Abigail Everett Whitney lived with her husband John K. Whitney and their two sons in Mooers, N.Y. (Clinton County) about three miles from the Canadian border. John held a succession of public offices in Mooers Forks, including town supervisor, postmaster, and customs officer. He owned various parcels of land, maintained an 165-acre farm, and owned a successful general merchandise store in the center of Mooers Forks. Abigail provided meals and lodging for relatives and sometimes strangers (as a formal or informal boarding house).