Ancestry of Sam Waterston

compiled by Christopher Challender Child, Robert Battle, and George Larson


The following material on the immediate ancestry of Sam Waterston should not be considered either exhaustive or authoritative, but rather as a first draft.

Christopher Challender Child, Robert Battle, and George Larson each independently traced the ancestry of Mr. Waterston and forwarded their reports to the undersigned. The contribution of the undersigned is limited to merging the three reports and HTML-izing the result. Martin Hollick added some material to this report.





William Addams Reitwiesner

wargs@wargs.com


Ancestry of Sam Waterston
1 Samuel Atkinson ("Sam") Waterston, b. Cambridge, Massachusetts 15 Nov. 1940, Yale 1962
PARENTS
2 G[eorge] Chychele Waterston, b. Leith, Scotland 20 May 1904, d. Sharon, Connecticut 13 May 1995 [SSDI 022-26-8581 issued MA 1951-2]
m. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 6 July 1935 [1936 Boston Social Register; Mass VRs, 1935, 23:313 (Brookline), 57:175 (North Andover)]
3 Alice Tucker Atkinson, b. Brookline, Mass. 10 Dec. 1905 [Mass VRs, 1905, 552:22], d. Sharon, Conn. 29 Nov. 1993 [SSDI 022-26-8806, issued MA 1951-2]
GRANDPARENTS
4 George Waterston
m.
5 ____
6 Robert Whitman Atkinson, b. Heath Street, Brookline, Mass. 14 Dec. 1868 [Mass VRs, 1868, 206:288, as "male Atkinston"], d. Mattapoisett, Mass. 21 Aug. 1934 [1935 Boston Social Register; Harvard College Class of 1891 - 50th Anniversary Report; Mass VRs, 1934, 56:557], Harvard 1891
m. Philadelphia, Penn. 5 March 1904 [Mass VRs, 1904, 548:26; 1910 Census Brookline]
7 Elizabeth Bispham Page, b. Philadelphia, Penn. 27 March 1875, d. Middleborough, Mass. Jan 1962 [1965 Boston Social Register; Mass VRs, 1962, 72:93]
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
12 Edward Atkinson, b. Brookline, Mass. 10 Feb. 1827, d. 11 Dec. 1905 [Mass. VRs, 1905, 27:359]
m. Brookline 4 Oct. 1855 [Mass VRs, 1855, 88:172; 1880 Census Brookline]
13 Mary Caroline Heath, b. Brookline, Mass. 1 June 1830, d. Brookline 12 Dec. 1907 [Mass. VRs, 1907, 26:25]
14 Dr. Edward Augustus Page, b. Moorestown, New Jersey 23 October 1830, d. Philadelphia 18 Feb. 1881
m. Philadelphia 6 Oct. 1859
15 Josephine Augusta Bispham, b. Philadelphia 21 December 1832
GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
24 Amos Atkinson, b. Newbury, Mass. 11 May 1792, d. Brookline 26 June 1864 [Mass VRs, 1864, 175:217]
m. Newbury 28 April 1818
25 Anna Greenleaf Sawyer, b. Newbury, Mass. 27 Oct. 1795, d. Boston 29 Sept. 1871 [Mass VRs, 1871, 240:164]
26 Charles Heath, b. Brookline 17 Sept. 1801, d. Brookline 31 May 1868 [Mass VRs, 1868, 212:235]
m. Brookline 7 Nov. 1828
27 Caroline Penniman, b. 2 Sept. 1806, d. Brookline 27 Sept. 1871
28 Gilbert Page, b. 7 Aug. 1784, d. Moorestown, New Jersey 7 July 1862
m. St. Andrew's, Mount Holly, New Jersey 19 March 1812
29 Atlanta French, b. Fellowship, New Jersey 21 Sept. 1791, d. Philadelphia 13 March 1869
30 Joseph Bispham, b. Moorestown 14 Jan. 1792
m. ca. 1827
31 Susan Ridgway Tucker, d. 1845
GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
48 Amos Atkinson, b. Newbury 20 March 1754, d. 11 Nov. 1817
m. Newburyport 16 Sept. 1784 (int. Newbury 12 June 1784)
49 Anna Knowlton, b. Newbury 15 Nov. 1762, d. 13 Nov. 1845
50 Enoch Sawyer, b. Newbury 6 June 1767, d. Newbury 26 March 1808 (age 40y 9m 20d)
m. Boston 17 Oct. 1793
51 Judith Greenleaf, b. Newbury 12 March 1768, d. 2 July 1834
52 Ebenezer Heath, b. Brookline 21 June 1765, d. Brookline 26 Feb. 1845
m. Roxbury 11 Jan. 1791
53 Hannah Williams, b. Brookline 5 March 1771, d. 20 March 1832
54 Elisha Penniman, b. Braintree, Mass. ca. 1775
m.
55 Sybil Allen, b. Braintree 20 Nov. 1784, d. Brookline 7 Aug. 1875 (89y8m17d) [Mass. VRs, 1875, 275:238]
56 Thomas Page, b. 5 Nov. 1745
m. Burlington, New Jersey 20 April 1767
57 Alice Scott, b. 30 Aug. 1744
58 Charles French, b. Moorestown 25 Oct. 1753, d. Moorestown 6 April 1834
m.
59 Sabilla Stokes, b. Philadelphia 6 Dec. 1757
60 Joseph Bispham, b. Moorestown 4 Oct. 1759, d. 1832
m. 1 April 1783
61 Susanna Pearson, d. 1831
GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
96 Ichabod Atkinson, b. Newbury 13 Aug. 1714, d. Newbury 9 Dec. 1803
m. Newbury 6 Nov. 1733
97 Priscilla Bailey, b. Newbury 29 Aug. 1712, d. Newbury 9 Feb. 1793 (81st year)
98 Joseph Knowlton, b. Wenham, Mass. 11 Aug. 1742
m. Wenham 4 Nov. 1762
99 Rachel Patch, b. 1742, d. 1778
100 Edmund Sawyer, b. Newbury 28 Sept. 1730, d. Newbury 13 Sept. 1795
m. Newbury 10 Nov. 1763
101 Hannah Moody, b. Newbury 15 Oct. 1739, d. Newbury 1 July 1812
102 Samuel Greenleaf, b. Newbury 8 Sept. 1727, d. at sea 23 Sept. 1793
m. Newbury 17 May 1749
103 Anna Bradbury, b. Newbury 8 May 1731, d. Newbury 10 May 1786
104 John Heath, b. Roxbury, Mass. 12 Sept. 1732, d. Brookline 27 April 1804
m. Roxbury 12 Jan. 1758
105 Susannah Craft, b. 9 April 1738, d. Brookline 1 April 1808
106 Joseph Williams, b. Roxbury 10 April 1708, d. Roxbury 26 May 1798
m. Roxbury 5 April 1770
107 Hannah Whiting, b. Roxbury 25 Dec. 1734, d. Roxbury
108 Meshech Penniman, b. Braintree ca. 1749, d. 22 Oct. 1827
m. Braintree 20 Aug. 1777
109 Ruth Bailey, b. Hanover, Mass. 2 June 1745, d. Quincy, Mass. 2 Jan. 1805
110 Joseph Allen
m.
111 Mehitable Holbrook
112 William Page
m.
113 Mary Williams
114 Thomas Scott, b. 1685, d. 1746
m.
115 Leah ____
116 Charles French, b. Moorestown 12 Aug. 1714, d. Moorestown 15 Jan. 1785
m. Moorestown 6 Oct. 1739
117 Ann Clement, b. 24 Sept. 1720
118 Joseph Stokes, b. 22 Jan. 1730, d. 1772
m.
119 Atlanta Bispham, b. 3 Feb. 1737
120 (=238) Joshua Bispham, b. Bickerstaffe, Lancashire, England, 11 April 1706, d. 1796
m. (2nd) 1743
121 Ruth Atkinson
122 William Pearson of Philadelphia
m.
123 Ann ___
GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
192 John Atkinson, b. 1666
m.
193 Sarah Woodman, b. 1670
194 John Bailey, b. 1678
m.
195 Sarah Butler, b. 1680
196 Churchill Knowlton, b. 1719
m.
197 Jane Rogers, b. 1721
198 Timothy Patch, b. 1708, d. 1751
m.
199 Rachel Woodbury, d. 1758
200 Enoch Sawyer, b. Newbury 22 June 1694, d. Newbury 15 Nov. 1771 (age 77y 4m 12d)
m. Reading 29 Sept. 1721
201 Sarah Pierpoint, b. Reading, Mass. 3 Oct. 1697, d. Newbury 3 Sept. 1773 (age 76)
202 Caleb Moody, b. Newbury 4 Nov. 1705, d. Newbury 16 Jan. 1776
m. Newbury 5 June 1727
203 Elizabeth Emery, b. Newbury 2 Feb. 1707/08, d. Newbury 14 Sept. 1754
204 Samuel Greenleaf, b. Newbury ca. 1697, d. Newbury
m. Newbury ca. 1724
205 Elizabeth Kingsbury, b. Newbury 6 April 1700
206 Theophilus Bradbury, b. Salisbury 8 July 1706, d. Newbury 3 Feb. 1764
m. Newbury 4 Aug. 1730
207 Ann Woodman, b. Newbury 23 July 1708, d. Newbury 12 July 1743
208 William Heath, b. Roxbury 25 Sept. 1686
m. Roxbury 24 April 1716
209 Prudence Bridge, b. Roxbury 1 Dec. 1692
210 Ebenezer Craft, b. Roxbury 22 May 1705, d. 1 Sept. 1791
m. 30 April 1735
211 Susannah White, b. Roxbury 29 Sept. 1713, d. Roxbury 4 Sept. 1752
212 Joseph Williams, b. Roxbury 24 Feb. 1681/82, d. Roxbury 17 Aug. 1720
m. Roxbury 22 May 1706
213 Abigail Davis, b. Roxbury 13 Feb. 1687/88, d. Roxbury 23 Dec. 1771
214 Nathaniel Whiting, b. Roxbury 20 March 1703/04, d. Roxbury 19 Jan. 1790
m. Roxbury 1 May 1729
215 Hannah Lyon, b. Roxbury 25 Dec. 1712, d. bef. 1774
218 Benjamin Bailey
m.
219 Ruth Tilden
232 Charles ffrench, b. 20 March 1670/1
m. Philadelphia 1708
233 Elinor ____
234 Jacob Clement, b. Flushing 20 Dec. 1678, d. Gloucester Co., New Jersey, Oct. 1739
m.
235 Ann Harrison
236 Joseph Stokes, b. 29 Aug. 1682, d. 1760
m. 1710
237 Judith Lippincott, b. 22 6mo 1689, d. 22 June 1745
238 Joshua Bispham (number 120, above)
m.
239 Mary Lawrence
240 (=476) Joseph Bispham
m.
241 (=477) Hannah ___
242 Samuel Atkinson
m.
243 Ruth Stacy
GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
384 John Atkinson, b. 1636
m.
385 Sarah Myrick, b. 1640
386 Jonathan Woodman, b. 1643, d. 1706
m.
387 Hannah Hilton, b. 1648
388 Joseph Bailey, b. Newbury, Mass., 4 April 1648, d. Kennebunk, Maine, 23 Oct. 1723 USA
m.
389 Priscilla Putnam, b. Salem, Mass., 4 March 1656, d. 16 Nov. 1704
390 William Butler, d. 1730
m.
391 Sarah Cross, b. 1656
392 Rice Knowlton, b. 1678, d. 1766
m.
393 Mary Dodge, b. 1680
394 Robert Rogers, b. 1682, d. 1723
m.
395 Sarah Jewett, b. 1688, d. 1722
396 Timothy Patch, b. 1670, d. 1751
m.
397 Elizabeth Poland, d. 1742
398 Isaac Woodbury, b. 1663, d. 1733
m.
399 Elizabeth Herrick, b. 1668
400 Stephen Sawyer, b. Roxbury 25 April 1663, d. Newbury 8 June 1753
m. 10 Mar 1687
401 Anna Titcomb, b. 1666, d. 1 Oct. 1750
402 Rev. Jonathan Pierpont
m. 29 Oct. 1691
403 Elizabeth Angier, bp. 22 Sept. 1667
404 Caleb Moody, b. Newbury 9 Sept. 1666, d. Newbury 2 May 1741
m. Newbury 9 Dec. 1690
405 Ruth Morse, b. Newbury 8 Dec. 1669, d. Newbury 26 June 1748
406 Stephen Emery, b. 1666
m.
407 Ruth Jacques, b. 1672
408 John Greenleaf, b. Newbury 21 June 1662, d. 1734
m.
409 Elizabeth Hills, d. 5 Aug. 1712
410 John Kingsbury, b. 1667
m.
411 Hannah ____
412 Wymond Bradbury, b. Salisbury 13 May 1669, d. York, Maine 17 April 1734
m.
413 Maria Cotton, b. 1670, d. 1725
414 Jonathan Woodman, b. 1674, d. 1730
m.
415 Abigail Atkinson, b. 1673, d. 1725
416 William Heath, b. Roxbury 30 Jan. 1664, d. Roxbury 3 Nov. 1738
m. Roxbury 11 Nov. 1685
417 Hannah Weld, b. Roxbury 16 July 1666, d. Roxbury 21 June 1697
418 Edward Bridge, b. 1668
m.
419 Mary Brooks, b. 1667, d. 1724
420 Ebenezer Craft, b. Roxbury 8 Nov. 1679, d. 13 Aug. 1722
m. Roxbury 14 Nov. 1700
421 Elizabeth Weld, b. 1676
422 Samuel White, b. 1684
m.
423 Ann Drew, d. 1774
424 Stephen Williams, b. Roxbury 8 Nov. 1640, d. Roxbury 15 Feb. 1719/20
m. Roxbury ca. 1666
425 Sarah Wise, b. Roxbury 19 Dec. 1647, d. Roxbury 1728
426 John Davis, b. Roxbury 17 April 1651, d. Roxbury 11 March 1716/17
m.
427 Mary Torrey, b. Roxbury 2 April 1654, d. Roxbury 11 Nov. 1719
428 Jonathan Whiting, b. Dedham, Mass. 9 Oct. 1657, d. Roxbury 4 Sept. 1728
m. Roxbury 3 Dec. 1689
429 Rachel Thorpe, b. Dedham 17 Aug. 1671, d. after 1728
430 Joseph Lyon, b. Roxbury 10 Feb. 1677/78, d. Roxbury 19 June 1724
m. Roxbury 5 Nov. 1701
431 Mary Aldridge, b. Dedham 5 Aug. 1683
464 Thomas ffrench, d. Rancoas, N. J., 1699
m. 12 June 1660
465 Jane Atkins, b. 1643, d. 1692
468 James Clement, d. Flushing, L. I., 1724
m.
469 Jane ____
470 Samuel Harrison, d. 1703
m.
471 Sarah Hunt
472 Thomas Stokes, d. 1718
m.
473 Mary Barnard, bur. 18 3mo 1697
474 Freedom Lippincott, b. Plymouth, Mass., 1 Sept. 1655, d. Burlington, N. J., April 1697
m.
475 Mary Custance
476 - 477 Same as 240 - 241, above.
486 Mahlon Stacy
m.
487 ____
7/GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
796 Nicholas Woodbury
m.
797 Anna Palgrave
806 Edmund Angier
m.
807 Ann Batt
824 Wymond Bradbury
m.
825 Sarah Sanders
826 Rev John Cotton
m.
827 Joanna Rosseter
834 John Weld
m.
835 Margaret Bowen
850 Joseph Wise
m.
851 Mary Thompson
878 Stephen Tilden
m.
879 Hannah Little
952 - 955 Same as 480 - 483, above.
8/GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
1594 Richard Palgrave
m.
1595 Anna ____
1614 Christopher Batt
m.
1615 Anne Baynton
1648 Thomas Bradbury
m.
1649 Mary Perkins
1652 Rev John Cotton
m.
1653 Sarah Story
1670 Griffith Bowen
m.
1671 Margaret Fleming
1702 John Thompson
m.
1703 Alice Freeman
1758 Thomas Little
m.
1759 Anna Warren
1904 - 1911 Same as 960 - 967, above.
9/GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
3298 John Perkins
m.
3299 Judith Gater
3518 Richard Warren, Mayflower passenger
m.
3519 Elizabeth Walker, Mayflower passenger
3808 - 3823 Same as 1920 - 1935, above.








EXTRACTS from the U.S. FEDERAL DECENNIAL CENSUS







1920 - Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, e.d. 180, sheet 17b 

Atkinson, Robert N[?]  Head  M W 51 M   MA MA MA      Musician Writer 
___, Elizabeth B.      Wife  F W 41 M   PA PA PA 
___, Alice             Dau   F W 14 S   MA MA PA 
___, Elliot            Son   M W 12 S   MA MA PA 
___, Samuel            Son   M W  8 S   MA MA PA 
(1 servant) 

--------
 
1910 - Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, e.d. 1096, sheets 12b-13a 

Atkinson, Robert W.        Head  M W 40 M1 6         MA MA MA      Composer Music 
Atkinson, Elizabeth B. P.  Wife  F W 33 M1 6 2 2     PA PA PA 
___, Ales T.               Dau   F W  4 S            MA MA PA 
___, Eliot H.              Son   M W  2 S            MA MA PA 
(3 servants) 

--------
 
1900 - Morriston School, Morris Twp., Morris Co., NJ, e.d. 64, sheet 11a 

Atkinson, Robert W.    Assoc    W M Dec 1866 33 S    MA MA MA    Instructor 

--------
 
1880 - Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, e.d. 508, sheet 43 (p. 352c) 

Atkinson, Edward   W M 53            President Fire Insurance Co.     MA MA MA 
___, Mary C.       W F 50      Wife                                   MA MA MA 
___, Anna G.       W F 22      Dau                                    MA MA MA 
___, Edward W.     W M 20      Son   At College (Harvard)             MA MA MA 
___, Charles H.    W M 17      Son                                    MA MA MA 
___, William H.    W M 12      Son                                    MA MA MA 
___, Robert W.     W M 11      Son                                    MA MA MA 
___, Caroline P.   W F  8      Dau                                    MA MA MA 
___, Mary H.       W F  1 6/12 Dau                                    MA MA MA 
(5 servants) 

--------
 
1870 - Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, pp. 25-26 (133a-b) 

Atkinson, Edward       42 M W    Manufacturer      50000  85000      MA 
  "       Mary C.      40 F W                      10000  25000      MA 
  "       Anna G.      12 F W                                        MA 
Atkinson, Edward W.    11 M W                                        MA 
  "       Charles H.    8 M W                                        MA 
  "       William       3 M W                                        MA 
  "       Robert W.     1 M W                                        MA 
(1 farm laborer, 3 servants) 
Heath, Caroline        60 F W                      80000  45000      MA 
  "    Sydney          17 M W    Clerk in store                      MA 
(1 laborer, 2 servants) 

--------
 
1860 - Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, p. 34 

Charles Heath   58 M    55000  60000     MA 
Caroline  "     41 F                     MA 
Sidney    "     17 M                     MA 
(2 servants, 1 more on next page) 

--------
 
1850 - Brookline, Norfolk Co., MA, p. 86a (171) 

Sybel Penniman    65 F                8000     MA 
Elisha T.   "     39 M   none                  MA 
[others in household] 
[several households] 
Charles Heath     49 M   Merchant    20000     MA 
Caroline    "     42 F                         MA 
Mary C.     "     20 F                         MA 
Charles A.  "     18 M   Clerk                 MA 
William     "     14 M                         MA 
Sidney      "      7 M                         MA 

--------










NOTES






1 -- Credits include Assistant D.A. Jack McCoy on Law & Order; was nominated for an Oscar in 1984 for best actor for portraying Sydney Schanberg in The Killing Fields. Sam Waterston's, siblings, parents and maternal grandparents are listed in the Boston Social Register, in which Sam Watertston is last listed, with a Manhattan address, in 1964.



2 -- Boston Globe, 20 May 1995, page 71:

G. Chychele Waterston of Cornwall, Conn., a British intelligence officer and US Information Agency cultural attache who also taught modern languages at the Brooks School in North Andover for 35 years, died last Saturday in the Sharon (Conn.) Hospital. He was 89. Mr. Waterston was born in Leith, Scotland. Under his mother's tutelage he learned to speak French at an early age and also studied the cello, which he continued to play until he was in his 70s.

His father died when Mr. Waterston was just a baby, and his stepfather was killed at Gallipoli during World War II. After the death of his stepfather, Mr. Waterston and his mother moved to London, where he earned a bachelor's degree in modern languages at Oxford University.

He joined the British Intelligence Service in 1927 and was based in Geneva and Austria. He observed the German rearmament there until 1930, when he left the service after a serious auto accident.

He then immigrated to New York City, where he was an editor and proofreader for the Oxford University Press.

In 1932, he began teaching modern languages at the Brooks School in North Andover. While at Brooks, he earned a master's degree in French at Middlebury College and a doctorate at the University of Paris.

During World War II, Mr. Waterston became an intelligence officer for the British Royal Air Force. He used his language skills to interrogate refugees, enemy agents and prisoners of war.

Yesterday, his son, George C. Jr., said his father often spoke of the famed stiff upper lips of the wartime English, who, if they emerged from the "tube" when a bombing was in progress would remark with understated elegance, "it's still a bit thick, isn't it?" He also often spoke of his driver during the war years, who didn't mind driving through bombings, "but would drive off the road if a bee came in the window."

Mr. Waterston returned to the Brooks School after the war. He became a US citizen on Feb. 27, 1950, and entered the US Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel, a commission he held until 1959.

In 1959, he left the Brooks School and was a cultural attache for the US Information Agency in Bogota, Colombia, for a year.

He then returned to the United States and taught at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before returning to the Brooks School. He taught there from 1962 until his retirement in 1971.

In a booklet published in 1977 on the 50th anniversary of the Brooks School, former headmaster Frank Ashburn commented on Mr. Waterstons' ability to speak several languages.

"Chychele could teach anything and did almost that. A gifted linguist who could handle English, French, German, Spanish and Latin and could have taught numerous other subjects," Ashburn wrote. "Scholarship and learning came to him naturally. He was a font of imagination and ideas that went far beyond any subject that he had been teaching at any given time."

Mr. Waterston was an accomplished mountaineer. As an undergraduate he made technical climbs in the Dolomites and the Alps. In 1934, he was a member of the expedition that made the first ascent of 17,400-foot Mount Foraker in Alaska.

From 1972 to 1975, he was a teacher and dorm master at the Waterville Valley (N.H.) Independent Studies Program, a ski-study program offered by high schools.

He leaves two daughters, Roberta P. Britton of Newburport and Ellan B. of Bend, Ore.; two sons, George C. Jr. of South Kingstown, R.I., and Samuel A. of Cornwall, Conn.; a sister, Joyce Henderson of England; and 11 granchildren.

Mr. Waterston donated his body to Harvard Medical School. A memorial service will be held on Oct. 7 in the Brooks School Chapel in North Andover.



3 -- ALICA WATERSTON, 87; WAS ARTIST, FORMER TEACHER IN NORTH ANDOVER
Boston Globe
December 10, 1993
Page 77

A funeral will be held Monday for Alica Tucker (Atkinson) Waterston, 87, of South Kingstown, R.I., and Mattapoisett, an artist and former art teacher at the Brooks School in North Andover, who died Nov. 29 in the Sharon (Conn.) Health Care Center of complications following a stroke. Mrs. Waterston, who used her maiden name professionally, painted landscapes in oil and watercolor. Her work was displayed locally in the Copley Society and Vose Galleries in Boston, the Fitchburg Art Museum and the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover.

She was born in Brookline. She studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the New York Art Students League, the Sawkill Group of artists and sculptors in Woodstock, N.Y., and the Fountainbleau School of Fine Arts in France.

For 32 years, she taught art at the Brooks School in North Andover and was elected master emeriti by the school's board of trustees upon her retirement in 1971.

She had been president of the Arts Association of New England Preparatory Schools from 1965 to 1968 and was a member of the Massachusetts Curriculum Advisory Committee in Art Education.

She won first prize in the Boston Junior League Art Show in 1929 and her work was exhibited by the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1938.

Mrs. Waterston had been a member of the Boston Junior League and the Vincent Club and, during the 1970s, sat on the board of directors of Young Audiences, a fund-raising group devoted to bringing performing artists to Massachusetts schools.

She leaves her husband, G. Chychele Waterston of South Kingston, R.I.; two daughters, Roberta P. Britton of Newburyport, Ellen B. of Bend, Ore.; two sons, George C. Jr. of South Kingstown, R.I., and Samuel of West Cornwall, Conn.; and 11 grandchildren.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday in the Church of the Redeemer in Brookline. Burial will be private.



Also: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2516223&id=I272



6 -- Harvard 1891 - 50th Anniversary Report - Robert Whitman Atkinson was born at Brookline, Massachusetts, December 14, 1868, the son of Edward Atkinson and Mary Caroline Heath. He prepared for college at the Roxbury, Massachusetts, Latin School.

Music was the dominating interest in Atkinson's life, and the piano and organ his chosen instruments. While in College the study of music under Professor J.K. Paine was his chief concern and he graduated summa cum laude.

He spent two years following his graduation in Munich studying piano and composition under Rheinberger, and while there he became well-versed in the German language.

During his college years his activities were mostly devoted to the musical side of college life. He was leader of the Freshman Glee Club, and later of the Varsity Glee Club. It was during his college life that the Varsity Glee Club began to take trips away from Harvard, giving concerts in New York and other cities during the vacation recesses.

Atkinson wrote several college songs in these years which were published later in some of the Harvard song collections. He contributed music to our Class "Dicky" show, as well as to the '90 Pudding Show, "Helen and Paris." In his Senior year he became president of the Hasty Pudding Club and with the help of Lewis Thompson, '92, produced the first all original Hasty Pudding operetta, the "Obispah" with words written by Benjamin Apthorp Gould. In that same year he inaugurated a new custom, that of inviting the ladies to a dance in the clubhouse, a custom which has continued to this day.

Atkinson was active in almost all the Tavern Club musical productions from the time he joined the club soon after leaving College up to the closing years of his life. He wrote many charming things which have never been published, notably some delightful short pieces in 5/4 time, a rhythm which intrigued him. He was a delightful entertainer, because of his ever-ready willingness to be one, and his ability to pick up any melody by ear or to improvise on any given theme.

He was a good linguist. In his later years he derived much satisfaction from translating an essay on "Religious Apologetics" from the Italian, and two books from the German on such diverse subjects as a book on music by A.J. Polak, and one of his pet avocation, sailing and yacht racing by Manfred Curry.

On March 5, 1904, Atkinson married Elizabeth Bispham Page in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had three children: Alice Tucker (Mrs. George Chychele Waterston), born December 10, 1905; Eliot Heath, born August 3, 1907; and Samuel Greenleaf, born November 17, 1911. The two boys attended Harvard, Eliot receiving his A.B. in 1929, and Samuel an A.B. in 1932 and an M.B.A. in 1935. There are three grandchildren.

Atkinson died suddnely on August 21, 1934, at his summer home in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.



Also: Colonial Families in the U.S. vol. 7; Charles Eugene Claghorn, Biographical Dictionary of American Music (1973)



12 -- A fairly lengthy obituary (with picture) appears in the Boston Globe in 1905. This states that Edward Atkinson invented the Aladdin stove.



26 -- See http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=patlee&id=I01954.



1594 -- RD600 333-334.



1614 -- RD600 407.



1615 -- RD600 270-271.



1670 & 1671 -- RD600 485-486.



1703 -- RD600 540-543.











FURTHER NOTES




The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) publishes a Patriot Index, a list of persons whose honorable service in the cause of independence during the American Revolution renders their female descendants eligible for membership in the NSDAR. Several ancestors of Sam Waterston appear in the Patriot Index, including:


    Amos Atkinson (number 48)
    John Heath (number 104)
    Joseph Knowlton (number 98)
    Thomas Page (number 56)

While Mr. Waterston is not eligible for membership in the NSDAR (by not being female), he is eligible for membership in the equivalent organization for men, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.













SOURCES CONSULTED AND CITED


See above.









William Addams Reitwiesner

wargs@wargs.com