Family talk:Thomas Wheeler and Mary Munroe (1)

Two Thomas and Mary Wheeler Families [9 March 2010]

One family is Thomas Wheeler (known as Lieut., s/o Ensign Thomas Wheeler) and Mary Brooks. The other is Thomas Wheeler (s/o John Wheeler/Sarah Stearns) and Mary Munroe.

Birth records of the children from Source:Concord, Massachusetts, births, marriages, and deaths, 1635-1850 do very little to distinguish between the two families. The following children are all attributed to Thomas and Mary Wheeler.

Thomas Wheeler 6 Feb 1722/3
Lucy Wheeler 3 May 1723
Mary Wheeler 2 Mar 1724/5
Mary Wheeler 7 Jul 1726
Ruth Wheeler 8 Feb 1726/7
Daniel Wheeler 30 Apr 1728
Ephraim Wheeler 6 Mar 1728/9
Charles Wheeler 13 Feb 1730/31
Edmund Wheeler 4 Mar 1730/31
John Wheeler 5 Sep 1733
Abigail Wheeler 11 Jan 1739/40

Due to the closeness of the dates, Lucy and Thomas would appear to come from different families. Other such pairings are Mary-1726 and Ruth, probably Daniel and Ephraim, and definitely Edmund and Charles.

George Tolman in Source:Wheeler Families of Old Concord, Massachusetts attributes the children as follows:

To Thomas Wheeler and Mary Brooks: Thomas, Mary-1726, Daniel, and Charles.

To Thomas Wheeler and Mary Munroe: Lucy, Mary-1725, Ruth, Edmund, Ephraim, John and Abigail.

The young Thomas' death record puts him with Lieut Thomas Wheeler, so we can separate him and Lucy with some certainty. I haven't yet found the other facts that led to Tolman's partitioning of these children. Does anybody know? Perhaps there is a will floating around somewhere?

--Jrich 19:07, 9 April 2008 (EDT)

Now posted on is Person:Thomas Wheeler (13) is the text of Thomas' will naming wife Mary, sons Edmond and John, daughters Lucy Buttrick, Ruth Flint, Mary Childe, and Abigail Wheeler. Leaving aside Ephraim (who died young, and so this will doesn't provide any further evidence for him than what was already expressed), this matches with Tolman's partitioning above, as suspected. --Jrich 21:08, 9 March 2010 (EST)