John Wheeler

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John Wheeler, son of Dominick Wheeler and Mercy Jelly, was born at St. Edmund's Parish, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, about 1589.1 He died at Newbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts, before 11 October 1670.1

John married Agnes Yeomans, whose ancestry is unknown (or not traced here), at St. Edmund's Parish, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, 1 December 1611.1,2

John Wheeler is said to have come on the Mary & John, 24 Mar 1633/34. However, Davis shows that one of John's sons, Henry was baptized less than a year later, making it impossible for this John Wheeler to be on the Mary & John. Henry was later his father's executor, giving his age as 43 in 1678, confirming his birth in 1635.

When they finally did emmigrate, they settled first in Hampton, New Hampshire, but by 1641 John was was of the original proprietors of Salisbury. Before 1650 they had moved to Newbury, but he was still taxed at Salisbury in 1652.

In 1653 he signed a petition in favor of Lieutenant Robert Pike, but later acknowledged his offence in doing so 1654. From Coffin's History of Newbury, the court record shows that Pike was found guilty of defaming the General Court in his condemnation of the Court's act to curtail the religious liberty of the Quakers and Baptists of Nantucket. Petitions were circulated to support revoking the sentence, but these themselves were viewed as incendiary and insulting to "the legislative majesty." They wrote:

"The Court cannot but deeply resent that so many persons of several towns, conditions, and relations, should combine together to present such an unjust and unreasonable request as the revoking the sentence passed the last court against Lieutenant Pike, and the restoring him to his former liberty, without any petioion of his own, or at least acknowledgment of his offence, fully proved against him, which was no less than defaming this Court and charging with breach of oath, etc., which the petitioners call some words let fall by occasion."

The Court sent agents to the several towns to determine the reasons for the petitions, and among their reasons were that they signed without reflection, because they were asked to do so, some thought it was a proper thing to do, and generally that they had no intention of doing anything improper, or of insulting the authority of the General Court. John Wheeler and 13 others recanted with the reason that "he was ignorant what words he spoke, meaning [the words of] Robert Pike; thought they had been ordinary words, and that he had acknowledged his fault. On consideration, judged it weakness, and is sorry to have given the Court offence."

For more on Robert Pike, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pike_%28settler%29.3,4,5

John left a will dated 28 March 1668, and proved 11 October 1670:
Bee it kowne unto all men by theise psents that I John Wheeler of Newberie in the county of Essex in Newengland Massachusets considering my old age & my owne weaknes, being in health of boyd and of pfect memory through gods mercy hereby make my last will and testament . . .

And for my worldly goods I dispose [as] followeth

first I give and bequeath unto my Son David wheeler ten pounds of that debt hee owes mee,

2dly I give to my Sonne Edward wheeler of the Citty of Salisbury in the Realme of England ten pounds.3

Family

Agnes Yeomans b. abt. 1591, d. 15 Aug 1662
Children
  • Edward Wheeler1 b. abt. 1612, d. aft. 1668
  • John Wheeler1 b. abt. 1614, d. bef. 1668
  • Adam Wheeler1 b. 5 Dec 1616, d. aft. 1668
  • Thomas Wheeler1 b. abt. 1618, d. aft. 1668
  • Elizabeth Wheeler1 b. 10 Jan 1618/19, d. 16 Jul 1696
  • Mercy Wheeler1 b. abt. 1620, d. aft. 1668
  • Ann Wheeler+1 b. 13 May 1621, d. 21 Apr 1687
  • David Wheeler1 b. 1627
  • William Wheeler1 b. abt. 1629, d. aft. 1668
  • Roger Wheeler1 b. abt. 1631, d. 7 Dec 1661
  • George Wheeler1 b. abt. 1633, d. bef. 23 May 1668
  • Henry Wheeler1 b. 8 Feb 1634/35, d. bef. 1696
This person was last edited on6 Aug 2016

Citations

  1. [S8] Mary Lovering Holman, Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury (Concord, New Hampshire: Rumsford Press, 1938), 1107-1109, further cited as Holman, Pillsbury Ancestry.
  2. [S1872] Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, 3 vols. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011), 1637, further cited as Torrey, New England Marriages (2011).
  3. [S8] Holman, Pillsbury Ancestry, 1108.
  4. [S246] Walter Goodwin Davis and Gary Boyd Roberts, Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966): A Reprinting, in Alphabetical Order by Surname, of the Sixteen Multi-ancestor Compendia (Plus Thomas Haley of Winter Harbor and His Descendants), 16 vols. in 3 (1916-1963; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1996), 3:604-606, further cited as Davis and Roberts, Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis.
  5. [S1909] James S. Pike, The New Puritan: New England Two Hundred Years Ago: Some Account of the Life of Robert Pike: The Puritan Who Defended the Quakers, Resisted Clerical Domination, and Opposed the Witchcraft Prosecution (New York: Harper & Bros., 1879), 34-50, further cited as Pike, The New Puritan.