REVEREND JOSEPH WHEELER From "Historical Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County Massachusetts With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity". Prepared under the supervision of Ellery Bicknell Crane. New York. Chicago. The Lewis Publishing Company.1907.

page 301 ... Joseph Wheeler was under the care of his grandmother after he was three years of age. He went to school at the age of fifteen to prepare for college and entered Harvard at the age of eighteen. He graduated in the class of 1757 and studied divinity with Rev. Mr. Woodward, of Weston. He taught school in the town of Weston. In 1759 he was approbated to preach and "ordained to the pastoral care of the Church of Christ in Harvard" December 12, 1759. Two years later he married Mary Greenleaf. Her father Dr. Daniel and her grandfather Dr. Daniel were both physicians. The latter became a minister of the Gospel. Dr. Daniel Greenleaf, Jr., was at first at Hingham, where he married and afterward removed to Bolton, Massachusetts, in which town he practiced, living to the age of ninety-three years. His second wife was Dolly, widow of Josiah Richardson. His children numbered ten, of whom Mary was the ninth. She was eighteen and a half years old when she married and had ten children when she died at the age of forty-one. Page 151 Dr. Greenleaf's grandfather was Captain Stephen, distinguished in the Indian wars, deputy to general court, a prominent citizen. Rev. Joseph Wheeler erected a house in Harvard soon after his settlement there. This house is well preserved and is now (or was recently) occupied by William H. Savage. He left the ministry July 28, 1768, but continued to reside in Harvard and was prominent in all the affairs of the town. He was an ardent patriot and was elected to various positions of trust and honor. He was a member of the local committee of safety and correspondence and attended the convention of committees at Worcester, August 9, 1774. He was a member of the provincial congress held at Salem, October 7, 1774, and at Watertown, July 19, 1775. In these assemblies he served at the head of important committees. He represented Harvard in the session of the general court held at Watertown, July 19, 1775. At the Lexington alarm he marched as a private in Captain Joseph Fairbanks' company, Colonel Asa Whitcomb's regiment. He spent several weeks at Washington's headquarters and tradition says that he was chaplain to Washington. Another tradition is that he assisted in laying out the fortifications at Bunker Hill. There is no proof of this except a cane and cannon ball treasured in the family as mementoes. The cannon ball was fired at a group of men on the slope of the hill from a British man of war in the harbor. It cut a sucker from the appletree under which the group was standing and it lodged in the earth near by. Mr. Wheeler secured both ball and stick from which he made a cane. Mr. Wheeler was appointed register of probate for Worcester county in 1775, but continued to reside at Harvard until 1781, when he purchased an acres and a half of land on Main street, Worcester, nearly opposite the present site of the court house, and erected there a house which report says that he brought from Harvard. Not long afterward he built the house long known as the Wheeler mansion. This estate remained in the family a hundred years. He held various offices in Worcester and continued in the office of register until his death in 1793. His wife died in 1783 and the following year he married Mrs. Margaret Jennison, widow of Captain Israel Jennison, of Worcester. She was the thirteenth child of Antoine and Mary Sigourn, French Huguenots, and her maiden name was Marguerita Olivier. She was born at Annapolis, Nova Scotia, and was married in 1746 to Joseph Coolidge,

page 302 a distinguished merchant of Boston, by whom she had seven children, one of whom, Margaret, became the wife of Jacob Sweetser, of Lancaster. Mr. Coolidge died in 1771, and she married in 1775 Captain Israel Jennison. She survived her third husband, died at the age of ninety and was buried in the tomb of her son, Joseph Coolidge, in King's Chapel burying ground, Boston. The estate of Rev. Joseph Wheeler in Worcester, on which he resided, contiguous to those of Joseph Lynde and Judge Edward Bangs, extended eastward several hundred feet equally with the others. These grounds were well cultivated and stocked with choice fruits and flowering shrubs. This unique garden is described by a relative as follows: "In the rear of these mansions were extensive gardens of equal size; across the lower part flowed a purling stream and rare fruits and choice flowers, fountains and the more common embellishments were the result of the industry, taste and skill of the younger branches of the families. Near the centre of each garden was an arbor covered with vines and furnished with seats and also a closet, a deposit for such books and luxuries as might by chance find their way there. Or, as another description has it "liberally stocked with all the edibles and delicacies that a company of merry young people would enjoy on a moonlight evening. They entertained each other with music and similar enjoyments that made the occasions life-long memories of vanished joys." The children of Rev. Joseph and Mary (Greenleaf) Wheeler were: 1. Elizabeth, born December 31, 1761, died July 18, 1782, unmarried. 2. Mary, born April 7, 1863, died at Kingston, Jamaica, of yellow fever, May 4, 1799; married, March 24, 1790, Ezra Waldo Weld, son of Rev. Ezra and Anna (Weld) Weld, of Braintree. 3. Theophilus, born December 22, 1764, died at Worcester, August 14, 1840; married Elizabeth Lynde, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Lemmon) Lynde, of Worcester, who came to Worcester from Charlestown after it was destroyed by the British. Theophilus Wheeler was register of probate at Worcester forty-three years, town clerk five years, treasurer two years, overseer of schools, overseer of house of correction, director of the Worcester Bank eighteen years, served as soldier against the Sahy insurgents. 4. Joseph, born August 27, 1766, died at Dixfield, Maine, January 21, 1852; married, January 13, 1793, Lucy Sumner, daughter of Rev. Joseph and Lucy (Williams) Sumner, of Shrewsbury. Rev. Joseph Sumner was a descendant of George Sumner, born in England, February 14, 1634, later settled at Milton, Massachusetts. 5. Daniel Greenleaf, born March 14, 1768, died December 10, 1847; married, September 23, 1799, Elizabeth Dupee Sweetser, daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Coolidge) Sweetser, of Lancaster; she died December 15, 1800. He married (second), November 14, 1802, Elizabeth Grosvenor, daughter of Rev. Ebenezer and Elizabeth Grosvenor; she died August 18, 1803. He married (third), 1805, Nancy Clapp, daughter of William and Priscilla (Otis) Clapp, of Scituate. 6. John, born May 17, 1770, died at Dover, New Hampshire, April 3, 1840; married (first), March 12, 1793, Rebecca Harris, daughter of Captain William and Rebecca (Mason) Harris, and sister of Rev. Thaddeus Mason Harris, of Dorchester; she was of Malden, born April 17, 1770, died January 28, 1804. John was an apothecary, postmaster twenty-six years, representative to the general court, associate justice court of common pleas, founder of the Cocheco Manufacturing Co., first president of the Strafford Bank. 7. Moses, born April 4, 1772, died at Boston, March 27, 1838; married (first), November 8, 1807, Elizabeth Porter, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Lamb) Porter, of Malden. 8. Clarissa, born February 1, 1774, died at Medford, May 26, 1844, unmarried. 9. Abigail, born

page 303 February 29, 1776, died at Andover, Massachusetts, February 21, 1846; married, October, 1799, Rev. Leonard Woods, son of Samuel and Abigail Whitney (Underwood) Woods. He was born at Princeton, June 19, 1774, died at Andover, August 24, 1854. He married (second) Lucia J., widow of Dr. Ansel G. Ives, of New York (H. C. 1796); professor in Andover Theological Seminary thirty-eight years. 10. Levi, born October 22, 1779, died at Worcester, March 8, 1781. 11. Sophia, born at Worcester, January 20, 1782, died at Danvers, October 8, 1831; married, May 17, 1807, Rev. Samuel Walker, of Danvers, born at Haverhill, January 27, 1779, died at Danvers, July 7, 1826 (D. C. 1802), pastor of Danvers Church from 1805 till his death. (V) Joseph Wheeler, son of Joseph Wheeler (4), was born in Harvard, Massachusetts, August 27, 1766, died at Dixfield, Maine, January 21, 1852. He married, January 13, 1793, Lucy Sumner, daughter Page 152 of Rev. Joseph and Lucy (Williams) Sumner, of Shrewsbury. She was born December 24, 1771, died April 10, 1863. Rev. Joseph Sumner was a descendant of William Sumner, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, who was born at Bicester, Oxfordshire, England, and baptized January 27, 1604-5, son of Roger and Joan (Franklin) Sumner. He married Mary West, October 22, 1625, was admitted freeman May 17, 1637, was deputy to the general court, town officer, commissioner to try small causes. His son George, through whom descent is traced, was born in England, February 14, 1634, settled at Milton, Massachusetts. Rev. Joseph was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Griffin) Sumner. The children of Joseph and Lucy (Sumner) Wheeler were. Lucy Williams, born at Worcester, September 14, 1793, died 1881, at Rumford, Maine; married David Kimball, had twelve children; Dorothy Sumner, born in Worcester, September 5, 1795, died in Worcester, 1865; married (first) Benjamin Doyen, (second) Elisha Hayden; Sarah Danielson, born at Princeton, June 19, 1798, died in Dixfield, Maine, April 12, 1843, unmarried; Eunice Russell, born at Princeton, February 17, 1801, died in Dixfield, Maine, 1886; married Daniel Sumner Libby, born January 17, 1837; Joseph Sumner, born at Dixfield, Maine, May 9, 1803, died 1870; married Phebe Cole Gleason, had nine children; Erastus Williams, born at Dixfield, Maine, June 17, 1805, died in Worcester, January 17, 1893; married, October 5, 1842, Sarah Pollard, daughter of Stephen and Betsey (Hastings) Pollard, of Berlin; Elizabeth Sumner, born at Dixfield, Maine, February 22, 1809, died at Worcester, July 12, 1879; married, January 29, 1850, Edwin Conant, of Worcester, son of Jacob Conant, of Sterling. His first wife was Maria E. Estabrook, daughter of Joseph Estabrook, of Royalton, married 1832. (VI) Erastus Williams Wheeler, son of Joseph Wheeler (5), was born at Dixfield, Maine, June 17, 1805, died in Worcester, January 17, 1893; married, October 5, 1842, Sarah Pollard, daughter of Stephen and Betsey (Hastings) Pollard, of Berlin. Their children were: Joseph Pollard, born July 28, 1843; Henry Theophilus, June 25, 1845, died in Florence, Alabama, October 16, 1864, in a Rebel prison; Edwin Wallace, November 13, 1848, married, April, 1872, Clara A. Black, daughter of Edward B. and Matilda A. (Freeman) Black, of Salem, Nova Scotia; William Jennison, September 13, 1851, married, February 14, 1877, Ida Stratton, daughter of Samuel and Isabelle (Brimhall) Stratton, has one child, Lotta Belle, born January 1, 1883. (VII) Edwin Wallace Wheeler, son of Erastus

page 304 William Wheeler (6), was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, November 13, 1848. He is a farmer in Worcester, a member of the Worcester Grange, Patrons Husbandry. He inherited his father's farm on Forest street. He married, April 4, 1872, Clara A. Black, daughter of Edward B. and Matilda A. (Freeman) Black, of Salem, Nova Scotia. Their children are: Edward William, born May 1, 1873; Henry Clifford, April 19, 1875; Sarah Matilda, May 9, 1877, died January 22, 1892; Alice Abbie, June 10, 1888; Wallace Sumner, April 30, 1893. (VIII) Edward William Wheeler, son of Edwin Wallace Wheeler (7), was born May 1, 1873. He was educated in the Worcester public schools and at Highland Military Academy at Worcester. His father expected him to assist on the farm but he thoroughly disliked farming and left home. He went to work for Fuller & Delano, architects, in Worcester, and found the business to his tastes. He studied architecture and remained with Fuller & Delano for five years. He was with the Webb Granite and Construction Company for six months. He went into business with Albert E. Scoville in the contracting and building business. The firm name is Scoville & Wheeler. They have offices in the Knowles building, 518 Main street. They have had a large variety of contracts and have been successful. It is one of the most promising firm of builders in Worcester. Some of the work of the firm is as follows: The Howe Memorial Library in Shrewsbury; the women's and men's wards and the administration building in the State Colony for the Insane at Gardner, Massachusetts; two modern school houses at Gardner; the postoffice building at Gardner, owned by the Heywood estate; buildings and additions to the plant of Heywood Bros. & Wakefield Co. at Gardner, Massachusetts; residence of John S. Gould, Germain street, Worcester; residences in Worcester for Fred A. Mann, Lenox street, for Samuel D. Spurr, Dean street, Mrs. W. J. Wheeler, nee Stratton, Forest street, for her daughter, Mrs. Lotta Tracey; residences of L. E. Carlton, president of the Heywood Bros. & Wakefield Co., at Gardner, costing twenty thousand dollars; residence for E. L. Thompson, the chair manufacturer of Baldwinville; and a number of handsome residences and stables in Westboro and Gardner. Captain Wheeler is best known perhaps for his excellent record in the militia. But for his energy and persistent work to maintain the standard of efficiency at a critical time, this organization in which the citizens of Worcester take great pride and which has maintained a long and honorable record, would have been disbanded. He enlisted January 21, 1891, and has been in the militia ever since. He was made a corporal September 9, 1892, and was promoted to sergeant January 18, 1894, having charge of one of the gatling guns then in the possession of Battery B, to which he belonged. When the guns were transferred to another branch of the service he became a guidon corporal. He was again appointed sergeant June 1, 1895, and first sergeant June 4, 1902. His promotion to second lieutenant came March 18, 1903. Just a year later, May 19, 1904, he received his commission as captain of the battery in which he had been for thirteen years of continuous service. The title of his command in full is Battery B, First Battalion, Light Artillery, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. The celebration of the thirtyfifth anniversary of the battery was observed October 18, 1904. There was a parade, a banquet in the drill shed and a drill at the Fair Grounds. The speeches of Congressman Thayer, Mayor Blodgett, Representative Mark N. Skerrett, General Robert H. Chamberlain, Captain E. G. Barrett, Rev. Dr. Willard Scott, President W. H. Brody and General

page 305 F. W. Wellington showed the esteem in which the organization is held and the credit due the commanding officer while lieutenant in maintaining the efficiency of the battery. The inspection of the battery April 12, 1905, was a source of satisfaction to the officers and men, who were complimented on their work. Captain Wheeler is a prominent Free Mason, being a member of Athelstan Lodge, Eureka Royal Arch Chapter and the Worcester County Commandery, Knights Templar. He is equally active in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being a member of Quinsigamond Lodge, and Mt. Vernon Encampment, also of the Patriarchs Militant, Grand Canton, of Worcester. He is assistant adjutant general with the rank of major on the staff of Brigade Commander Daniel Harrington. He is a member of the Page 153 Commonwealth Club, the Tatassit Canoe Club, Worcester County Mechanics' Association, Worcester County Agricultural Society, Worcester Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.