Paul Wheelock, farmer, businessman, and one of the principle early settlers of Charlton, Massachusetts, was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, 13 Jan 1715/16 to Benjamin Wheelock and Huldah Thayer.

When Paul and his brothers Jonathan and David came of age, between the years 1735 and 1740, their father gave them individual tracts of land near Oxford, Mass. in what was then known as the County Gore. Paul received his share of this land in a deed dated 5 Mar 1739/40, at which time he was living in Mendon [3]. Sometime thereafter he removed to the County Gore. 

At about this time, Paul married Abigail Chapin. The record of this marriage does not survive in the Vital Records, but it may have occurred shortly after Paul settled the land given by his father. Abigail was half cousin to President John Adams, the second president of the United States. Their child, Adams, was no doubt named for this side of the family. Paul remained married to Abigail for the rest of his life, fathering at least 10 children.

He built a house in Charlton circa 1742 on Gould Rd., opposite Whee Laddie Pond, not far from where his brother Jonathan lived. As of 2013 his house was still standing. Though several additions have been made to the structure, the original framing remains intact [4].

On 12 June 1750, his brothers Jonathan, David, and others signed a petition to separate from Oxford and become part of Charlton. The results of this petition were realized in 1757, when the County Gore became part of the Charlton Northside. Paul Wheelock served on the Board of Selectment in the years 1760, 1766, and 1772 [1]; and was a Captain in the local Militia [2]. He is listed as an officer in the French and Indian War, serving as a Captain in 1763 in Col. John Chandler's regiment [7]. By one account, he was one of the wealthiest men in Charlton [6].

On 17 May 1776, being "sick and weak of body", Paul recorded his last will and testament. The exact date and cause of death is not known, but the will was probated on 4 Mar 1777. The bulk of his estate was left to his three eldest sons, Edward, Seth, and Paul [5]. His wife, Abigail, and ten children were accounted for in the will (Ruth, Silas, Sarah, Mary, Abigail, Seth, Edward, Paul, John, and Adams).

Abigail, outlived him by 23 or 24 years. She died in 1800. Both are probably buried in the Northside Cemetery in Charlton, where many of their children lay, but headstones have not been found.

(Written by Roderick B. Sullivan, Northborough, MA, Apr 1998, updated 2004,2014)

Notes and Sources

1. Charlton town records, Charlton Public Library.
2. "The Wheelock Family in America", Walter T. Wheelock. Many of the land deeds on file in the Worcester County registry of deeds refer to him as "Captain Paul Wheelock".
3. Worcester County Registry of Deeds, Benjamin Wheelock to Paul Wheelock, Book 16, Page 360, dated 5 Mar 1739/40.
4. William Hultgren, member of the Charlton Historical Society, and an expert on the Northside History.
5. Will on file at theWorcester County Probate Office, case 63782.
6. In 1773, a list of taxpayers was made, in order of the amount of land tax paid. This list was used to determine selection of pews in the meeting house, the highest tax payer to receive first choice of pew. There were 28 people on the list, the first four being Jacob Davis, Ebenezer Hammond, Jonas Hammond, and Paul Wheelock. From "History of Worcester County, Massachusetts", by D. Hamilton Hurd, published by J. W. Lewis and Co, 1889.
7. "Massachusetts Officers in the French and Indian Wars 1748-1763", editted by Nancy S. Voye, published by the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1975.