Wheeler

Abigail Wheeler b. 1732

/ Kirstin Miller

Abigail Wheeler 8th great grandma on RootsMagic tree

Abigail was born on February 2, 1655 in Newbury, Massachusetts. Her grandparents, John & Anne Yeoman Wheeler and Humphrey & Susan Pakeman Wise, migrated to America around 1636 with their young children. Abigail’s mom Sarah Wise and dad David Wheeler married in 1650 and had at least 10 children, all born and raised in Newbury, MA. Abigail married Samuel Hills on May 20, 1679 and they stayed in Newbury too. They had 14 verified children. Samuel fought in King Philips War.

Abigail was a widow in 1732, Samuel in his will left lands to Abigail and their sons. On a map of 1729 Abigail and her sons homes are drawn, along with the rest of the town of Newbury. The house of Widow Hill is number 102, John is 109, Samuel Jr. is 110, Benjamin is 123, Joseph is 125. Abigail, John and Samuel have houses on Crane Hille Road, Benjamin and Joseph’s houses are a block or two south west on Holman Lane. The Merrimack River runs along the east edge.

Widow Hill, A plan of the west parish or Newbury new town, map
Widow Hill house no. 102

Abigail died April 14, 1742, 10 years after Samuel. Both are buried at Bridge Street Cemetery, also known as Rock Bridge Cemetery in West Newbury, Massachusetts, USA. Their gravestones, 279 and 289 years old, are still right there, handcrafted art. Abigail’s gravestone is inscribed: Here lies buried the body of Mrs. Abigail Hills wife of Mr. Samuel Hills died April 13 1742 in 82 [or 87] year of her age.

Abigail’s 3rd great granddaughter Delia Angell b. in 1849 was in Iowa by 1856. Delia’s great granddaughter is Elizabeth Speedy b. 1917.

Sources

David Wheeler b. 1627

/ Kirstin Miller

David Wheeler 9th great grandfather on RootsMagic tree.

David was born in Wiltshire, England around 1627. He has 2 arrival dates. One theory is he sailed on the Confidence with a family friend and was listed as a servant. Another theory is he sailed on the Mary and John with his family in 1634, the 2nd theory is more likely. David also has two marriage dates: May 11 1650 and June 18 1650, both with Sarah Wise, both from reliable sources. Most likely the May date was an intention of marriage and the actual marriage was in June. Old Town Meeting House, Newbury MA

David’s older sister Ann married Aquila Chase, the two couples lived near each other in Essex County of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Aquila was a sailor and often gone for long stretches of time. In 1646 the three David, Ann and Aquila were fined or charged for gathering peas on a Sunday. “A curious instance of Sabbath breaking occurred … Aquila Chase and his wife and David Wheeler were presented at Ipswich Court for gathering peas on the Sabbath. They were admonished. The family tradition has it that Aquila returned from sea that morning and his wife, wishing to supply a delicacy for dinner, fell into grave error in thus pandering to his unsanctified appetite.” Page 207 of Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Ebook at Project Gutenberg .

Old Town Meeting House, Newbury MA
A sketch of the history of Newbury, at HathiTrust Preface page iii