and use "Abt [year]" as the birth date. When we find actual vital records, we generally update the dates to be more exact.
To illustrate: If a person mentioned in a 1910 census, but additional research remains, we record the death date as "Aft 1910" (even though the person might have actually lived much longer--until, for example, 1950 or 1960).
This also occurs when an obituary lists survivors: the survivors' death date (if otherwise unknown) is recorded as the date of the person who died (preceded by "Aft").
Summary
In just about every case, "Abt" dates are the closest to the actual date. Other dates can be far from the actual dates.
The three United States Ships (USS) named Whipple (see uss.whipple.org) were named after Abraham Whipple (1733-1819), Commodore in the U.S. Navy during the American Revolution. (See his genealogy in the Whipple Genweb. See also The Commodore's Page on this site.) Commodore Whipple led the Colonies' first armed opposition to the British forces when they burned the ship Gaspee on June 10, 1772.
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