Daniel A. Hawkins

Spouse: Chloe Chamberlain Wheelock
Marriage: 25 Sep 1849, Warwick, Franklin Co, MA

• Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910, Warwick Marriage Record, Vol 37, Page 273. (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004.)

Hepsibah Osgood

Birth: 26 Jul 1796, Cabot, Washington Co, VT

• "Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954," database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFK7-BRX : accessed 3 July 2022), Hepzibeth Osgood birth; citing Vermont State Archives & Records Administration, Office of the Secretary of State, Montpelier, Vermont; FHL film 27645.
• Eben Putnam, A Genealogy of the Descendants of John, Christopher and William Osgood (Salem, Mass.: Salem Press, 1894), p. 107-8; online at Archive.org, accessed 3 July 2022; Says born in Peacham, Vermont.
• "Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1841-1910," database with image, AmericanAncestors.org (https://www.americanancestors.org/search/databasesearch/191/massachusetts-vital-records-1841-1910 : accessed 29 June 2022), Chelsea deaths, vol. 185, p. 167, Hepzibah Wheelock death; from Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; Aged 65 years 8 months, born Calais, Vt.

Death: 1 Apr 1865, Chelsea, Suffolk 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 29 June 2022), Chelsea deaths, vol. 185, p. 167, Hepzibah Wheelock death; from Massachusetts State Archives, Boston.

Father: Levi Osgood
Mother: Peggy Fife

Spouse: Eli Wheelock
Marriage: 27 Aug 1820, VT

• "Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954," database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V89Z-TJN : accessed 3 July 2022), Eli Wheelock and Hepzikah Osgood; citing Vermont State Archives & Records Administration, Office of the Secretary of State, Montpelier, Vermont; FHL film 27726.

1. Merrill G. Wheelock, born 31 May 1822, Marshfield, Washington Co, VT
2. Eli Wellington Wheelock, born Jul 1826, Marshfield, Washington Co, VT
3. Lucius Augustus Wheelock, born about 1829, probably Marshfield, Washington Co, VT
4. Melora K. Wheelock, born calculated Mar 1833, Barre, Worcester Co, MA
5. John Moore Wheelock, born Feb 1834
6. Frederick Delano Wheelock, born 3 Feb 1839, Barre, Worcester Co, MA

Rebecca A. Pierce

Spouse: Samuel Upton
Marriage:

• "The Upton Memorial: A Genealogical Record of the Descendants of John Upton, of North Reading, Mass.", by John Adams Vinton, printed by E. Upton and Son, Bath, ME, 1874, pg 106; online at books.google.com, retrieved Jan 2018.

Micah Immanuel Shew

Birth: 5 Jul 2002

• Records of Joyce (Wheelock) Shew.

Father: Jeremy Lee Shew
Mother: Emily Rebecca Manges

Ephraim Wetherell

Spouse: Annette McDonald
Marriage: DATE UNKNOWN

• Records of Leslie Fay Wetherell, grandson of Celia Delina Caroline St. Cyr (aka Celia Wheelock), Oct 2002.

1. Fay Orlin Wetherell, born 10 Jun 1882, Waterville, Lamoille Co, VT

Charles Wheelock

Birth: 26 Aug 1822, Conway, Franklin, MA

• Conway Vital Records

Father: Martin Wheelock
Mother: Mehitable Wing

Deborah Ann Wheelock

Birth: 16 Jul 1945, Glen Cove, NY

• Records of Deborah (Wheelock) Taylor, daughter of Frederic Melvin Wheelock and Dorothy Rathbone, July 2001.

Father: Frederic Melvin Wheelock
Mother: Dorothy E. Rathbone

Spouse: John Taylor
Marriage: 18 Apr 1973

• Records of Deborah (Wheelock) Taylor, daughter of Frederic Melvin Wheelock and Dorothy Rathbone, July 2001.

Dolly Green Wheelock

Birth: 11 Jul 1827, Worcester, Worcester, MA

• Worcester Vital Records

Death: 16 Mar 1898, Worcester, Worcester Co, MA

• Massachusetts Archives, Worcester death record, vol 483, pg 838; database online at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org, Oct 2005.

Burial: Worcester Rural Cemetery, Worcester, Worcester Co, MA

• Headstone Record, Worcester Rural Cemetery, Worcester, Worcester Co, MA; documented at www.FindAGrave.com, memorial number 25421642, created by J. Mustermann, 21 Mar 2008.

Father: Jubal Wheelock
Mother: Lucy Cheney

Spouse: Horace Thayer
Marriage: 27 Oct 1848, Worcester, Worcester Co, MA

• Massachusetts Archives, Worcester marriage record, vol 38, pg 410; database online at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org, Oct 2005.

Kurt William Wheelock

Father: Francis William Wheelock
Mother: Ruth Dragastein

Ralph Wheelock

Birth: 1600, Shropshire, England

• "Memoirs of the Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, D.D., Founder and President of Dartmouth College and Moor's Charity School", David Mclure, Elijah Parish, published 1811.

Death: 11 Jan 1683/84, Medfield, Norfolk, MA

• Medfield Vital Records

Spouse: Rebecca Clarke
Marriage: 17 May 1630, Wramplingham, Norfolk, England

• Christopher Gleason Clark, "The English Ancestry of Joseph Clark (1613-1683) of Dedham and Medfield, Massachusetts," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 152 (Jan 1998): p. 3-23.

1. Mary Wheelock, bapt. 2 Sep 1631, Banham, Norfolk, England
2. Gershom Wheelock, bapt. 3 Jan 1632/33, Eccles, Norfolk, England
3. Rebecca Wheelock, bapt. 24 Aug 1634, Eccles, Norfolk, England
4. Peregrina Wheelock
5. Benjamin Wheelock, born 8 Dec 1639, Dedham, Suffolk, MA
6. Samuel Wheelock, born 22 Sep 1642, Dedham, Suffolk, MA
7. Record Wheelock, born 15 Dec 1644, Dedham, Suffolk, MA
8. Experience Wheelock, born about 1648
9. Eleazar Wheelock, born 3 May 1654, Medfield, Norfolk, MA

Notes:

Reverend Ralph Wheelock, Puritan, educator, and founder was born in Shropshire, England in 1600. The origins of his surname can be traced back to the tenth century in Wheelock Village, near Sandbach, in the County of Cheshire. Ralph was educated at Cambridge University, Clare Hall. He matriculated in 1623, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1626, and a Master of Arts in 1631.

At that time, Cambridge was the center of the dissenting religious movement that gave rise to Puritanism. His contemporaries at Cambridge University included John Milton and John Eliot, whose liberal views he seemed to share. The persecution of those with Puritan beliefs ran high during this period, which undoubtedly motivated Rev. Wheelock to participate in "The Great Migration" which brought many new immigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By one account, 20,000 came to New England during the peak years of the migration between 1630 and 1640.¹

On 6 May 1630, in England, Rev. Wheelock was ordained priest by Francis White, Bishop of the Norfolk Diocese.¹² Shortly thereafter, on 17 May 1630, he married Rebecca Clarke. At least three children were born to the family in England (Mary Wheelock, baptised in Banham, County of Norfolk, 2 Sep 1631; Gershom Wheelock, baptised in the village of Eccles, County of Norfolk, 3 Jan 1632/33;² and Rebecca Wheelock, baptised in the village of Eccles, County of Norfolk, 24 Aug 1634¹⁰). Rev. Wheelock served clerical duties at the parish in Eccles, where Gershom and Rebecca were baptised, indicated by his signature as "local curate" on the register pages that record his children's baptisms.¹¹

Rev. Wheelock, his wife Rebecca, and at least three children sailed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637, just 7 years after Boston was first settled, and during the peak of the "Great Migration".³ Some Wheelock historians have suggested that Rebecca gave birth to a daughter aboard ship, but no documentary proof has been found.⁴

Upon arrival, Rebecca and Ralph Wheelock settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. There Rev. Wheelock participated in a plan to create a new settlement further up the Charles River, to be called Contentment (later renamed Dedham). In 1638 Rev. Wheelock became one of the earliest settlers and a founder of Dedham. He lived there with his wife for more than a decade, and played a leading role in the affairs of the town. The records at Dedham show that Ralph and Rebecca had four children there: Benjamin, Samuel, Record, and Experience.

In July 1637, Rev. Ralph Wheelock signed the 'Dedham Covenant' which was in effect the founding constitution of the settlers of Dedham. In 1639 he and seven others were chosen for "ye ordering of towne affayers according unto Courte Order in that behalf." The powers that these eight men had were probably similar to the town selectmen of modern times. He was also appointed to assist the surveyor ("measurer") in laying out the boundaries of the town. On 13 Mar 1638/9, Rev. Wheelock was declared a freeman,⁵ which allowed him to exercise the full right of suffrage and to hold public office. To become a freeman, it was necessary to be a member in good standing of a local church, and to appear before the General Court and take an oath whose essential elements swore to good citizenship and good religious character.

In 1642, Ralph Wheelock was appointed the General Court clerk of writs. The General Court was the central court of the Bay Colony, with powers granted by the British Crown to decide legal matters, to dispense lands, and to establish laws. At this point in time (1643), the population of the Bay Colony was about 18,000.⁶

In 1645 he was appointed one of the commissioners authorized to "solemnize" marriages, which at the time was a civil rather than religious duty. Although Rev. Wheelock was an ordained minister, his greater inclinations were toward teaching, which he did with great fervor and in various capacities throughout his life. Rev. Wheelock was probably the first public school teacher in America. On 1 Feb 1644 a Dedham town meeting voted for the first free school in Massachusetts, to be supported by town taxes. Rev. Ralph Wheelock was the first teacher at this school. Three years later, in 1647, the General Court decreed that every town with 50 families or more must build a school supported by public taxes.⁹

By the late 1640's Dedham was becoming quite populous, and it was decided to establish a new township further up the Charles River, out of a tract of land that was then part of Dedham. Rev. Wheelock was appointed leader of this effort, and in 1649 he and six others were given the duties of erecting and governing a new village, to be called New Dedham, later renamed Medfield.

In May, 1651, the town of Medfield was granted the full powers of an independent town by the General Court of Massachusetts. In this year Rev. Ralph Wheelock and his family removed to Medfield, where he lived the remaining 32 years of his life. The records at Medfield show that Ralph and Rebecca had one child there - Eleazar Wheelock whose grandson would become the founder and first president of Dartmouth College.

Though others participated in the establishment of the Town of Medfield, Rev. Ralph Wheelock is considered to be it's primary founder. As leader of the previously mentioned committee of seven, it is almost certain that Rev. Wheelock wrote the document called "The Agreement" which, for a time, every new settler of Medfield had to sign.⁷ "The Agreement" stated that the signatories were to abide by the town ordinances and laws, maintain orderly conduct, and resolve differences between themselves peaceably.

Rev. Ralph Wheelock was granted the first house lot in Medfield (12 acres), and served on the first Board of Selectmen (1651). He subsequently served on the Board of Selectmen in 1652-1654, and again in 1659. In 1653 he took up a collection for Harvard College, the first college in America. Fund raising for Harvard was probably a regular event, being a primary source of revenue for the fledgling institution.

In 1655, the town voted 15 pounds to be used to establish a "schoule for the educataion of the children, to be raised by a rate according as men have taken up lands, and the rest of the maintenance to be raised upon the children that goe to schoule".⁸ Rev. Ralph Wheelock was the first schoolmaster. In his book "Mr. Ralph Wheelock, Puritan", the Rev. Lewis Hicks speculates that Rev. Wheelock remained schoolmaster for a period of 8 years.

Every year, Medfield chose a representative to the General Court in Massachusetts. Rev. Wheelock held this position in the years 1653, 1663, 1664, 1666, and 1667.

Rebecca (Clarke) Wheelock died on 1 Jan 1680/1 in Medfield. Two years later, Rev. Wheelock died, in the 84th year of his life.

Rev. Wheelock played an active and important role in the settling of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was instrumental in establishing two new towns, and held virtually every office of importance in both of them. Furthermore, he was at the forefront of establishing the educational foundations of the country.

His descendents would also prove to play an important a role in settling New England and the rest of America. His son, Benjamin, was a founder of the Town of Mendon. Among his great-grandchildren were founders of several New England towns, as well as Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth. Succeeding generations would push farther west, settling the frontiers in New York, Michigan, Illinois, Nova Scotia, and Texas, establishing impressive credentials as teachers, writers, soldiers, pioneers, and businessmen.

(Written by Roderick B. Sullivan, 1 Mar 1998, Northborough, MA, revised 28 Sep 1998, and Feb 2002)

Sources:

1. William S. Tilden, The History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650 - 1886, (Boston: George H. Ellis, 1887), pg. 23.
2. Genealogists have variously reported that Rev. Wheelock married Rebecca Barber, Rebecca Wilkinson, and Rebecca Clark. An article by Christopher Gleason Clark, in the January 1998 issue of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol 152, entitled "The English Ancestry of Joseph Clark (1613-1683) of Dedham and Medfield, Massachusetts" provides compelling evidence that Rev. Wheelock indeed married Rebecca Clarke. The key components of this evidence are as follows. First, the parish registers of Wraplingham, County of Norfolk, England, contain a recording of the marriage between Ralph Wheelock, cleric, and Rebecca Clarke, 17 May 1630. Second, the will of Rebecca's father, Thomas Clark, refers to his grandaughter Marye Wheelock. Third, the baptism of Marye Wheelock, daughter of Ralph Wheelock, cleric, is recorded in the Banham, County of Norfolk parish registers. (Banham is near Wraplingham). Fourth, the will of William Clark, uncle to Elizabeth Clarke, is witnessed by Ralph Wheelocke "in his unmistakable hand". Ralph Wheelock's will refers to George Barber as his "brother-in-law". This led to the speculation that the maiden name of Rebecca must have been Barber. But it is shown in the article that George Barber married Rebecca Clarke's sister, Elizabeth Clarke, thereby explaining the reference in Ralph Wheelock's will.
3. No record of Ralph Wheelock's passage to America could be found in The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 by Peter Wilson Coldham.
4. Walter T. Wheelock, The Wheelock Family in America (1637-1969) (Uxbridge, Mass.: author, 1969), pg. 93. It is suggested here that Rebecca gave birth to a daughter while at sea. (Mr. Wheelock's original source is not known at the time this footnote was written.) Other Wheelock genealogies have reported that Rebecca was born at sea, and that Mary was born at sea. The research of Christopher Gleason Clark disproves the assertions that Mary or Rebecca were born on ship, leaving Peregrina as the only candidate, since the birth place of the remaining children is well accounted for.
5. Hon H. F. Andrews, List of Freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony 1630-1691 (Exira, Iowa: author, 1906); also Tilden, The History of the Town of Medfield, pg. 506.
6. Tilden, The History of the Town of Medfield, pg. 33.
7. Tilden, The History of the Town of Medfield, pg. 37.
8. Tilden, The History of the Town of Medfield, pg. 62.
9. Commonwealth of Mass. Dept. of Education, Material Suggested For Use In the Schools, In Observance of the Tercentenary of Massachusetts Bay Colony and of The General Court and One Hundred Fiftieth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Constitution of the Commonwealth (Boston: Commonwealth of Mass. Dept. of Education, 1930), Number 1, Whole Number 212, pg. 79; online at Archive.org.
10. Christopher Gleason Clark, "Mr. Wheelock's Cure," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 152 (July 1998): pg. 311.
11. Clark, "Mr. Wheelock's Cure," pg. 312. As Christopher Gleason Clark writes: "Curates were licensed by the bishop of a diocese to serve the cure, that is, to care for the souls of the parishioners and to perform the duties of an assistant to the incumbent."
12. Christopher Gleason Clark, "Mr. Wheelock's Cure," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 152 (July 1998): p. 312.

Robert Lee Wheelock

Birth: 20 Nov 1944

• Records of Robert Lee Wheelock, grandson of Herbert Newell Wheelock and Frances DeWolfe, Feb 2002.

Father: Stanley DeWolfe Wheelock
Mother: Laura Albertson Selleck

Spouse: Jacqueline Ann Stang
Marriage: DATE UNKNOWN

• Records of Robert Lee Wheelock, grandson of Herbert Newell Wheelock and Frances DeWolfe, Feb 2002.

1. Robert Stanley Wheelock, born 16 May 1965, Portsmouth, VA
2. Cherly Lynn Wheelock, born 4 May 1967, Milford, CT