Thomas Crafts

Birth: about 1656, Roxbury, Suffolk, MA

• "The Crafts Family: A Genealogical and Biographical History of the Descendants of Griffin and Alice Craft of Roxbury, Mass. 1630-1890", James M. Crafts and William F. Crafts, Northampton, 1893.

Death: 27 Feb 1692

• "The Crafts Family: A Genealogical and Biographical History of the Descendants of Griffin and Alice Craft of Roxbury, Mass. 1630-1890", James M. Crafts and William F. Crafts, Northampton, 1893.

Father: John Crafts
Mother: Rebecca Wheelock

Notes:

The birth of Thomas Crafts to John and Rebecca does not appear in the Roxbury Vital Records. However, James and William Craft in their "Crafts Family Genealogy" argue that Thomas Craft of Hadley, MA was the first child of John and Rebecca, born circa 1656.

Sophia Frear

Birth: 19 Jun 1826

• Ruth P. Heidgerd, The Freer Family, Descendants of Hugo Freer, Patentee of New Paltz, Published by The Huguenot Historical Society, New Paltz, NY, 1968

Death: Feb 1904, Lyons, MI

• Ruth P. Heidgerd, The Freer Family, Descendants of Hugo Freer, Patentee of New Paltz, Published by The Huguenot Historical Society, New Paltz, NY, 1968

Father: William Frear
Mother: Hannah Wheelock

Charles Mansel Greenlees

Birth: Ontario, Canada

Spouse: Pearl Jodway
Marriage:

• Family Records of Priscilla (Wheelock) Fossek, daughter of Charles Claude Wheelock, Mar 2006.

1. Luella Mae Greenlees

Charles Marshall

Spouse: Mary Jane Wheelock
Marriage: DATE UNKNOWN

• Records of Kimber Gadsby Wheelock, a descendant of Abel Wheelock and Jane Foster, August 2001.

Notes:

Charles was the son of Isaac Marshall.

Alice Belle Schweitzer

Birth: 3 May 1866, Marlboro, Stark Co, OH

• Records of Shawn Wheelock, a descendant of Franklin T. Wheelock (1894 -1960), May, 2004.

Death: 1936, Thompson, Geauga Co, OH

• Records of Shawn Wheelock, a descendant of Franklin T. Wheelock (1894 -1960), May, 2004.

Spouse: Adelbert Wheelock
Marriage: 11 Apr 1918

• Records of Shawn Wheelock, a descendant of Franklin T. Wheelock (1894 -1960), May, 2004.

1. Charlie B. Wheelock, born 11 May 1890, Edinburgh, OH
2. Franklin Tobias Wheelock, born 24 Feb 1894, Edinburgh, OH
3. Edith Marie Wheelock, born 30 Apr 1899, Randolph, OH

Sarah Thompson

Birth: 26 Feb 1772, Charlton, Worcester Co, MA

• Charlton Vital Records to 1850

Father: Joseph Thompson
Mother: Sarah Wheelock

Notes:

This could be the Sally Thompson ("of Spencer") who married Chapin Kelley in Spencer, 1 Dec 1793. Or, it could be the Sarah Thomson who died May 1800 in Charlton (per VRs to 1850, from church record).

Arnold Wheelock

Birth: 20 Nov 1775, Charlton, Worcester Co, MA

• Charlton Vital Records to 1850, pg 107

Death: 5 Oct 1778, Charlton, Worcester Co, MA

• Charlton Vital Records to 1850

Father: Peter Wheelock
Mother: Olive Wheelock

Benjamin Wheelock

Birth: 8 Dec 1639, Dedham, Suffolk, MA

• Don Gleason Hill, The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths, and Intentions of Marriage, in the Town of Dedham, 1 Volume, 2 Parts (Dedham, Mass. : Dedham Transcript, 1886), Part 1, p. 1; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/n15/mode/2up : accessed 29 Oct 2023).

Baptism: 12 Jan 1639/40, Dedham, Suffolk, MA

• Don Gleason Hill, The Record of Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths, and Admissions to the Church and Dismissals Therefrom, Transcribed from the Church Records in the Town of Dedham Massachusetts, 1638-1845 (Dedham, Mass. : 1898), p. 22; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00masgoog/page/n38/mode/2up : accessed 29 Oct 2023.

Death: about 1720, Mendon, Worcester Co, MA

Father: Ralph Wheelock
Mother: Rebecca Clarke

Spouse: Elizabeth Bullen
Marriage: 21 May 1668, Medfield, Norfolk, MA

• Medfield Vital Records

1. Elizabeth Wheelock, born 25 Jan 1671/72, Medfield, Norfolk, MA
2. Mary Wheelock, born 11 Jun 1674, Medfield, Norfolk, MA
3. Abiel Wheelock, born 30 Sep 1676, Medfield, Norfolk, MA
4. Benjamin Wheelock, born 12 Dec 1678, Medfield, Norfolk, MA
5. Obadiah Wheelock, born 21 Apr 1685, Medfield, Norfolk, MA

Spouse: Elizabeth French
Marriage: 1692, Mendon, Worcester Co, MA

• "New England Marriages Prior to 1700", Clarence A. Torrey, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1985.

1. Ann Wheelock, born 18 Jul 1693, Mendon, Worcester Co, MA
2. Ruth Wheelock, born 3 Nov 1695, Mendon, Worcester Co, MA

Notes:

Benjamin Wheelock, b. in Dedham, Massachusetts, was probably the first Wheelock born in the American colonies. He lived for about ten years in Dedham, where his father, Rev. Ralph Wheelock, was an active leader in town affairs. He moved with his family to Medfield, MA in 1651, the year of its founding and first settlement. He married Elizabeth Bullen in 1668. The Medfield Town records indicates that he owned a house in that same year.¹

In 1669 he received a small grant of land in Medfield "between his house and the brook, taking in some part of the brook".² In 1675 he is listed in the Medfield town records as a proprietor, along with his brother Gershom, and his father, Ralph.³

Sometime around 1688 he removed with his family to Mendon.⁸ The first notice of him in the Mendon records is in 1688 when he aquired land from Mathias Puffer: "Mathias Puffers forty Acre Lott Now Benjemin whelocks with all the Rights and Priuelidges there unto belonging or any wayes Appertaining: As appears by A Deed of Sale baring Date Aprill 25: 1688".⁴ A year later, he appears on a list of those paying taxes to "defray Mr. Rawson's Salary." Benjamin Wheelock's name appears as a proprietor on a historical plaque in the center of Mendon, amongst the third group of settlers. In 1693 Benjamin served the town as a "Tything Man", along with two others. According to the Annals of Mendon "tithing men were to present all the idle and disorderly persons, profane swearers or cursors, Sabbath-breakers and disorderly persons, that they may be duly punished and discouraged." In 1696 he served as a Constable, in 1700 as a selectman, and in 1701 on a special committee to "give the selectmen instructions".

In 1706, or thereabouts, Benjamin Wheelock acquired posession of the "ancient" Benjamin Alby corn mill, which he purchased from Mathias Puffer. In 1713 he deeded mill priveledges to his sons Obadiah and Benjamin, Jr. Later, in 1719, all three deeded the mill to Josiah Wood.⁶ Benjamin is reported to have lived on the "Old Rehoboth Road, near where Andrus Wheelock lived and died".^6,7 According to the proprietors records, "The House Lott being forty Acres Laid out upon the East side of the Road Leading to Rehoboth Nere the Round Medow : and bounded as followeth Weasterly on the Aboue sd Road Northerly upon the Land of Samuel Thayer Easterly Partly upon the Mill Riuer : and Partly on Medow and southerly upon Comon Land -- Laid out by Joseph White --"⁴

No record of death is found for Benjamin, nor has any record been found for the settlement of his estate.

Birth and Baptism Dates:

The original records of Dedham are damaged to the extent that it is impossible to read Benjamin's birth record.¹⁰ But Don Gleason Hill, in The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths ... in the Town of Dedham transcribed Benjamin's birth date from an earlier private copy of the original records as follows:¹¹

"Benjamin born 8 of the 1[0 mo.]" of 1639.

The square brackets indicate a portion of the date that was impossible to read in the original records, populated with what was contained in the private copy. Assuming the private copy was correct, and adjusting for the way months were numbered in the Julian calendar (March being month number 1), the birth date would be 8 Dec 1639.

Marcus Warren Wait in The Wheelock Family of Calais did not adjust the month numbering, and gives the date as 8 Oct 1639.

Walter Wheelock in The Wheelock Family of America adjusted the month, but apparently incorrectly. He gives the date as 8 Jan 1639/40.

Carlyle Capron Wheelock in his Wheelock Genealogy manuscript wisely mentions only the original records for Benjamin, giving his birth date as "the 8th of the 10th month and baptized the 12th of the 11th month, 1639/40".

Tilden, in The History of Medfield, avoids a birth or baptism date altogether.

The date given in here (8 Dec 1639) is based on Hill's transcription, but is recognized to be uncertain.

An original record of Benjamin's baptism date was not found online, but Don Gleason Hill transcribed the baptism records of the Dedham First Church, Book 1, as follows:¹²

"Benjamin ye sone of our brother wheelocke was baptised ye 12 of ye 11th month 1639,"

giving, after adjustments, a baptism date of 12 Jan 1639/40.

Benjamin's Second Wife:

There has been some confusion about the second wife of Benjamin. The Mendon Vital Records indicate that his first wife, Elizebeth, died in 1689, yet show two additional children born to "Benjemen and Elizebeth" in 1693 and 1695. There is no marriage record for Benjamin indicating a second marriage. Walter T. Wheelock, in The Wheelock Family in America, 1637-1969 asserts that Elizabeth French, widow of Jonathan Thayer, was "probably" his second wife, but cites no sources. Charles Pope, in his book The Pioneers of Massachusetts indicates that "John French [father of Elizabeth French] died 1692, age 80 years. Division of estate was made to Dependence, Thomas, Samuel, to Temperance, wife of John Bowditch, to Elizabeth Wheelock of Mendon, and the child of Mary Lamb, deceased." The Elizabeth referenced here was probably his daughter, Elizabeth French. By process of elimination, it seems likely that Elizabeth French must have married Benjamin Wheelock. Torrey agrees with this conclusion, and lists the marriage in New England Marriages Prior to 1700.

(Written by Roderick B. Sullivan, Northborough, MA, Nov 1998, Oct 2023)

Sources:

1. William S. Tilden, History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886, (Boston, Mass.: George Ellis Publishers, 1887), p. 507.
2. Tilden, History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886, p. 508.
3. Tilden, History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886, p. 84.
4. The Proprietors Records of the Town of Mendon, Mass., 1667-1816, (Boston, Mass.: Rockwell and Churchill Press, 1899), pg 221.
5. John G. Metcalf, The Annals of the Town of Mendon, Mass., (Providence, R.I.: E. L. Freeman), p. 83.
6. Adin Ballou, History of the Town of Milford, Worcester County, Mass, From Its First Settlement to 1881, (Boston, Mass.: Town of Milford, 1881).
7. A map of Mendon, dated 1890, shows that "A. Wheelock" lived on Providence Rd., easterly side, just south of the intersection with Quisset Rd. This map, found in an old Almanac of Worcester County, places "A. Wheelock" near Round Meadow Brook, not far from Mill River, fully consistent with the proprietors records of Benjamin's house lot.
8. Eliazer Wheelock, Benjamin's brother, removed to Mendon at an earlier date. The town records take first notice of him in 1681. But he later moved back to Medfield, where he died and is buried.
9. Charles Henry Pope, The Pioneers of Massachusetts, A Descriptive List Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns, Churches, and other Contemporaneous Documents, (Boston, Mass.: author, 1900).
10. "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-R6TD : 29 Oct 2023), Benjamin Wheelock birth, near the bottom; citing Dedham, Births, Marriages, Deaths 1635-1853, Dedgan, Norfolk Co, Massacgysetts; FHL microfilm 593353, image 6 of 763, bottom of page.
11. Don Gleason Hill, The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths, and Intentions of Marriage, in the Town of Dedham, 1 Volume, 2 Parts (Dedham, Mass. : Dedham Transcript, 1886), Part 1, p. 1; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/n15/mode/2up : accessed 29 Oct 2023).
12. Don Gleason Hill, The Record of Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths, and Admissions to the Church and Dismissals Therefrom, Transcribed from the Church Records in the Town of Dedham Massachusetts, 1638-1845 (Dedham, Mass. : 1898), p. 22; online at Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00masgoog/page/n38/mode/2up : accessed 29 Oct 2023.

Bennett Wheelock

Birth: 30 Nov 1874, Freedom, OH

• Records of Jack Kroupa and Carolyn Vigneulle, kindly supplied by Carolyn Vigneulle, Aug 2009.

Death: Jul 1967, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, FL

• Records of Jack Kroupa and Carolyn Vigneulle, kindly supplied by Carolyn Vigneulle, Aug 2009.

Father: George D. Wheelock
Mother: Eliza P. Robinson

Spouse: Cornelia B. (--?--)
Marriage: about 1909

• Records of Jack Kroupa and Carolyn Vigneulle, kindly supplied by Carolyn Vigneulle, Aug 2009.

1. Bennett Robinson Wheelock, born 13 Apr 1913, NY
2. Martha Wheelock, born May 1916, NY

Florence Wheelock

Birth: about 1856

• 1860 Federal Census, Westfield, Chautauqua Co, NY; Florence Wheelock, age 4, born NY, in household of Stephen and Lydia Wheelock.

Father: Stephen H. Wheelock
Mother: Lydia (--?--)

Notes:

The first name, Florence, is difficult to read, and may be a variation.

Ida Addie Zigler

Spouse: George A. Wheelock
Marriage: 1 Jun 1873, Manhattan, NY, NY

• "New York Marriages, 1686-1980," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6WM-Y2Y : 10 February 2018), George A. Wheelock and Addie A. Ziegler, 01 Jun 1873; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1,561,968.

1. Abbie B. Wheelock, born about 1874
2. Walter Wheelock, born 15 Jan 1876, Providence, Providence Co, RI
3. Daisy P Wheelock, born 25 Mar 1882, RI

Notes:

Ida Zigler was from New York City.

Ada Wheelock is enumerated in the 1930 Census living in the household of her daughter, Daisy Archer, in Springfield, MA.