Amasa Ballou

Birth: 13 Nov 1786

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735982/amasa-ballou: accessed July 31, 2024), gravestone photo for Amasa Ballou (13 Nov 1786–16 Mar 1878), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735982, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI.

Death: 16 Mar 1878

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735982/amasa-ballou: accessed July 31, 2024), gravestone photo for Amasa Ballou (13 Nov 1786–16 Mar 1878), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735982, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI.

Burial: Ballou Lot, Burrillville Historical Cemetery BU040, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735982/amasa-ballou: accessed July 31, 2024), gravestone photo for Amasa Ballou (13 Nov 1786–16 Mar 1878), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735982, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI.

Spouse: Sophia Wheelock
Marriage: 12 Nov 1809

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

1. Sarah Ballou, born about 1810, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
2. Louisa Ballou, born 5 Aug 1813, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
3. Willard Ballou, born 16 Apr 1816, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
4. Julia Ballou, born calculated 27 Jun 1819, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
5. Amasa Ballou, born 1826, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

Spouse: Lydia Sayles Wheelock

Notes:

Research Notes for Amasa Ballou:

He was probably the Amasa Ballou living in Burrilville in the 1830 and 1840 census.

Per probate records, recorded in the town of Burrilville, dated 26 April 1841, Amasa Ballou was the gaurdian of the person and estate of Earl Edgar Ballou, son of Asa Inman, deceased. A line item in the account of Earl E. Ballou relating to the estate of his father, dated 28 July 1841, includes a $2 cash payment made to Duty Lapham "for his services as one of the committee to assign dower of Lydia Inman, widow of the said Asa."¹ In 1850 Amasa was a farmer in Burriville, Providence County, Rhode Island. Per census he was 63, born in Rhode Island, living with Lydia Ballou, 38, Earl E. Inman, 10, and Dennis Inmans, 55, all born in Rhode Island.

In 1860 he was living in Burrilville, age 73, farmer, born Rhode Island. Also in the household was Willard Ballou [his son], Willard's wife, Sarah, 39, and their children, Albert, 20, Emeline, 19, George, 15, Willard A., 12, and Charles A., 10, all born in Rhode Island. Lydia, his wife, who was presumably not deceased, was not present.

He was not found in the 1870 U.S. census

In 1875 he was probably the Amasa Ballou, boarder, 87, widowed, living in Burrilville in the household of Elisha and Sarah Bartlett [his daughter].

Sources:

1. Burrillville, Providence County, Rhode Island, probate records, 3:119; FHL 941605, image 70 of 607; available at Ancestry.com, 31 July 2024.

Sophia Wheelock

Birth: 15 Sep 1788, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735989/sophia-ballou: accessed July 31, 2024), gravestone photo for Sophia Wheelock Ballou (15 Sep 1788–22 Jul 1832), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735989, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI.
• "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N43G-DJW : accessed 31 July 2024), Amasa Ballou death (1910); Vol. 1910/111 (death), Pg. 261, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL 2315055, image 1314 of 2191.

Death: 22 Jul 1832

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735989/sophia-ballou: accessed July 31, 2024), gravestone photo for Sophia Wheelock Ballou (15 Sep 1788–22 Jul 1832), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735989, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI.

Burial: Ballou Lot, Burrillville Historical Cemetery BU040, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735989/sophia-ballou: accessed July 31, 2024), gravestone photo for Sophia Wheelock Ballou (15 Sep 1788–22 Jul 1832), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735989, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI.

Spouse: Amasa Ballou
Marriage: 12 Nov 1809

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

1. Sarah Ballou, born about 1810, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
2. Louisa Ballou, born 5 Aug 1813, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
3. Willard Ballou, born 16 Apr 1816, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
4. Julia Ballou, born calculated 27 Jun 1819, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI
5. Amasa Ballou, born 1826, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

Notes:

Research Notes for Sophia Wheelock:

No birth, marriage, or death record has been found for Sophia. Her name, Sophia, is found on her gravestone, along with birth and death dates. The transcription is as follows:¹

Sophia,
Wife of
Amasa Ballou,
Born
Sept. 15, 1788
Died
July 22, 1832

Her maiden name (Wheelock) and place of birth (Burrillville) is identified in the death record of her son, Amasa Ballou, Jr.²

The History and Genealogy of the Ballous also identifies her surname (Wheelock) and states that Sophia married Amasa Ballou 12 Nov 1809, ceremony performed by William Ross, Justice of the Peace.³ The place of marriage was not stated, but was probably Burrillville. Presumably a record of this marriage is or was extant, but was not found online in a search (2024).

Parentage of Sophia Wheelock:

Since Sophia was born in Glocester, it follows that her mother likely lived there when she was born (1788). Her father probably lived there too. Only one Wheelock family was known to be living in Glocester at that time - that of Daniel Wheelock (1707 - 1793) his wife, Deborah (Darling) Wheelock, their children, and some of their grandchildren. The members of this family that were still alive at the time, and were known to be living in Glocester, or might have been living in Glocester are:

1. Daniel and Deborah (Darling) Wheelock. Deborah would have been too old (77) to give birth in 1788.
2. His son, Paul Wheelock who married first Lydia Sayles about 1763, then second Deborah Hadlock in 1784. There is a gap in the birth record for Deborah, whose first known child by Paul was born in 1790. Sophia would fit nicely into that gap. But Paul's 1807 will does not mention Sophia, though it does mention his other children: Alpheus, Rowena (wife of Nicholas Salisbury), Phyletus, and Olive.
3. Paul's son Alpheus Wheelock who married Raachel Armstrong about 1785, probably in Glocester. It is possible that Sophia was one of their children. But the 1790 census shows no children in their household. They had moved to New York by then, and of course the children might have come later, after they settled. The 1800 census shows a female age 10 to 16, which could have been Sophia; but if so, the expectation is that Sophia would have married and resided in Oneida County, New York.
4. Paul's daughter, Rowena Wheelock, married Nicholas Salisbury in Glocester, 1787. Any child born in 1788 would bear the Salsibury surname.
5. Paul's son, Phyletus Wheelock, married Avis Handy in 1790. He might have fathered a daughter (Sophia) in 1788 out of wedlock, but that seems unlikely given that he and Avis named their first daughter Sophia, born in Coventry, Rhode Island, 31 Oct 1804. Sophia, it is noted, went on to father four out of wedlock children (see notes for Sophia, b. 1804, d. 1901).
6. Daniel's son, Daniel Wheelock Jr. (1744-1781) and his wife Keziah (Hunt) Wheelock. Daniel Wheelock Jr died in 1781, many years before Sophia was conceived, and cannot be her father. According to family tradition, Daniel Wheelock Jr fathered an out of wedlock child with Beulah Albee. That child was Daniel 3rd, born in 1768. The child is not named in the will of Daniel Wheelock Jr, nor has any direct evidence of his parentage been found.
7. Kezia (Hunt) Wheelock lived many years beyond her husband, Daniel Jr, who died in 1781. Kezia was known to be alive in 1829, when she petitioned the court of common pleas in Worcester, Massachusetts, to divide the land in southern Uxbridge that she owned in common with her son, Seth Wheelock of Burrillville. Both had inherited this land from Kezia's deceased husband, Daniel Wheelock Jr. It is entirely possible that Kezia fathered an out of wedlock daughter, Sophia. See below.
8. Daniel and Kezia's children: Esek (b. about 1770), Seth (b. say 1773), Calvin (b. say 1776), Luther (b. say 1779), and Hannah (b. ???). Of these chidren, Esek and Seth might be candidates for Sophia's father, born out of wedlock. Both probably lived in Glocester in 1788. Esek went to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania circa 1794 (see notes for Esek), and Seth was a resident of Glocester his entire life (in a part that became Burrillville in 1806). Seth and Esek, however, would have been young when Sophia was conceived - Esek around 17 and Seth around 14. Esek married Sophia Steere about 1794. Sophia Steere (per Steere Genealogy) was born 20 Apr 1773. It is possible that Sophia Wheelock, born 1788, was a child of Esek and Sophia, conceived out of wedlock when Sophia Steere was only 15. But that seems unlikely. If true, Sophia Wheelock would probably have gone to Pennsylvania with her parents. It is also possible that Sophia Wheelock, born 1788, was an out of wedlock child of Seth Wheelock, probably with someone other than his future wife, Levina Hunt, who likely was too young to conceive in 1787. Seth would have been quite young, but it can't be ruled out. Seth is thought to have fathered two children out of wedlock after his first wife, Levina (Hunt) Wheelock, died in 1821 (see notes for Seth Wheelock and Lydia Mitchell). Nothing is known of Hannah, except that she was mentioned in her father's will, and must have been alive when he made his will in 1781.
9. The other children of Daniel and Deborah (Darling) Wheelock were females who either died before 1788 (Mary, Hannah, Rhoda, and probably Rhoda 2nd who is not mentioned in her father's 1789 will), or married well before 1788, and remained married to the same man well after that date (Mary 2nd, and Deborah).

Of the candidates listed above, Keziah (Hunt) Wheelock is thought to be the most probable mother of Sophia Wheelock, born 1788 in Glocester.

She was living in Glocester at the time. She was there when her husband died (per his probate records, and assuming she lived in the same place her husband lived). Keziah was probably "the Whelock" in the 1782 Rhode Island census, living in Glocester. This census entry should probably have read "the widow Wheelock". There was a female 22 to 50 years old, probably Keziah, widow of Daniel Wheelock, Jr. Also in the household were three males under 16, and one female under 16, which would match the composition of the Daniel Wheelock, Jr. family if one of the sons had moved out.⁴ Land records indicate that Keziah was a resident of Glocester in 1789, 1790, and 1795.⁵

Kezia jointly owned land with her son, Seth Wheelock, which they inherited from Daniel Wheelock, Jr.⁶ It is likely that Keziah lived with Seth Wheelock in Glocester at least through 1815, when the land records call her "of Burrillville". Burrillville split from north Glocester in 1806, taking Seth Wheelock's household with it.⁷

She was probably one of the older females (45 and above) in Seth Wheelock's household (Glocester) in 1800. Also in the household was a younger female, 10 through 15, who was too old to be a daughter of Seth and his wife, Levina (Hunt) Wheelock, who were married 1796. The younger female might well have been Sophia Wheelock, born 1788.⁸

An older woman of Kezia's age appears in Seth's household in 1810, but Sophia (now age 22) does not appear in Seth's household in the 1810 census - to be expected, since she married Amasa Ballou in 1809.

Keziah does not appear to be living in Seth Wheelock's household (Burrillville) in 1820 or 1830, since there are no older (45 and above) females in the household.

Judging by the land records, Keziah was an active woman, engaging in land transactions frequently through 1829 (see notes for Keziah Hunt). She must have had a level of energy and self-assurance that allowed her to engage in these transactions well into her later years - arguably qualities necessary to conceive and raise a child after her husband died.

It is also possible that Keziah's family had a level of acceptance for out-of-wedlock births that might not have been common at the time. Per oral tradition, her husband, Daniel Wheelock, Jr had a child out of wedlock with Beulah Albee, supposedly born 14 July 1768 in Uxbridge.⁹ Keziah's son, Seth, had two out-of-wedlock children in Burrillville after his wife, Levina Hunt died (see notes for Seth Wheelock).

The argument assumes Keziah was young enough in 1788 to give birth. The Dennis Darling Genealogy guesses that Keziah was born "say 1747", which would make Keziah about 41 years old when she gave birth to Sophia.⁴ This would be an unusually late age to give birth, but not unheard of; she must have been a healthy woman - if born in 1747, she would have lived at least until age 82 (given that she sold land in 1829). But it is possible that Keziah was born later than 1747. Her mother gave birth to her last child in 1756 (per Dennis Darling Genealogy), so it is entirely possible that she was born later than 1747. Per 1800 census, the older woman in Seth Wheelock's household - the woman theorized to be Keziah (Hunt) Wheelock - would have been born before 1755 - so a later birth date, say 1749 or 1750 or later - would not be ruled out by the 1800 census.

Further Research:

Examine the Glocester Records of births, marriages and deaths, 1728-1901, FHL 941851, at an FHL affiliate library. Looking for a marriage record of Sophia and Amasa Ballou, or birth record for Sophia (unlikely).

Examine Glocester probate records (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/51786) at an FHL affiliate library.

Examine the Glocester deed records (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/57561) at an FHL affiliate.

Examine the Burrillville probate records (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/51908) at an FHL affiliate.

Examine Rhode Island 1782 census at an FHL affiliate.

Sources:

1. Rhode Island Historic Cemetery Commission, Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries (https://rihistoriccemeteries.org/newgravedetails.aspx?ID=10644 : accessed 31 July 2024).
2. "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N43G-DJW : accessed 31 July 2024), Amasa Ballou death (1910); Vol. 1910/111 (death), Pg. 261, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL 2315055, image 1314 of 2191.
3. Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).
4. William A. Martin, Lou Ella J. Martin, Dennis Darling of Braintree and Mendon and Some of His Descendants 1662 to 1800 (Murrieta, California: author, 2006), p. 336; online at FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/129004 : accessed 3 Aug 2024).
5. Worcester County deeds, 107:281; FHL 843373, image 506 of 707; 163:255; FHL 844364, image 490 of 695; 138:386-8; FHL 844352, image 240 of 744.
6. Worcester County land records, Keziah Wheelock Warrant of Partition, 421:143; FHL 851329, image 417 of 689.
7. Worcester County, Massachusetts, deeds, 221:338; FHL 845856, image 175 of 734.
8. The 1790 census is headed by Daniel Wheelock Sr. There were two females in the household. One might have been Keziah, and the other Sophia - but only if Deborah (Darling) Wheelock was deceased, and only if Hannah Wheelock was deceased by the time of the census, or was living elsewhere.
9. The child was Daniel Wheelock, b. 14 July 1768. He later married Lucinda Stewart in Claremont, New Hampshire, 28 Aug 1796.

Amasa Ballou

Birth: 1826, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N43G-DJW : accessed 31 July 2024), Amasa Ballou death (1910); Vol. 1910/111 (death), Pg. 261, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL 2315055, image 1314 of 2191.

Death: 1 Apr 1910, Worcester, Worcester Co, MA

• "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N43G-DJW : accessed 31 July 2024), Amasa Ballou death (1910); Vol. 1910/111 (death), Pg. 261, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL 2315055, image 1314 of 2191.

Father: Amasa Ballou
Mother: Sophia Wheelock

Notes:

Per death record, Amasa was born in Burrilville in 1826, the son of Amasa Ballou and Sophia Wheelock. He was widowed at the time of death.¹

Sources:

1. "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N43G-DJW : accessed 31 July 2024), Amasa Ballou death (1910); Vol. 1910/111 (death), Pg. 261, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL 2315055, image 1314 of 2191.

Julia Ballou

Birth: calculated 27 Jun 1819, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• "Rhode Island, Vital records, 1846-1898, 1901-1953", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F86J-V51 : accessed 31 July 2024), Julia Mowry death (1901); FHL 1906587, image 14 of 787; Aged 81y 10m 21d.

Death: 18 May 1901, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• "Rhode Island, Vital records, 1846-1898, 1901-1953", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F86J-V51 : accessed 31 July 2024), Julia Mowry death (1901); FHL 1906587, image 14 of 787.

Father: Amasa Ballou
Mother: Sophia Wheelock

Spouse: Smith Mowry
Marriage: 27 Aug 1843, Thompson, Windham Co, CT

• "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPQC-66SD : accessed 4 August 2024), Julia Bellows [sic, Ballou] and Smith Mowry (1843); citing Thompson, Windham County, Connecticut, Vital Records, vol. 2, p. 48; FHL DGS 008272220, image 4134 of 9625.

Sarah Ballou

Birth: about 1810, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• "Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DXMB-ZDW2 : accessed 1 August 2024), Sarah Bartlett death (1880); FHL 941603, image 146 of 561.

Death: 1 Jan 1880, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• "Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DXMB-ZDW2 : accessed 1 August 2024), Sarah Bartlett death (1880); FHL 941603, image 146 of 561.

Father: Amasa Ballou
Mother: Sophia Wheelock

Spouse: Elisha Bartlett
Marriage: 3 Jul 1831

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Elisha Bartlett

Spouse: Sarah Ballou
Marriage: 3 Jul 1831

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Willard Ballou

Birth: 16 Apr 1816, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Death: 30 Jul 1863, Worcester, Worcester Co, MA

• "Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1841-1910," database with image, AmericanAncestors.org (https://www.americanancestors.org/search/databasesearch/191/massachusetts-vital-records-1841-1910 : accessed 4 Aug 2024), Willard Ballou death (1864), Worcester deaths, vol 167, p. 309; from Massachusetts State Archives, Boston.

Burial: Ballou Lot, Burrillville Historical Cemetery BU040, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18735991/willard-ballou: accessed August 4, 2024), memorial page for Willard Ballou (16 Apr 1816–30 May 1863), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18735991, Ballou Lot, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI, maintained by James Bianco (contributor 47745493).

Father: Amasa Ballou
Mother: Sophia Wheelock

Spouse: Sarah Reynolds
Marriage: 18 Aug 1838

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Sarah Reynolds

Spouse: Willard Ballou
Marriage: 18 Aug 1838

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Louisa Ballou

Birth: 5 Aug 1813, Burrillville, Providence Co, RI

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Death: 24 Jul 1879, Douglas, Worcester Co, MA

• "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7GH-QVH : accessed 4 August 2024), Louisa Ballou Keith death (1879); Douglas death records, 312:321, Massachusetts State Archives; FHL 960217, image 331 of 452.

Father: Amasa Ballou
Mother: Sophia Wheelock

Spouse: Luke S. Keith
Marriage: 16 Aug 1840

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Luke S. Keith

Spouse: Louisa Ballou
Marriage: 16 Aug 1840

• Adin Ballou, An elaborate history and genealogy of the Ballous in America; carefully compiled and edited, with numerous artistic illustrations (Providence, Rhode Island : ), p. 252; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/elaboratehistory00balluoft/page/252/mode/2up : 31 July 2024).

Smith Mowry

Spouse: Julia Ballou
Marriage: 27 Aug 1843, Thompson, Windham Co, CT

• "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPQC-66SD : accessed 4 August 2024), Julia Bellows [sic, Ballou] and Smith Mowry (1843); citing Thompson, Windham County, Connecticut, Vital Records, vol. 2, p. 48; FHL DGS 008272220, image 4134 of 9625.