The Wheelock Family of Charlton, Massachusetts
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The Wheelock Family of Charlton, Massachusetts Compiled by Roderick Beebe Sullivan, Jr June 2020 Copyright © 2020 By Roderick B. Sullivan, Jr www.WheelockGenealogy.com All Rights Reserved Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................... 6 Early History ............................................................................................. 6 The Great Sickness .................................................................................. 6 The Revolutionary War ............................................................................. 7 Post War Migrations ................................................................................. 7 Reverend Ralph Wheelock, Immigrant Ancestor .......................................... 10 Descendants of Jonathan Wheelock ............................................................ 26 Descendants of Paul Wheelock .................................................................... 71 Descendants of David Wheelock .................................................................. 201 Other Wheelock Families in Charlton ........................................................... 257 Gallery of Historic Northside Locations ......................................................... 263 Sources and Endnotes .................................................................................. 267 Name Index ................................................................................................... 322 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements This genealogy is a snapshot of a work in progress. It was begun in 1997, and has drawn heavily from contributions many people have made to The Wheelock Family Genealogy website at www.WheelockGenealogy.com. This website has drawn readers and contributors from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, England, Africa, Germany, and Uzbekistan. It has provided a means to disseminate information about the Wheelock Family, and to draw corrections and criticisms from many sources; and as a result has greatly facilitated the evolution and growth of the Wheelock Family tree. Many people have contributed to the information presented here. First and foremost are the Wheelock genealogists of the past who have gathered, compiled, and published genealogies long before the advent of computers made the job easier. Probably the earliest to compile a genealogy of the Wheelock Family in the United States was Carlyle Capron Wheelock, of Woonsocket, Rhode Founders Monument in the Center of Mendon, MA Island. At the turn of the twentieth century, C. C. Wheelock scoured the primary sources of New England, and corresponded with many Wheelocks across the United States. Anybody interested in Wheelock genealogy at the time probably corresponded with C. C. Wheelock. References to his work are to be found in the archives of many Wheelock family genealogists, and are occasionally found in works of local history. CCW gathered a prodigious collection of Wheelock records, but died before they could be published. In 1955 Winifred (Thomson) (Argersinger) Gonseth compiled the material into a book. 'Wheelock Genealogy', by Carlyle Capron Wheelock and Winifred (Thomson) (Argersinger) Gonseth can be found in the New England Historical and Genealogical Society in Boston, at the Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College, and, no doubt, at many other genealogy libraries. Marcus Warren Waite published a genealogy of the Wheelock Family of Calais, VT, in 1940. This book documents the genealogy of the Wheelock family in that town, starting with the Wheelocks from Charlton, Massachusetts who founded it. He has also compiled a 4 Acknowledgements comprehensive manuscript of Wheelock Genealogy, which is available at the New England Historical And Genealogical Society in Boston. Finally, Walter Tobey Wheelock, of Uxbridge, Massachusetts compiled a genealogy of the Wheelock Family in America, centering on his ancestors who settled in Uxbridge. This genealogy was privately published in 1969, and is available in many libraries. Elizabeth (Wheelock) Davis, daughter of Almon Milo Wheelock and Philomene Bourgeois, has compiled the most comprehensive genealogy of the Wheelock family that I have yet seen. She has done an extraordinary amount of research, and has been a helpful and enjoyable collaborator. Her son now (2006) maintains her database of Wheelock records. Special thanks are extended to those who contributed heavily to the early versions of this work, including Virginia (Rees) Burdick, Persis (Park) Ivett, Larry Danker, Betty (Wheelock) Sullivan, Christine (Bickford) Mclaughlin, and Theresa Ann (Crowell) Bickhart who provided material and inspiration. Finally, thanks go to many readers of and contributors to www.WheelockGenealogy.com, who have generously contributed material for this publication. The growing list of contributors includes Ruth Ann Scott, Leanne Joeckel, Gary Wheelock, Marina Cole, Greg Wheelock, Ted Wheelock, Linda Porter, Gregory Wayne Wheelock, Derek Ashley Wheelock, Sam Stuhlmiller, Matt Newberg, Mikey Seabury, Mary Gilmore, Angela Aimee Bisson-Lambert, Angela Jennes, Elaine Ranlett-Chrzanowski, Larry Lashway, Kevin Wheelock, Fr. Robert Dean Wheelock, Scott Wheelock, Russell Wheelock, Daniel Wheelock, Doreen (Wheelock) Strube, Vance Mead, Nancy Jackson, Susan Hunt, Persis Ivett, Virginia Burdick, Theresa Anne Crowell Bickhart, Larry Danker, Betty Wheelock Sullivan, Joyce (Wheelock) Shew, Patricia (Wheelock) Springer, Elizabeth (Wheelock) Davis, Ron Ouimette, Dr. Robert Hayes Wheelock, Dr. John Manning Wheelock, Dr. Seymour Wheelock, Nancy Jackson, Charlotte (Wheelock) Kennedy, Linda (Wheelock) Gruno, Scot Addison Wheelock, Shawn Wheelock, Kate O'Keefe, Leslie (Ferry) Helger, Jody Thibodeau, David Battey, Rick Gagne, Nate Davis, Dale Wheelock, Doug Chase, Kristy (Staples) Hammond, Dave Hannon, Dave Lawrence, Christine Galbraith, Janet Noble (White) Gibbens, Mike Herrell, Barbara Elaine Teague, Linda Denison Aust, Christine McGlaughlin, Bev Rainey, Tom Stuhler, Sandra Smith, Kimber Gadsby Wheelock, Dana Buell Sengbush, James Allie, Karen Lansing, Robert Wheelock, Barbara Bishop, Richard Mullen, Arthur Kingsland Wheelock, Sr., Arlene (Jeronime) Fitzgerald, Alan Stokes, Roger Kelley [Dean Family Historian], Krista (Spaulding) Leeder, Michal Handy, Ellen Berg, Beverly Wheelock Musick, Georgia Wheelock, Su Wetzel, Bonnie Bergeron, Diana McGuffin, Merrill Nelson, Vicki (Wheelock) Weaver, Joseph Pollard, Dann Wheelock, Jan Wheelock, Andrew Hayes Wheelock, Sr., Marian Chamberlain, Jeanette Browning, Andrew Wheelock, Mike Wheelock, Thomas Wheelock, Norman Wheelock, Anita Chambers Decoteau, Gina Roush, Dianne Eaton, Carmen Johnson, Nancy Docherty, Judith Arthur, Sandra Ball, Tucky Sancibrian, William Hutchinson, Alta Pettengill, Anne Milligan Rudolf, and many others. 5 Introduction Introduction Early History Almost all of the Wheelocks in Charlton descend from three brothers, Jonathan, Paul, and David, sons of Benjamin Wheelock and Huldah Thayer of Mendon, MA. Benjamin took care to endow each of his male children with enough land to make a living. Between 1735 and 1740 he granted land to these three sons "in consideration of parental love". The land was in the County Gore, later to be annexed to Charlton. Two of the houses built by these men still stand, over 250 years later. Paul's house, on Gould Road, stands opposite Whee Laddie Pond, serving now (2004) as a religious retreat; Jonathan's house stands on Stafford Road, a few doors down from the Rider Tavern, built by his son, Eli Wheelock. When these houses were built, the County Gore was part of neighboring Oxford, and was poorly represented in town affairs. Unhappy with this situation, residents of the Gore petitioned to separate from Oxford and become part of Charlton. In 1750 Jonathan, David and others signed a petition to this effect. It was rejected, but in 1757 the wish of the petitioners was finally granted, and the County Gore became what is now known as the Charlton Northside. Jonathan, Paul, and David played significant roles in the early history of Charlton. All served on the board of selectmen at one time or another. Jonathan was was one of the first district officers elected in 1758 after the annexation of the Northside. Paul was a Captain in the local militia, and one of the wealthier men in town. David, along with his nephews Peter and Eli (and others) purchased a tract of land in Vermont which later became the town of Calais. His son, Abijah, became the first permanent settler of the town. Though David never settled there, two of his children, and several nephews and nieces did, giving rise to a line of Wheelocks there that still thrive. The Great Sickness In the summer of 1759 severe disease plagued the residents of Charlton. Referred to as the "great sickness", many families were devastated. It is not known for certain what contagion tore through the community that year, but it may have been influenza. Paul Wheelock's family seems to have been spared, but his brothers were not so lucky. David lost his wife and three children in late July and early August. Jonathan lost five children in late July. 6 Introduction The Revolutionary War At least nine Wheelock boys served in the Revolutionary War: Asa, Peter and Eli, sons of The Rider Tavern in Charlton, MA. Built circa 1793 by Eli Wheelock and Leonard Morey