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[personal profile] flea
More about Melancthon Gilbert Wheeler, who was my great-great-great grandfather (1803-1870). Blame today's excursus on the Buffistas.

Melancthon Gilbert Wheeler was born in Charlotte VT on May 22 1802. He was the third child of his parents, Zadoc Wheeler (b. 5/6/1768, Huntington NY, d. 9/24/1841, New York NY) and Mary Holbrook (b. 1/34/1768, Boston, d. 7/23/1833 Waterford NY.) His parents were married at Spencertown NY 8/14/1793. He had two older siblings, both born in Whitehall NY: Charles Holbrook Wheeler (b. 7/9/1794) and Caroline Eliza Wheeler (b. 1/28/1799), both of whom lived to adulthood and had children.

Zadoc's parents were Gilbert Wheeler (b. 7/5/1740, Huntington NY, d. 6/29/1809, Whitehall NY) and Elizabeth Bryan (b. 3/13/1740, d. Whitehall NY).

Melancthon attended Union College (1825) and Princeton Theological Seminary (1826-8), and Andover Theological Seminary (1828-9). He was ordained August 12, 1829, and spent the next two years on a mission. There is a list of his postings as a minister in the Princeton catalog; he ended as the pastor in North Woburn (1865-1870) and died in office of cancer February 9 1870 at the age of 67. He is buried in Woburn Cemetery, as I noted in my post here: http://flea.dreamwidth.org/449247.html (with photos!)

His first wife was Elizabeth Moulton, whom he married at Pittsford VT on 9/23/1829. Their seven children were:
-Elizabeth Moulton Wheeler, b. 2/6/1831 Falmouth MA; d. Conway MA
-Gilbert Melancthon Wheeler, b. 6/4/1832 Abington MA; lived to adulthood, d. at sea, leaving a widow in New Zealand.
-Mary Shedd Wheeler, b. 3/11/1834 Conway MA; m. John C. Almay (they are both buried in the Woburn Cemetery plot), no children.
-Ogden Dwight Wheeler, b. 1/16/1836, d. 3/17/1841
-Charles Holbrook Wheeler, b. 5/2/1837
-Silas Safford Wheeler, b. 12/22/1840, d. 1/1/1841
-Robert Ogden Wheeler, b. 12/2/1842, d. 12/16/1843

At this point if I were Elizabeth Moulton Wheeler I probably would have died, too. At least two of the children survived to adulthood; as far as I can tell only Mary outlived Melancthon.

Melancthon remarried on May 4 1848 at Nashua NH. His second wife was Frances Cochran Parkinson, who was awesome. They also had a bunch of kids:
-Elizabeth Parkinson Wheeler, b. 11/8/1849, m. John R. Carter, d. 1888 leaving 3 sons.
-John Henry Wheeler, b. 9/25/1851 who is treated at some length in my post here: http://flea.dreamwidth.org/457029.html
-Caroline Antoinette Wheeler, b. 1/10/1854, m. Charles H. Cooper 1/10/1883, had 3 children.
-Cornelia Frances Wheeler, b. 4/29/1858, mt great-great-grandmother.
-Edward Francis Wheeler, b. 1/20/1862 at Grafton VT, who went to Bowdoin and became a minister in MN, married and had 2 surviving children.

This still leaves mysterious who the "Caroline Parkinson Wheeler" buried in the Woburn Cemetery plot is (http://flea.dreamwidth.org/449247.html?#cutid1). Given her names she seems like she should be a descendant of Melancthon and Frances, but their daughter Caroline married and lived to adulthood, and no granddaughters of the right name are mentioned - to be a granddaughter Wheeler she would have had to be the child of Edward (or John, who had only one child), and he did not marry until he'd removed to Minnesota.

Sources: The Geneaological and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family in America (http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/american-college-of-genealogy/the-genealogical-and-encyclopedic-history-of-the-wheeler-family-in-america-rem/page-68-the-genealogical-and-encyclopedic-history-of-the-wheeler-family-in-america-rem.shtml)

Biographical Catalog of Princeton Theological Seminary, 1909. http://books.google.com/books?id=vdPNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=melancthon+wheeler+princeton+theological+seminary&source=bl&ots=pegtxpfA06&sig=AsI8vYxunEm_HIGfv5hck1TeapM&hl=en&ei=NeeITKisMZHM9gStoJXiDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCoQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts: http://books.google.com/books?id=m74TAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA432&lpg=RA1-PA432&dq=melancthon+wheeler+princeton+theological+seminary&source=bl&ots=294XOdsGy3&sig=ZvnIRrygHx5j9PqN4p4tjQg9bZg&hl=en&ei=NeeITKisMZHM9gStoJXiDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=melancthon%20wheeler%20princeton%20theological%20seminary&f=false

Gilbert Wheeler New Zealand

Date: 2019-05-12 01:20 am (UTC)
From: [personal profile] jodnz
Hi I have just come across your posts and thought I had to make contact. I am descended from Gilbert Wheeler and Amelia Cook in New Zealand. They had 2 sons and I am descended from their eldest son Gilbert. Like you Rev Melancthon Gilbert Wheeler is my great great great grandfather.I would love to touch base with you and learn what you know about the family - and of course share what I know of the New Zealand story. I joined this website so I could message you, but it would be much easier for me to correspond by email.
Hoping to hear from you


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