According to Smith,457 at the time of his marriage Thomas was described as Thomas Whitney “of Lambert Marsh, gent.” His parentage “is currently unknown. A fraudulent royal pedigree was published in Ancestry of John Whitney...1896, by Henry Melville. His otherwise excellent work fell victim to a pretender’s claim to the inheritance of the Whitneys of Whitney, Herts.” The Winch website (http://www.rootsweb.com/~gumby/genweb/Winch/Winch.html) speculates that Thomas’ father was one Robert Whitney, b. 1543 at Whitney, Hereford, who is further traced. On this speculation Thomas’ birthdate and place are given as 14 Jul 1560, Lambeth Marsh, Surrey. Whether this speculation is derived from Melville’s fraudulent pedigree, or from another source, is not known.

Smith provides details of Thomas Whitney’s estate, including a transcript of the complete inventory taken after his death. The estate was valued at £233, a very considerable sum, indicating that Thomas, who was a tailor and a merchant, was a prominent member of his community.