William Wheeler, Sr. Summary Page

A Chronology William Wheeler Sr's Life
Birth: 1765-1770	I have calculated this as follows: according to the 1800 census, he is between 26-45 which would have him born between 1755-1774, the 1810 has him the same age which means he was born between 1765 and 1784. The 1820 census only shows him over 45 which means he was born before 1775 and the 1830 census shows he is between 60-70, making him born between 1760-1770. Therefore, his actual birthdate is between 1765-1770.
7 Jul 1784:	In the will of John Pain, "the land next to William Wheeler" is mentioned. This information is from the McCubbins Collection. Click HERE to see the record. This is the first refererence I have seen to William though it may not be our William Sr. He would have been between the ages of 14-19 and would probably not have owned property by then.
1790 Census:	No Wheeler entry found in Rowan County, NC.
Marriage: 15 Feb 1791	William married Lucy Ellis. This is recorded in the Rowan County, NC marriage records, therefore this is assumed as fact. Does someone have an image of the record?
Late 1791: birth of Henry	The McCubbins Collection does not state that Henry is a son of Lucy Ellis but it implies that. The birth year is estimated from later census records.
1795: birth of Willis Ellis	The McCubbins Collection identifies Willis as a son of Lucy Ellis. The birth year is estimated from later census records.
1797: birth of William Jr	The McCubbins Collection identifies William Jr as a son of Lucy Ellis. The birth year is estimated from later census records.
1799: birth of Thomas	The McCubbins Collection identifies Thomas as a son of Lucy Ellis. The birth year is estimated from later census records.
1800 Census:	William is living in Rowan Co., NC (census here) with 4 sons under 10, he is 26-45, and his wife is 26-45.
1801:	William Wheeler purchased land in Rowan County, NC. This information is from Peggy Sue (Morris) Estes and is unverified. If you have access to the land records of Rowan Co., NC, please look this up and send an image.
3 Feb 1802: birth of John	The McCubbins Collection identifies John as a son of Lucy Ellis. He became one of the founding members of the Mormon Church and moved west. The birth date is from the Mormon records (located here) but I suspect the year to be 1801 as he is listed before James and after Thomas in the McCubbins Collection letter and he does not appear to be in the 1800 Census.
1801-2: birth of James	The McCubbins Collection identifies James as a son of Lucy Ellis. The birth year is estimated from later census records.
1803-4: birth of Lucy	The McCubbins Collection identifies Lucy as a daughter of Lucy Ellis. The birth year is estimated based on the birth of her brother James and the death of her mother, Lucy.
3 Nov 1804: Lucy (wife of William) dies before this date	William Wheeler sold land in Rowan County, NC to Jesse Haden. He had no wife at this time. This information is from Peggy Sue (Morris) Estes and is unverified. If you have access to the land records of Rowan Co., NC, please look this up and send an image.
1810: Territorial census of Illinois	There is one William Wheeler living in southern Illinois (census here). He is a widower with the following listed as children in the household: 2 males 16-26 (assumed to be Henry & Willis), 2 males 10-16 (assumed to be William Jr. and Thomas), 2 males under 10 (assumed to be John and James), and 1 female under 10 (this must be Lucy). This information is from Darlene Farris Sewell and is transcribed information. If anyone can provide an image of the actual census, I will add it here.
2 Sep 1814:	William Wheeler purchased land in Gallatin County, Illinois Territory (Shawneetown Land Office, receipt number 78). This information is from the Related Notes section of Harold G. Felty's book on Hamilton County marriages from 1821-1854. It is attached to note 107.
1814-1815	Around this time, William marries his second wife, Margaret/Peggy. This date is assumed as his son, Robert Lewis Wheeler will be born in 1816.
1816	Robert Lewis Wheeler is born. This date is based on the 1850 census record.
Pre 1816	Older son, William, Jr. marries Sarah (who has children?) and moves out. He is recorded separately in the 1820 census.
5 Jan 1819	Older son, Willis, marries Rebecca Charles and moves out. He is recorded separately in the 1820 census.
22 Feb 1819	Thomas Wheeler purchased land in White County, Illinois (Shawneetown Land Office, receipt number 5465). This information is from the Related Notes section of Harold G. Felty's book on Hamilton County marriages from 1821-1854. It is attached to note 82.
22 Feb 1819	John Wheeler purchased land in White County, Illinois (Shawneetown Land Office, receipt number 5466). This information is from the Related Notes section of Harold G. Felty's book on Hamilton County marriages from 1821-1854. It is attached to note 42-A.
14 Aug. 1820	Oldest son, Henry, marries Priscilla Mayberry and moves out. He is recorded separately in the 1820 census.
1820 Census:	William Sr. is living in southern Illinois (census here) with 3 males under 10, 3 males 10-16, 1 male 16-18 and 16-26, and one male over 45 (William). He shows 1 female under 10, 1 female 10-16, and 1 26-45. There are 6 new males under the age of 16. Who are they? We know one of the males is 4 year old Robert Lewis Wheeler. and the 10-16 year old female would be Lucy, but who are the other five males and 1 female? This implies that his new wife, Margaret, may have came with some children. The one male 16-18 would be James and he should be the one that is in the 16-26 column, but where is John (about 20 now) and Thomas (about 21 now)? They purchased land a year earlier and will not be marrying until 1824 & 28 respectively, but they are not separately listed on the 1820 census. There is one additional older male (16-26) living with William Jr. so that may be one of them. There are also 2 males 26-45 living with William Jr. that have not been identified.
1823	Artimissia (Wheeler) Stephens is born. This date is based on the 1850 census record.
1830 Census:	William Sr. is still living in southern Illinois (census here) with 2 males 10-15 (Robert would be 14 - is the other the unknown 'Amos Wheeler'), 1 male 15-20 (no clue who this is here!), and one male 60-70 (William). He shows 1 female 10-15 (Artimissia should only be 7 now so who is this), 1 female 20-30 (Lucy?), and 1 female 40-50 (Margaret). We now have two unidentified males and two unidentified females. Plus where is Artimissia?
8 Sep 1830	William Sr. dies in Hamilton Co., IL. This information is from the Probabte record. I have a copy of this and will be adding it soon.

Contact Information: