Henry H. Winslow - Son of a Sea Captain

At the time I wrote about Margaret Ella Winslow née Givens, I didn't have a photograph of her husband, Henry H. Winslow ... not until someone saw a picture of Grandpa Henry Hidden Winslow, and was nice enough to let me know that a photograph of him, along with several other related photos, were up for sale.

Over the past few weeks I've collected quite a few Winslow family photographs, including photos of Margaret and Henry; two of their daughters, Mary and Edith; one granddaughter Margaret “Peggy” Sterns, and even Margaret’s sister and her husband - the McDuffy’s.

And now that I have the photos of Henry H. Winslow, I wanted to tell his story ...

Henry Hidden Winslow was born May 5, 1847, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the son of a sea captain, Joshua Baker Winslow, and his wife Mary Dehart (Bruen) Winslow.

American Offshore Whaling Voyages shows Joshua B. Winslow at command of the Tamerlane on 3 voyages to the North Pacific over a period of 15 years; Sept. 1854 - June 1858; Oct. 1858 - July 1862; Aug. 1865 - May 1869. The Capt. and Mrs. Winslow made their home in New Bedford, Massachusetts but unless Mary and Henry sailed aboard the Tamerlane with Capt. Winslow, they saw precious little of him, and were separated for years at a time.

Henry was educated in New Bedford and graduated high school May, 1864, at age 17.   One week later, on May 28, 1864 he sailed on board the whaler, James Arnold, under Capt. Jacob L. Cleaveland, cruising the Atlantic whaling grounds until Nov., 1865, when the James Arnold returned to New Bedford with 491 barrels sperm oil, 10 barrels whale oil and 300 pounds in bones on board.  During the voyage they'd sent home an additional 215 barrels of sperm oil.

On May 29, 1866 Henry Winslow shipped out again on board the James Arnold.  This time under the command of Capt. Thomas Sullivan, they sailed for the Pacific whaling grounds. The voyage lasted over 3 years and was considered a success. They returned Aug. 1, 1869, with 1,350 barrels sperm oil on board; having sent home 1,629 barrels sperm oil during the voyage.

At this point it appears Henry Winslow's sailing days came to an end. In 1870 he commenced to read law with the distinguished firm of Chandler, Thayer and Hudson.  He graduated Harvard Law School in 1872 and was admitted to the bar in Boston on Dec. 20, 1872.

Feb. 4, 1875 Henry Hedden Winslow (27) wed Margaret Ella (Givens) Fuller (30), a widow with a young daughter.  They were married in New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts and in 1876 they moved to Cambridge where Henry opened a second law office, keeping one in Boston and one in Cambridge.

Henry Hedden Winslow was a member and trustee of Cambridgeport Savings Bank and Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex county from 1875 to 1880. The only public office he held was as Overseer of the Poor for the City of Cambridge.

Henry and Margaret Winslow had 3 children together; all born in Cambridge, MA.

Mary H. Winslow  born Feb. 11, 1876 (graduated Radcliffe)
Edith Baker Winslow (Mrs. H. N. Sterns) born Aug. 10, 1878 (graduated Radcliffe)
Henry Joshua Winslow b. June 27, 1880 (graduated Harvard)

Henry's wife, Margaret Winslow died in 1899.

Cambridge Tribune, Vol. XXVIII, Number 34, Oct. 21, 1905

H.H. Winslow, ESQ.
Assigned by Superior Court as
Senior Counsel in a Murder
Case - Well Known Lawyer.

"Henry H. Winslow, Esq., of this city, has been assigned as senior counsel to defend John Schidlofski, who is now confined in the local jail for the murder of his wife, on the Arlington golf links, last August.  P.H. Sullivan, of Boston, has been assigned as junior counsel.

Mr. Winslow is not without experience in murder cases, having been senior counsel for Samuel Whitaker, who shot his wife, in this city, in 1897.  Principally through Mr. Winslow's efforts the court accepted a plea of guilty in the second degree and Whitaker was given only a life sentence.

Mr. Winslow was assistant district attorney of Middlesex county from 1875 to 1880.  He is a member of the overseers of the poor."

†

I wasn't able to find any record of the death of Henry H. Winslow, the last mention I find of him is in the 1920 Census, at age 72, living in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his daughter Mary.

†

Sources:

• 1870 letter referencing Henry Winslow 
• American Offshore Whaling Voyages 
• Ancient Middlesex with brief biological sketches of the men who have served the country officially since its settlement (pg 12 of 16)
• National Maritime Digital Library - Voyages of the James Arnold
• ShipStamps.co.uk - James Arnold Whaler 1852
• Family Search 

Note:

Spellings I found for Henry's middle name include: Heden, Hedden, Haden and Hidden and in the case of Mary, his daughter - Mary Hidder Winslow.  

Margaret Ella Winslow née Givens - Plymouth, MA

On the reverse is written:

18 years ?

Margaret Ella Winslow 

ne Givens

Photographed by Benj. Whiting 

Nos. 6 and 33 Main St., 

Plymouth, Mass.

******  

Margaret Ella Givens was born in Nobleboro, Maine about Dec. 23, 1844* to Benjamin Hall Givens, a seaman, and his wife Mary Ann (Hussey).

Margaret Ella Givens

On April 13, 1862, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 17 year old, Margaret Ella Givens married Charles Fuller, a 45 year old trader/merchant, 28 years her senior.  It was Margaret’s first marriage and Charles’ second.  Charles Fuller had been married previously to Susan Pope and together they had 3 children:

1. Ada A. born Nov. 30, 1852
2. Charles F. born May 8, 1855
3. Susan A. born Sept. 26, 1857

Susan, the baby, is 8 days old on Oct. 5, 1857, when her mother dies at age 36. I wasn't able to determine if the two older siblings survived childhood. In April, 1858 there is a record of the youngest child dying at age 6 months. Her cause of death is listed as “cachexia,” a wasting syndrome. But the only record of the two older children I find is the record of their birth and one census, then they simply disappear.

When Margaret married Charles Fuller in 1862, the record of their marriage shows both of them fudged a bit on their ages; Margaret added 7 years to hers, making her 24; Charles subtracted 5 from his, making him 40.

On Jan. 22, 1863, 9 months after their marriage, Margaret gives birth to a daughter, Ella Margaret Fuller.  Six weeks later, on March 8, 1863, her husband, Charles Fuller dies at age 46 of typhoid pneumonia.

Margaret has gone from wife to mother to widow in less than a year.

After the death of her husband, Margaret and her infant daughter move into the home of her older sister, Hannah (Givens) McDuffie, and her husband, John McDuffie, who'd been appointed Postmaster of Cambridge by President Lincoln in 1861.

Margaret doesn't appear to have been in any hurry to remarry or to leave her sister’s home.  In 1870, she and 6 year old Ella, still reside in the McDuffie household.

But she does marry again, in 1874 she marries Henry Winslow, a young lawyer.

Henry Hedden Winslow was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, May 5, 1847.  He was the son of Joshua Baker Winslow, a sea captain and Mary Dehart (Bruen), who made their home in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where their son was educated.  Henry Winslow graduated high school May, 1864 at age 17.  One week later he shipped out on board the whaler “James Arnold,” sailing the Atlantic until Nov. 4, 1865.  In 1866 he shipped out again on the same vessel, and sailed around the world on a trip that took over 3 years.  The trip was considered a success, the catch being about 3,000 barrels of sperm oil.

In 1870 Henry Winslow commenced to read law with the firm of Chandler, Thayer and Hudson.  He graduated Harvard Law School in 1872.

Henry H. Winslow

On Feb. 4, 1874 Henry Hedden Winslow married Margaret Ella Fuller in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1876 they moved to Cambridge where their three children were born:

1. Mary H. Winslow born Feb. 11, 1876
2. Edith Baker Winslow (Stearns) born Aug. 10, 1878
3. Henry Joshua Winslow  born June 27, 1880

Margaret Ella (Givens) (Fuller) Winslow lived to be 54 years, 7 months, and 13 days.  She died from a cerebral hemorrhage in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 5, 1899.

Mary H. Winslow
daughter of Margaret and Henry Winslow

Edith Baker Winslow Stearns &
Margaret "Peggy" Winslow Stearns
1907

*I came up with the approximate date of birth for Margaret Ella Givens by taking the date of death, July 5, 1899, and subtracting her age; 54 yrs. 7 mos. and 13 days.