Sometimes you just get lucky! (Heads up New Brunswick Wheatons)
As some of you know I have been trying to connect my husband to Robert Wheaton for FORTY years. Two years ago I connected them through DNA, but still the distance between Joseph Wheaton (his direct ancestor) ‘of N. Jersey’ who married in 1758 in Schnectady, NY to Margarita Mebie and Robert Wheaton the immigrant is less than 100 years. Robert’s sons were born between 1645-1661, assuming Joseph was born between 1730-1740.
So how hard can it be to close a 70-95 year gap? Well up until a few days ago 40 years hard! That brick wall is the reason for all the Wheaton material I have collected over the years and for the DNA project.
Then on a whim a few days ago I decided to do a search on the New England Genealogical site for a Joseph Wheaton 1730-1750. Well what happened next was sifting through some results only to discover some previously unknown information on Robert’s son Obadiah. Back to Joseph in a moment. Obadiah is one whose line for which I have been actively looking for descendants…..here’s what I wrote to Jean on Jan 25th 2013:
Here’s another question or conundrum. Obadiah 2 Robert 1 has:
- Obadiah 3 b. 1683 or 1691 He marries but we know nothing more
- Joseph 3 b. 1696 Nothing more
- Samuel 3 b. 1701 Nothing more
So what do you think is the likelihood that some of the unattached families connect to one or more of these? I have no clue as to where to look for descendants of Obadiah as they seem to have just vanished. Any ideas?”
So imagine my surprise that less than a week later Obadiah 2 would pop up on a search for Joseph!
So in some church records for Boston I find information on two of Obadiah’s sons: Obadiah 3 and Joseph 3. Joseph 3 records his adult baptism and his marriage to Elizabeth House 17 Aug 1726. Nothing more on this family (could they have had a son named Joseph? Perhaps?) But let’s look at Obadiah3:
Obadiah3 WHEATON Obadiah2 Robert1 b. 9 November 1685, or 19 November 1693 Milton, MA; d. Unknown; m. Jemima SNELLING, 6 June 1722, Boston, MA; she b. 22 March 1693/94, Boston, MA; d. Unknown.
Obadiah was admitted to the North Church, Boston, MA 10 Dec 1727. His wife was admitted 24 Jul 1726.
Children of Obadiah WHEATON and Jemima SNELLING all bpt at the North Church, Boston:
i. Obediah4 bp May 12, 1723 North Church, Boston, MA
ii. James4 bp Oct 4 , 1724 North Church, Boston, MA
iii. Jemima4 bp Oct 16, 1726 North Church, Boston, MA
iv. Jerusha4 bp Nov 24, 1728 (looks like he died as later child named Jerusha) North Church, Boston, MA
v. Benjamin4 bp May 3 1730 North Church, Boston, MA
vi. Jerusha4 bp. Jan 16 1731/2 North Church, Boston, MA
vii. Joseph4 bp June 8 1735 North Church, Boston, MA
Okay heads up!
WHEATON, Obadiah, of Boston. Went to Halifax in 1776; in 1778 he was proscribed and banished. A Loyalist of the name Obadiah WHEATON died in New Brunswick, where he had become a resident many years ago. Source: Biographical sketches of loyalists of the American Revolution….Volume 2 by Lorenzo SABINE pg 417
Now it is not clear whether the Obadiah who was a Loyalist was Obadiah3 or Obadiah4. What if James4 is the James of New Brunswick listed as bc 1738 and Joseph4 is my dear husband’s long lost Joseph? Since I have repeatedly scoured the records looking for a James or Joseph that would match and nothing appeard I believe this is a VERY REAL possibility to account for these two missing WHEATONS. Our previous thought was they may have been from Benjamin2 Robert1 who had sons Samuel, Benjamin, David and Daniel. However none had sons or grandsons named Joseph or James whereas these descendants of Obadiah 2 Robert1 did. So for now I am tentatively suggesting that the New Brunswick Wheatons and my husband’s Joseph may be descended from Obadiah 2. The other possibility for which we have no further information is Benjamin 3 of Benjamin2 Robert1 The other children of Benjamin are accounted for and do not have a James that fits bc 1738 or a Willam (WHETON) bc 1740.
I share this story because one never
knows when and where critical pieces to
the puzzle will be found!
The next day I was able to make some tentative connections between the MALLENBY, HOWELLS, HANCOCK and possibly WHEATON and RAINES. More on that in my next post.
Wheaton Wood 