USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > Black Rock, seaport of old Fairfield, Connecticut, 1644-1870; > Part 14
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NICHOLS, Captain Hanford*, born 4 Feb. 1827, died 25 May 1881, lived in the family homestead. He married in Brook- lyn, Sarah Elizabeth Thurston, daughter of Jasper and Frances (Durando) Thurston. They had eight children : Charles Hanford, Clarence Thurston, William Henry, Clement Walker, Mary Ransom, Francis Durando, Georgi- ana, Robert Prescott.
NICHOLS, Hezekiah, of Fairfield (son of Ephraim and Rebecca (Gold) Nichols), married Ann Penfield, daughter of Peter and Mary (Allen) Penfield. Their children, several times mentioned in the Journal, included: Allen, Ann, Silas, Hezekiah, Elizabeth (who married John Gold Allen), Sarah (who married James Allen), Samuel Allen, and Gershom. OGDEN, John, lived in Black Rock near the upper wharves about 1845. His wife, Laura A., was born about 1827, and two of their children were Harriet, born 1845, and John William, 1847.
OLMSTEAD, Ashbel of Fairfield, married Eliza Eans (?) 18 July 1816.
OLMSTEAD, David (1772-1850), son of Joseph and Mary (Charles or Childs) Olmstead of Derby. He married Elizabeth Woodcock of Milford (1764-1841) and was a millwright. He died in Black Rock 24 Feb. 1849.
OLMSTEAD, Hezekiah (1771-1850) married 17 Dec. 1793 Hannah Smith, of Patchog. Their three children given in the Olmstead genealogy are Seymour, who died 29 Oct.
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1796, four days old, Nancy, born 2 Nov. 1797, who married 27 Nov. 1823 Alanson Allen, and Joseph Smith. There were, however, other children, including Eliza, who married 25 Oct. 1829 Lewis Burr. She died 16 July 1889.
OSBORN, Hezekiah, son of David and Mary (Beers) Osborn of Mill Plain. He married Nancy Perry, daughter of Peter and Sarah (Bradley) Perry. After "keeping store" at Mill Plain, going to sea and becoming a captain, he moved to Black Rock where he lived by the upper wharves (14). Later he and his family moved to Verona, N. Y.
PALMER, George H., who died 3 Sept. 1867, married Mary, daughter of David Penfield. They lived on Brewster Street and had three sons, William, David, and Charles.
PARROTT (Parit, Parritt, Parrett), Abraham (1752-1817), lived near Ash Creek. Eliza Wheeler, his granddaughter, writes : "He died July 5, 1817, aged about 65 years. He had three wives and ten children." He was son of John and Sarah (Hubbell) Parrott, bapt. 22 July 1753. One of his daughters, Rhoda, born 3 Jan. 1780, died 26 Nov. 1808, married William Wheeler. Another, Eliza, married David Wheeler.
PATCHEN (Patchin) David, mentioned as Rhoda (Parrott) Wheeler's greatuncle, was grandfather of Ephraim Patchen (baptized 6 Oct. 1790) possibly the E. Patchen drowned in 1803.
PENFIELD, David (1769-1845), after the death of his father, James, and the sale of the mills on Ash Creek, came in 1803 to Black Rock and occupied the house moved by Barlow Sturges to the corner above the Middle Wharf (10), which he bought, together with the three shares of the wharf pre- viously held by the Sturges brothers. He married, 7 Oct. 1804, Elizabeth Bulkley, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Lewis) Bulkley, b. 12 June 1780, d. 1 March 1871. Three of their sons, William, Henry, and Samuel, died unmarried. Three others, Ephraim*, George*, and Benjamin*, lived in Black Rock. Captain Charles Penfield, b. 22 May 1805,
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occupied the Silliman house (7) for a few years, then moved to Bridgeport. Mary married George H. Palmer, and Elizabeth married (1) George T. Solley and (2) John Y. Provost, remaining in Black Rock.
PENFIELD, Captain Ephraim Lewis*, born 18 July 1809, died 29 Jan. 1880. He lived in his father's homestead until after the Civil War. He married (1) Mary Ann Clark; (2) Roxana (Wyckoff) Palmer. Of his four children, one died in infancy ; Mary Catherine married James Gray ; Samuel Edgar married, 7 Nov. 1866, Elizabeth Howick French; and Captain George Mortimer married (1) Zella Irene Jen- nings of Brooklyn ; (2) Cornelia Adelaide Penfield, daughter of Benjamin.
PENFIELD, Captain Benjamin*, born 16 Oct. 1807, died 6 Nov. 1882. He bought the Gershom Sturges house (9) shortly after his marriage 8 Oct. 1832 to Henrietta Allen, daughter of Benjamin and Deborah (Disbrow) Allen of Westport. He was master and owner of the "Wonder," sailing from Bridgeport to New York. He had six children: William Henry; Cornelia Adelaide; Caroline Elizabeth; John Ben- jamin; Martha Clinton (who married George B. Nichols of Newark) ; and a daughter who died in infancy.
PENFIELD, George*, born 29 May 1811, died 1 June 1880. He lived near Ash Creek in a house later occupied by his son and daughter. He married 2 May 1839, Charlotte Golding, daughter of Daniel Golding. Of their eight children, George Oscar and Virginia Elizabeth lived in Black Rock, occupying their father's house until about 1905. Three sons died in childhood; two, Milton Roof and James Golding, followed the sea ; and a daughter, Mary Jane, died in 1893.
PENFIELD, Samuel (1734-1811), lived in Fairfield, where he owned the Sun Tavern on the Green. He was a brother of James Penfield, Sr. and father of Josiah, drowned in 1784. His son, Henry L. Penfield of Rye, married Mary, daughter of Peter Perry, and with her transferred a share of the Perry wharf property to Bradley Perry.
Bark TRAVELLER, Geo. M. Penfield, Commander. BUILT AT BALTIMORE, MD .. 1858-
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PERRY, Bradley (1785-1830), son of Peter and Sarah (Bradley) Perry of Mill Plain, came to Black Rock about 1820, pur- chased the Riley store and wharf and lived in the house later the property of Captain Holdredge. He had three daughters, Catharine, Julia and Sarah. His widow, Julia (daughter of Walter Thorp), married Rufus Hoyt.
PERRY, Seth, born 9 April 1780, died 1866, married Kate Stoddard. He bought the store, house and wharf that had been property of his brother-in-law, Hezekiah Osborn, in 1812. He was a merchant and ship-owner. His house (21) stood at Brewster Street and Grovers Avenue and was subsequently occupied by his son, Robert Perry.
PLUMB, John, long resident in Black Rock, was born in 1796, and his wife Sally about 1807. Their children included Frederick, born about 1831; Sarah, 1836; and Leonard G., 1844.
PROVOST, John Youngs6 (Elias1, Johannes2, Johannes3, Daniel4), son of Daniel5 and Lydia (Jones) Provost, born 13 Oct. 1811, died 8 Jan. 1892. He married (1) 24 Nov. 1834, Mary Wilmot, and (2) 24 Oct. 1877, Elizabeth (Pen- field) Solley. His children, all by his first marriage, were: Mary Elizabeth, b. 15 Aug. 1835, m. 14 May 1854, Joseph L. Chapman of Damariscotta, Maine; Anna A., b. 28 June 1838, m. 27 Nov. 1867, Theodore Fox of South Norwalk; Eliza Frances, b. 16 Sept. 1840, m. 3 Feb. 1864, Bradley Banks of Easton; and John H., b. 27 June 1848, m. (1) 28 Dec. 1870, Julia M. Olmstead, and (2) 25 Oct. 1881, Annette Evans. The Provost homestead was on Brewster Street. (The family name was originally Provoost-of Knickerbocker origin.)
RANSOM, Thomas, died 15 May 1888. He was a merchant in Black Rock and later in Bridgeport. He married Catherine, daughter of Captain Job Bartram, b. 1808, d. 25 Jan. 1892. They had five children, Mary Gardner, d. 13 Jan. 1881, aged 44; William, d. 31 May, 1893, aged 42; Robert Clinton, d. 11 Oct. 1840, aged 13 months; Thomas Bartram, d. 14
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Feb. 1832, aged 2 years, and Cornelia R., d. 26 Feb. 1837, aged 2.
RAYMOND, Curtis, son of Sturges and Finetta (Banks) Ray- mond of Greenfield, died in Black Rock 27 July, 1880. He married Charlotte Ruth Henrietta of Brooklyn, and made his home on Ellsworth Street, later occupied by his son, Henry Casper Raymond, married Hattie E. Banks, dr. Abram and Sarah (Goodsell) Banks of Greenfield.
READ, Samuel, lived on the stage road near Ellsworth Street about 1800.
REW, Rev. Edward T., son of John Rew of North Carolina, born 10 April 1821, died 4 June 1889. He married 10 April 1844, Mary Jane, daughter of Jesse Olmstead of Norwalk. His son Edward, with Eliphalet Walker, formed the firm of Rew & Walker at the Black Rock shipyard. The children of Edward T. and Mary Jane Rew were: Jesse, b. 14 Aug. 1846; Sarah Elizabeth, b. 24 Dec. 1847; Mary Jane, b. 10 July, 1849, married Rufus J. Banks; Edward T., her twin, d. 14 July, 1849: Edward T., b. 28 June, 1856; and John Aurelian, b. 3 Oct. 1857, drowned in Black Rock harbor, 31 Dec. 1872.
RILEY, Terence, from Staten Island, came to Black Rock in 1803, when he purchased John Wheeler's house, store, and wharf, and also another wharf, originally surveyed for Philo Rug- gles. His business ventures were over-extended and after his sudden death in New York, his property was taken over by his creditors. He left a widow, Sarah, and a daughter, Eliza.
RUGGLES, Philo, original proprietor of wharf laid out later to John Wheeler. He was from Milford and married 21 July 1799, Ellen Bulkley of Greenfield. He died shortly afterwards.
SAYRE, Rev. James, of the Episcopal church in Fairfield, after a vain appeal to Tryon to save his house in 1779, lost all of his property and with his family left Fairfield in the British man-of-war. He later returned and continued his ministry
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until his death in 1798. He was part-owner of the Middle Wharf. Of his four daughters, Jane married Uriah Bulk- ley, and his son Dennie owned the property in Black Rock, where other members of the family were frequent visitors.
SCOFIELD, Jesse, married Mary, daughter of William Hol- berton. In 1850 they had one daughter, Mary, living with them, and their granddaughter, Mary L. Camp.
SEELEY, Sturges, in 1850, lived on Ellsworth Street in a house still occupied by his family. His daughter, Martha, married 30 July 1880, William C. Harrison of Elizabeth, N. J.
SILLIMAN, Anna, wife of William Silliman died 1776 aged 19 her monument is large, full of verses almost romantic her husband died in the western country. He was by some called a simple man, be that as it may, I shall always with pleasure remember him as a friend that helped me along in Religion, often stopping me as I past his house to talk on sacred subjects in (to me) a most pleasing way-we are never enough thankful to our human friends that would save us from eternal despair.
SILLIMAN, Captain Joseph4 (Daniel1, Robert2, Nathaniel3), (1732-1788), married in 1762 Christiania (or Christian) Hubbell, daughter of Richard and Penelope (Fayerweather) Hubbell. They lived in the house built by Captain Silliman on Grovers Avenue (7) where their five children were born, Nathaniel*, Sarah, Mary, Rhoda, and Phebe.
SILLIMAN, Captain Nathaniel* (1763-1795), lived in the old homestead and was a frequent visitor at the Wheeler house, where he told many sea stories none probably so tragic as that of his own death, narrated by the Journal.
SILLIMAN, Seth died 1808 aged 67 I knew the amiable man well ... His ancestor Capt. Silliman tradition reports to have enlisted and taken out a company to Cartagena in 1741, few ever returned-20,000 Englishmen perished by the unhealthy climate-Silliman was glad to escape, having, it is said, sold his commission for a hogshead of molasses.
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SKINNER, John, living in Black Rock in 1850 and his wife, Catharine, had two sons in 1850, Roger Sherman, aged 4 and Willie Perry, 2.
SMITH, Aaron, born 16 July 1815, died 16 April 1886, son of David and Margaret (Lane) Smith, married 25 Oct. 1838, Margaret Calderwood, daughter of Jonathan and Charity (Hall) Calderwood, born 1 Aug. 1815, died 2 May 1900. He and his family sailed from North Haven, Maine, in a schooner, settling in Black Rock, where they lived, next to the Ransom house in "the lane" now Calderwood Street. Two children died young, the others were Black Rock resi- dents,-Jeremiah (married Jane M. Green of Milford) ; Viola Jane (married George A. Gould, son of Morris Gould) ; Orland; Fairfield; and Joseph (married Sarah W. Allen, daughter of Captain Charles Allen) .
SMITH, David, son of Reuben and Eleanor (Williams) Smith of Greenfield, bapt. 18 Feb. 1796, married Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Alanson Allen.
SOLLEY, George Thomas, son of Thomas and Melinda (Lan- ders) Solley, born 18 Jan. 1823, died 12 Sept. 1872. He married in 1848, Elizabeth, daughter of David Penfield. They had no children, but adopted a daughter, Mary Ann Howell, who married Charles J. Palmer.
SPENCER, Cyrus P., from Damariscotta, Maine, married 14 Nov. 1853, Maria S. Banks, and lived on Ellsworth Street.
SQUIRE, Captain Samuel4 of Fairfield (George1, Ensign Samuel2), son of Lieut. Samuel3 and Mary (Silliman) Squire, part- owner of the Middle Wharf, and original owner of the Squire Wharf, lived near the Penfield Mills on the old road, and his children are mentioned frequently in the Journal and in the records. He married (1) Abigail Maltbie, (2) Abi- gail Squire, daughter of John and Sarah (Rumsey) Squire, and (3) Ellen Gold, daughter of Abel and Ellen (Burr) Gold. His seven children were: Samuel; Sarah (who married Daniel Wilson) ; John; David (injured at the fort in 1779) ; Abigail (married Isaac Jarvis) ; George; and William.
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SQUIRE, Captain John, his brother, built a house (6) near the Money Beach about 1762. He married (1) Deborah Smith, (2) Mary Harper of Martha's Vineyard, and (3) Lydea (Taylor) Jarvis of Norwalk, whose son, Isaac Jarvis, Jr., became a member of his household. His own children included Deborah; Mary; John; Lydea; Peter; Lydea (2d) who married John Wheeler, as his first wife; and James who, with his son Peter, died in camp at Plattsburgh. SQUIRE, Captain Joseph4 (George1, Ensign Samuel2), son of Joseph3 and Abigail (Hill) Squire, first cousin of Captain John and Captain Samuel, lived in Fairfield, but owned property in Black Rock. He married Mehitable, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Wakeman Burr. His children were: Joseph, who married (1) Sarah, daughter of Rev. Andrew Eliot and (2) Ann Wetmore; Ebenezer, who married Mary Wheeler, daughter of Capt. Ichabod, and had thirteen children occasionally mentioned in their uncle's Journal; Abigail, who married Ebenezer Jessup; Sarah, who married Walter Carson; Elizabeth; Andrew; George; and Mehitable, who married David Jennings.
STAPLES, Thomas, Jr. and Walter, are mentioned in the census of 1800 as living near the creek by the mills, and in 1820 the name of Samuel Staples occurs in the wharf daybook of David Penfield, so that the family was resident in Black Rock over at least that period of time.
STURGES,-Four of the children of Seth Sturges and his wife, Mary (daughter of Peter Burr), of Fairfield, were residents of Black Rock :-
STURGES, Captain Benjamin3 (Benjamin1, Seth2), who in 1783 married Thankful Darrow, moved to Southport.
STURGES, Captain Barlow, his brother (1769-1819), after a brief sojourn during which he managed a tavern (10) at the Middle Wharf, moved to Compo and later to Ohio where he died. He married in 1789, Eunice Osborn. They had two sons, Frederick, b. 1 Aug. 1790, and Barlow, b. 7 Aug. 1793.
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STURGES, Captain Gershom, the third brother (born 1 June 1773, died 17 March 1835), remained in Black Rock where, after his third-share of the Middle Wharf, with those of Barlow and Benjamin, had been sold to David Penfield, he transferred his business to the upper wharves, with a suc- cession of store-keeping partners. He married (1) 6 Dec. 1807, Elizabeth Lewis (6 Jan. 1783-2 May 1817), and (2) 21 Sept. 1818 Elizabeth Rowland. Three children, Eliza- beth, Mary Ann, and Jonathan, died in infancy ; Jane Lewis, b. 19 Aug. 1808, d. 7 Jan. 1829, m. 12 Oct. 1826, Rufus Keeler. One son survived him,-George Burr Sturges, b. 3 Dec. 1809, m. 1835, Harriet Young of Montreal, and after selling the family homestead to Benjamin Penfield, moved to Brooklyn and then to Peoria, Ill., where he died 24 Nov. 1870.
STURGES, Eunice, a sister, married Captain Woodhull.
STURGES, David Hull5 (Benjamin1, Seth2, Seth3, Jr.), son of Jonathan4 and Sarah (Hull) Sturges, born in Fairfield 30 Aug. 1844, married Sarah Eliza Gould, daughter of Morris and Fanny (Wilson) Gould, born 5 April 1844, died 23 April 1872. He lived on Ellsworth Street, next to the Congregational Church.
THORP, Captain Walter, son of Captain Eliphalet and Eunice Thorp of Fairfield (baptized 18 Feb. 1770, d. 21 Oct. 1837), married Ruamah Wakeman. He came to Black Rock early in the nineteenth century, first occupying the Silliman house (7) and then building his own home (12) next to David Penfield on the new road (now Seabright Avenue). His children included: Wakeman, bapt. 21 Jan. 1794 (married 8 Sept. 1817, Marietta Osborn) ; Edward, bapt. 19 June, 1803, d. 17 Feb. 1831; Walter, Jr., b. 1813, drowned 24 Sept. 1818; George (who died 9 Sept. 1817 in North Carolina) ; Charles (who married 14 Nov. 1824, Almira Beers) ; Eunice, bapt. 21 Jan. 1794; Miranda, bapt. 21 Jan. 1794, married Jonathan Bulkeley; Julia Anna, bapt. 3 Feb. 1798, m. (1) 17 Nov. 1817, Bradley Perry, and (2) 1 April 1832, Rufus Hoyt; Mary Wakeman, bapt. 2 Feb. 1800,
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m. John Gould; Delia Marcia, bapt. 30 June 1805, m. John Beardsley; and Priscilla, m. Henry Beers.
TRUBEE, David4 (Andris1, Ansel2), son of Samuel Comfort3 and Elizabeth (Curtiss) Trubee, lived in the house (now remodeled) on the northwest corner of Ellsworth Street and Fairfield Avenue, later home of Elhanan Fyler. He married Sarah Gifford Doane, and was resident in Black Rock in 1867.
TURNEY-Several of the Turney family occupied homesteads across the creek, and are frequently mentioned in the Journal, although Captain Andrew Turney alone owned Black Rock property.
TURNEY, Aaron of Fairfield, served at the Battery in Black Rock in 1779, and in 1782 as 2d Lieutenant under Capt. Woodhull on the "Spy," "Fox," and "Firebrand."
TURNEY, Captain Andrew, bought in 1839 Munson Gray's house, barn, wharf-lot, and store.
TURNEY, John, son of David and Sarah (Gold) Turney, born 20 Oct. 1767, died 6 Dec. 1807. He married Eunice, daughter of James and Ellen (Burr) Penfield, b. 28 Feb. 1773.
WAKEMAN, Wyllis, son of Ebenezer and Eunice (Bradley) Wakeman of Greenfield Hill, born 4 July 1794, died 15 Feb. 1848. He married 31 Oct. 1819, Anna Jennings, born 2 June 1796. Of his four sons, the eldest, James Henry, b. 21 March 1821, d. 12 Nov. 1876, also lived in Black Rock on Ellsworth Street. He married (1) 29 Sept. 1846, Catharine Beach, b. 27 Oct. 1826, d. 28 Aug. 1855, and (2) 6 June 1859, Sarah M. Beardsley. Of his six children, none remained in Black Rock.
WHEELER Family. The "History of the Wheeler Family in America," compiled by Albert G. Wheeler, Jr., traces the several branches of the Fairfield pioneers, but omits a few lines. For the most part, these are to be included in D. L. Jacobus' "First Families of Fairfield," so that the following notes concern individuals mentioned in the Journal. The most important source, William Wheeler himself, supplies several dates in the first pages of his record :
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"My Grandfather had 2 wives-I am told he had one Son only (John) by his first wife he had several children daughters & by his last wife Lydia he had 5 sons, Obadiah, Daniel, Jabez, Ichabod & John, and died in his 92d year.
Obadiah had 3 sons, Ezra, Josiah & Abram Ichabod Wheeler was born Jan. 11 1725/6 Married to Deborah Burr January 1st 1752 She was born May 14th Old Stile 1730
They have 3 children Mary born May 21st 1756 Myself Wm Wheeler Born July 12th 1762 & John
(Note interposed-William Wheeler died at sunrise January 28th, 1845, aged 82 yrs. 6 mo. 16 dys.) & John February 24th, 1765.
(John Wheeler died February 13, 1846, at halfpast nine in the evening aetat 81.)
Obadiah Wheeler died November 6th 1753
My grandfather John Wheeler died March 29th 1754 in the 92 year of his age.
My father Ichabod died September 14th 1806 in the 81st year of his Age.
My wife Rhoda Parrit born Jan. 3, 1780, died Nov. 26, 1808. My son William born June 7, 1802
Eliza born April 7th 1804 Died June 15th, 1839."
In addition to this and other data in the Journal, a few important and hitherto unrecorded details concerning the family have been discovered in various records consulted in the preparation of this book, and are included in the following brief summary of Wheelers resident in Black Rock.
WHEELER, Sergeant John2 (Thomas1), died in Black Rock in 1690. His first wife was Judith Turney, his second, Eliza- beth Rowland. His children included Judith, John*, Eliza- beth (married Daniel Comstock), Thomas (see page 5), Mary, Rebecca, Joseph, Abigail (married John Brinsmade), Obediah, Ann (married Lemuel Sherwood), Jonathan*, David*, and Hannah (married Samuel, son of Isaac Wheeler), whose daughter, Hannah Wheeler, married (1) Dr. John Wheeler of Stratfield and (2) Robert Chauncy.
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WHEELER John*3, married (1) Abigail Burr, and (2) Lydia Porter of Windsor. His children, summarized by William Wheeler above, included :
John4 (1694-1725/6) m. Elizabeth Burr, and had two children, John, bapt. 1725 and Abigail, who inherited her father's house (3b-see page 128).
Sarah, Abigail, Mary, Elizabeth and Judith Ann.
Obediah4 (1716-1753), who, with his wife Mary, lived in Black Rock. Two sons, Josiah and Abram, moved to Redding, about 1779, and the remaining brother, Ezra, settled in Weston in 1788.
Daniel4 (1718- ) left Black Rock about 1745.
Ichabod4 (1725/6-1806) lived in Black Rock in the house built for his eldest brother (3b). Of his three chil- dren, Mary (1756-1828) married 29 June 1776, Ebe- nezer Squire; William, author of the Journal, married 13 April 1800, Rhoda Parrit, and had two children, William and Eliza. William Wheeler, Jr., and his wife Almira, were residents of Black Rock. He died 12 July 1878, and she died 13 May 1879, leaving no children. The third child of Captain Ichabod, John Wheeler, married (1) Lydia Squire, dr. of Capt. John and Lydia (Taylor) Squire, b. 30 June 1769, d. 24 May 1799, and (2) 22 Aug. 1799, Catherine Holber- ton, dr. Capt. Thomas Holberton. By his first mar- riage he had three children, Deborah, George, and Lydia, and by his second marriage six others. He moved to Westmoreland, N. Y., but frequently visited his brother.
John4, b. 3 June 1729, d. 3 Feb. 1819, was named after his deceased eldest brother. He lived in Black Rock only a short time before moving to North Fairfield.
WHEELER, Jonathan3, born 1686, died 20 Feb. 1772, married Abigail, daughter of Timothy Wheeler. Three of their children were Sarah, who married Jonathan Cope; Jona- than5, Jr., referred to by William Wheeler as "an odd fellow"; and Abel5, b. 1737, d. 26 March 1772, m. Rebeckah
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Whitear, who had one daughter, Huldah (see footnote, page 48).
WHEELER, David3 (1689-1775), married (1) 20 March 1716 Esther Nichols and (2) Martha (Morehouse?). He had at least four children, Temperance, Patience, Eunice, and David. David4 (always referred to in the land records as David Wheeler, 3d, because of another David of Stratfield) b. 1726, d. 10 May 1806, m. Lois, dr. Robert and Hannah (Wheeler) Chauncy. They had at least three daughters,-Patience (married Nathan Thorp), Biat (married Ammon Johnson) and Lois (married John Perry), and two sons, Nichols5, who d. unm. and Chauncy5, b. 17 Dec. 1751, d. 2 April 1803, m. 12 Oct. 1781, Caroline Matilda, dr. Nathaniel Beers of Strat- ford. The nine children left by Chauncy's death (page 71) included Patience, b. 18 Aug. 1782; Huldah, b. 28 March 1784; David, b. 4 May 1786; Phebe, b. 5 April 1789; Lois, b. 14 Sept. 1791; Nichols Chauncy, b. 26 Dec. 1793, d. 6 Feb. 1859; Nathaniel, b. 1796; Caroline, b. 5 Oct. 1798; and Simeon, b. 4 March 1801, m. 1 Feb. 1824, Betsy Ann Brown.
Simeon6 lived in Black Rock, where four children are mentioned in 1850,-Stratton Theodore (?) ; Howard Washington; William Augustus; and Elizabeth Frances.
WELLS, Roswell, son of Gideon, married in 1813, Marietta Gould, daughter of Medad and Elizabeth (Jackson) Gould. His daughter, Eliza, married Thomas Ward Taylor. She died 18 Nov. 1842, aged 27. The Wells family occupied the old Jonathan Wheeler house (2).
WHITNEY,-Several families of this name appear in the Black Rock records.
WHITNEY, Roswell, living in Black Rock in 1850, born about 1807, had a wife Eliza, born about 1810, a daughter, Mary, aged 9 and a son, Augustus S., aged 8. Members of the same household were Raymond Whitney, aged 45, Marinda, 44, and Charles S., 12.
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WILSON, Captain James (cousin of William Wheeler), who built a house (16) in Black Rock in 1767, was son of Robert and Catherine (Burr) Wilson, born 1742/3, died in Newfoundland 12 Oct. 1773. His wife, Sarah, daughter of Daniel and Sarah Morris, died 29 March 1771, in her 26th year. William Wheeler says of him that he went commander of the Ship Duff (?) & Missionaries to the S. Seas, was taken prisoner and sold to Hyder Ali by the French- He escaped from the castle by dropping 40 feet from its walls down to the river. A boy followed him, whom he caught in his arms. He swam four branches of the river that night, another he crossed in a canoe-he then came to the largest stream and how long he was crossing it, he did not know, thought he might have been asleep, left the boy behind (as he could not swim), was taken again, stripped naked, tied, marched 40 miles with the distance he swam that day and night-returned to his former prison, from thence had to march 500 miles on foot, full of sores, chained to another soldier, to Hyder's presence, urged to enlist, put in prison for 23 months- They employed themselves to catch white ants to fry them. When exchanged, only 32 remained of 153- When among his friends, he began to think of new services,-so strong is hope. He built in Black Rock (16) but his son James, Jr., lived in Stratfield.
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