Holbrook line: Benjamin Wheelock 1678-1746

 Earlier this week I wrote about Jonathan Thayer, of whom I could find little or nothing.  Now I'm writing about his son in law, Benjamin Wheelock, who lived in the same small town, and I've found a ton of information about him.  His father, also Benjamin Wheelock, was a founder of the town of Mendon, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was respected in the town.  This Benjamin also was respected, sometimes being given the title of "Mr." in the town records, and his son Benjamin, who is not our direct ancestor, carried on the family tradition.

This Benjamin was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bullen Wheelock and a grandson of Ralph Wheelock, the immigrant.  He was born December 12, 1768 and was one of at least five children.  He came to Mendon as a young boy and lived his whole life in this frontier village.

On December 9, 1700 he married his step sister, Huldah Thayer, who was the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth French Thayer (Elizabeth had married Benjamin's father, after they were both widowed).  Since it's reasonable to suppose that the two knew each other well, we can assume this marriage was a happy one.  They had at least eight children together, and the family, or at least Benjamin, seems to have prospered.

In The Annals of the Town of Mendon, it is often hard to differentiate between the three (at least) Benjamin Wheelocks.  But in 1707 ours is identified as Benjamin Wheelock Jr., as a selectman, so we are willing to consider the possibility that some of the remaining references to Benjamin between then and 1716, when his father died, could be our Benjamin.

 In 1705, Benjamin Wheelock and his successors were granted use of the "mill pond" for as long as they kept in in repair and serviceable for the town's use. The mill pond was used as a reservoir with water released as necessary to run the mill. I don't know if this signifies that the mill was run by the Wheelocks, or whether there is something else significant about this.  If someone knows, please let me know!

I didn't find anything specific about Benjamin in the military, but it seems likely he was in the training band, if nothing else.  I did find that he was appointed to a committee to oversee the building of the town meeting house in 1720.  It was to be 50 ft long, 45 ft wide, 20 ft high, and to be a "studded house", as differentiated from a log cabin, I suppose.  He also was appointed to a committee to sell the "pew rooms" in 1737.  I'm not clear on the meaning of this, either.

He was the recipient of several grants of land that the town made, and two of the three times I noted he drew a low number, so he chose some of the best of the land that was being divided.  In another grant, he drew lot 122, so this was probably mediocre at best.

Benjamin was a selectman several times, starting in 1707 and probably ending in 1739, when he was also chosen to be the representative to the general court in Boston.  He refused to serve, but it's not stated why he chose to stay home.  He was already 61 years of age, and may have not felt up to the task.  Just as likely, Huldah died July 7 of that year and he probably wanted to stay home, to care for her and watch after the family.

Benjamin remarried on August 21, 1740, to Rebecca Nurse Kinney.  (No, I haven't checked to see if she was connected to the Nurses of Salem).  He died 6 years later, on September 13, 1746.  His will is quite extensive.  He left twenty pounds each to the daughters of his deceased daughter, Mary Thayer, and some personal belongings beside.  His will specifies that all bequests are to be in the "old tenor", which is a reference to a fairly recent change in currency.  He wanted them to be given the money as he had known it all his life, and that carried more value than the more recent currency.

I was also fortunate enough to locate his inventory.  It is quite specific, including the value of items devised in the will.  His inventory was valued at over 1120 pounds, again in the "old tenor".  I think we would classify him as"well to do", if not wealthy.  Benjamin Wheelock was a family man, a civil servant, a member of the church, and a leader in the community.  We can be proud of him!

The line of descent is

Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Benjamin Wheelock 1639-1716

Benjamin Wheelock, who may have been the first Wheelock born in the American colonies, certainly has stayed out of view of family historians.  We have bits and pieces, enough to have a vague outline, but we don't know nearly as much about him as he know about his father. 

His parents were Rev. Ralph and Rebecca Clarke Wheelock. Rev. Wheelock was a graduate of Clare College at Cambridge University, and Rev. Ralph came to America as a Puritan pastor.  He is also recognized as the first public school teacher in America.  So, poor Benjamin!  His father was both a pastor and a schoolteacher; what chance did the poor kid have?

Benjamin had four older siblings and one younger sibling.  He was born January 8, 1639/40 in Dedham, Massachusetts, where his parents had gone soon after arriving in Massachusetts Bay Colony.  The family stayed there until Benjamin was about 11 years old and then they moved to Medfield, Massachusetts.  Typically boys were put into some kind of a trade or on the job training program by the time they were 14.  We don't know if this happened to Benjamin, or whether his father's more professional occupations might have allowed Benjamin to stay at home longer.  Perhaps he was needed for the chores around home, as his father was busy preparing sermons and lessons and may not have paid much attention to other things that needed to be done. 

Benjamin married Elizabeth Bullen, daughter of Samuel and Mary Morse Bullen, on May 21, 1668 in Medfield.  He was a little older than typical for his generation, about 28, but Elizabeth was about 21, about typical for young women.  Benjamin and Elizabeth stayed in Medfield, where he had a house built the year of their marriage.  He acquired other land and became known as a "proprietor", which gave him certain rights in land divisions that not every resident had. 

Benjamin and Elizabeth had at least five children, and at least four were born in Medfield.  Sometime in 1685 or 1686, the family moved to Mendon, where Benjamin is listed as a founder.  Here he was a tything man, a constable, and a selectman, so he was well regarded there.  He purchased land from Matthias Puffer and undoubtedly hoped to live out his days in Mendon, along with his wife Elizabeth.

However, Elizabeth died in 1689,  Benjamin may have married Elizabeth French, widow of Jonathan Thayer and daughter of John French, in about 1692.  It is possible that he fathered two more children with her, although some think this is not correct.  I guess I hope it is true, that he had children when he was well into middle age, because they would have kept him young, or at least helped care for him as he aged.

Benjamin died September 13, 1716 at Mendon.  I've not found a will or inventory, which is disappointing.  That might give us more insight into what Benjamin did for a living, and how well he was doing, financially.  It might also tell us what land he owned, and whether he had a library of more than a Bible and a couple of religious books. 

From what little we know, we know that he was respected in his community, that he raised a good family, and that he was at least as "religious" as his neighbors.  Being chosen as a selectman was an honor, and it's an privilege to be able to claim him as an ancestor.

The line of descent is

Benjamin Wheelock-Elizabeth Bullen
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Hobrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants