John Wheeler

John Wheeler of Concord was born there in January 1643/4, perhaps a son of George Wheeler, and married Sarah, daughter of Edward Larkin of Charlestown, in March 1663/4. Their children, as the Wheeler genealogy lists them, were Samuel (1664), Sarah (1666), Edward (1669), Joanna (21 Dec 1671), probably the Joanna who married a Woodbury, Mary (1673), Lydia (1675, m. Timothy Wheeler and Nathaniel Stow), Esther (1678), and the twins Ebenezer and Thankful (1682; Thankful m. Jonas Prescott) (source). His father George was perhaps a brother of Lt. Timothy Wheeler, Concord's lieutenant in 1675 (Bodge p. 474), and of Capt. Thomas Wheeler, whose troop was ambushed near Brookfield on 2 Aug 1675 (Wheeler genealogy, no. 100). He is not the John Wheeler of Salisbury and Newbury (John Wheeler), father of Henry Wheeler.

King Philip's War. In the Narragansett levy of late 1675 he was very probably the John Wheeler pressed at Concord for Capt. Nathaniel Davenport's company: "From Concord. Joseph Busse, Abraham Temple, Samuel How, John Wood, Joseph Wheeler, Thomas Browne, John Wheeler, Timothy Rice, George Hayward, Stephen Farre, John Taylor" (Soldiers in King Philip's War, p. 172). Davenport was killed at the Narragansett fort on 19 Dec 1675, and Edward Ting commanded the company after him; "John Wheeler 02 14 00" was credited under them both on 24 Mar 1675/6, the usual pay for that campaign (p. 170). Joseph Wheeler, pressed with him, was credited on 24 July 1676. Other Concord Wheelers died in the war: Josiah at Sudbury on 21 Apr 1676 (p. 231), and Joseph and Richard at Lancaster (pp. 352-353). Sixty years later, when the grantees of Narragansett Township No. 6 (Templeton), men of Concord and Billerica, drew their lots, his son Ebenezer drew "69. Ebenezer Wheeler . . For his father John" (pp. 434-435).

He was made constable of Concord in 1684, and is "m^r John wheeler" at his death there in 1713: "m^r John wheeler y^e Husband of Sarah his wife Dyed September 27 day : 1713" (record).

Open questions

• His probate (Middlesex, 1713), which should name his daughter Joanna Woodbury.
• Ebenezer Wheeler's proof of his father's service, in the proprietors' book of Narragansett No. 6 (Templeton, 1735).

Research: Woodbury, Rand–Cheever–Ivory and Slater lines behind the Ellingwoods.