Sarah (Merriam) Wheeler (1626 - 1677)

Born 1626 in England

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Wheeler Sr — married 1649 (to 1 Feb 1676) in Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 1 Feb 1677 at about age 51 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Sarah (Merriam) Wheeler immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

Birth and Life in England

Sarah Merriam was born in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England about 1626, daughter of Joseph Merriam and Sarah (Goldstone) Merriam.^[1]

Sarah and her siblings are named in the will of their uncle, Robert Goldstone, of Tonbridge, Kent, written on April 10, 1637. In his will he left bequests to his sister Sarah, wife of Joseph Merriam of Tewdley, and to their children; William, Sarah, Joseph, Thomas, Elizabeth and Hannah.^{[2] [1]}

Life in New England

Sarah's parents came to New England about June 1638 and settled at Concord, Massachusetts, but her father died soon after, in January, 1640/1. His will written December 29, 1640, mentions his wife, Sarah and 'all his children' but only identifies son William by name.^[1]

Marriage

Sarah married Thomas Wheeler, Senior by 1649 as their daughter Sarah was born that year at Concord, Massachusetts. ^{[3] [4]} Thomas was baptized in Cranfield, Bedford Co., England on December 8, 1621, son of Thomas Wheeler and Ann Halsey of England, Concord, Massachusetts and later of Fairfield, Connecticut. ^{[5] [4] [6]}

Death

Sarah died on February 1, 1676/7 and is buried in Old Hill Burying Ground, in Concord, Massachusetts.^[3][7]

Children

1. Sarah (Wheeler) Smedley;  born on July 10, 1649 ^[8]; married John Smedley May 5, 1669. ^[3]
2. Joseph Wheelerborn on August 18, 1651; died on March 16, 1676/7. ^{[3] [8]}
3. Ann Wheeler born on December 22, 1653; died on March 20, 1676/7. ^{[3] [8]}
4. John Wheeler born on February 18, 1655; died December 1, 1736; on married on December 27, 1678, Sarah Stearns, daughter of his step mother. ^{[3] [8]}
5. Mary Wheelerborn on December 20, 1658; died on May 26, 1668. ^{[3] [8]}
6. Thomas Wheeler, Jr. born on March 29, 1662; died on June 12, 1695. ^{[3] [8]}
7. Elisabeth (Wheeler) Fletcher born February 23, 1664; died on October 26, 1744; married Samuel Fletcher on June 15, 1682.^{[3] [8]}
8. Timothy Wheeler, Sr born on July 24, 1667; died on April 14, 1718; married Lydia Wheeler on May 19, 1692. ^{[3] [8]}
9. Rebekah Wheeler born on April 3, 1670; died on November 6, 1710. ^{[3] [8]}
10. Ruth (Wheeler) Warren born on April 10, 1673 ^{[3] [8]}; married Joseph Warren/Warrin at Chelmsford on March 11, 1696. ^[9]

Alternate Unosourced birth: 17 Sep 1632

Research Notes

• Sara Goldstone was the daughter of John and (probably) Frances (Jefferie) Goldstone of Tonbridge -- according to the Meriam Genealogy - JCW]. This is shown by a deed (17 April 1667) from the heirs of Jos. Meriam dec'd, to Joseph Wheeler, who had married their mother, conveying to him their several shares of their late father's estate, among the signers of which deed are Thomas Wheeler and his wife Sarah. He lived in the east part of the town, and at various times conveys to one or another of his sons lands at "Verginy in Concord."
• The will of Timothy Wheeler speaks of him as "my nephew, Serg't Thomas Wheeler," but he could not have been the son of Captain Thomas whom we know to have been a brother of Timothy, for Cap't Thomas and his son Thomas had both died before the date of Timothy's will. We may fairly presume that he was born not far from the year 1625.
• Sarah Meriam, Sgt. Thomas Wheeler's first wife, died 1 Feb. 1676/7 and he married 2d Sarah [Beers] Stearns 23 July 1677: she was the widow of Isaac Stearns of Lexington, and her maiden name was Beers. [This Isaac Stearns, Jr. was the son of Watertown first settler Isaac Stearns -- JCW] Sgt. Thomas died 24 Dec. 1704 at 76; his widow died 24 [or 21] January 1723/4. His children were born in Concord, ten by his first wife and three by his second.
• [This Sgt. Thomas Wheeler received much of the Virginia Road land in Concord's First and Second Divisions -- including the farm where Henry David Thoreau was born. -- JCW]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Pope, Charles H., compiler (1906); Merriam Genealogy in England and America; Published by Charles. H. Pope, Boston, Massachusetts; PG 36; Retrieved from: https://archive.org/stream/merriamgenealogy00pope#page/36/mode/2up
2. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 50, Published by NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts, 1896 ;PG 507-8; Retrieved from: https://archive.org/stream/newenglandhistor1896wate#page/1054/mode/2up
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11} Tolman, George compiler (1891) Concord, Massachusetts Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1635-1850, Printed by the Town, T. Todd Printer, Beacon Press, Boston, Massachusetts; PG 19; Retrieved from: https://archive.org/stream/concordmassachus00conc#page/18/mode/2up
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Brainard, Homer W. Captain Thomas Wheeler and Some of His Descendants in: The American Genealogist, Volume 12, New Haven, Connecticut, 1935 p. 4-17 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
5. ↑ Anderson, Robert C. Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, T-Y, NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts, 2011 p. 325 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.)
6. ↑ Jacobus, Donald L. History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield, Volume 1, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1930-32: reprinted Genealogy Publ. Co., Baltimore, Maryland, 2007 p. 662-6
7. ↑ Find A Grave Index, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV2W-61S2 : 11 July 2016), Sarah Merriam Wheeler, 1676; Burial, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States of America, Old Hill Burying Ground; citing record ID 59771203, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9} Wheeler, Albert Gallatin. The Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family in America, American College of Genealogy, Boston Massachusetts, 1914 p. 143-7
9. ↑ Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849, The Essex Insititute, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, 1914 p. 341: 345