Thomas Wheeler1
M, b. circa 1616, d. 26 November 1672
| Father | John Wheeler |
Thomas was born circa 1616 in England. Thomas married Joan (?) in 1638 in New England. On the 6th of January 1664, Thomas sells 40 acres of land in Derby to Alexander Bryan.2 Thomas made his will on 18 November 1672 at Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut.
The last will and testament of me, Thomas Wheeler of Milford, in ye county of Newhaven in New England in manor & forme as followeth: I the sd Thomas Wheeler being sicke of body, but of sound understanding and memory blessed be God, do will as followeth:
Imprimis: I doe give to my eldest son John Wheeler, besides ye portion yt I have already given him, the sume of twenty shillings: Item, a parcel of meadow lieing on Stratford side in Oronacke meadow be it more or lesse, with three acres of upland lieing on the same side, both of which parcells & the whole of them, with ye respective priviledges belong --- unto them, I doe give & bequeath unto my sd son John Wheeler for & dureing his naturall life, & then after his decease, my Will is that his eldest daughters Sarah, Mary & Elizabeth should have it equally divided amongst them, or the survivors of them & theirs heyres forever.
Item: To my second son Nathanill Wheeler besides what he hath already received, I doe now give him ye sume of twenty shillings & to his daughter Ester Wheeler fifty shillings.
I doe give & bequeath unto my sons Ephraim Wheeler & Joseph Wheeler the upland & meadow, both in ye upper meadows & fresh meadows, that I brough of Mr. Zackariah Whitman, with ye respective priviledges and appurtenances belonging there unto to be equally divided them both for quality & quanity by casting a lot in case they canot satisfieingly agree otherwise: Item, ye meadow & upland I bought of Mrs. Joanna Prudden lyeing by or neare to Stratford River, with all the priviledges & appurtenances there unto belonging, to be equally divided between the sd Ephraim & Joseph as above sd. Item, I doe give unto them my two home lots, those I bought of William Roberts, & that I bought Ensn. John Streame now lying all together to be equally divided betweene them, as above sd both the land fenceing according to acres. Item, that parcell of upland yt I bought of John Browne Senior lyeing in Stubby Playne be it more ore less, Item, that parcell of meadow lieing on the Indyan side, betweene Thomas Welch & Andrew Sanford Senior - Item, another parcel of meadow lieing in ye point next Lt William Fowler & soe by ye river to ye mouth of a little creek & soe from thence on a square to the upland on his way Northward. Another parcell or halfe of it, being ye upland yt lies on ye calves pen hill being yt part of his divion yt lies on the northwest end or side of ye sd hill, which sd halfe of theirs, is to be yt pt yt lieth next unto Thomas Welch, all which sd parcells of upland & meadow are to be equally divided between ye sd Ephraim & Joseph. I give to each of them a gun & sword & amunition according to law onely Ephraim shall have a choyce: Item, unto my son Ephraim I give one feather bed, one of the best, Item, one coverlid & in brasse six pounds worth, & in pewter two poundsworth, Item, a payre of four yeare old stears & one three yeare old heifer & one two yeare old heifer, a payre of new wheels with iron hoops, he procuring them to be made, & my wife shall pay for them, as alsoe one plow with irons to it & one chayne & iron braces for a horse, And further my Will is that in case he dyes & leaves noe heyres of his owne body then my Will is that the on halfe of his lands shall returne to his brethren: And furthermy will is , if Joseph Dye before he comes to age to receive his portion weh is at his accopmplishing of onee & twenty yeares, then my will is that, Ephraim shall have the first refusal of all the land both of upland & meadow, that is now betweene them upon a moderate price & concerning the lands yt I bought of the sd Mr. Whitman & Mrs. Prudden he shall not pay any more for it then what it cost mee. And furthur my Will is that Ephraim shall have foure hogs of a yeare old & foure Sheepe, Item, My Will is concerning Joseph yt in case he dye after he hath received his portion without lawful heyer of his owne body, that then ye one halfe of his lands shall return to his brethren surviveing Item, my Will is yt my son Joseph shall continue with his mother till he come to ye age of two and twenty yeares; and yt Eoprhraim & Joseph they are to maintaine the two parcells of fence against Adding Playns. I give unto my son Thomas Wheeler the one halfe of all the lands & meadows that I have not already disposed of, with ye one halfe of the orchard, barnes, garden, yards & well, and concerning my dwelling house, my Will is, that he shall have a part in it yet I doe reserve to my wife, the north end below with the leantoo belonging to it as alsoe her liberty to make use of the hall, cellar, & buttery with ye chamber over the hall with the chimney & oven according to her need & desire, dureing the time of her naturall life, And after her decease my Will is, that the whole accodomations not already willed otherwise shallbe my son Thomas Wheelers, to him & his heyres forever, and in case he dyes & leaves noe lawful heyre of his owne body, that then my will is, as of his former brethren soe he also shall leave the one half of his lands to his brethren remaineing Item, my Will is, that Thomas shall continue with his mother til he is two and twenty yeares old. Item, I give to my son Thomas ye one halfe of my teame, the whole being two oxen & a horse, the halfe of the cart & wheels plough & plough irons, the half of two chains & the horse braces: also my Will is that my sd son Thomas Wheeler shaill not receive his portion untill he is two & twenty years, And in case either of my sons dye before they become of age, then his or their portions shalbe divided among the mother and surviveing children equally.
Item: my Will is to give unto my son John Wheelers three daughters aforementioned fifty shillings apiece, or to each of them; Item I doe give to my brothers children here, viz: William, Thomas & Sarah ten pounds to be equally divided amongst them.
Item: My Will is to give to ye Reverand pastor of ye church Mr. Roger Newton fifty shillings, Item to ye church of Christ in Milford fifty shillings to be distributed to the poore. All which above sd legacys, my will is they should be payd by my executrix within one year after my decease.
Item: I give & bequeath unto my deare & loveing wife Joane Wheeler, all the rest of my goods & estate reall & personall whatsoever lyeing in Milford or elsewhere, whom I doe constitute, make & ordaine the sole executrix of this my last will & testament willing & desiring her duely to educate her children in the ways of God & to prepare for their latter ends, And in case my loving wife shall see it her way againe to dispose of herselfe in marriage that then my Will is, that she shall have power onely to dispose of one hundred pounds of my goods to any, but the rest to my own children or theirs. And in case my son Thomas Wheeler shall see cause to bulld and set up a dwelling house either adjoining this house, or elsewhere, for his present personall use to dwell in that then my Will is that my wife shall allow him twenty pounds towards it out of her estate Item, my will is to entreat & desire my loving friends Mr. Robert Treat, brother Daniell & Samuell Buckingham to be ye overseers of this my last will & testament, entreating them to be helpful to my executrix, to lende their best helpe & counsell as there may be need: And to ye ratification and confirmation thereof, I have this eighteenth of November one thousand six hundred & seventy two sett to my hand & seale.
Thomas Wheeler
Witnesses: Robert Treat, Samuell Buckingham, Daniell Buckingham.3
Thomas departed this life on Saturday, 26 November 1672 in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut. The inventory of Thomas's estate was taken on Sunday, 11 June 1673 by Richard Platt and Daniel Buckingham. It was valued at £1236 : 4 : 4.4
Important Notes: 1594 - Richard Platt born at Aldenham, Hertfordshire - Platt Genealogy
circa 1620 - Sarah married Slyvester Baldwin
12 November 1620 - Richard Platt married Mary Grover at Aldenham, Hertfordshire. He was the son of Richard Platt and Rose Windsor. [NOTE - below TAG article on Richard Platt and his wife Mary Wood, prove that it was this couple that resided in New Haven and not the Richard Platt and Mary Grover as some have suggested]
26 January 1629 - Richard Platt of Ware married Mary Wood at Roydon, Essex [4 miles Southeast of Ware] - She was baptized there 10 November 1605 [buried 24 March 1675/76] daughter of John & Jane Wood - both families being Puritan - Children - Mary [bapt. 11 November 1629], John 1631, Isaac 1633, Samueal 1634 & Sarah 1636. [TAG Volume 31, Page 158 - Richard Platt of Milford]
9 November 1669 - Will of Sarah [ ] Astwood - In her will she states " I also desire and appoint my beloved brothers, Richard Platt and Thomas Wheeler, to be the overseers". She was first married to Sylvester Baldwin and 2nd to Captain John Astwood.
11 June 1673 - Inventory of Thomas Wheeler taken by Richard Platt and Daniel Buckingham.
Sarah’s maiden name is, at this time, unknown. From records, she herself refers to Alexander Bryan as a kinsman, but as pointed out by Seversmith, this does in no way mean that she is a Bryan or a sister of Alexander. The will of Thomas Bryan, the father of Alexander, does not list a daughter by the name of Sarah, nor is there any other record that so indicates. Alexander’s wife was Ann Baldwin, a cousin of Sarah’s first husband, Sylvester Baldwin. Thus, Alexander would be a “kinsman”. Sarah also mentions Thomas Wheeler and Richard Platt as “beloved brothers”. But again Thomas’ wife has been said to be a Bryan, and a sister of Sarah, but there is no mention of a Joan or Jane in the will of Thomas Bryan. Seversmith in his analysis shows that it is quite possible that Sarah’s maiden name is Grover of a family in Buckinghamshire in the same area as the seat of the Baldwin family. Richard Platt was married to a Mary Grover daughter of Richard Platt and Rose [Windsor] Platt of Chesham, Buckinghamshire. Sarah is quite probably another daughter and thus Richard becomes a “brother.”
6 May 1604 - Richard Platt bapt. at Ware - inventory taken 13 February 1684/85 - son of George and Mary Platt and grandson of Simon and Elizabeth
26 January 1629 - Richard Platt of Ware married Mary Wood at Roydon, Essex [4 miles Southeast of Ware] - She was baptized there 10 November 1605 [buried 24 March 1675/76] daughter of John & Jane Wood - both families being Puritan - Children - Mary [bapt. 11 November 1629], John 1631, Isaac 1633, Samueal 1634 & Sarah 1636. [TAG Volume 31, Page 158 - Richard Platt of Milford]
29 January 1649/40 - Richard Platt - admitted to church in Milford
7 November 1706 - Richard Platt married Esther Buckingham - a grandson]
Neither Richard or his wife Mary have sibling Sarah or Joan. Conclusion: After extensive work, no proof can be found relating Sarah, wife of Slyvester Baldwin, and Joan, wife of Thomas Wheeler, to Richard Platt or his wife Mary Wood or that Sarah, wife of Sylvester, is related to Thomas Wheeler or his wife Joan. It has been thought that the maiden name of both Sarah and Joan was Bryan and that they were daughters of Thomas Bryan and sisters of Alexander Bryan. Neigther Sarah or Joan were mentioned in Thomas Bryan's will. It is possible that Sara and Joan could be of another Bryan family. More research is needed.
The last will and testament of me, Thomas Wheeler of Milford, in ye county of Newhaven in New England in manor & forme as followeth: I the sd Thomas Wheeler being sicke of body, but of sound understanding and memory blessed be God, do will as followeth:
Imprimis: I doe give to my eldest son John Wheeler, besides ye portion yt I have already given him, the sume of twenty shillings: Item, a parcel of meadow lieing on Stratford side in Oronacke meadow be it more or lesse, with three acres of upland lieing on the same side, both of which parcells & the whole of them, with ye respective priviledges belong --- unto them, I doe give & bequeath unto my sd son John Wheeler for & dureing his naturall life, & then after his decease, my Will is that his eldest daughters Sarah, Mary & Elizabeth should have it equally divided amongst them, or the survivors of them & theirs heyres forever.
Item: To my second son Nathanill Wheeler besides what he hath already received, I doe now give him ye sume of twenty shillings & to his daughter Ester Wheeler fifty shillings.
I doe give & bequeath unto my sons Ephraim Wheeler & Joseph Wheeler the upland & meadow, both in ye upper meadows & fresh meadows, that I brough of Mr. Zackariah Whitman, with ye respective priviledges and appurtenances belonging there unto to be equally divided them both for quality & quanity by casting a lot in case they canot satisfieingly agree otherwise: Item, ye meadow & upland I bought of Mrs. Joanna Prudden lyeing by or neare to Stratford River, with all the priviledges & appurtenances there unto belonging, to be equally divided between the sd Ephraim & Joseph as above sd. Item, I doe give unto them my two home lots, those I bought of William Roberts, & that I bought Ensn. John Streame now lying all together to be equally divided betweene them, as above sd both the land fenceing according to acres. Item, that parcell of upland yt I bought of John Browne Senior lyeing in Stubby Playne be it more ore less, Item, that parcell of meadow lieing on the Indyan side, betweene Thomas Welch & Andrew Sanford Senior - Item, another parcel of meadow lieing in ye point next Lt William Fowler & soe by ye river to ye mouth of a little creek & soe from thence on a square to the upland on his way Northward. Another parcell or halfe of it, being ye upland yt lies on ye calves pen hill being yt part of his divion yt lies on the northwest end or side of ye sd hill, which sd halfe of theirs, is to be yt pt yt lieth next unto Thomas Welch, all which sd parcells of upland & meadow are to be equally divided between ye sd Ephraim & Joseph. I give to each of them a gun & sword & amunition according to law onely Ephraim shall have a choyce: Item, unto my son Ephraim I give one feather bed, one of the best, Item, one coverlid & in brasse six pounds worth, & in pewter two poundsworth, Item, a payre of four yeare old stears & one three yeare old heifer & one two yeare old heifer, a payre of new wheels with iron hoops, he procuring them to be made, & my wife shall pay for them, as alsoe one plow with irons to it & one chayne & iron braces for a horse, And further my Will is that in case he dyes & leaves noe heyres of his owne body then my Will is that the on halfe of his lands shall returne to his brethren: And furthermy will is , if Joseph Dye before he comes to age to receive his portion weh is at his accopmplishing of onee & twenty yeares, then my will is that, Ephraim shall have the first refusal of all the land both of upland & meadow, that is now betweene them upon a moderate price & concerning the lands yt I bought of the sd Mr. Whitman & Mrs. Prudden he shall not pay any more for it then what it cost mee. And furthur my Will is that Ephraim shall have foure hogs of a yeare old & foure Sheepe, Item, My Will is concerning Joseph yt in case he dye after he hath received his portion without lawful heyer of his owne body, that then ye one halfe of his lands shall return to his brethren surviveing Item, my Will is yt my son Joseph shall continue with his mother till he come to ye age of two and twenty yeares; and yt Eoprhraim & Joseph they are to maintaine the two parcells of fence against Adding Playns. I give unto my son Thomas Wheeler the one halfe of all the lands & meadows that I have not already disposed of, with ye one halfe of the orchard, barnes, garden, yards & well, and concerning my dwelling house, my Will is, that he shall have a part in it yet I doe reserve to my wife, the north end below with the leantoo belonging to it as alsoe her liberty to make use of the hall, cellar, & buttery with ye chamber over the hall with the chimney & oven according to her need & desire, dureing the time of her naturall life, And after her decease my Will is, that the whole accodomations not already willed otherwise shallbe my son Thomas Wheelers, to him & his heyres forever, and in case he dyes & leaves noe lawful heyre of his owne body, that then my will is, as of his former brethren soe he also shall leave the one half of his lands to his brethren remaineing Item, my Will is, that Thomas shall continue with his mother til he is two and twenty yeares old. Item, I give to my son Thomas ye one halfe of my teame, the whole being two oxen & a horse, the halfe of the cart & wheels plough & plough irons, the half of two chains & the horse braces: also my Will is that my sd son Thomas Wheeler shaill not receive his portion untill he is two & twenty years, And in case either of my sons dye before they become of age, then his or their portions shalbe divided among the mother and surviveing children equally.
Item: my Will is to give unto my son John Wheelers three daughters aforementioned fifty shillings apiece, or to each of them; Item I doe give to my brothers children here, viz: William, Thomas & Sarah ten pounds to be equally divided amongst them.
Item: My Will is to give to ye Reverand pastor of ye church Mr. Roger Newton fifty shillings, Item to ye church of Christ in Milford fifty shillings to be distributed to the poore. All which above sd legacys, my will is they should be payd by my executrix within one year after my decease.
Item: I give & bequeath unto my deare & loveing wife Joane Wheeler, all the rest of my goods & estate reall & personall whatsoever lyeing in Milford or elsewhere, whom I doe constitute, make & ordaine the sole executrix of this my last will & testament willing & desiring her duely to educate her children in the ways of God & to prepare for their latter ends, And in case my loving wife shall see it her way againe to dispose of herselfe in marriage that then my Will is, that she shall have power onely to dispose of one hundred pounds of my goods to any, but the rest to my own children or theirs. And in case my son Thomas Wheeler shall see cause to bulld and set up a dwelling house either adjoining this house, or elsewhere, for his present personall use to dwell in that then my Will is that my wife shall allow him twenty pounds towards it out of her estate Item, my will is to entreat & desire my loving friends Mr. Robert Treat, brother Daniell & Samuell Buckingham to be ye overseers of this my last will & testament, entreating them to be helpful to my executrix, to lende their best helpe & counsell as there may be need: And to ye ratification and confirmation thereof, I have this eighteenth of November one thousand six hundred & seventy two sett to my hand & seale.
Thomas Wheeler
Witnesses: Robert Treat, Samuell Buckingham, Daniell Buckingham.3
Thomas departed this life on Saturday, 26 November 1672 in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut. The inventory of Thomas's estate was taken on Sunday, 11 June 1673 by Richard Platt and Daniel Buckingham. It was valued at £1236 : 4 : 4.4
Important Notes: 1594 - Richard Platt born at Aldenham, Hertfordshire - Platt Genealogy
circa 1620 - Sarah married Slyvester Baldwin
12 November 1620 - Richard Platt married Mary Grover at Aldenham, Hertfordshire. He was the son of Richard Platt and Rose Windsor. [NOTE - below TAG article on Richard Platt and his wife Mary Wood, prove that it was this couple that resided in New Haven and not the Richard Platt and Mary Grover as some have suggested]
26 January 1629 - Richard Platt of Ware married Mary Wood at Roydon, Essex [4 miles Southeast of Ware] - She was baptized there 10 November 1605 [buried 24 March 1675/76] daughter of John & Jane Wood - both families being Puritan - Children - Mary [bapt. 11 November 1629], John 1631, Isaac 1633, Samueal 1634 & Sarah 1636. [TAG Volume 31, Page 158 - Richard Platt of Milford]
9 November 1669 - Will of Sarah [ ] Astwood - In her will she states " I also desire and appoint my beloved brothers, Richard Platt and Thomas Wheeler, to be the overseers". She was first married to Sylvester Baldwin and 2nd to Captain John Astwood.
11 June 1673 - Inventory of Thomas Wheeler taken by Richard Platt and Daniel Buckingham.
Sarah’s maiden name is, at this time, unknown. From records, she herself refers to Alexander Bryan as a kinsman, but as pointed out by Seversmith, this does in no way mean that she is a Bryan or a sister of Alexander. The will of Thomas Bryan, the father of Alexander, does not list a daughter by the name of Sarah, nor is there any other record that so indicates. Alexander’s wife was Ann Baldwin, a cousin of Sarah’s first husband, Sylvester Baldwin. Thus, Alexander would be a “kinsman”. Sarah also mentions Thomas Wheeler and Richard Platt as “beloved brothers”. But again Thomas’ wife has been said to be a Bryan, and a sister of Sarah, but there is no mention of a Joan or Jane in the will of Thomas Bryan. Seversmith in his analysis shows that it is quite possible that Sarah’s maiden name is Grover of a family in Buckinghamshire in the same area as the seat of the Baldwin family. Richard Platt was married to a Mary Grover daughter of Richard Platt and Rose [Windsor] Platt of Chesham, Buckinghamshire. Sarah is quite probably another daughter and thus Richard becomes a “brother.”
6 May 1604 - Richard Platt bapt. at Ware - inventory taken 13 February 1684/85 - son of George and Mary Platt and grandson of Simon and Elizabeth
26 January 1629 - Richard Platt of Ware married Mary Wood at Roydon, Essex [4 miles Southeast of Ware] - She was baptized there 10 November 1605 [buried 24 March 1675/76] daughter of John & Jane Wood - both families being Puritan - Children - Mary [bapt. 11 November 1629], John 1631, Isaac 1633, Samueal 1634 & Sarah 1636. [TAG Volume 31, Page 158 - Richard Platt of Milford]
29 January 1649/40 - Richard Platt - admitted to church in Milford
7 November 1706 - Richard Platt married Esther Buckingham - a grandson]
Neither Richard or his wife Mary have sibling Sarah or Joan. Conclusion: After extensive work, no proof can be found relating Sarah, wife of Slyvester Baldwin, and Joan, wife of Thomas Wheeler, to Richard Platt or his wife Mary Wood or that Sarah, wife of Sylvester, is related to Thomas Wheeler or his wife Joan. It has been thought that the maiden name of both Sarah and Joan was Bryan and that they were daughters of Thomas Bryan and sisters of Alexander Bryan. Neigther Sarah or Joan were mentioned in Thomas Bryan's will. It is possible that Sara and Joan could be of another Bryan family. More research is needed.
Family | Joan (?) d. b 23 Jun 1673 |
| Children |
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Citations
- [S298] Albert Gallatin Wheeler, Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family In America, page 201- Thomas Wheeler, son of Thomas & Ann Halsey Wheeler. Baptized at Cranefield, Bedfordshire, England April 8, 1620. Married Joan Bryan, daughter of Thomas Bryan of Aylesbury, England.
205 - no. 2704 - lists family and will. - [S964] Dorothy Maltby Verrill, Maltby-Maltbie Family History, page 216 - In the Derby Town Records, page 61, there is an Indenture in which Thomas Wheeler sells 40 acres of land to Alexander Bryan on the 6th day of January 1664. It was signed by Thomas Wheeler and witnessed by Thomas Oviat, J. Malbtie, John Webb.
- [S298] Albert Gallatin Wheeler, Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family In America, pages 201-205 - no. 2704 - Will of Thomas Wheeler.
- [S2187] New Haven Probate Record, 1647-1687.