Simeon Wheelock (March 29, 1741– September 30, 1786) was a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

from

Uxbridge, Massachusetts Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, MA, Mendon, and named for the Marquess of Anglesey, Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located south ...

, who served as a

minuteman Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

in the

Massachusetts militia This is a list of militia units of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts. *Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (1638) *Cogswell's Regiment of Militia (April 19, 1775) *Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia (April 20, ...

during the

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. After the war he was killed while on militia duty protecting the Springfield Armory during

Shays' Rebellion Shays Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. The ...

Family

Wheelock was born to Colonel Silas Wheelock and Hannah Albee of

Mendon, Massachusetts Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,228 at the 2020 census. Mendon is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, an early center of the industrial revolution in the United ...

, on March 29, 1741. His father was a colonel. Simeon was a great-great grandson of Rev. Ralph Wheelock. Many of Simeon's brothers would also serve in the Revolutionary War. Ralph Wheelock, the original immigrant and Simeon's great grandfather, was the first teacher in the

Dedham Public Schools The Dedham Public School System (Dedham Public Schools) is a PK– 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the Town Meeting set aside land for ...

, the first public school in America, founded in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

in the 1640s.

Life and career

Simeon Wheelock served in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

in 1760. He married Deborah Thayer of Mendon on November 28, 1763. They settled in Uxbridge that year, and would have eight children. He worked as a

in a shop adjacent to his home, which still stands in Uxbridge. Wheelock served as

Town Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a To ...

of Uxbridge for five years. With the approach of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, Wheelock was a member of the

committee of correspondence The committees of correspondence were, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independe ...

in Uxbridge in 1774. 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. His term of service at this time was for 15 days. Later, he served as Lieutenant in Capt. Samuel Read's company, in a regiment commanded by Lieut. Col. Nathan Tyler, from the alarm of December 8, 1776 to January 21, 1777, at Providence, Rhode Island. Simeon died in September 1786 at the age of 45 when his horse slipped on the ice while engaged in the suppression of

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. His son

Jerry Wheelock Jeremiah Wheelock (September 19, 1782 – 10 October 1861) was an American early industrial pioneer in the Blackstone Valley of Massachusetts, a region that incubated the early American industrial revolution. Family He was the youngest son of Sim ...

was prominent in the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufacturi ...

in Uxbridge, joining forces with early woolen mill pioneer, Daniel Day. Shays' Rebellion had its opening salvos in Uxbridge, a year before. Shays' Rebellion was an uprising of farmers related to currency disarray after the Revolution.

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. Today, it is the local home of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

and is named for Deborah Wheelock. The building is well preserved as a museum. It was built in 1768 and is located at 33 North Main Street. 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 Uxbridge, Massachusetts has 53 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. The locations of National Register properties and districts (at least for all showing latitude and longitude coordinates below) may be seen in an online map by cli ...

. This house is in the "Uxbridge Common Historic District" on

Massachusetts Route 122 Route 122 is a southeast-northwest state highway in Massachusetts that is a continuation of Rhode Island Route 122. The highway is signed as south–north. Route description Route 122 begins in Blackstone as a continuation of Rhode Island R ...

just north of

Massachusetts Route 16 Route 16 is a east–west state highway in Massachusetts. It begins in the west at an intersection with Route 12 and Route 193 in Webster, just north of the Connecticut state border. It runs in a generally southwest-northeast routing through ...

Notes

Other references

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

External links