Mary (Wheeler) Merriam (1673 - 1747)

Born 15 Sep 1673 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Wife of John Merriam — married 14 Nov 1688 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 26 Dec 1747 at age 74 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jarred Merriam [send private message]

This profile is part of the Wheeler Name Study.

Biography

Mary Wheeler was born in 1672. (Her tombstone says that she was age 75 at her death in 1747, making her birth year 1672.)^[1] Some sources list her birth date as 1673.^[2][3]

Mary Wheeler married John Merriam, 1662-1727, on Nov. 14, 1688 in Concord, Middlesex, Mass.^[4][5][6] They had 11 known children.

Some believe Mary was the wife of Jacob Wood.^[7] However, the 1713 Middlesex, Massachusetts probate for Mary's father John Wheeler is signed by (1) his wife Sarah; (2) his son Samuel, (3) his son Edward, (4) his son Ebenezer; (5) his son-in-law William Woodbury (m. daughter Joanna), (6) his son-in law John Merriam (m. daughter Mary), (7) his son-in-law Timothy Wheeler (m. daughter Lydia), (8) his son-in-law Samuel Prescott (m. daughter Esther), (9) his son-in-law Jonas Prescott (m. daughter Thankful), and (10) his son-in-law John Merriam Jr. (m. daughter Sarah). No Jacob Wood appears as a signatory, but two different John Merriams appear as signatories, one with the suffix Jr. (10), and one without that suffix (6). While the John Merriam who married Sarah Wheeler was the son of a John Merriam, the John Merriam who married Mary Wheeler was not. Mary, daughter of John Wheeler and Sarah Larkin, married John Merriam, son of Joseph Merriam and Sarah Stone; the Mary Wheeler who married Jacob Wood was a different Mary Wheeler.

Mary Wheeler Merriam died on Dec. 26, 1747 in Concord, Middlesex, Mass.^[8][9][10] Note: Charles Pope in the "Merriam Genealogy in England and America" erroneously states her death date as 1745. This is refuted by her tomb stone.^[11]

Transcription of tombstone: "HERE LIES BURIED---ye BODY OF ye WIDOW---MARY MERIAM RELICT---OF DEACON JOHN---MERIAM WHO DECd---DECEMBr ye 26th---A D 1747---IN ye 75th YEAR---OF HER AGE" (--- To indicate separate lines)

Excerpt from "Wheeler Family in America"

"MARY WHEELER, died Dec. 20, 1745, age 75. Married Nov. 14, 1688, John Merriam, who was born at Concord, Mass., Aug. 30, 1662; and died there May 21, 1727; son of Joseph Merriam and Sarah (Stone) Merriam. ^[12]

Excerpt from "Merriam Genealogy in England and America"

"John" {Joseph,^ Joseph,' William^), born in Concord, Aug. 30, 1662; married Nov. 14, 1688, Mary Wheeler, of Concord. She survived him, and died Dec. 20, 1745, aged 75.

He removed to Lexington; was one of the original members of the church there in 1696, and chosen deacon ; frequently represented the church in ecclesiastical councils. Was a prominent citizen, assessor, selectman, and in other positions of trust. He acquired large amounts of land in various towns. He sold to his son John 56 acres of land on Long Pond in Littleton by Deacon Wheeler's lot, and 6 acres of meadow in the east corner of Plain Meadow, July 18, 1722, his wife Mary signing the deed, and John and Ebenezer M. witnessing it.

Worcester, March 16, 17 14. By order of the Honour Comittee laid out to John Barron in the right of John Miriam a thirty acre Lott at Worcester with rights in comon to sd 30 acres granted by Sd Comittee may 2oi 1714 to John Miriam lying on the north side of Concord road near Burnt coat plain on and joyning to Indian Hill : bounded East by land laid out to Benjn Barron South by land laid out to Thomas and Ichabod Brown and undivided land : north by land laid out to Benjn Flecher West by common land near mill brook & signified in the platt.

-Surveyed by D. Haynes. [Worcester Proprietors Records.]

He died May 21, 1727. The son John wrote a note from Littleton, requesting the appointment of " some of his younger brothers" to administer on the estate, June 7, 1727. The Court appointed Jonas Meriam, housewright, and Benjamin M., blacksmith, June 10, 1727. The widow Mary, her sons, John and Benjamin, and Mr. Joseph Miriam and her daughters Lydia and Ruth, with Phillip Russell (who appears as the husband of a daughter), joined, Nov. 18, 1728, in an indorsement of Jonas's administration. The Inventory specified " 58 acres of land lying upon both sides of the Road that leads down to the Meetinghouse;" 7 acres in Watertown; 4 1-2 acres in Weston; 24 acres in Littleton; other tracts of land, and a good personal estate. Division was made by a committee, Sept. 2, 1728, "Joseph Miriam " signing clearly as the guardian of Joshua, William, and Amos. He was called Mr. in the probate papers." ^[13]

Children

Children of John Merriam and Mary Wheeler: ^[14][15]

1. Mary, b. Jan. 6, 1689.
2. A daughter [Sarah ?] m. Phillip Russell, mentioned in division.
3. Lydia, named in probate papers.
4. John, b. 26 July, 1696, m. Hannah.
5. Ruth, bapt. Nov. 6, 1698.
6. Benjamin, b. 6 Jan., 170, m. Mary.
7. Jonas, b. 13 Feb., 1702-3, bapt. Jan. 12, 1704, m. Abigail Locke.
8. Ebenezer, b. March 2, bapt. 3, 1705-6, m. (1) Esther Gleason; m. (2) Elizabeth Locke.
9. Joshua, b. Feb. 21, bapt. 22, 1707-8, m. Nov. 12, 1733, Susanna Gleason.
10. William, b. Sept. 24, bapt. 28, 1712; d. June 21, 1735.
11. Amos, b. July 25, bapt. 31, 1715, m. Hannah Danforth.

Sources

1. ↑ Lexington Massachusetts Cemetery Records
2. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
3. ↑ Find a Grave
4. ↑ Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850
5. ↑ U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700
6. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
7. ↑ The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, p. 25. https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalency00amer#page/24/mode/2up/search/larkin
8. ↑ Lexington, Massachusetts Cemetery Records
9. ↑ Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
10. ↑ Find A Grave
11. ↑ photo on Find a grave
12. ↑ The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, p. 1103. https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalency00amer#page/1102/mode/2up
13. ↑ Merriam Genealogy in England and America, by Charles Pope, p. 52
14. ↑ Merriam Genealogy in England and America, by Charles Pope, p. 53
15. ↑ The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, p. 1103. https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalency00amer#page/1102/mode/2up

• The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, By Albert Gallatins Wheeler. Boston. 1914. (18,1257p.):1103 https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalency00amer#page/1102/mode/2up
• Lexington, Massachusetts Cemetery Records, Flint, James, ed. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Robbins Cemetery Records.
• Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0823762. Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp. Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
• Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook). (death date)
• Massachusetts, Town Marriage Records, 1620-1850, Vital Records of Concord. Full text MERIAM, John [Cambridge] & Mary Wheeler, 14 Nov, 1688. New England Historic Genealogical Society. Massachusetts, Town Marriage Records, 1620-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
• Merriam genealogy in England and America, by Pope, Charles Henry, 1841-1918; Merriam, Charles Pierce, 1856-; Dickinson, C. E. Gildersome-; Merriam, James Sheldon, 1829-. Publisher Boston, C. H. Pope, 1906, Pages 576. https://archive.org/stream/merriamgenealogy00pope#page/52/mode/2up
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• Find A Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16639582&ref=acom (birth, death, parents)
• U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012. Original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. (Married John Miriam/Merriam Nov. 14, 1688)

Acknowedgements

Profile started by Jarred Merriam, Sunday, April 5, 2015.