Simeon Wheelock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

'Simeon Wheelock'
Born March 29, 1741(1741-03-29)
Died 1784
Occupation blacksmith, Massachusetts militiaman

Simeon Wheelock (March 29, 1741 – 1784) was a blacksmith from Uxbridge, Massachusetts, who served as a minuteman in the Massachusetts militia during the battles of Lexington and Concord in the American Revolutionary War. After the war he was accidentally killed while on militia duty during Shays' Rebellion.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

Wheelock was born to Colonel Silas Wheelock and Hannah Albee of Mendon, Massachusetts, on March 29, 1741.[1] His father was a colonel and a descendant of the Rev. Ralph Wheelock.[2] Many of Simeon's brothers would also serve in the Revolutionary War.[1]

Simeon Wheelock served in the French and Indian War in 1760. He married Deborah Thayer of Mendon on November 28, 1763. They settled in Uxbridge that year, and would have eight children.[1] He worked as a blacksmith[1] in a shop adjacent to his home, which still stands in Uxbridge. Wheelock served as Town Clerk of Uxbridge for five years.[3]

With the approach of the American Revolution, Wheelock was a member of the committee of correspondence in Uxbridge in 1774.[2][1][3] As first lieutenant in Capt. Joseph Chapin's company of minutemen, he answered the alarm on April 19, 1775, and fought at the battles of Lexington and Concord.[2] His term of service at this time was for 15 days.[2]

Later, he served as Lieutenant in Capt. Samuel Read's company,[2] in a regiment commanded by Lieut. Col. Nathan Tyler, from the alarm of December 8, 1776 to January 21, 1777, at Providence, Rhode Island.[2]

Simeon died in 1784 at the age of 43 when his horse slipped on the ice while engaged in the suppression of Shay's Rebellion in Springfield.[1][3] His son Jerry Wheelock was prominent in the textile industry in Uxbridge, joining forces with early woolen mill pioneer, Daniel Day.[3]

[edit] Lieutenant Simeon Wheelock house

The home that Simeon and Deborah Wheelock built is now part of Uxbridge's many historic houses. It is located on North Main Street across from the Masonic Lodge building.[3] Today, it is the local home of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is named for Deborah Wheelock.[3] The building is well preserved as a museum. It was built in 1768 and is located at 33 North Main Street.[3]. There are a number of Revolutionary War soldiers and officers from this community. To find more on other soldiers, see the article on Uxbridge, Massachusetts. For more on historical sites in this area see the List of Registered Historic Places in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. This house is in the "Uxbridge Common Historic District" on Massachusetts Route 122 just north of Massachusetts Route 16.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Historic Homes, Institutions, Genelologies and Personal Memoirs, p.343". books.google.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, surname Wheelock/Simeon Wheelock". Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Walking tours - Uxbridge. Blackstone Daily. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.

[edit] Other references

  • Wheelock, Simeon (Uxbridge), DAR Volume 16, p.1011
  • entry in DAR Vol. 19, p. 113, by Mary Taft Wheelock, DAR ID 18297

[edit] External links