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, United States, first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston an ...

, 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. Min ...

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 ...

during the

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 were the first major military actions of the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot militias from America's Thirteen Co ...

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

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

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

Family

Wheelock was born to Colonel Silas Wheelock and Hannah Albee of

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

, 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 Pre-kindergarten, PK–Twelfth grade, 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the ...

, the first public school in America, founded in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

in the 1640s.

Life and career

Simeon Wheelock served in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

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 (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) 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 ma ...

of Uxbridge for five years. With the approach of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Wheelock was a member of the

committee of correspondence The committees of correspondence were a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independence during the American Revolution. The brainchild of S ...

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

in Springfield. His son Jerry Wheelock was prominent in the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

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 National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

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. 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 Islan ...

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 throu ...

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