Whitman, Alfred, 1842-1907

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Alfred Whitman was born in Cambridge, Mass., October 8, 1842, the son of Edmund Burke Whitman and Nancy Russell. He was educated in his native town and in Concord, Massaschusetts at the Sanborn School. While in Concord, he became friends with Louisa May Alcott, who modeled the character "Laurie" in part on Whitman and also Ladislas Wisniewski. Alcott and Whitman maintained a correspondence long after Alfred left Concord.

He moved to Kansas in 1858, the family settling on a farm in Douglas County. In 1862, his father was appointed Assistant Quartermaster, with the rank of Captain, in the Army of Ohio and the Army of the Tennessee, continuing in the government service until 1868, the last three years being devoted to the organization of National Cemeteries, Alfred Whitman acting as Chief Clerk for his father during this period. Whitman was married in Lawrence, Kan., April 4, 1867, to Mary W. Brown.

About 1868, Whitman was a bookkeeper in Louisville, Ky., at a wholesale house for about four years. He was then appointed manager of the Louisville Lithographing Company, a position he retained until 1877, when he traveled in connection with the Travelers Insurance Company, of Hartford, Conn., as special agent for the Southern States, his field covering ten States. Resigning January 1, 1883, he settled in Lawrence, Kan., and became a junior member of the firm of Gleason & Whitman, dealers in real estate.

Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Alcott family (Louisa May Alcott, 1832-1888) family
associatedWith Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888 person
correspondedWith Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930 person
associatedWith Myerson Collection. corporateBody
correspondedWith Winter, William, 1836-1917 person
associatedWith Young, Robert, 1927-2008, person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Concord MA US
Lawrence KS US
Cambridge MA US
Louisville KY US
Subject
Correspondence
Occupation
Bookkeepers
Lithographers
Printer
Real Estate Broker
Activity

Person

Birth 1842

Death 1907

Birth 1842-10-08

Death 1907-11-03

Male

Americans

English

Information

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