Richard Wheeler and Descendents

Ancestry of Simon Wheeler of Greene, Maine- by Fredrick R. Boyer

1.      Richard Wheeler of  Dedham and Lancaster Ma: married at Lancaster 2 June 1658 Sarah Prescott, daughter of John and Mary (Platts) Prescott; died in Indian massacre 9 Feb 1675-6 at Lancaster.  His widow married second at Dedham 22 Dec 1677 Joseph Rice of Marlborough.

2.      Abraham Wheeler, son of Richard and Sarah (Prescott) Wheeler (Richard’s second wife) born at Dedham 7 Dec 1659; married Tabitha__________before 3 Mar 1683; Killed by Indians at Lancaster, Oct 1695.

3.      Jonathon Wheeler, son of Abraham and Tabitha Wheeler, was probably born at Lancaster, MA before 1695; no information on his wife has bee found; probably removed to Concord, or that section of Concord which became Acton, by 29 Sept 1718, acquiring land near Obadiah Wheeler, Sr. William Wheeler, and Thomas Wheeler; probably still alive in 1750 when he conveyed land to Sampson Wheeler of Acton, near Samuel and Oliver Wheeler (mid Deed 50:591).  An earlier deed transferred additional land in Acton to Oliver Wheeler, another apparent son.

4.       Simon Wheeler, of Acton Ma was an apparent brother of Samson (Sampson) Wheeler of Acton and son of Jonathon Wheeler.  (the line of descent is based primarily on records published in The History of the Wheeler Family of America, pp. 498-501.)  He married Sarah Temple, daughter of Joseph and Abigail (Stearns) Temple, at Westford, MA 13 July 1742.  He, along with Sampson Wheeler, served in Capt. Daniel Hills’ Co.  Mar- Dec 1748 at New Marblehead, ME as a corporal.  He died in 1758 at Westford When his estate was administered by his widow, Sarah Wheeler, with Richard Temple one of the sureties. (Mid. Probabte # 24344). Simon and Sarah had a son Simon, according to the muster rolls of French and Indian War soldiers (# 153312, # 153313, MA State Archives.)  The Temple line is Abraham, Richard, Richard, Joseph, Sarah.

5.      Simon Wheeler, son of Simon and Sarah (Temple ) Wheeler, was born about 1743 probably at Westford or Acton, MA (Age 16, 11 Apr 1759 on muster roll # 153312)  He served in Col Elisha Jones Regt. During the French and Indian War from Apr 1759 until his dismissal 8 Dec 1761.  By 1758 Simon’s uncle, Richard Temple had removed from Acton to Falmouth, ME, where he married Elisabeth, daughter of Ebenezer Gustin.  He was a cord wainer by trade (mid. Deed 69:215, Cum Deed 1:443).  Richard Temple next moved at Bowdoinham, ME by the 1760’s where he became a town official.  Richard Temple died  at Bowdoinham before 24 Sept 1783 when his estate was administered by his widow, Elisabeth Temple (Lincoln Probate II:197).  By 16 Jan 1764, Simon Wheeler was of Bowdoinham, ME, when he made an agreement with Abiel Lovejoy of Pownalborough.  There was a judgement against Wheeler over this agreement in a suit brought by Lovejoy 2 July- 24 Oct 1766. (lin. Co. common Please Record I:136).  Further common pleas records and Lincoln Co. deeds show Simon Wheeler, yeoman, in Bowdoinham, Swan’s Island (near Bowdoinham, in the Kennebec River and Fairfield, ME.  Although there are no Temple-Wheeler deeds, both Simon and Ebenezer Temple, son of Richard, settled in Fairfield and later Bowdoin, ME, near one another (Lin. Co. Deed 20:163, 35:34). By 1789 Simon Wheeler was of Bowdoin when he and Ebenezer signed a petition. They later signed another petition to the General Court along with other Bowdoin settlers, 14 Feb 1790, explaining the dire situation facing families “in a newly settled land” and asked the legislature to set up a “free and general school” and to grant a “release from taxation,”  (Documentary History of the State of Maine 22:324-427.)  The first petition signed 21 Jan 1789 requested that the state of Mass. Grant the petitioners land on the “North East side of Andorscoggin River near lands granted to S. Livermore and other.”  This was to compensate for the petitioners clearing of private land which they thought was state owned land.  (Documentary History of the State of Maine,: 142-143).  It is evident that Simon Wheeler was never able to establish a legitimate claim to land in the Bowdoin area, which can be attested by the paucity of land records for him and other signers of the above two petitions.  Simon Wheeler’s name does not appear in the 1790 census.  However, there is an enumeration for a Hannah Wheeler’s family that strongly suggests that she was Simon’s widow.  There are also two Joseph Wheelers and a John Wheeler whose families are enumerated in Bowdoin in 1790.  One Joseph is believed to be Simon’s son.  The other Joseph and John Wheeler can be traced to Concord and Carlisle, MA, through marriage records.  Both of the previously mentioned towns are in Middlesex County, near Acton, MA, where the Temples and Simon Wheeler lived.

Children of Simon and Hannah ?? Wheeler

1.      Joseph Wheeler whose marriage intention to Elizabeth Meloon is recorded at Topsham, 3 July 1789; lived in Bowdoin.

2.      Nancy Wheeler (1768-1855) married Isaac Meloon, later of Greene and Leeds, ME, at Bowdoinham 27 Oct 1791.

3.      Mary (Polly) Wheeler, married Benjamin Phinney, later of Weld, ME, at Brunswick 24 June 1793.  (1773- 1856)

4.      David Wheeler, whose name appears as head of household on a Bowdoin 1792 tax list, later of Greene and Leeds, ME, married at Brunswick 10 Mar 1796, Meribah Ireland, daughter of Abraham and Meribah Ireland.

5.      Simon Wheeler (1781-1953) late of Greene, Lincoln, Moluncus, and Charleston ME  married at Green 15 Mar 1804 Sarah Stevens, daughter of Jacob and Martha (Pettingill) Stevens.

6.      Rebecca Wheeler (1786-1824) who married at Green Freeman Landers in Jan 1803.

7.      (Possibly) Hannah Wheeler (1782-1863) who married c. 1800 Jonathon Grover of Bowdoin, ME.