Dover New Hampshire Artist, Ruth (Whittier) Shute (1803-1882)

Born Ruth Whittier, she collaborated with her physician husband,

Self Portrait of Ruth Whittier Shute and her daughters, Adelaide and Adeline, courtesy of Stephen Sakkelarios. (ssake@goldthread.com)

Self Portrait of Ruth Whittier Shute and her daughters, Adelaide and Adeline, reprinted with permission, courtesy of Stephen Sakkelarios (ssake@goldthread.com). In 1985 this painting was up for sale. If any reader knows its current whereabouts, please contact Stephen.

Samuel A. Shute, in creating portraits of small-town residents between 1827 to 1831. Their double signature appeared on portraits dated from February 18,1832 to March 25,1833.  He painted fifteen portraits and she painted ten.

Born in Dover NH, she was of Quaker heritage, and was a cousin to the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. They traveled from one place to another, remaining until the painting commissions ran out.  They resided in Peterborough, Weare, and other locations in New Hampshire, in addition to Massachusetts.  Samuel’s family had lived in Concord NH for several generations. They advertised in local newspapers that they were available to paint portraits. Their painting medium included watercolor, pencil, gilt-foil, pastel and gouache.

Following Samuel’s death, Ruth returned to Concord NH where Samuel was buried.  In 1840 she remarried Alpha Tarbell and lived in Kentucky until her death on 26 September 1882.  Her last portrait is dated 1839. See the genealogies below for details on their families.

A New York Times articles states, ” But to compare the one life-size full-face image painted by him with the joint efforts is to suspect that Ruth was the more proficient of the couple, since in these the faces are very likely modeled in pencil in a very un-folk way. The Shutes have been in the folk art pantheon for some time.”

Their portraits can be found in many of the best museums in the United States, and one not far away….  The Currier Art Gallery of Manchester NH listing includes: “Girl Holding Blossom and Basket of Roses (circa 1832), Portrait of Sarah Whitmarsh (1833), Portrait of A Boy with a Dog (1833), and “Portrait of Mary Winch) (1835).  None of these are currently on view.  Contact the gallery to inquire when their next public viewing will be available.

Janice

**Additional Reading**

Askart: Biography of Ruth Shute

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**GENEALOGY OF RUTH WHITTIER FAMILY**
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Richard Whittier(1585-1608) & Mary Rolfe (1582-1625)
Thomas Whittier(1620-1696) & Ruth Green (1626-1710)
Joseph Whittier(1669-1739) & Mary Peaslee (1672-1739)

—-Fourth Generation—-

Joseph Whittier, son of Joseph & Mary (Peaslee) Whittier, b. 21 March 1717 in Haverhill, Essex Co MA, and d. 10 Oct 1796 in Haverhill MA.  He married 12 July 1739 in Haverhill MA to Sarah Greenleaf.  She was b. 5 March 1721 in Newbury MA and d. 17 March 1807 in Haverhill MA
Children of Joseph & Sarah (Greenleaf) Whittier: [all b. in Haverhill, Essex Co MA]
1. Stephen Whittier, b. 6 Apr 1740, d. 1740
2. Thomas Whittier, b. 29 July 1742, d. 1742
3. Ruth Whittier, b. 26 Dec 1743, d. 1743
4. Mary Whittier, b. 2 Feb 1747, d. 1802
5. Joseph Whittier, b. 14 Sep 1750, d. 1754
6. Nathaniel Whittier, b. 13 July 1753, d. 1839 Hollis ME
7. +Obadiah Whittier, b. 2 Sep 1758
8. John Whittier, b. 22 Nov 1760; m. Abigail Hussey; father of poet, John Greenleaf Whittier
9. Moses Whittier, b. 20 Dec 1762; m. Merriam Goodwin, had issue.

—-Fifth Generation—-

Obadiah Whittier, son of Joseph & Sarah (Greenleaf) Whittier was b. 2 Sep 1758 in Haverhill, Essex Co NH and d. 29 July 1814 in Dover, Strafford Co NH. He married 7 Dec 1786 in Dover NH to Sarah Austin, dau of Moses and Phebe (Hussey) Austin.  She b. 9 July 1765 in Rochester, Strafford Co NH and d. 11 Aug 1844 in Dover, NH.
Children of Obadiah & Sarah (Austin) Whittier: [all born in Dover, Strafford Co NH except John]
1. Anna Whittier, b. 26 Sep 1787; m. Isaac Wendell
2. Moses Whittier, b. 19 May 1789; m1) Gertrude Frye; m2) Sarah Hacker Jones; m3) Deborah Burnham
3. Sarah Whittier, b. 7 July 1791; m. George D. Varney
4. Joseph Whittier, b. 10 Dec 1793; m. Nancy Locke
5. John Whittier, b. 9 Dec 1795 in Berwick, York Co ME; m. Hannah Hanson
7. Phoebe Austin Whittier, b. 11 March 1798; m. Edmund Johnson
8. Mary Whittier, b. 14 July 1800; m. Gideon C. Smith
9. +Ruth Whittier, b. 28 Oct 1802
10. Lydia Whittier, b. 14 July 1807; m. Leonard Smith

—-Sixth Generation—-

Ruth Whittier, dau of Obadiah & Sarah (Austin) Whittier, was b. 28 Oct 1802 in Dover, Strafford Co NH and d. in Middletown, Jefferson County, Kentucky.  She married abt 1820 to Samuel Addison Shute. After his death in 1840 she married 2nd) Alpha Tarbell, a school teacher.  They removed to Kentucky where the Tarbells had two daughters.  Ruth continued to paint, mainly family portraits and a few Civil War scenes from  accounts of major battles such as Gettsysburg.  During this time, her style evolved from  primitive folk art to paintings that clearly  resembled their subjects.  Ruth died on  September 26,1882, and is buried in the Middletown Cemetery.  Alpha died Oct. 23, 1868. Their home on Shelbyville Road in Middletown Kentucky is on the National Register of Historic Places.  [ALSO SEE SHUTE GENEALOGY BELOW]
———
1850 United States Census > New Hampshire > Merrimack, Concord
Aaron Shute 66 male shoemaker b NH
Betsey Shute 61 female b. MA
Adaline Montgomery 21 female b NH
Mary Tarbell 9 female b KY
———
1860 United States Federal Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Louisville Ward 2
A Tarbell 56 M Stock Dealer 5000/2000 VT [b abt 1804]
Ruth Tarbell 50 F NH
Mary Tarbell 17 F KY [b abt 1843]
Ruth Tarbell 13 F KY [b abt 1847]
Adaline Shute 24 F NH [b abt 1836]
———
U.S. Census > 1870 United States Federal Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Tarbell, Ruth 60 F W keeps house 9000/400 NH
Eggington, M. 27 F W at home 1000 KY
–living next door–
Blankenbaker, H.A. 30 M W Farmer 2000 500 KY
Blankenbaker, Ruth Avis, 22 F W Keeps House KY
[servants and farm hands]
———
1880 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Ruth W. Tarbell, widow, 65 b NH MA NH
Adalade M. Shute, 4 (sic) daughter, at home, consumption NH MA NH
Marcel A. Tarbell, 34  daughter, at home, KY NY NH
———
Children of Samuel Addison & Ruth (Whittier) Shute:
1. Adelaide Montgomery Shute, b. March 4, 1829, who was an invalid and unmarried; died Apr. 19, 1881, buried Middletown KY.
2. Maria Antoinette Shute, died Feb 4, 1831, aged 9 days.
3. Adaline Shute, b. abt 1836; living with mother in KY in 1860
Children of Alpha & Ruth (Whittier) Tarbell:
1. Mary “Maria” A. Tarbell, b. abt 1843 in Kentucky; ?m. — Eggington; in 1910 listed as single, residing with her sister Ruth in Middletown KY.
2. +Ruth Anna Tarbell, b. Nov 1849 in Kentucky

—-Seventh Generation—-

 Ruth Anna Tarbell, dau of Alpha & Ruth (Whitter) Tarbell, was b. November 1849 (per 1900 US Census) in Kentucky (probably Middletown, Jefferson Co. KY), and died in 1928 probably in Middletown KY, as she is buried there in Middletown Cemetery.  She married m 16 Dec 1869 in Jefferson KY to Henry Allen “H. Allen” Blankenbaker, son of John & Malevia (Garr) Blankenbaker.  He was b. 15 March 1840 in Jefferson Co. KY, and died in 1910 (per his tombstone).
———-
FROM: Middletown’s days and deeds: the story of 150 years of living in an old Kentucky town. Anchorage, Ky.: by Edith Louise Wood, c1946. page 45 states: “H. Allen Blankenbaker, prosperous Middletown farmer, born in 1840 was married to Ruth Tarbell, daughter of Alpha Tarbell and his wife, Ruth Whittier, a relative of the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. They lived on the farm now owned by the Simpson sisters, Ethel and Margaret.  They had two children: Addie Mae, who married Luther Paris Wetherby, and Annie, who married John Tharp.”
Page 112 states:
“TARBELL.  Ruth Whittier was born in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1810. She was the daughter of Obadiah and Sarah Whittier, and a double cousin to the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier; their mothers were sisters and their fathers were brothers.  Ruth Whittier married Dr. Shoot (sic) and had a daughter, Addie Mae.  By a second marriage Dr. Shoot Ruth became the wife of Alpha Tarbell, a schoolteacher, who in later life was extensively engaged in stock buying. He lived on the farm adjacent to the Middletown Cemetery. He died in 1868 at the age of sixty-four years.  Two of his children were Maria, and Ruth who married Allen Blankenbaker.  Mrs. Tarbell was a talented artist and musician, and a portrait painter of considerable note.  Many of the people of Middletown were her subjects, including two of her friends, Mrs. Margaret Kane and Mrs. Ann Bull. Among her pcitures which are still in Middletown are the portraits of her daughter, Mrs. Allen Blankenbaker, and her grand-daughter, Mrs. L.P. Wetherby, and a painting of the Battle of Bull Run.
———-
1900 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Blankenbaker, H. Allen Head W M March 1840 60 married 30 yrs KY VA VA
Blankenbaker, Ruth Anna wife W F Nov 1849 50 married 30 yrs, 4 ch 3 living; KY NY Maine
———-
1900 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Wetherby, Luke P., W M Oct 1867, 32, m 8 yrs, KY NY KY Farmer
Wetherby, Adda May, W F June 1872, m 8 yrs, 2 ch 2 living, KY KY KY
Wetherby, Ruth, daughter W F Oct 1893 single KY
Wetherby, Nellie, daughter W F Aug 1895 single KY
———-
1910 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Blankenbaker, H. Allen W M 70 married 40 yrs; KY KY VA
Blankenbaker, Ruth A  wife W F 61 married 40 yrs; 3 ch 2 living; KY NY NH
Tarbell, Maria A  sister-in-law W F 65 single KY KY KY
———-
1920 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middleton
Wetherby, Luther P. Head M W 52 Married KY NY KY farmer
Wetherby, Addie M. wife F W KY KY KY
Wetherby, Nellie daughter F W Single KY KY KY
Blankenbaker, Ruth mother-in-law F W widow KY NY MA
Shrader/Schrader, Chester H. son-in-law M W married KY KY KY
Shrader, Ruth daughter F W married KY KY KY
Shrader, May W grand-dau F W single KY
———-
Children of H. Allen & Ruth A. (Tarbell) Blankenbaker [3 children]:
1. +Annie Rosalee Blankenbaker, b. 1 Aug 1870 in Middletown KY, d. 6 May 1933 in Jefferson Co. KY; m1) John S. Tharp. He was b in 1860 and d. in 1920;  She m2) Martin V. Long. He was b. in 1866 and d. 27 Nov 1959.  She is buried next to her first husband  in Middletown KY.
2. +Addie May Blankenbaker, b. 4 Jun 1872 in Middletown KY; m. Luther Paris Wetherby.

—-Eighth Generation—-

Annie Rosalee Blankenbaker, daughter of Henry Allen & Ruth A. (Tarbell) Blankenbaker,  b. 1 Aug 1870 in Middletown KY, d. 6 May 1933 in Jefferson Co. KY; m1) abt 1897 KY to John S. Tharp, son of William & Martha (Cox) Tharp. He was b 25 Apr 1860 and d. 16 Dec 1919 in Middletown Kentucky;  She m2) Martin V. Long. He was b. in 1866 and d. 27 Nov 1959.  She is buried next to her first husband  in Middletown KY.
————
1910 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Tharp, John S. Head M W 49 m1x 13 yrs KY KY KY  turnkey County Jail
Tharp, Annie R. wife F W 39 m1x 13 yrs 4 ch 4 livin KY KY KY
Tharp, John Whittier son M W 12 single KY b abt 1898
Tharp, Martha W. dau F W 9 single KY b abt 1901
Tharp, May B. dau F W 8 single KY b abt 1902
Tharp, William A. son M W 6 single KY b abt 1904
Tharp, William father M W 93 widow
————
1920 US Census > Kentucky > Jefferson > Middletown
Annie Tharp 49 F W widow
Whittier Tharp 21 son M W single KY grocery clerk
Martha Tharp 19 daughter F W single KY
May But Tharp 18 dau F W single KY
William Tharp 16 son M W single KY
————-
Children of John S. & Annie R. (Blankenbaker) Tharp:
1.  John Whittier Tharp, b. 12 Feb 1898 KY; m. Pauline Hinkle, dau of Kirby D. & Emma R. Hinkle.  Their son, J. Whittier Tharp was b. May 18, 1929.
2. Martha W. Tharp, b. abt 1901 KY; married Roy Clark; they have a son John William Clark.
3. May Bert Tharp, b. Jul. 16, 1901 KY, d. Dec. 2, 1979; married Charles Schoppenhorst, son of Henry & Lydia (Lukemeier) Schoppenhorst.  He b. 6 Aug 1900 and d. 18 Feb 1962. Both buried in Middletown Cemetery, Kentucky.; daughter Dorothy Bert Schoppenhorst, b. abt 1929 in Louisville KY.  In 1958 Dorothy was in the Louiseville directory, a saleswoman at Stewart Dry Goods, residing 107 Blankenbaker Lane in Louisville KY
4. William A. Tharp, b. abt 1904 KY; m. abt 1930 to Dorothy O. –.  She b. about 1909 in Kentucky, and died 18 Sep 1965; resided Louisville KY. He was a steam railroad conductor.

Addie May Blankenbaker,  dau of Henry Allen & Ruth A. (Tarbell) Blankenbaker, b. 4 Jun 1872 in Middletown KY, died on 30 Sep 1961 in Middletown, Jefferson, Kentucky ; m. 22 Dec 1892 in Middletown, Jefferson, Kentucky to Luther Paris Wetherby, son of Luther P. & Henrietta L. (Brown) Wetherby.  He was b. 17 Oct 1867 and d. 22 Jan 1956 in Middletown Kentucky.
Children of Luther Paris “Luke” & Addie M. (Blankenbaker) Wetherby:
1. Ruth Whittier Wetherby, b. Oct 1893 Middletown KY, d. July 1972 in Louisville KY; m. 23 Apr 1914 in KY to Chester Henry Schrader, son of John H. & Caroline M. (Wedikend) Schrader. He was b 28 March 1893 in KY and d. 18 May 1954 in Jefferson Co. KY.  Child: May Schrader, b. 12 Nov 1916 in Jefferson Co., KY, m. 5 APR 1941 to Elbert A. Skiles “E. Skiles” “Pete” Jones, son of John C. & Demetra (Skiles) Jones.  (They later divorced). He was b. 10 Jun 1913 and d. Mar 1986 in Louisville KY. He worked at Jones, Keith & Jones.  May (Mrs. E. Skiles Jones), along with her cousin Dr. Luther Pearce, inherited the Wetherby homestead (aka the Davis Tavern now being used at the town hall of Middleton Kentucky) from their grandparents.
2. Nellie “Nell” Wetherby, b. 13 Aug 1895 in Middletown KY, d. 27 Feb 1932, age 36; m. Forest Clifford Pearce, son of Robert L. & Alice (Harris) Pearce.  He was b. 19 Nov 1896 in Eastwood KY and d. 1932 in Middletown KY.   PEARCE Children: child b & d. 2 Apr 1925; Dr. Luther W. Pearce, b. 31 Jan 1928 in Jefferson Co. KY, d. 14 Dec 2001 in Goshen, Oldham Co. KY.
3. child, probably died young.

—-Ninth Generation—-

John Whittier Tharp, son of John S & Annie (Blankenbaker) Tharp, was b. 12 Feb 1898 KY; m. Pauline Hinkle, dau of Kirby D. & Emma R. Hinkle.
—————-
Charlotte Observer, The (NC) – Friday, April 25, 2003
Mecklenburg NC United States John Whittier “Jack’ Tharp, 73, of Davidson, formerly of Charlotte, died April 24, 2003 at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 26, at 4:00 PM in Davidson College Presbyterian Church. Mr. Tharp, a loving and wonderful husband and father, was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, on May 18, 1929. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree. He served in the United States Air Force for 20 years and retired from the Air Force Reserve as Lieutenant Colonel in 1979. Mr. Tharp retired from the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) after 34 years. After retirement, he worked with Republic Alloys of Charlotte for another 10 years. He was a member and Elder of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte and a member of Davidson College Presbyterian Church in Davidson. During his life, Mr. Tharp served his community in many ways, most recently as an active member of the Davidson Lions Club. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Evelyn Thompson Tharp, and three daughters, Margaret Tharp Mueller of Hilton Head Island, SC, Nancy Tharp Walker of Mooresville, NC, and Frances Pauline Tharp of Huntersville, NC; two grandchildren, Paul Gregory Mueller, Jr. of Hilton Head Island, SC and Evelyn Whittier “Evie’ Walker of Mooresville, NC. Survivors also include Frances Duke Pughsley of Atlanta, GA and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Alzheimer’s Association, Carolina Piedmont Chapter, 3420 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215 or Davidson College Presbyterian Church, PO Box 337, Davidson, NC 28036. Raymer Funeral Home of Huntersville, NC is serving the Tharp family.
—————-
Child of John W. & Pauline (Hinkle) Tharp:
1.  John Whittier “Jack” Tharp was b. May 18, 1929, died April 24, 2003 in Mecklenburg, NC [see obituary above]

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**GENEALOGY OF SAMUEL ADDISON SHUTE FAMILY**
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JACOB SHUTE, was the ancestor of the Shute family in Concord [NH]. There is a tradition in the family that his father was a French Protestant, or Hugeunot, who formerly resided in Paris, but on revocation of the edict of Nantz, fled to Ireland to escape persecution. Jacob was born about 1702, and was apprenticed by his father to a stocking-wever in Dublin.  Disliking the trade, at about the age of seventeen he left, in company with one Dawen, and took secret passage in the hold of a ship for this country. They remained concealed until driven out by hunger. Arriving at Newburyport the captain demanded pay for their passage, but as they had nothing it was necessary to sell themselves–that is, their service–for a time, in order ot meet the demand.  They were both bought by Capt. Ebenezer Eastman of Haverhill, and served him until twenty-one years of age. Before he bought them, Eastman asked Dawen”if he would be a good boy and work well, provided he would pay the passage?”  Dawen said, “Yes; the Lord bless him!” He then asked Shute; he said, “No–he wouldn’t do anything.”  On trial, however, Shute proved an industrious, faithful hand, while Dawen was indolent and deceitful. [Dawen settled in Pembroke NH, and lived and died there.]*  Shute, is said to have been the first person who drove a team through the wildnerness to the present Concord NH, drove Eastman’s team from Haverhill to Penacook in the fall of 1727; the first that ever came into town. Here Mr. Shute settled. He married Sarah George of Haverhill.  She b. 2 Jan 1706 in Amesbury MA, dau of William Francis & Sarah (Hadlock) George. (m. 16 Feb 1731 in Haverhill MA) who had a daughter Sarah, born there, and John and Elizabeth born in Penacook. His wife Sarah died in January 1745, and, as appears from Mr. Walker’s journal, was buried January 16.  May 16, 1749, Mr. Walker says: “Abigail, second wife of Jacob Shute, admitted to full communion.  She was widow Evans, mother of John.”  By his second wife he had two daughters, both of whom died young.  Mr. Shute died February 16, 1794, aged 94 years. In 1732 he was chosen Field Driver, and in 1733 and 1739 a hog reeve in “Pennycook” NH. He held several other township positions. In April of 1776, he signed the Association Test in Concord NH.
Children of Jacob & Sarah (George) Shute:
1. Sarah Shute, b July 1732 in Haverhill MA; m. 2 Jan 1755 to Austin George.  He b. 25 June 1732. Children, Austin, Abigail, Mary, Jonathan, Jonathan 2d, and Sarah.
2. +John Shute, b. Penacook NH m. Anna Colby
3. Elizabeth Shute, b. Penacook NH

JOHN SHUTE, son of Jacob & Sarah (George) Shute, was born abt 1731 in Penacook (now Concord) NH; He married Anna Colby, dau of Lot and Anne (Walker) Colby).  She b. 9 Sep 1742 in Concord NH and d. June 1812 in Concord NH, age 70. John Shute belonged to Roger’s Rangers, and served through the French & Indian War. He volunteered for the hazardous enterprise of delivering dispatches between Crown Point and Quebec; After the war he was accustomed to go on hunting excursions to the northern parts of NH and Maine accompanied only by his dog. He settled on the homestead of his father, and became a steady, industrious and useful citizen. At the age of about seventy he united with the church under Dr. McFarland, and maintained a consistent Christian life.  Constant at meeting on the Sabbath, he usually sat in the “old men’s seat;” and when upwards of ninety years of age he would be seen tripping along, with the agility of a young man–commonly passing others on foot, on their return from meeting.  He spent the last years of his life in the family of his son, Isaac, at the lower end of Main Street. He retained his faculties and physical powers till the close of his life, and died February 1829, at the age of 96, or perhaps, as stated on his grave-stone, at 98.  April 12, 1776 in Concord NH he signed the Association Test.
Children of John & Anna (Colby) Shute:
1. +John Shute Jr., b. March 4, 1763, d. Dec 1, 1822; m. Abigail Kelley in 1784
2. Mary Shute, b. May 13, 1765
3. Jacob Shute, b. Aug 10, 1767; m. Sally Houston of Bedford NH; probably the Jacob Shute who d. March 25, 1826 age 59 years, buried in Old North Cemetery, Concord, Merrimack Co NH
4. Moses Shute, b. Feb 9, 1771
5. Anna Shute, b. June 15, 1773
6. Isaac Shute, b. Aug 20, 1775
7. Samuel Colby Shute, b. July 20, 1778
8. +Aaron Shute, b. March 20, 1781
9. Jeremiah Shute, b. Dec 27 1783.

John Shute Junior, son of John & (Anna) Colby Shute, was b. March 4, 1763 and d. 1 Dec 1822.  He married abt 1784 Abigail Kelley, dau of Thomas & Mary (Edgerly) Kelley.  She b. 22 March 1761/63 and d. 17 July 1840.
Children of John & Abigail (Kelley) Shute:
1. William Shute, b. March 22, 1785
2. Ruth Shute, b. Nov 19, 1787, d. Feb 26, 1824; m. Jeremiah Page; children: William, John, Clara (m. Albert Ordway and had ch. Charles and Harriet Elizabeth)
3. +Moses Shute, b. Nov 26, 1789
4. Isaac Shute, b. Nov 16, 1792, d. Apr 1824; m. Sally Alls; had dau. Laura, b. 1812
5. Mary Shute, b. Feb 27, 1795
6. Susan “Sukey” Shute, b. Dec 11, 1797, d. Aug 15, 1803
7. Walter Shute, b. Jan 1802, died young
8. Walter Shute 2d, b. 1805, d. Jan 1806

Aaron SHUTE, son of John and Anna (Colby) Shute, b. 20 March 1781 in Concord NH, married 15 Dec 1802 in Rowley MA to Betsey POOR, dau of Benjamin Poor.  She b. 22 February 1786 in Haverhill MA. He was a shoemaker and when about nineteen years of age went down to Newbury MA and worked in Byfield Parish with Dea. Benjamin Coleman, one of the early wholesale shoe manufacturers; while there he found his wife, bought a residence on Warren Street where their children were born, sold to his father-in-law Poor in 1827, returned to Concord NH, bought a place about two miles west of the capital now called Millville, and where Saint Paul’s School is located.   Sold out that place in 1860 and removed to Concord village and resided with their daughter until his decease.  Betsey died March 7, 1861, and Aaron died 22 Feb 1874.  Both Aaron’s father and grandfather lived to be over nine years of age.
Children of Aaron & Betsey (Poore) Shute:
1. +Samuel Addison Shute, b. 24 Sep 1803
2. Julia Ann Addison Shute, b. 29 January 1812, m. 30 Aug 1829, Samuel Lewis Currier, son of Samuel & Sally (Lewis) Currier.  He was b 31 March 1810 in Concord NH.  They resided in Concord NH and in 1870 bought No. 45 Spring Street and in 1877 were residing there.  He was in the stone business.  Children: Samuel Addison (1841), Mary Sophronia (1843-1859), Ellen Frances (1845-1865), Julia Adelaide (1850-1852), Aaron Shute (1851), Julia Adelaide (1854-1877).

SAMUEL ADDISON SHUTE, son of Aaron & Betsey (Poor) Shute, b. Sep 24, 1803; m. 16 Oct 1827, Ruth Whittier of Dover NH, b. Oct 28, 1803. He was a physician in Weare NH and other places and died after an illness of several years in Champlain NY Jan. 30, 1836. He is buried in Concord NH. She later married since a man by the name of Alpha Tarbell, by whom she has had two daughters, and resided in the state of Kentucky.
Children of Samuel Addison & Ruth (Whittier) Tarbell:
1. Adelaide Montgomery Shute, b. March 4, 1829, who was an invalid and unmarried
2. Maria Antoinette, died Feb 4, 1831, aged 9 days.
3. Adaline Shute, b. abt 1836
[SEE RUTH WHITTIER ANCESTRY FOR MORE DETAILS HER ADDITIONAL CHILDREN]

Moses Shute, son of John & Abigail (Kelley) Shute, b. Nov 26, 1789; he married 1st) 17 Dec 1812 to Sally Farnum. She was b. July 12, 1783 and d. Oct. 15, 1844. He married 2d) June 11, 1846 to sophia W. Duncklee
Children of Moses & Sally (Farnum) Shute:
1. Cynthia M. Shute, b. Dec 16, 1813; m. Joseph L. Jackson; children, George W (b 1836, m. Jesse Dun), Loring F. (b&d 1840), Moses F. (b 1841) and Evelina (b&d 1843).
2. Clara A. Shute, b. March 23, 1816, m. John Brown; two children, one Clara F.
3. Lucretia Shute, b. Jan 12, 1821

Some Sources:
1. A memoir and genealogy of John Poore : ten generations, 1615-1880 : including the posterity of numerous daughters whereby pedigrees of many other families, extending through from three to six or more generations, are given, Alfred Poor; Salem, Mass.: Printed for the author, 1881page 162-163
2. The history of Concord : from its first grant in 1725, to the organization of the city government in 1853, with a history of the ancient Penacooks : the whole interspersed with numerous interesting incidents and anecdotes, down to the present period, by Nathaniel Bouton; 1855; Concord N.H.: B.W. Sanborn
3. A memoir and genealogy of John Poore : ten generations, 1615-1880 : including the posterity of numerous daughters whereby pedigrees of many other families, extending through from three to six or more generations, are given, Alfred Poor; Salem, Mass.: Printed for the author, 1881; page 162-163
4. U.S. Census
5. My thanks to Stephen Sakkelarios (ssake@goldthread.com) who provided this black and white photograph, a self portrait of Ruth Whittier Shute and two of her daughters, purchased from the archives of the Springfield Sunday Republican. The original news article dated June 2, 1985 states that the artist herself is the figure at the right, painting her daughter at left, and the third figure in the foreground is “probably a deceased daughter.”  I agree, and disagree.  The older girl is probably that of Adelaide who was born in 1829, but instead of the younger child being Maria who died in 1831 at the age of 9, I suspect it is of Adaline who was born in 1836 and was still living with her mother in Kentucky in 1860.

Updated March 14, 2013

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7 Responses to Dover New Hampshire Artist, Ruth (Whittier) Shute (1803-1882)

  1. Stephen Sakellarios says:

    I have a photograph of a self-portrait by Ruth Whittier Shute and her two daughters (in black and white). It came from the archives of a newspaper. Would you be interested in having a scan of it for your page about Mrs. Shute?

  2. Stephen Sakellarios says:

    I may have found a portrait of Phebe Whittier Johnson, older sister of Ruth Whittier Shute, painted by Ruth. I need to find an identified portrait of Phebe. Does anyone know of one?

  3. Mark Stigers says:

    The Historic Middletown Museum has two portraits done by Ruth W Shute. Right this minute I dont recall who they are but can get that information for you if your interested.

  4. Pingback: Painting by Samuel and Ruth (Whittier) Shute | Cow Hampshire

  5. Pingback: Celebrating New Hampshire Women Through History | Cow Hampshire

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