Paul Whitin | |
|---|---|
 1826 Brick Mill, Whitinsville, built by Paul Whitin | |
| Born | 1767 |
| Died | 1831 |
| Occupation | blacksmith / textile pioneer |
| Known for | P Whitin and Sons |
| Spouse | Elizabeth (Betsey) Fletcher |
Col. Paul Whitin, (1767–1831) was an American blacksmith and pioneering industrialist who in 1826 in Northbridge, Massachusetts established P Whitin and Sons, a new cotton mill with his sons. This company would grow and acquire other mills in the area. In 1831 his son John C Whitin obtained a patent for a mechanized Cotton Picker. Textile machinery would become a larger percentage of their business over time. would later become the largest maker of specialty textile machinery in the world.
Paul was born in 1767 in Roxbury, MA as Paul Whiting to Nathaniel and Sarah (Draper) Whiting . He began his career as an apprentice in Colonel James Fletcher's forge in South Northbridge. In 1793, he married Fletcher's daughter, Elizabeth (Betsey) Fletcher at which time he changed his name by dropping the “g”. They would have eight children, including five sons.
Whitin and four of his sons and their descendants would become very influential in the development of the textile industry in the Blackstone Valley area during the 19th Century, establishing or acquiring several mills throughout the Blackstone Valley area, including ones at Uxbridge, Linwood, Riverdale and Rockdale. It was the Whitin Machine Works however, which would have the greatest impact on the area and the textile industry.[1]
In 1835, the village of South Northbridge became known as Whitinsville in his honor.