Mary (Woodman) Wheeler (1690 - aft. 1765)

Born 9 Apr 1690 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Wife of James Wheeler — married 7 May 1709 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

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Biography

MARY WOODMAN, b. at Andover, 9 Apr 1690^[1] daughter of Joshua Woodman and Elizabeth Stevens; d. after 1765 (son Joshua’s probate); m. at Newbury, 7 May 1709,^[2] JAMES WHEELER, baptized at Rowley, 20 Jul 1690 son of Jonathan and Mary (-) Wheeler;^[3] James d. at New Salem about 1743.

On 27 December 1712, James Wheeler and his wife Mary of Rowley joined her siblings and her mother Elizabeth widow of Joshua Woodman in quitclaiming to Thomas Williams of Newbury rights to a 12-acre tract in Newbury. The other siblings involved in the quitclaim were Jonathan Woodman of Bradford, Benjamin Woodman and David Woodman of Newbury, Elizabeth Tinney wife of Daniel Tinney of Rowley, and Mehitabel Goodridge wife of Phillip Goodridge of Newbury.^[4]

James and Mary Wheeler were parents of four children baptized at Newbury (Byfield parish), Massachusetts, and a likely fifth child for whom no birth record was found. James and Mary settled in New Salem after the births of their first four children. On 2 January 1721/2, James Wheeler of Rowley with his wife Mary, in consideration of £340, conveyed to William Searle of Rowley a 60-acre tract of land in Rowley.^[5]

On 7 May 1743, James Wheeler, husbandman of New Salem, in consideration of £70, conveyed to his son James Wheeler, Jr., husbandman of New Salem, an 80-acre tract in New Salem.^[6]

On 11 May 1749, James Wheeler and Joshua Wheeler, husbandmen of New Salem, in consideration of £30, conveyed to Benjamin Prescot of Salem a tract of about 35 acres which was a lot originally drawn by Samuel Nurse as a first division or home lot.^[7]

The 1764 probate record of son Joshua Wheeler includes a statement of a prior agreement to pay his mother Mary Wheeler twenty-five pounds during her widowhood and this is one of the amounts owed from the estate. Mary Wheeler signed a statement related to this on 31 August 1765 stating that Joshua agreed in 1743 to pay her one hundred pounds at his father’s decease and for him to pay a further twenty-five pounds.^[8]

Children

Mary Woodman and James Wheeler were parents of likely five children. There may be other as yet unidentified children. Children Joshua and Sarah married Hadley siblings and had a double wedding.

i MARY WHEELER, baptized 13 Aug 1710

ii SAMUEL WHEELER, baptized 24 Aug 1712; d. after 1783 (executed a deed); m. at Townsend, 2 Mar 1738/9,^[9] RUTH WHEELER who died by 1767. Samuel m. 2nd at Petersham, 19 May 1767, ELIZABETH CLAFLIN, b. at Hopkinton, 12 Jul 1735 daughter of Robert and Elisabeth (Gifford) Claflin; Elizabeth d. after 1783.

iii JOSHUA WHEELER, baptized 12 Feb 1715/6; d. at New Salem, 1764 (probate 2 Sep 1764); m. at Townsend, 4 Jan 1737/8, MEHITABLE HADLEY, b. at Groton, 14 Feb 1716/7 daughter of Benjamin and Mehitable (Applin) Hadley.

iv SARAH WHEELER, baptized 20 Apr 1718; d. at Townsend, 3 Oct 1739; m. at Townsend, 4 Jan 1737/8,^[10] THOMAS HADLEY, b. at Groton, 11 Aug 1712 son of Benjamin and Mehitable (Applin) Hadley; Thomas d. at Lexington, MA, 15 Jul 1788. Thomas married second Ruth Lawrence.

v JAMES WHEELER, b. estimate 1720; d. at Petersham, 1795 (probate); m. at New Salem, 13 Jan 1748, SARAH SOUTHWICK, b. about 1729 of undetermined parents.^[11]

Sources and Footnotes

1. ↑ Woodman, Mary, d. Joshua and Elisabeth, Apr. 9, 1690. Andover Vital Records, volume 1, p 385
2. ↑ Woodman, Mary, and James Wheeler, May 7, 1709. Newbury Vital Records, volume 2, p 522
3. ↑ Blodgette and Jewett, Early Settlers of Rowley, p 404
4. ↑ Massachusetts Land Records, Essex County, 26:31
5. ↑ Massachusetts Land Records, Essex County, 41:4
6. ↑ Massachusetts Land Records, Hampden County, 5:480
7. ↑ Massachusetts Land Records, Hampden County, 18:438
8. ↑ Hampshire County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1660-1889. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016, 2017. Box 157, Case 51
9. ↑ On March the Second 1738/9 were Lawfuly Married Samuel Wheeler of Townshend and Ruth Wheeler of Lancaster by the Rev Mr Phinehas hemenway Pastor of the Church in Townshend Samuel Manning Town Clerk.
10. ↑ In Townshend January the 4th 1737/8 were lawfuly Married Thomas Hadley and Sary Wheeler both of sd Town and Joshua Wheeler of Townshend and Mehetabel Hadley of Groton by the Revd Mr Phinehas Hemenway pastor of the Church In Townshend: Samuel Manning Town Clerk.
11. ↑ The Southwick genealogy, p 132, reports that Sarah was daughter of Benjamin and Abigail (Burt) Southwick; however, the 1780 will of Benjamin Southwick does not include a daughter Sarah or any heirs of Sarah. Caller and Ober, Genealogy of the Descendants of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick.