The following is found among the research notes of Fredrick R. Boyer—
The
notation at the top of the page says “Wheeler Family of Rutland, MA.
Daniel M. Wheeler, Pittsfield, MA, 1924.”
The
book entry is as follows:
The Wheeler family is of ancient
English origin having been numerous in and about London for several hundred
years.
It is evident that some members of
the family were prominent citizens for it is recorded that during the reign of
Charles II (1649-1685), Sir Charles Wheeler was appointed “Captain General of
the Caribee Islands,” and in 1698 an English fleet under the command of Sir
Francis Wheeler put into the port of Boston to recruit.
Among the ????? several Wheelers who
settled at Concord, Dedham, Boston, Charlestown, and Newbury, Mass, and
Stonington and Stratford, Conn. And at others places according to Savage’s
Genealogical Dictionary.
No relation has ever been
established between these families although it is probably that some of them,
at least, were related.
The spelling of the name has been
recorded in different ways according to the caprice or ignorance of various
town and church clerks, as for example, Wheelar, Wheler, Wheller, Wheyler.
But whenever original signatures are
obtainable the name is always found to be spelled Wheeler.
This book is devoted to Richard
Wheeler of Dedham and Lancaster and some of his descendents and allied
families.
Chapter 1- First Generation and
Allied Families, 1611- 1676.
Richard Wheeler, born in England
perhaps in 1611, married fired at Dedham, Mass, May 4, 1644, Elizabeth Turner
of Dedham, who died in Dedham, Dec. 25, 1656.
He married second at Lancaster,
Mass, Aug, 2, 1658, Sarah Prescott, daughter of John and Mary (Platts)
Prescott. She was born in Halifax
Parish, England in 1697.
The children of Richard and
Elizabeth, all born at Dedham, Mass were:
1. Sarah, born Feb 4,
1644-5 Died Dec 25, 1656.
2. Mary, born Oct 5, 1646-
married Thomas Wilder of Lancaster.
3. John, born Oct 18, 1648 died
at Dedham Feb. 17, 1661-2
4. Samuel, born Jan 4, 1650-51,
died at Dedham Dec. 25, 1656
5. Hannah, born Aug 30, 1658
6. Joseph, born Feb 5,
1655-6 Killed by Indians at Lancaster,
Aug 22, 1675
The children born to Richard and Sarah were:
7. Abraham, born at Dedham, Dec
7, 1659- married Tabitha- killed by Indians at Lancaster, Nov 1695.
8. Isaac, Born at Dedham or
Lancaster in 1661, married in 1682 or 1683, Experience Metcalf of Medfield.
9. Jacob, born at Lancaster Nov
25, 1668, died Feb. 21, 1668-4.
10. Zebediah, born at Lancaster,
Jan 2, 1664-5 Married Mary, died at Stowe Mass, Dec 16, 1729.
11. Sarah, born at Lancaster
March 12, 1666, married ……. Taylor. She was living in 1742.
12. Elizabeth born at Lancaster
May 24, 1669, married Feb 12, 1691 Jonathon rice of Sudbury.
13. Samuel born at Lancaster
April 29, 1671- Soldier in expedition to Canada, died in 1691. Inventory dated April 8, 1691.
14. Daniel (probably)
Richard Wheeler was killed by the Indians at
Lancaster in King Phillip’s war, Feb 10, 1675-6.
Richard Wheeler’s name first appears
in this country upon the occasion of his marriage to Elizabeth Turner, May 4,
1644. From this time on his name appears
frequently upon the Dedham records.
While there seems to be no proof of
the fact, it is probably that this Richard is the same who, at the age of 24,
embarked for “Virginia” from the port of London in August 1635, on the ship
“Thomas” Henry Tavener, Master and who with 57 others were examined by the
minister at Gravesend “touching their conformity in our religion” before
embarking. (see Hotten’s list of Emigrants
in American {Plantations, page 126.)
The term “Virginia” was an elastic
one in those days and often included New England, at one of whose ports the
“Thomas” may have entered, or if he first landed in Virginia, he may have come
afterward to New England. At any rate
there seems to be no record of Richard in Virginia.
At a town meeting in Dedham, Jan.1,
1646-7 the following votes were passed:
“Richard Wheeler and John Farrington
are admitted Townsmen,” and “Granted unto Richard Wheeler and John Farrington,
2 acres of vpland to be laid out at the discretion of Peter Woodward, Rob’t
Hinsdale, and Richard Euered beyond the house Lott of the Richard Euered and
betixt the highway and ye swampe ther.”
(Dedham Records)
Richard Wheeler’s house was built
soon after, as it appears upon the valuation list of 1648 and in that year he
and John Farrington bought Will Barstow’s grant of 8 acres.
On February 26, 1651-2 the town
voted “Granted to Rich Wheeler one parcel of vpland being about 1 acre more or
less as it lyeth upon the South and west sides of his house Lott a highway to
the swamp reserved.” (Dedham Records)
On March 1, 1652-3 a division of 500
acres of common land was made and Richard Wheeler drew lot No. 29 consisting of
8 acres and eleven rods.
On Feb 20, 1656-7 a division of the
“cow commons” was made and Richard’s share was eight “cow commons”. As will be seen later these eight “cow
commons” descended to his son Isaac and afterward to his grandson, Isaac
Wheeler.
On July 5, 1660, he drew lot No. 48
containing eight acres as his share of another divisions of common lands and on
the same day the town voted “Libertie is grant to Rich. Wheeler to have he pt
of the 500 acre diuident layed out to him vpon the ragged playne neere the
ponde and on the south side of that ponde of the eat side of the ridge, to be
laid out by Lieut. Fisher and Peter Woodward.” (Dedham Records.)
He also owned other land in Dedham
as allusion is made to it in a deed from Ephraim May to John Draper dated Dec.
27, 1717, of land in the Great Cedar Swamp, “Abbuting upon the swampe of
Richard Wheeler.” (Suffolk Registry of Deeds B. 32 P. 272).
Richard Wheeler was one of the
original proprietors of the town of Medfield which was set off from Dedham and
organized in 1651.
His name is among the first twelve
signatures upon the original agreement of the proprietors, now preserved by the
town of Medfield.
While it is not probably that he
ever lived in Medfield, it is evident that he owned land there from the fact
that for 100 years thereafter reference, is made in deeds to “Wheeler’s Bottom
Swamp” in that town. He also had land at
Wollomonopoag, now Wrentham, which was then an outlying precinct of
Dedham. In the Wrentham tow records in
1696, twenty years after his death, mention is made of the setting off to the
right of Richard Wheeler, of three cow, and two sheep commons.
On May 17, 1652, he was appointed
one of three commissioners to lay out the road between Dedham and Braintree and
on May 3, 1659, he was appointed upon a similar commission to lay out the road
between Dedham and Dorchester. On Dec.
25, 165, his wife Elizabeth and two of their children, Samuel and Sarah, died,
perhaps by fire or other accident, and on Aug. 2, 1658 he married at Lancaster,
Sarah Prescott, daughter of John Prescott, the founder of Lancaster.
In 1659, he was one of the fence
viewers for “Purgatory playne.”
At a town meeting on June 22, 1660,
Richard Wheeler was appointed one of the committee “deputed to views the Lands
both vpland & meadow near about the pondes by Georges Indians wigwam and
make a report of what they find to the selectmen in the first opportunity that
can take” – this being his last recorded service to the town of Dedham.
Richard removed from Dedham to
Lancaster sometime between 1660 and 1663, in which latter year his son Jacob
was born in Lancaster. Joseph Willard in
his historical address at Lancaster in 1826, says that at the time of his death
(1676) “Wheeler had been in town about fifteen years” and it is probably that
he came soon after the death of his son John which occurred at Dedham, Feb. 11,
1661-2. There is little doubt that he
had moved prior to Nov. 21, 1662, as upon that date the town of Dedham paid to
Richard Ellis upon an order a sum of money due to Richard Wheeler for three
days service at “Woolomonpuck,” now Wrentham, thus indicating the latter’s
absence from town.
This is the last record of Richard
at Dedham except in the matter of taxes which continued uptil 1669, his last
assessment being for the purpose of raising the money for the payment of King Philip’s
claim at “Wollomonupoage,” the day being Nov. 15, 1669.
Richard ownder land in Lancaster
previous to his settlement there, however, for in the records of Lancaster
under date of Feb. 5, 1659-60 after voting to lay out a “Second Division” of
meadow land and giving directions as to the part first to be laid out, the town
voted “And then to begin at the _____end of Goodman Whellers meadow and lay out
what is meadow fit to mow toward Master Josllins house”—In this second division
Richard Wheeler drew lot No. 28.
The “Book of Lands” of the
proprietors of Lancaster has the following description of “The Lands of Richard Wheeler,”
“house lott- first he hath his house
Lott whereon he built near unto danes Brook bounded southerly by the Lott of
John Houghton and partly by the Common and northardly by the stated common and
easterly and westerly it buts upon the stated common lying for twenty acors be
it more or less together with sum small additions one adjoyning to it and
another lying near Johns Jump.”
“Enteruail Lott. More he hath twenty acors of enteruail laid
being his enteruail Lott in the first division lyaing on the east side of
Nashaway Riuer lying in two pieces bounded weterly by the Riuer and eaterly by
the upland and buts southerly upon sum enteruail of Thomas Sawyer and
northardly upon the upland and Riuer meeting.”
The Thomas Sawyer here referred to was Richard’s brother in law.
In the record of Lancaster town
meeting under date of Feb. 2, 1668-9 is the following vote: “Goodman Wheller
desired the town to give him a little piece of land lying by the side of
Nashaway Riuer a little above Johns Jump which was granted by the towne.”
Richard Wheeler’s house lot was
situated in what is now known as South Lancaster south east of Georges Hill
extending probably to or beyond the B. & M. R.R. at and the south of Thayer
Station, formerly South Lancaster. His
intervale or meadow was upon the east side of the Nashua River between South
Lancaster and Clinton and north east of the corner of High and Allen streets in
the latter town. The north end of this
intervale was probably opposite and easterly of the sewage pumping station of
as his name appears upon the valuation list of Lancaster in 1653 as one of the
six wealthiest residents, his father-in-law John Prescott, being also among the
number.
He was “admitted freeman,” May 19,
1669. (N.E.Hist. & Gen. Register, Vol3, page 240
He was chosen “Grand Juryman” from
Lancaster Oct. 17, 1672, this being an elective office at that time.
Richard Wheeler was also one the
earliest proprietors of “Pocomtuck,” now Dearfield, Mass. Although he never
lived there. His name appears with those
of other property holders of Dedham in the list of proprietors of Pocomtuck in
1669 and 1673. (Sheldon’s History of
Deerfield.)
His son Joseph was killed by the
Indians at Lancaster, Aug 22, 1675 in King Phillip’s war.
Richard had built a “block house” or
garrison house on his farm at South Lancaster, this being one of the five
similar defences of Lancaster and it was here that he, his brother-in-law,
Jonas Fairbanks, and his nephew Joshua Fairbanks, together with two other
persons were killed by the Indians in King Phillip’s attack Feb. 10, 1675-76
Concerning these persons it is said,
“The first three were shot by the Indians who climbed upon the barn and so shot
down over the palisades. The other two
were waylaid while outside upon some errand.”
(Hurd’s History of Worcester County Vol. 1, pg 15.)
Ephraim Sawyer, a nephew of Richard
Wheeler, was killed at the same time at the block house built by John Prescott
the father-in-law of Richard and the rest of Richard’s family together with the
remaining inhabitants were taken to Concord by the soldiers sent to rescue
them. Richard’s widow, Sarah, removed
later to Dedham with her children. From 1675 to 1697, seventy-two persons were
reported killed by the Indians at Lancaster.
The list includes Richard Wheeler and fourteen of his relatives as
follows: Joseph and Abraham, his sons;
Jonas Fairbanks, brother-in-law; Hannah (Prescott) Rugg, sister-in-law; Joseph
Rugg and wife, Jonathan Fairbanks and Ephraim Sawyer, nephews and niece; Grace
and Jonas, children of Jonathan Fairbanks and three young children of Joseph
Rugg. Thus out of seventy-two victims
whose names have been preserved, at least fifteen, or more than one fifth were
either members of Richard Wheeler’s family or related to him by blood or
marriage.
In addition to these fatalities,
three of his relatives were taken prisoner by the Indians during this
time. Viz. His daughter-in-law, Tabitha, wife of
Abraham, his niece, the wife of Jonathan Fairbanks and a son of his nephew,
Joseph Rugg- (see History of Lancaster and Nourse’s Military Annais of
Lancaster.) Richard’s son Samuel was a
soldier under Maj. Wade in Sir William Phils expedition to Canada in 1690 and
died soon after his return in 1691. In
1738 his nephew Joseph Wilder, petitioned for and received the grant of land
due “his uncle Samuel Wheeler his mother’s brother who served under Maj Wade in
the Canada expedition.” (Marvin’s
History of Lancaster, page 125.)
On Sept. 1, 1742, Sarah Taylor gave
a receipt to Joseph Wilder for “what I was to received from him on account of a
lot granted to my brother Samuel Wheeler by ye court as a Canada soldier.” Inventories of the estates of Richard Wheeler
and his two sons, Abraham and Samuel, are preserved in the Middlesex Probate
records. From the Inventory of Richard’s
estate dated Aug 6, 1676, it appears that he owned probably 450 (certainly 400)
acres of land in Lancaster and some personal property at Dedham, among the
latter being a sword and three muskets.
His real estate in Dedham was not
mentioned in this inventory which was attested by his widow, Sarah, who was
administratrix. (Middlesex Probate Records B 5 page 94.)
Samuel’s estate consisted of 108
acres of land in Lancaster. One charge
to the estate was for “money expended to fit him for Canady.”
This inventory was dated April 3,
1691. Reference is made to portions of
Richard Wheeler’s real estate in the Middlesex Registry of Deeds at Cambridge
as follows: On July 6, 1700, Zebediah Wheeler of Stowe deeded to Henry Willard
40 acres of land (2nd Division) near Great Pond Meadow and 6 acres
of meadow (3rd Division) at Pine Hill meadows, Lancaster, both
pieces formerly belonging to “my late deceased father, Richard Wheeler”
(Middlesex Registry of Deeds B pg. 31)
Abraham and Isaac Wheeler some time previous to the death of the former
in 1695, deed to Josiah Whitcomb about 100 acres of their father Richard’s
estate in Lancaster. This deed is not
upon record, but allusion is made to it in the deed from Zebediah Wheeler of
Stowe to David and Hezekiah Whitcomb (sons of Josiah Whitcomb) dated Feb. 5,
1721-22 which he conveys his interest in a tract of land lying “on the south
end of Long Hill and belonging to my late honored father Richard Wheeler” being
the same land deeded by “my brothers Abraham and Isaac to Josiah
Whitcomb.” (Middlesex Registry of Deeds
B 32, pg 84)
Mention is also made of Zebediah’s
selling some of his father Richard’s land “up North River” (North branch of
Nashua River) to Daniel and Samuel Wheeler and his sister Sarah (Wheeler)
Taylor. (Notes of Hon. H.S. Nourse,
Historian of Lancaster.)
On Sept 21, 1731, Zebediah Wheeler
of Stowe, but later of Western (now Warren) son of Zebediah deeded 25 acres of
land in Lancaster belonging to his grandfather, Richard Wheeler. Some at least of the real estate held by
Richard in Dedham descended to his son Isaac and through him to his grandson
Isaac.
There are no deeds records that are
signed by Richard Wheeler but his name appears as a witness to deeds in 1646.
(Suffolk Co. Registry of Deeds B 1 pg 120-121)
Nothing is known of the burial place
of Richard Wheeler or any of his family.
Sarah Prescott, wife of Richard
Wheeler was the daughter of John Prescott the founder of Lancaster and was born
in England in 1637.
After the death of her husband, she
joined in petition of the remaining inhabitants of Lancaster for an escort of
soldiers, as the town was to be temporarily abandoned. When the soldiers arrived she with her
children accompanied them to Concord.
From Concord the family removed to Dedham where on Feb. 22, 1677-78 she
married Joseph Rice of Marlboro, Mass.
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