Hopestill Wood

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 11 Feb 1699, Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts

Hopestill married John Daggett on 15 Jun 1721 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts. John (son of Nathaniel Daggett and Rebecca Miller) was born on 16 Mar 1699 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; died on 9 Jul 1738 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; was buried in Newman Cemetery, East Providence, Providence, Rhode Island. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Hopestill married Rev. Aaron Wheeler on 9 Dec 1742 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts. Aaron (son of Philip Wheeler and Martha Salisbury) was born on 17 Jan 1722 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; died on 19 Mar 1800; was buried in Stevens Corner Cemetery, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

"Benjamin Wheeler, progenitor of the branch of the family now under consideration, was a native of Massachusetts, his birth occurring February 7, 1764. In early manhood, in 1800, accompanied by his wife and children, he removed to New York state, settling on the farm now owned by his grandson, Simeon R. Wheeler, in East Bloomfield, Ontario county, and he also erected the first grist mill in South Bloomfield. He was active and public-spirited, served in the Revolutionary war, and in all ways performed his part faithfully and conscientiously. He married, July 28, 1782, Celia Buffington, born in Massachusetts, August 26, 1762, who bore him six sons and four daughters. Benjamin Wheeler died February 6, 1836." [A History of Ontario County, New York, and Its People, citation details below.]

His tombstone describes him as "PVT, Continental Line, Rev War".

"Benjamin Wheeler applied 1 September 1832 for a Revolutionary War pension and included in his application the family Bible record sheets which listed the names of his ten children with birth dates. Eight of these have been verified in the vital records of Rehoboth and Dighton, Massachusetts; the last two are unrecorded elsewhere. His pension was granted and later his widow, Celia, drew her allotment. He deposed that in the spring of 1777, age 13, he entered the service of his country as a substitute for his brother, Simeon. His first assignment was as a waiter in Capt. Simeon Cole's Co. of Rehoboth. Re-enlisting nine times, with terms of duty ranging from three to five months, he had attained the rank of fourth sergeant by the spring of 1781. His experiences included hospital service at New Windsor, Connecticut and Yorktown, Virginia; he was with the army at Yorktown and saw the capture of General Cornwallis (19 Oct. 1781); he saw General George Washington at Providence, West Point, and Yorktown. Mr. Elihu Morse and James Gladding, both of the town of Bristol, N. Y. attested to the truth of these statements." [Harriette M. Wheeler, citation details below, citing Compiled Military Service Record, Revolution, Benjamin Wheeler, National Archives, Washington, D.C. and claim #W 15484.]

Benjamin married Celia Buffington on 28 Jul 1782 in Hornbine Church, about six miles from Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts. Celia was born on 25 Aug 1762; died on 6 Mar 1843 in East Bloomfield, Ontario, New York; was buried in Wheeler Cemetery, East Bloomfield, Ontario, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

"Benjamin D., son of Benjamin and Celia (Buffington) Wheeler, was born in Massachusetts, April 10, 1789, died September 30, 1818. He removed from his native state to New York state, settling in East Bloomfield, where he was a prominent citizen, advancing the interests of the community in which he resided. He married Deborah Reed, and they were the parents of five children, two sons and three daughters, Hannah R., Deborah, Celia B., Benjamin T., and Simeon R." [A History of Ontario County, New York, and Its People, citation details below.]

Albert Gallatin Wheeler's Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family in America gives Benjamin Daggett Wheeler as a son of Barnard Wheeler and Anna Goff. This is clearly a mistake:

* Benjamin Daggett Wheeler's tombstone clearly reads "son of Benjamin and Celia Wheeler."

* The mother of the Benjamin Wheeler who married Celia Buffington was named Hopestill Daggett.

* The first son named in the will, made 23 Jul 1832, of the Benjamin Wheeler who married Celia Buffington, is "Benjamin D."

Benjamin married Deborah Reed about 1809 in East Bloomfield, Ontario, New York. Deborah was born about 1791 in Massachusetts; died on 2 Jun 1860 in East Bloomfield, Ontario, New York; was buried in Wheeler Cemetery, East Bloomfield, Ontario, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]