Genealogy of the Wheatley or Wheatleigh Family

A History of the Family in England and America

"To live in hearts that we leave behind is not to die."

Compiled by

Hannibal P Wheatley, M. D.

Pages 4-8

b. for born; d. for died; m. for married; bapt. for baptized; res. for residence.

The three numerals over a sketch of an individual are explained as follows:

The first figure indicates the person’s number. The Roman characters show in what generation he is, and the figure to the right is the number of the parent. Thus, on page (12), 3 II 1 Rev. Nathaniel Wheatleigh’s number is 3; he is of the second generation; and son of No. 1—-John Wheatleigh. So one may start with the present generation and trace the line back to the first or any generation by the numbers.

The records embraced in this history do not assume to be a full genealogy of the Wheatley family They are, however, the result of more than twenty years of diligent and persevering efforts to make them correct and reliable. Where incomplete, the fault is largely due to neglect of members of the branch slighted, to answer repeated requests for sketches and records.

The gathering of material has been a task requiring great patience and much labor, correspondence and arranging of facts being largely done after the hour most people were abed, such being the only leisure hours, of the busy years of a physician's life.

A few of the early records were collected by Luther Wheatley (b. 1783 d. 1859) These were added to by Charlotte Wheatley Bowman (1824.- 1882) and carried forward by Edith Wheatlev Wilcox (I 819 1881) whom I assisted and I have brought forward her unfinished task.

A large amount of history was gleaned with the aid of officers of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society in Boston. The Genealogies published, of the Wingate, Rollins, Tenney, Perry and Loveland families have been searched for data, some portions having been taken from them bodily.

And I am under great obligations to Col. F. M. Kimball of Topeka, Kan., Dr.. John R. Ham of Dover, N. H., Flora Wheatley Foss of Hardwick, ‘Vt., and Col. Ainsworth of the Pension Bureau at Washington, D. C., while the labors of Josephine A. Peavey of Farmington, N. H., in gathering and preparing the material for the press, has made possible the publication, at this tine.

The personal examination of church, town and probate records of several states has secured the connecting links of the present generation with their ancestors in this and the old country

There is a moral and philosophical respect for our ancestors, which elevates the character and inspires the heart. The pride of ancestry is the foundation of the pride of character, without which no man can be great.

Our family is eminently a domestic race; loving their homes and firesides; shunning notoriety; not aspiring to political or other public favors; but faithful, honest, industrious and economical. The rogue’s gallery or the police reports are the last places to look for a Wheatley.  Rather disposed to keep their own counsel; and somewhat stubborn when opposed.

The family has an honorable record in all our country’s wars, from the early colonial times. All four of Capt. John Wheatley's sons served in the Revolutionary army. The Revolutionary Rolls, State papers of several states, and the pension and war departments at Washington, have aided in furnishing valuable history.

It seems that the ‘Wheatleighs were Protestants early in the 17th century. In the fall of 1626, Charles I of England sent a naval force to Dieppe for the use of Lewis, King of France, against the Huguenots at La Rochelle. The sailors discovered his purpose and objected. They drew up a remonstrance to Pennington, their commander, and signing all their names in a circle lest he should discover the ring-leaders, they laid it under his prayer book.

This we believe to be the first record of a "Round Robin." In this circle we find the name of A. Wheatleigh, from Wells, Somerset, England. Admiral Pennington declared "that he would rather be hanged in England for disobedience, than fight against his brother Protestants on the continent." And the whole squadron sailed for home. But La Rochelle, the Huguenots headquarters, fell into the hands of the French in 1628, and they were scattered, many coming to Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina. In these settlements were several Wheatleighs. Many of their descendants still live in these localities. Three Wheatleys are known to have come to New England. Their posterity have scattered over these states, and spread to New York and the West.

James Wheatleigh settled at Wethersfield, Conn., in 1638, Capt. John Wheatley or Wheatleigh settled in Norwich, Conn., in 1732, and merchant John Wheatley lived in Boston, Mass., from 1745 to 1774. James Wheatleigh assisted in (drawing up a constitution for the government of Connecticut Colony, which was adopted in January, 1639. Among his papers we find the coat of arms here given.

Whether they are to be legitimately borne by the descendents of John Wheatley may be problematical.

This is not described in Burke’s General Armory, although there are eight separate Wheatley arms and borne by ten different families, recorded in this Encyclopedia of Heraldry. The first one was granted by Edward III to John Wheatley Esq., of Castle-Bromwich, Co. Leicester, in 1356. About fifty years later his son William Wheatley Esq. gained additional favors from King Henry IV. William Wheatley Esq. left no son to bear the name, so the arms were preserved to his daughter Thomasine Wheatley. and she married John Dannot.

Records of coats of arms of some other families mentioned in this history can be found in the appendix. In Burke’s General Armory there are records of families of the following names. Some have one or two, while others have several. The Wood family has one hundred and two records. They are: Abbott Allen, Archer, Austin, Bach, Barker, Barnes, Bell, Bowman, Brown, Carpenter, Clark, Craig, French, Foss, Hall, Hastings,. Hodge, Hutchinson, Loveland, Paine, Pellet, Shepherd, Skinner, Waterman, Welch, Wheeler, White, Wilcox, Wingate and Wood.

Our branch being directly interested only in those of Sir Nathaniel Wheatley (11) of Frome, Sommersetshire; and of William Wheatley Esq., (77) of Echingfield, Co. Sussex.

N. WHEATLEY.             WM. WHEATLEY.

Wheatley (Frome, Co. Somerset, Sir Nathaniel Wheatley.) gu. a lion rampart ar. on a chief or. three mullets sa. Crest: A stag’s head cabossed ppr.

Wheatley (Echingfield, Co. Sussex, William Wheatley, Esq.) per fess az. and or., a pale counter-changed, three lions ramp. regardant of the second. Crest: Two arms embowed, vested az. holding between the hands ppr. a garb or.

LANGUAGE OF HERALDRY EXPLAINED.

Gu a lion rampant ar. On a red shield a silver lion in position shown. On a chief or, three Mullets sa. A chief is the upper third of the shield, gold in color on which are three black stars.

Crest: A stags head cabossed ppr. Position shown of proper color. 

Per less az and or. The upper half of the shield is blue and the balance gold. 

The pale counter changed. A pale is a band perpendicular occupying the middle third of the shield, counter changed calls for use of the color blue of fess extending down through the gold field with gold in the upper part of the pale.

Three lions rampant regardant of the second. Their position as illustrated facing backward, and the second color is gold..

Crest:Two arms embowed (position in picture) vested az (blue) holding between the hands ppr (proper color), a garb or (a sheaf of wheat gold.)