Wheaton Wood

Wheadons in Newfoundland, Canada

Posted on November 15, 2012     1 Comment

Our family name is Wheadon, though I have seen several variations of the spelling in earlier times.

The only records we have seen containing the name are parish records and in one instance a Voter’s List. Of course, during my years of research in genealogy I have come to realize that many names have been spelled whichever way the particular clergy decided  it should be; in some instances several children of the same family were baptized, each with  a different spelling of the surname, depending on which clergy performed the baptism.

On a Voter’s List for 1832 Henry Weydon is listed in Ochre Pit Cove, Newfoundland. Later Henry and Rachel’s childrens’ baptisms are listed in parish records as: Whedon, Wadon, Weedon, Wheaton and  Wheadon. There is also a record of a Susannah Wheadon and Henry was witness to the marriage. I would think, because of the close proximity in age, that they were siblings. They are the only Wheadons of that generation who seem to be recorded in our area. Church records show that Henry Wheadon of Ochre Pit Cove died June 2, 1852 at age 48 years. Our records don’t go back beyond 1815 so I don’t know if Henry was born in Newfoundland or who his parents were.

The name Wheaton is prevalent in other areas of our province, but not in this area.

On my own side, I have done a fair bit of research into the name Diamond/Dimond; in fact some relatives have undergone DNA testing. There seems to be a link between the Diamonds of our area and the Marblehead Diamonds. One theory is that a New England Diamond may have come here on a schooner and settled since the name seems to have appeared in New England before appearing in Newfoundland. Again, the roots are in Devon. I noticed on this site Marblehead was also mentioned.

Henry and Rachel Wheadon’s son Mark is my husband’s great grandfather. Mark married and moved a few miles up the road to the village in which his wife lived – Bradley’s Cove.  Mark and Martha had several sons, one of whom was Charles, my husband’s grandfather. Charles and Annie also had a large family. Some of their descendants live in various parts of Canada and the UK.

We are quite keen to find out the lineage of this family and my husband (Robert) intends to do a DNA test.

In Newfoundland the only Wheadons that I am aware of are those of my husband’s family.

Thank you so much for inviting me to join this site.  I am the researcher (amateur) in our family but my husband has a keen interest in all that’s happening.

Warmest regards from Newfoundland, Canada

Marilyn & Bob

Robert Wheaton in Salem part two

Posted on November 7, 2012     Leave a Comment

Nothing more is recorded in the Salem records of Robert Wheaton until a town meeting with Mr. Endecott, Mr Conant, Mr Woodbury, John Balch and William Hathorne in attendence.¹ Obviously by this time Robert has been accepted as inhabitant otherwise he would not have been granted lands.

“At a Town Meeting on the 26th of the 9th month the several proportions of Land laid

out at the Marblehead this 14th of the 9th month 1638 (i.e. 14th November 1638 on the modern calendar) being formerly granted:

To Mr. Walton² on the maine 8 acres

To Moses Mavericke³ at the same place 10 acres

To John Coitt⁴ one the Necke 3 acres

To Will Keene & Nich. Liston [Lissen]⁵ on John Peaches neck 3 acres. more to them on the great neck 5 acres.

To Rich. Sears 4 acres wher he had planted formerly

To John Wakefield 4 acres on the Necke.

To John Gachell & Samuell Gachell⁶ 6 acres on the Necke

To Tho Sams 3 acres on the Necke

To John Lion [Lyon] 4 acres near his house

To the Widow Blancher [Blanchard] 6 acres on the Necke

To Ralph Warren 2 acres on the Necke

To George Ching 3 acres on the Necke

To Phillip Beare 3 acres neare Widow Tomsons

To John Bennet 4 acres vpo John peaches Necke

To Rosmund James 4 Acres vpon the maine

All the above written in the hand of William Hathorne. The following in the hand of John Endecott:

To Robert Wheaden granted X acres of land

Also granted to Richard Stackhouse ten acres of land

Also to illegible Gardner granted ten acres

…..

It is not completely clear whether the ten acres granted to Robert Wheaden was at Marblehead or was closer to Salem proper as it is written by John Endecott and it is not certain this happened at the same meeting as those above. An argument could be made either way. First that those granted at Marblehead were mostly fisherman and/or those not in agreement with the religious teachings of the Salem fathers and among them several from Devon. On the other side is the change in hand and that the other grants appear to be in various locations around Salem including Winter island, Kettle Island Cove and near Mr Endecott’s meadow. In general fisherman were allotted smaller 2-4 acre lots at Marblehead but not larger 10 acre plots.

Robert Wheaton in Salem Part one

Posted on November 4, 2012     Leave a Comment

Why Context matters. When we look at records or individuals in isolation it is easy to be misled. The first record of Robert Wheaton in New England is in 1636 in the Salem town meetings records where it reads.

The 16th of the 11th month 1636 (i.e.16 January 1637 on modern calendar)

“Robt Wheato refused to be an Inhabitant”

First it is important to note that these records are recorded in a shorthand so that Wheato would be shorthand for Wheaton. In this case the recorder was Governor John Endecott, a Devon man who would have known how the name was generally spelled. Please note other abbreviatios below. It has been interpreted that the refusal was on the part of Robert. This is possible but other possibilities have come to light. In the years from 1634-1637 I have located several other men who “refused to be inhabitant” and all were subsequently received. Examples:

“Mathew Waller Received for an Inhabitant p a Certifficate from Mr Atherton haugh.”

“Tho: Trace Recd. for Inhabitant vpon a Certificate from Divers of watter Towne.”

“Jno Tompkins is promised to be Recd. for Inhabitant in case he peure [procure] free Dismission”

“Ricd. Graves Refused to be an Inhabitant.”

“Robt. Baker refused to be acknowledged inhabitant heare [here].”

“Geo; Roaps cannot yet be recd. because he hathe a yr. to serue [serve].”

“Joshua Tidd is admitted for an Inhabitant provided he bringeth a certificate from ye magistrates for his appbation [approbation] in ye Jurisdiction.”

In addition in 1634 an oath was required of Salem residents to be Inhabitants. More on the reasons for the Oath later.

“At A Court holden att Boston, April Ith, 1634

It was further ordered, that euy man of or above the age of twenty yeares, whoe hath bene or shall herefter be resident within this juridiccon by the space of six monethes, as an householder or soiorner, and not infranchised, shall take the oath herevnder written, before the Gounr, or Deputy Gounr, or some two of the nexte Assistants, whoe shall haue power to convent him for that purpose, and vpon his refuseall the second tyme, hee shalbe banished, except the Court shall see cause to giue him further respite.

THE OATH OF THE RESIDENTS

I doe heare sweare, and call God to witnes, that, being nowe an inhabitant within the lymitts of this juridiccon of the Massachusetts, I doe acknowledge myselfe lawfully subject to the aucthoritie and gouermt there established, and doe accordingly submitt my pson, family, and estate, to be ptected, ordered, & gouerned by the lawes & constitucons thereof, and doe faithfully pmise to be from time to time obedient and comformeable therevnto, and to the aucthoritie of the Gounr, & all other the magistrates there, and their successrs, and to all such lawes, orders, sentences, decrees, as nowe are or hereafter shalbe lawfully made, decreed, published by them or their successrs. And I will alwayes indeavr (as in duty I am bound) to advance the peace & wellfaire of this body pollitique, and I will (to my best power & meanes) seeke to devert & prevent whatsoeyer may tende to the ruine or damage thereof, or ye Gounr, or Assistants, or any of them or their successrs, and will giue speedy notice to them, or some of them, of any sedicon, violence, treacherie, or othr hurte or euill wch I shall knowe, heare, or vehemently suspect to be plotted or intended against them or any of them, or against the said Comon-wealth or goumt established. Soe helpe mee God.”

So now we have many possibilities for Robert Wheaton’s “refused to be Inhabitant.”

• Lacked Certification from former residence
• Was not free of servitude
• Had not reached age of twenty
• Had not sworn the oath within 6 months of arrival in Salem

Merry Christmas??

Posted on November 3, 2012     Leave a Comment

Okay it’s not Christmas yet, but I do have news for the Wheaton group B folks. The expected results for Jerry’s Walk through the Y is December 26th. Not quite Christmas but close. So hopefully it won’t be rocks and coal in our stockings.

Also in Group B news I have some revisions in commonly held assumptions about Robert Wheatons early time in Salem. This comes from reading through the Salem Town records page by page and research on various early families. Hope to have time to get more written on this soon.

Although I’ve been quiet it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy.

Robert where art thou? Group B

Posted on October 14, 2012     Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if or when we will be able to solve the riddle of Robert Wheaton’s origins but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

What I believe we have proved is that Robert Wheaton’s ancestry lies in Devon, England. To whit:

• The oldest document written by Robert’s great-grandson states Robert came from England and was in his 90th year in 1696 when he died.
• Our Wheaton Group B DNA matches that of a Hancock from South Molton (north Devon).
• The 1332 Lay Subsidy Rolls have only one Hanecock  a Richard in Devon, in the parish of Esse Abbatus (Ashford). About 12 miles northeast from South Molton.
• Also in the 1332 Lay Subsidy Rolls there is a Thomas de Whitton in South Molton as well as Roger de Weydon in nearby Meshaw (5 miles), a William Whetena in Woolfardisworthy (20 miles) and a William Whetene in Halberton (35 Miles). There are a total of 9 Wheton/Whiddon/etc in Devon in 1332 plus another 6 Wootons.

Vowels “e,” “i” and “y” seem to be used interchangeably. Consonants “t”, “tt,” “d,” & “dd” seem to be used interchangeably as well as “w” and “wh.” Assumptions based on spelling are fraught with error, so at this point nothing can be ruled out. Also this is just around the time of surname adoption. The Richard Hanecock and The William Whetna are showing surnames but the Thomas de Whitton and Roger de Wheydon we can not be sure they adopted these as last names or not. It is not impossible that two brothers adopted very different names or that two men of the same name were known for having come from somewhere they had in common rather than any familial relationship. That is why a combination of traditional research and DNA is our best hope of sorting our Wheatons into family groupings.

DEVON WHEATON INTERACTIVE MAP

Posted on October 13, 2012     Leave a Comment

I have replaced the maps on my Devon Wheaton webpage with an interactive map which shows the earliest 1300’s Wheatons/Hancocks (point with dots). Those Push pins are DNA results and the other points (without dots) are records as I add them. This is a screen shot:

I hope you find it interesting. You can find the original here.

The map above is a screenshot but on the original you can zoom in and out and clicking or hovering over a point brings up more detail. Let me know what you think.

Group B News

Posted on October 12, 2012     Leave a Comment

Among other things I monitor the U152 Project for results and we have a new entry into the L2* group and this one is a man who tracks back to a William Dodd 1668 of Dean Prior Devon. You can have a look here

This individual has very different markers then our cluster of Wheaton/ Hancock yet this provides further evidence for  the ancient clan of L2* in Devon.  Why this is important? Because should Jerry’s Walk Through the Y turn up some new mutations (SNPs) this will although others in the L2* group to test for those SNPs. This further defines the migration of the clan from the mountains of Northern Italy into Devon.

Any questions?

Robert Wheaton “DEVON MAN?”

Posted on October 11, 2012     Leave a Comment

Thanks to Susan and Ben about their comments on Robert’s literacy and for Susan’s comment about Roger le Wheaton being a Devon man. Having never been to Devon or lived there I am at a bit of a disadvantage—-however if this means a stubborn stick-to-it-ness, a principled man. I can see that to this day most affectionately with my own Wheatons.  More on Robert’s character in a bit

As to the records in Bristol County. The records are all transcribed in the hand of the then clerk. When a person has signed a document he writes out the name and when the person has used a “mark” it says so. For instance in the distribution of Robert’s estate Jeremiah, Obadiah, John, and Benjamin Wheaton have signed as well as John Butterworth and Mary M Mann. It lists the Mark of Bethiah Wheaton. In both his will and an agreement he reached late in life with his neighbor Robert Fuller Robert Wheaton’s mark is listed. Please note that Robert Fuller’s daughter Alice married Robert Wheaton’s son Benjamin. Rehoboth Town Meetings Book II:

An agreement made the 28th of (torn) 1679 Betwixt Robat Wheaton and Robert ffuller, both of Rehoboth in order to make the ending of a contriversie that hath ben longe between them Respecting Bounds of thire home lott, the said Robat Wheton ingaeing in the personne of Mr. James Browne and other neighbors; that betwist this day and winter sets in he would pluk up his fence and set in it in the bounds where the thre stakes stands, and they both agreeing that those stakes shall be the bounds betwixt them: witness my hand the day and year written.

The marke of

 

Robert Wheaton

This was acknowledged before me

James Browne Assistant

This is a rue copey of the agreement betwixt Robert ffuller and Robert Wheaton Transcribed out of the original By me.

William Carpenter

Town Clerk

                                     

The very first record we have of Robert Wheaton in America is that in the Salem Town Meeting 6 Nov. 1636 Where it simply states:

Robert Wheato. refused to be Inhabitant.

 

Later added in the margin in Governor John Endecott’s hand:

We have made a show of making him Inhabitant

Here’s some important tidbits. Gov. Endecott was himself a “Devon Man” having been of the Endecott’s of Chagford, Devon. There is some disagreemet as to whether he was born in Dorchester, Chagford, or on a farm near North Bovey or at Middlecot (between North Bovey and Chagford). In any event Gov. Endecott would have been a contemporary of Robert and may well have been acquainted with him back in England.  The land that was granted to Robert in Salem was in the part of Salem known as “Danvers” “at the foot of the hill, near the pear-tree said to have been set out by Gov. Endecott on his farm.” It is also known that Gov. Endecott was a Baptist sympathizer and gave shelter to Roger Williams. Gov. Endecott was known for his “pious zeal, genial manners and hot head.” For some reason this strikes true to Robert Wheaton as well. [Chagford coincidentally is the home of the Whiddon family although no DNA match exists with this group.]

Robert was earlier granted land at Marblehead, where not too surprisingly, we find that Roger Williams had tried to establish a church and had been denied. Roger Williams goes on to move to what becomes Rehoboth and then further across the River to establish the colony of Rhode Island.

In the most extensive of any written genealogies about Robert Wheaton; “The Family Record pf Deacon’s James W. Converse and Elisha S. Converse” by William G. Hill 1887 he writes:

That Robert Wheaton came from the pure, unmixed, native Welsh or rather Cumry race…..

It is believed that his wife Alice (Elce, Alce) Bowen was of Welsh origins but to date their is no proof of Robert having been Welsh and unless we are talking way, way back such as in Roger’s father or grandfather this is not likely to be true. But perhaps a long standing Celtic origin could be interpreted nearly 200 years after his death as Welsh. An original document from 1775 in the archives in Rhode Island states Robert came from England.

The records of Robert’s life are quite scant and much of what we “know” of him is a reading of tea leaves. That does not deter me from trying to do so. I collected information not only on Wheatons in Devon but any Rehoboth inhabitants with possible Devon connections. Which keeps leading me round and round like a dog chasing her tail…..

MORE ON MAYOR Roger Bevyn Le Wheaton

Posted on October 10, 2012     5 Comments

Not sure which group would like to be related to our dear Mayor! He sounds just as feisty as Robert of Rehoboth. However Robert was not literate and Roger surely is!

This from Exeter Memories re Mayors|

1302 Roger Beynim (Roger le Whetene) – a dispute arose between Mayor and people of the city, and tenants of the Lord of Kenton and Wyke, who refused to pay Murage for their wares and merchandises. Murage was a tax for repairing the walls.

 

 

1303 Roger Wheaton (Roger Beyvin) – Wheaton decreed that persons who set up for Lammas Fair before the appointed time had to answer to the Mayor.

 

1309 Roger Beynim – Hugh Courtenay was in dispute with Bishop Cator over the purchase of three pots of fish in the market. The Mayor intervened and ordered that one box be allocated to Courtenay, one to the bishop and one to the market. Courtenay berated the Mayor over the affair with the citizens outside, afraid for the Mayor’s safety. The Mayor wearing a coat bearing the Earl’s coat of arms, suddenly took the coat off and flung it to the ground, stating that Exeter’s Mayors from then on would only answer to the king.

 

1313 Roger Beynim – the Mayor this year fined the bakers of the city for underweight bread. Seventeen complained, but lost their case.