Ancestors of Christopher John Augustine Morry

John Joseph Wheeler

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: 22 Sep 1850 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²¹ ^,730 ^,735 Christening: 20 Oct 1850 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁷³⁰ ^,735 Death: 18 Nov 1931 - Silverdale, Green Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( at age 81) ²¹ ^,2138 Burial: After 18 Nov 1931 - Jackson's Cove-Langdon's Cove-Silverdale, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ³⁹⁰⁰ Cause of Death:
Events
• Alt. Birth: 22 Sep 1850, Southwest Arm, Green Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Parents

Father: William Francis Wheeler ²¹ Mother: Mary Ann Williams

Spouses and Children

1. *Grace Moores ²¹ Marriage: 4 Dec 1876 - Southwest Arm, Green Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²¹ Children: 1. William Francis Wheeler 2. Edward Samuel Wheeler 3. Virtue Wheeler 4. Herbert John Wheeler 5. Mary Ann Wheeler 6. Philip Joseph Wheeler 7. Lillian Wheeler 8. Wheeler 9. Ernest Wheeler 10. Walter Wheeler

Notes
General:

130414 from NGB transcript of Vital records version of Ang. Cathedral register:

Sep 22 1850 Torbay Road WHEELER William Francis & Mary Ann John Joseph Oct 20 1850 fisherman WILLIAMS Married 1848.

Living

Sex: M

Parents

Father: Otto Edgar Wheeler ¹⁶⁸ Mother: Agnes Ann Norris ¹⁶⁸ ^,3694

Spouses and Children

1. Living Children: 1. Living 2. Daniel Joseph Wheeler 3. Living 4. Living

John Thomas Wheeler

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: 2 Jul 1866 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²¹ ^,24 ^,25 Christening: 5 Aug 1866 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²⁴ ^,25 Death: 1917 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( at age 51) ¹⁹ ^,23 ^,93 Burial: 1917 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ¹⁹ ^,23 Cause of Death:
Events
• Religion: RC, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This information found on the 1921, 1935 and 1945 Censuses and John and Agnes are buried in Mt. Carmel Cemetery. It is possible that John Thomas was C of E but the marriage was a mixed marriage so the children were raised RC.
• Religion: Roman Catholic.
• Alt. Birth: Note that the date of birth on the gravestone is wrong, 1864, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Minister/Priest: Thomas Martin Wood, 5 Aug 1866, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Literacy: Illiterate; signed his sister Caroline's marriage register with an X, 11 Jul 1875, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Farmer and Fisherman, Torbay Rd., Between 1894 and 1898, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Farmer, Torbay Rd., 4 Jul 1900, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: Grant of 9 acres 2 roods and 28 perches between the land of his granfather Joseph and that of William Field, 4 Jul 1900, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This appears to be property just after the Majors Path on the same side of the Torbay Rd. between his grandfather's 1845 grant and that of William Field. If so, this land shows on modern grant maps as belonging to his uncle Philip. I suspect that this was merely a clerical error in entering the name on these maps as Philip never held title to this property by grant.

Parents

Father: James Richard Wheeler ²¹ ^,24 ^,168 Mother: Jane ²⁴ ^,168 ^,731

Spouses and Children

1. *Agnes ¹⁹ Marriage: Children: 1. L. Cpl. James Joseph Wheeler RNR 2. ABS Phillip Joseph Wheeler Royal Navy 3. Peter J. Wheeler 4. Mary Wheeler

Notes
General:

14/12/02:

I've added his name to the list of family members solely because it appears as a witness to several of the other family members and seems likely he is therefore a relative.

30/03/03: McAlpine's Directory for 1898 lists only one Wheeler remaining on Torbay Rd., where the family originally hailed from -- John Wheeler, a farmer. It gives no more information than this but I'm inclined to believe that this is therefore the one and same John Wheeler who appears as a witness on a number of the births of the children of Joseph Wheeler and Mary Hannah Goss (i.e. he is their uncle).

02/04/03: Doug Wheeler's website also corroborates this link.

130114:
He also is the owner of a grant of land dated 1900 on Torbay Rd. in the same area as grants given to Joseph Wheeler (his grandfather) in 1845 and Phillip and James Wheeler (his brothers) in 1886 and 1889. I'm sure they are all one family.

It is interesting to note that the name of the mother is not given on the baptismal record at St. Thomas:

John Thomas WHEELER James & (n/g) b Jul 2 1866 St. Johns bap Aug 5 1866 farmer

Assuming I have chosen the correct James Wheeler as the father, this may imply that Jane had died in childbirth. She would have been about 46 when he was born -- very old to be a mother in that day and age. A lot of speculation here.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
240419:

Further to his land grant (John Thomas Wheeler V 61 F 271 # 9043), it is said to be on the WEST side of Torbay Rd. adjacent to the land of his father James. James had two grants issued in his name on Torbay Rd. and both were on the east side of the road, not the west. So I am judging from this that the original grant issued to his grandfather in 1845 is now considered to be the property of his father James. Since James was the only surviving son of Joseph, this seems perfectly logical but he should have registered the change of ownership at the Registry of Deeds and he did not.

The land covered by this grant, if I have placed it properly, shows on current grant maps of the area as having belonged to his uncle Philip and there is no mention on those maps of John Thomas Wheeler at all. Very strange. Could simply be a clerical error.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
120123:

Although I have shown only one daughter in this family, the obituary of son James Joseph says that he had three sisters in 1916 when he died.

John Thomas Carr Wheeler

Sex: M
AKA: Jack Wheeler, John C. Wheeler ⁸⁴⁴²
Individual Information

Birth Date: 28 Jul 1891 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²¹⁴² ^,8443 ^,8444 ^,8445 Christening: 13 Sep 1891 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²¹⁴² ^,8444 ^,8445 ^,8446 ^,8447 ^,8448 Death: 22 Feb 1966 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( at age 74) ¹²⁶² ^,1275 ^,2139 ^,8449 Burial: 23 Feb 1966 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ¹⁹ ^,2139 ^,8449 ^,8450 Cause of Death: Arteriosclerotic Cardio Vascular Disease ²¹³⁹
Events
• Alt. Birth: 27 Jul 1891, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Alt. Birth: 29 Jul 1891, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Minister/Priest: Rev. Arthur C.F. Wood, M.A., 13 Sep 1891, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Baptism: 17 Aug 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 090613 On the NGB website in the transcript of the RC Basilica Baptisms it gives this entry: 218. John Thomas, Wheeler, ? months old, Joseph Wheeler and Mary Hannah Goss, Mulloch St., 17 Aug [1892], W. Forristall, ??? co ??

The latter notation which the transcriber could not make out says "sub conditione c of e" which is found in the notations given for other children.

All or most of the chldren in this family are known to have been Baptised in both the Anglican and Catholic churches because it was a mixed marriage "sub conditione" and they were obliged to raise the children Catholic in order to have permission to marry, but in fact raised them as Anglicans.
• Godmother: Mary Barnes, 17 Aug 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Minister/Priest: Father W. Forristall, RC Cathedral, 17 Aug 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: Mulloch St. according to John Thomas Wheeler RC Baptism Register, 17 Aug 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. (Occupant)
• Occupation: Tinsmith, Standard Manufacturing Company, Between 1907 and 1960, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Birth certificate of Evelyn Mary Wheeler in 1917 indicated his profession as Tinsmith with Standard Manufacturing Company. He worked there from 1907 to 1960 according to the inscription on his long service watch (in possession of John Paul Wheeler). But in fact the inscription on the watch did not take into account 8 more years of service put in after the award, according to a newspaper photograph that appeared at the time of his actual retirement after 53 years in 1960.
• Census: Shows him living at home with his parents and several siblings, 1911, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Gives his age incorrectly as 18.
• Confirmation: 29 Mar 1914, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Mechanic, 1916, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: Power's Avenue, 20 Sep 1916, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Tinsmith, 28 Quidi Vidi Rd., 9 Dec 1917, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: 28 Quidi Vidi Rd., 9 Dec 1917, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: 12 Quidi Vidi Rd., Information from St. Thomas Parish Bulletin,, Jan 1918, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. January 1918.
• Census: 64 Quidi Vidi Rd., 1921, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Tinsmith, Factory, 1921, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: 64 Quidi Vidi Rd., 1921, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Census: Household of John Wheeler, 64 Quidi Vidi Rd., 1935, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. His home is estimated to be worth $2000. It has 6 rooms but no radio.

"Newfoundland Census, 1935," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9Z-Z912 : 19 July 2016), John Wheeler, 64 Quidi Vidi Rd, St. John's East, Newfoundland, Canada; citing St. John's East District, p. , household ID 379, reference ID , Department of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador; FHL microfilm 2,166,829.
.
• Occupation: Superintendent, Tin Department, $1300 a year, 1935, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: 64 Quidi Vidi Rd., 1936, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Listed as Wheeler, John C. home address as Quidi Vidi Terrace, 64 Quidi Vidi Rd.

Notes his occupation as foreman, can department, Standard Manufacturing Company Ltd.

Also shown is Miss Evelyn Morry, office assistant, HM Customs, with the same address.

Next door it shows Wheeler, Joseph A., electrician, Nfld. Light and PowerCo. Ltd., residence given as Quidi Vidi Terrace, 66 Quidi Vidi Rd.
• Census: 64 Quidi Vidi "Terrace", Household of John and Minnie Wheeler, 1945, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Note that John and Otto and Muriel are listed as Irish!!!!.
• Occupation: Sheet Metal Worker, 1945, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Retired as Supervisor of Tin Plant at Standard Manufacturing Company, Bef 24 Feb 1960, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. From Evening Telegram photo on that date. 53 years of service.
• Living: 21 Feb 1963, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Parents

Father: Joseph A. Wheeler ⁷³⁴ Mother: Mary Hannah Goss ³⁴⁵ ^,2145 ^,3599

Spouses and Children

1. *Sarah Minnie Bishop ¹⁴⁶ ^,168 ^,660 Marriage: 20 Sep 1916 - Cavendish, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁶⁷³ ^,1275 ^,2144
Marriage Events
• Alt. Marriage: 20 Sep 1916, Cavendish, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 28/08/01

Marriage record in Vital Statistics records (page 221, Line 14) for 1916 held at PANL state:

District of Trinity; Sept. 20, 1916; Cavendish; John Thomas Carr Wheeler (aged 25), bachelor; Mechanic; Resident of St. John's; Church of England; and Sarah Minnie Bishop (aged 25), spinster; resident of Cavendish; Church of England. Minister C. M. Sticking; Witnesses Lewis Ralph Bishop (Sarah Minnie's brother) and Mabel Elsie Martin (John Thomas Carr's neice); registering officer Canon Smart.
• Minister/Priest: Minister C. M. Sticking, 20 Sep 1916, Cavendish, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Witnesses: Lewis Ralph Bishop (Sarah Minnie's brother) and Mabel Elsie Martin (John Thomas Carr's neice), 20 Sep 1916, Cavendish, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. For some reason the name of Edith G. White is left off the formal record though it appears on the actual Marriage Certificate. Marriage Notes

28/08/01

Marriage record in Vital Statistics records (page 221, Line 14) for 1916 held at PANL state:

District of Trinity; Sept. 20, 1916; Cavendish; John Thomas Carr Wheeler (aged 25), bachelor; Mechanic; Resident of St. John's; Church of England; and Sarah Minnie Bishop (aged 25), spinster; resident of Cavendish; Church of England. Minister C. M. Sticking; Witnesses Lewis Ralph Bishop (Sarah Minnie's brother) and Mabel Elsie Martin (John Thomas Carr's niece); registering officer Canon Smart.
Children: 1. Evelyn Mary Wheeler 2. Otto Edgar Wheeler 3. Ruth Jane Wheeler 4. Muriel Isabelle Wheeler

Notes
General:

14/12/02: I have corrected the information below based upon new evidence found on the Nfld. Gen Web website that shows that Daddy Jack and all his siblings were baptised twice, once in the RC Church and once in the Anglican Church. Mom didn't know this and insisted they were only baptised at St. Thomas (C of E).

Named after Capt. John Thomas Carr of Carlyle, a friend of the family (actually it appears he was the brother-in-law of Joseph Wheeler, being married to his sister Caroline), who had wanted to adopt him since he and his wife had no male children. But while the name Carr does not appear on the birth/baptismal certificate registered at the RC Basilica of St. John the Baptist it does appear on the birth and baptismal record at St. Thomas Anglican Church. Like his siblings, he was baptised in both the Catholic and the Anglican churches to satisfy his parents, who were of the two religions.

Year of birth verified from birth/baptismal certificate from the RC Basilica photocopy Record # 00319913 viewed at NLGS 27/08/01, which stated that he was 13 months old at time of baptism. Sponsor at baptism was Mary Barnes. Fr. Forristall (?) officiated. Sub-Con. Father Prot. (this means Sub-Conditione - on condition that children be raised Catholic because father is Protestant).

According to Mom, her father was intended to be given up to be raised by his aunt Caroline, who was married to Capt. John Thomas Tertius Carr, because they had no male children and Joseph and Mary Hannah Wheeler had a large family and were too poor to be able to afford to raise them all. But when John was born his mother could not bear to part with him and consequently, though he retained the intended name, he remained with his birth parents. However, there is a wrinkle in that story. Caroline and John Thomas Carr already had a son named John Thomas, who was born in 1885 in England. This raises tantalizing questions that cannot be answered at this time. Perhaps his namesake cousin died and his parents were looking to replace him with a son from Joseph and Mary Hannah. Or perhaps "our" John Thomas Carr Wheeler was simply named in honour of his uncle. We may never know the truth.

090608: From Jennifer Bishop's website: CENSUS:

1. Per the 1921 Census of St. John's pages 118 - 132:

"WHEELER, John; M; Head; Married; 1881; July; 30; St. John's WHEELER, Minnie; F; Wife; Married; 1881; Nov; 30; Heart's Delight WHEELER, Evelyn; F; Daughter; Single; 1917; Nov; 3; St. John's WHEELER, Edgar; M; Son; Single; 1921; Sept; 1 mo; St. John's BISHOP, Jacob; M; Son in law[sic]; Married; 1855; June; 66; Heart's Delight BISHOP, Jane; F; Mother in law; Married; 1862; Mar; 59; Islington BISHOP, Joseph; M; Son; Boarder; 1888; Sept; 33; Heart's Delight"

JLB, There are obvious errors in the relationship column. Jacob Bishop is John Wheeler's father-in-law

"2. Per the NGB's transcription of the 1921 Census of St. John's East: WHEELER, John M head Marr 1891 July 30 St.John's WHEELER, Minnie F wife Marr 1891 Nov 30 Hearts ???? WHEELER, Evelyn F dau Sing 1917 Nov 3 St.John's WHEELER, Edgar M son Sing 1921 Sept 1mo "

From the original census return, it appears that Jacob, Jane and Joseph Bishop were living with the Wheelers at the time of the Census. This could well have been upon their return after the war from their house in Cavendish and before they bought the house next door to 64 Quidi Vidi.

111108: From St. Thomas Church: "John Thomas Carr WHEELER Joseph & Mary Hannah GOSSE b Jul 28 1891 Torbay Road bap Sep 13 1891 farmer"

011109:

Email from John Wheeler:

Re. when our grandfather started working at Standard Manufacturing: I have a watch that was was given to him by the Company - it has the following inscription on the back S. Mnfg. Co. Ltd. 1902 - 1952 J. Wheeler 45 yrs. service John

230310: 1935 Census for St. John's east gives these records of the family of John Thomas Carr Wheeler: 1935 Census of St. John's East SurnameGiven Name RelationshipSexMSAge WHEELERJohnHeadMM44 WHEELERMinnieWifeFM44 WHEELEREvelynDaughterFS17 WHEELEROttoSonMS13 WHEELERRuthDaughterFS12 WHEELERMurielDaughterFS10

1945 Census of St. John's East - Quidi Vidi Terrace SurnameGiven Name RelationshipSexMSAge Birth PlacePlace of Residence in 1935 WHEELERJohn J MM54St. John'sSt. John's WHEELERMinnie SWifeFM54Trinity BSt. John's WHEELEROtto ESonMS24St. John'sSt. John's WHEELERMurielDaughterFS21St. John'sSt. John's

Note that Mom (Evelyn Wheeler) was not present. She and Dad were married on the 6th of September of 1945 so it is possible that they were living elsewhere when the Census was taken or may have been on their honeymoon.

200710: Gravestone appears on Stonepics --NF056-STJ34-5706

230213: It is interesting that his confirmation certificate found in Mom's papers after her death showed that her father was not confirmed into the Anglican Church until March 29, 1914, when he was almost 23. I suspect that this marks the time at which he became betrothed to Nan and realised that he would have to confirm his faith as an Anglican in order to marry in that Church, since he was baptised in both the RC and Anglican faiths.

Joseph Wheeler

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1891 - Greenspond, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²² Christening: Death: Burial: Cause of Death:
Events
• Alt. Birth: Cir 1893, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Sailor, Between 1916 and 1917.
• Residence: At time of marriage, bachelor, 18 Sep 1916, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Sailor, 51 Merrymeeting Rd., 11 Mar 1917, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Spouses and Children

1. Living
Marriage Events
• Minister/Priest: Clarence A. Moulton, 18 Sep 1916, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Witnesses: Alexander Whiteway, Benjamin Hussey, Walter M. Hussey, 18 Sep 1916, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Marriage Notes

140705:

Sep 18, 1916, St. Thomas?s, Joseph Wheeler, 23, Bachelor, Sailor, St.John?s, Joseph Wheeler, deceased, and Winifred Muriel Hussey, 22, Spinster, ___, 51 Merrymeeting Rd., Edward Hussey, Retired, by Clarence A. Moulton, Alexander Whiteway, Benjamin Hussey, Walter M. Hussey, No.172

At first I thought that this might have been a first marriage for Mom's uncle Joe. But the dates are all wrong. Moreover Mom's grandfather didn't die until 1923 whereas the father of the groom in this marriage was deceased. It seems there were two Joseph Wheelers in St. John's with sons named Joe at almost exactly the same time.
Children: 1. Annie Laurie Wheeler

Notes
General:

150318:

I had previously had him linked to Joseph Wheeler of St. John's but then found him on the 1921 Census showing he was of the Greenspond crowd, hence not one of "ours".

Joseph Wheeler

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: 9 Jul 1841 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁷³⁵ Christening: 1 Aug 1841 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁴²⁸ Death: Bef 18 Sep 1916 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁴³⁷ Burial: Cause of Death:
Events
• Alt. Birth: Torbay Road, 9 Jul 1840, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Alt. Birth: 1 Aug 1841, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Parents

Father: Philip Wheeler ²¹ ^,93 Mother: Hannah Murrain ⁴²⁸

Notes
General:

111109 from NGB: Joseph WHEELER Philip & Hannah MURRAIN b July 9 1841 bap Aug 1 1841 St. Johns fisherman Married 1840.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

140414 from NGB transcript of Vital Records taken from Ang. Cathedral register:

Joseph WHEELER Philip & Hannah MURRAIN b July 9 1841 bap Aug 1 1841 St. Johns fisherman Married 1840.

Joseph Wheeler

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1812 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁸⁴⁵¹ Christening: Death: Bef 5 Feb 1833 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁸⁴⁵¹ Burial: 5 Feb 1833 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁸⁴⁵¹ Cause of Death:
Events
• Alt. Death: Feb 1832, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 'Keith Matthews name file for Wheeler: "1832 feb stjns ang jos died age 21."

Parents

Father: Joseph A. Wheeler RNR ¹⁶⁸ ^,724 ^,725 Mother: Jane ²¹ ^,168

Notes
General:

010312:

This is really marginally supported as a child of this family. The only thing I am going on is the Christian name and the fact that he would have been born at the time that Joseph and Jane were raising their family in St. John's.

Here is the NGB transcript of Burial record at Ang. Cathedral:

Feb. 5 1833 Joseph WHEELER 21 yrs

150715:

Keith Matthews name file for Wheeler: "1832 feb stjns ang jos died age 21"

This is undoubtedly the same person but don't know whether the NGB transcript is wrong on the year or Keith Matthews was.

Cpl. Joseph Wheeler Nova Scotia Regiment

Sex: M
AKA: Joseph Abner Wheeler ²¹
Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1767 ⁸⁴⁵³ Christening: Death: Cir Aug 1813 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( about age 46) ⁸⁴⁵⁴ Burial: 2 Aug 1813 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ⁷³¹ Cause of Death:
Events
• Military: Corporal in the Nova Scotia Regiment, 1813, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He is noted to be a Corporal in the NS Regiment on the baptismal record of daughter Mary Anne. Also on his burial record it states he was of the NS Regiment but gives no rank. On neither does it give a middle name as Abner. This is only found in Doug Wheeler's family tree. My feeling is that the Joseph Abner is our ancestor, not this man.
• Minister/Priest: David Rowland, Official Chaplain, 2 Aug 1813, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Notes
General:

13 April 2021:

Everything that appears below this explanatory note results from a continuing attempt over the course of about 10 years to understand how to explain two entries in the earliest register of the Anglican Cathedral. The first entry appears on August 2, 1813 and reads:

"105 - Joseph Wheeler - - - - aged 46 years - - of the Nova Scotia Regiment was buried August 2d - - - 1813 Registered by me David Rowland Offic. Chaplain."

The second entry appeared on the 15th of November 1813 (3 months later) and reads:
"115 - Mary Anne Daughter of Joseph Wheeler a Corpl. in Nova Scotia Regt. by Jane his wife was born on the 29th of Octr. __ 1813 and chrisened on the 15th Day of November 1813 _____ & registered ________ by me David Rowland _ _ _"

I read these and put two and two together figuring this was the same man and could therefore not possibly be "my" immigrant ancestor of that name who is known to have raised a family on the Torbay Rd. and died in 1866, not 1813. I felt that "my" immigrant ancestor was another Joseph Wheeler also married to a woman named Jane by coincidence whom served in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment according to his newspaper obituary appearing in identical form in three different newspapers, not the Nova Scotia Regiment. I therefore concluded that this Mary Anne was not one of his children.

Gloria Bruce read these same entries and said the contrary, that the man who died and was buried in August of 1813 was a different man than the one who was declared as the father of Mary Anne Wheeler later that year even though they had the same name, the same wife's name, and both were of the Nova Scotia Regiment. She contended that the latter Joseph Wheeler was the one who raised his family on the Torbay Rd. As proof she offered the fact that when Mary Anne married, a witness signing the marriage record was J. A. Wheeler.

We agreed to disagree on this subject for the last eight years since 2013. Today I am finally in agreement with her. The reason is that we have been able to piece together a subsequent marriage or conjugal relationship for this Mary Anne Wheeler to William Field which connects her to a court case posted by Edward Chafe on Newfoundlanders and Genealogy Facaebook page yesterday (12 April 2021) and the pieces all fall together that she was indeed a member of the family of Joseph Wheeler of the Torbay Rd. For this reason, I am today separating Mary Anne from the Joseph Wheeler who died in 1813 and connecting her to the Joseph Wheeler who died in 1866.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NB: The information below is copied in the notes of Cpl. Joseph Wheeler of the Nova Scotia Regiment (Cpl. Joseph Abner Wheeler in Doug Wheeler's family tree and nowhere else) and those for Joseph Wheeler of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (according to several obituaries apparently written by the same person) to show how these two men have been confused by us and others over the years and to hopefully prove that there were two separate men by this name, both with a wife named Jane (?) and both having a child or children whose christening records appear in the Anglican Cathedral register in the early 1800s.

30/03/03: J. A. Wheeler was a witness to the marriage of Mary Anne Wheeler (Nfld.Genweb website). I have assumed Mary Anne was a sister to James and Phillip and that this J. A. Wheeler must have been the father since James would not have been old enough to be a witness at the time of the marriage. All suppositions need to be challenged.

[much later -- 070613 -- this supposition is clearly wrong as Joseph Wheeler of the NS Regiment died in 1813 before Mary Anne was born; the J. A. Wheeler who witnessed the wedding was almost certainly her mother Jane.]

02/04/03: Just discovered the Family Tree Maker website of a Doug Wheeler (not Mom's cousin): http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/h/e/Douglas-C-Wheeler/

Douglas C E Wheeler 3 Ebsary Place Grand Falls-Windsor, NF A2A 2L1 Canada doug.wheeler@nf.sympatico.ca

He has scads of information on the Wheelers back to Joseph Abner Wheeler, born about 1776 (location unknown) and died Dec. 18, 1866 in Torbay Rd., St. John's. Now the fun begins!

[070613 Doug Wheeler's information was confused as he did not know that the Joseph Wheeler of the NS Regiment died before Mary Anne and hence any of the other purported children were born. I believe Doug is deceased as he has never responded to my queries]

261009: From NGB website Mary Anne WHEELER Joseph & Jane b Oct 29 1813 bap Nov 15 1813 Corporal in the Nova Scotia Regt.

Note where it says he comes from, or at least where his regiment hailed from.

030711 from NGB: A Joseph Wheeler received a grant of land on Torbay Rd.: Dec 15/1845 Wheeler Joseph Vol. 4 Pg. 104 Torbay Rd.

200711 Information from Gloria Dawe Bruce:

NLGenWeb Parish Records

Avalon South Region St. John's District

ST THOMAS ANGLICAN CHURCH

BURIALS 1865- JAN. 1867

Dec 19 1866 Joseph WHEELER 91 yrs

010312:
Now here is where things begin to get confusing. Clearly there were two Joseph Wheelers in the St. John's area at the same time and we (Doug Wheeler and I) may have mixed them up. The Joseph Wheeler who was with the Nova Scotia Regiment and who was the father of Mary Anne Wheeler, born in 1813, now appears to have died in 1813 just before she was born:

Joseph WHEELER 46 yrs Aug 2 1813 Nova Scotia Regiment

Information was transcribed by Jill Marshall for the NGB website in 2012 so it is possible that Doug had never seen or heard of this burial record at the Anglican Cathedral before connecting the other Torbay Rd. Wheeler's to this man. It now seems likely that the other Joseph Wheeler, who died 18 Dec 1866 was a completely different person from heaven only knows where.

I tried to check this out with Doug to see what he says but his email address no longer works and his FTM website has been dormant since 2002. I'm afraid he may be deceased.

020312 from NGB Ang Cath Burial Register

Just to add to the confusion, look at the notations on the burial register put in by the transcriber, Jill Marshall in 2011:

Joseph WHEELER St Johns 91 yrs Dec 19 1866 Formerly of the NL Regiment; may have married Jane & was Corporal of the NS Regiment in 1813 per baptism of child.

Not very helpful and very confusing!

230412: The regiment to which Joseph Abner Wheeler was supposed to have belonged is the: Nova Scotia Regiment of Fencible Infantry, 1803-16: Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

061112 from the NGB website transcript of the Anglican Cathedral register"

"Oct 31 1833; St. John's; George Ringsbury, bach., St. John's. Mary Anne Wheeler, spin, St. John's; J. A. Wheeler, William Earle."

This entry in the Cathedral Register has caused no end of confusion for the family. Note the two initials J.A. Wheeler. This would seem to imply Joseph Abner Wheeler.

[070613 No. He was dead 20 years by then. It must be Jane]

We had initially been persuaded that Mary Anne's father and the father of many ancestors of the Wheelers in Newfoundland today, including Mom, was Joseph Wheeler, a Corporal in the Nova Scotia Regiment (referred to as Joseph Abner Wheeler in Doug Wheeler's family tree and nowhere else that I have seen), who seems to have married his wife Jane (?) after coming to Newfoundland as part of the garrison for the town during the War of 1812. This was certainly the information originally provided to me by Doug Wheeler's family tree. And I was pleased to receive it because it gave a name to the immigrant ancestor of the Wheelers of Torbay Rd. Mary Anne's baptismal information in the Anglican Cathedral register substantiates this fact.

However, lately we have learned that Corporal Joseph Wheeler of the Nova Scotia Regiment died on August 2 1813, a few months before the birth of his daughter Mary Anne. Therefore he could not have been the father of the several other children who were born later to a Joseph Wheeler (without the middle name Abner) whose wife was by weird coincidence (?) also named Jane (?). There was another Joseph Wheeler, originally of the Newfoundland Regiment (according to several obituaries evidently written by the same person), who now appears to have been the father of these other children, including Mom's great grandfather James.

But then we see this J. A. Wheeler showing up again as a witness to the marriage of Mary Anne to George Ringsbury 20 years after the death of Cpl Joseph Wheeler of the NS Regiment. So who was this J. A. Wheeler? An older brother whose birth record is not found in the Anglican Cathedral register? Or possibly this is the other Joseph Wheeler, who was in the Newfoundland Regiment and who may have been a cousin of the Cpl Joseph Wheeler in the Nova Scotia Regiment perhaps? These are only theories and there is no evidence to support either.

[070613 No. J. A. Wheeler must be her mother Jane]

The mystery remains.

200716:
Here is an exact transcription of the Cathedral register for the burial:
"105 Joseph Wheeler aged 46 years of the ___ Parish [crossed out] Nova Scotia Regiment was buried Augut the 2d 1813 Registered by me David Rowland Offic. Chaplin."

I don't see how any one can mistake the fact that the Corporal from the Nova Scotia Regiment who was the father of Mary Anne Wheeler is the same Joseph Wheeler of the Nova Scotia Regiment who was buried on Augus 2, 1813 just before her birth on the 29th of October. Therefore, unless "our" Joseph Wheeler married the NS Regiment Joseph Wheeler's widow (perhaps they were cousins) there is no way that Mary Anne could be a sibling or even half sibling of the children raised in the family on the Torbat Rd.

Joseph A. Wheeler

Sex: M
AKA: Joseph Wheeler ²¹ ^,168 ^,731 ^,735 ^,1241
Individual Information

Birth Date: 7 Aug 1846 - St. John's, Newfoundland ²¹ ^,735 ^,1856 ^,8455 Christening: 13 Sep 1846 - St. John's, Newfoundland ⁷³⁵ ^,8456 Death: 21 Mar 1924 - St. John's, Newfoundland ( at age 77) ¹²¹⁸ ^,1262 Burial: 23 Mar 1924 - St. John's, Newfoundland ¹²¹⁸ ^,1428 ^,8457 Cause of Death: Cerebral hemorrhage
Events
• Religion: Church of England.
• Alt. Birth: From 1921 Newfoundland Census, Aug 1843, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Alt. Birth: 1850, Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Literacy: Probably illiterate; signed his and his sister Jane's marriage register with an X, 1871-1874, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: at time of marriage, Torbay Rd., 1871, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Fisherman according to son William Richard's birth/baptism record, 16 May 1875, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Fisherman, Torbay Rd., 16 May 1875, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Farmer on Trobay Rd. according to birth/baptismal record of daughter Jane Elizabeth, 1876-1891, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. and of sons Arthur John and John Thomas Carr.
• Residence: Torbay Rd., Between 1876 and 1879, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: Virginia Estates (the Emerson's Home), 1879, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Labourer, Virginia Estate, 9 Nov 1879, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Labourer, Torbay Rd., 14 Dec 1884, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Labourer, Torbay Rd., 19 Dec 1884, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Labourer, Outer Cove Rd., 8 Aug 1886, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. I don't think they actually moved to the Outer Cove Rd. from the Torbay Rd. This was likely a mistake in the records.
• Residence: King's Bridge Rd., 1888, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Labourer, King's Bridge Rd., 3 Mar 1889, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Court: Fined $4 for shooting partridge on a Sunday, 19 Sep 1889, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Article found on the DAI by Gloria Bruce 080723 from the Evening Telegram dated 19 Sep. 1889

Sunday was the opening day of hunting season but there was a standard prohibition on hunting on Sunday which a local law officer decided it would be fun to enforce in this instance. The judge did not accept Joseph's explanation of hard times and a large family.
.
• Residence: Mulloch St., 1891, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Farmer, Mullock St., 13 Sep 1891, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: Mulloch St. according to John Thomas Wheeler RC Baptism Register, 17 Aug 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Labourer, Mulloch St., 18 Jun 1893, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: Signal Hill Rd., 1906, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Turnkey, 23 Jun 1906, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This is how his profession is given on the marriage of his daughter Maria to John Joseph Aylward.
• Census: St. John's East (no specific address given, 1911, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Joseph and Mary Hannah living with several of their adult children.
• Occupation: Fisherman, Farmer, then gardener for Emersons on Virginia Waters. Also called a turnkey (watchman?), 1916.
• Occupation: Retired, 20 Sep 1916, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Census: Census of Jacob Abbott Household, 16 Walshs Square, 1921, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. (Household Member)
• Occupation: Retired, City Works, 1921, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: 16 Walshes Square, 1921, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Residence: 36 Powers Avenue, Mar 1924, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Alt. Death: Powers Ave., 20 Mar 1924, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Parents

Father: James Richard Wheeler ²¹ ^,24 ^,168 Mother: Jane ²⁴ ^,168 ^,731

Spouses and Children

1. *Mary Hannah Goss ³⁴⁵ ^,2145 ^,3599 Marriage: 21 May 1871 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ²¹ ^,24 ^,1218 ^,4887
Marriage Events
• Alt. Marriage: 22 May 1870, Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. In the bible 1871 is written over the original 1870. But the day of the week is also not in accord with the "official record" - Mayy 22 versus May 21.
• Minister/Priest: Arthur L. F. Wood, Assistant Minister, St. Thomas's Anglican Church, 21 May 1871, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Witnesses: James and John Wheeler (sign by mark), Elizabeth Ryde and Linda Sims ?, 21 May 1871, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Marriage Notes

14/12/02:

On the Nfld. Gen Web transcription of the St. Thomas marriage record for Joseph Wheeler and Mary Hannah Gosse, James and John Wheeler were listed as the witnesses to the marriage. It is my feeling that they were his brothers and I have therefore added information on the spouse and children of James Wheeler to the family tree file.

281005: Record of birth of son as recorded on NGB website gives their date of marriage thus: William Richard WHEELER Joseph & Mary Hannah GOSSE b May 3 1875 St. Johns bap May 16 1875 fisherman Married 1871 St Thos Ang Ch. But note that such notations were frequently added by the volunteer transcriber for NGB and did not actually appear on the register.

130414:

This is how the Vital Records transcript of the St. Thomas register is recorded on NGB:

May 21 1871 St. Johns Joseph WHEELER bach St Johns A. C. F. Wood James Wheeler Mary Hannah GOSS spinster Torbay John Wheeler

This is obviously an abbreviated version of the original church record as it does not include all the names of witnesses for one thing.
Children: 1. Mary Joseph Wheeler 2. James Joseph Wheeler 3. William Richard Wheeler 4. Jane Elizabeth Wheeler 5. Arthur John Wheeler 6. Maud Wheeler 7. Sophia Wheeler 8. Clara Wheeler 9. Caroline Wheeler 10. Marion Maria Wheeler 11. Joseph Allander Wheeler 12. Henry Wheeler 13. John Thomas Carr Wheeler 14. Elspeth May Wheeler

Notes
General:

According to Evelyn Wheeler Morry, their granddaughter (my mother), they had a total of 16 children, the first 8 of whom died of diphtheria.

Census of 1921 incorrectly lists his date of birth as 1873. Impossible as his first children were being born during this period.

It would appear that the move of the family from Torbay Rd. to St. John's (Quidi Vidi Rd./Power's lane area) took place between the births of Maude Mary and Clara, that is 1892 and 1893. All births from Clara onward are recorded at the Basilica in St. John's. [14/12/02: Note that all births are recorded at St. Thomas's Anglican Church as well and that the dates are frequently at great odds with the Catholic records]

14/12/02: Newfoundland Gen Web site posted the entire records for births of St.Thomas's Anglican Church from 1867-1892 in October 2002. It was only then that I realised Joseph and Mary Hannah covered both bases by having their children baptised in the Roman Catholic Church in Torbay AND the Anglican Church in St. John's. Note the minor discrepancy on date of birth. Needs to be verified with Vital Statistics.

I can only find names of 12 children but may have accidentally included two as one due to similar names (e.g. Maria and Mirriam).

070909: Their place of burial in the old Anglican cemetery on Forest Rd. is not marked by a gravestone. Cemetery records show where it is (Sect. D, Lot 18 Plots 42-47) and it was possible to find it, more or less, with the assistance of Clarence Best, the assistant cemetery manager. Joseph is shown as being buried March 23, 1924 at the age of 77 in the cemetery records; he is buried in grave 47. But not all names of the burials in that space are recorded in the register. Mary Hannah is not mentioned. That may be because she was a Catholic and special permission was needed to even get her into the cemetery in the first place. Others whose burials are supposed to be in this plot are Clara (died March 8, 1933, buried March 15, 1933; residence Quidi Vidi Rd.; grave 42) Mary (1932, 8 years old) and William (aged 21, died April 25, 1925). But according to Mom several more of her Uncle Art's family are buried there, but not strictly legally, and therefore their burials are not recorded.

260710: Baptismal records at St. Thomas' start with William Richard in 1875.

050911: 1011 Census Record from NGB website: 201 227 WHEELER Jos M Head Married 65 WHEELER Mary H F Wife Married 56 WHEELER John M Son Single 18 WHEELER Joseph M Son Single 19 WHEELER Elisa F Daughter Single 17 WHEELER Clara F Daughter Single 25 WHEELER Caroline F Daughter Single 23

130114 From NGB transcript of Anglican Cathedral register:

Joseph WHEELER James & Jane b Aug 7 1846 bap Sep 13 1846 Torbay Road fisherman

140414:
Actually the record immediately above is a transcript of the Vital Records which were taken from the Cathedral register in the early 1900s. These Vital Records had an abbreviated format and omitted much information. Also there were errors introduced in many cases in making these transcriptions.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

140414 from NGB transcript of Civil Registrations:

Mar 21 Powers Ave? Signal Hill? Cerebral hemorrhage WHEELER? Joseph Church of England 77 Church of England Cemetery

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

1911 Census

201 227
WHEELER Jos M Head Married 65 No Entry
WHEELER Mary H F Wife Married 56 No Entry
WHEELER John M Son Single 18 No Entry
WHEELER Joseph M Son Single 19 No Entry
WHEELER Elisa F Daughter Single 17 No Entry
WHEELER Clara F Daughter Single 25 No Entry
WHEELER Caroline F Daughter Single 23 No Entry

Note that all of their ages are almost all underestimates with the exception of the father. I have found that this form of white lie was extremely common on old censuses.

1921 Census

314
P - 142
Joseph WHEELEER M Head Married 1843 Aug 78 St Johns
Mary WHEELER F Wife Married 1850 Sept 70 Torbay
Joseph WHEELER M Son Single 1891 Jan 30 St Johns
Clara WHEELER F Dhtr Single 1889 June 32 St Johns
Note that all the ages are incorrect. Whether this was done deliberately by Joseph or Mary Hannah as a sort of protest for the invasion of privacy or whether it represents consistent mistakes by the census taker is not clear but the information is definitely not to be trusted.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
260421:

To the best of my knowledge, the only official record in which his name appears as Joseph A. Wheeler including the initial "A" is for the birth-baptism of their daughter Jane Elizabeth, known various as Jane or Jean.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
090723:
I have only now just discovered that ALL (I think) of the children of the marriage of Joseph A. Wheeler and Mary Hannah Gosse were baptised twice; once in the Anglican Church (St. Thomas) and once in the Roman Catholic Church, though the records that I have found so far on Ancestry do not say in which specific church. It may that the baptisms took place in Torbay (the pzarish of Mary Hannah Gosse) but I believe that most if not all were performed in St. John's at the RC Basilica. I hope to find the answer to this through further research as time goes by.

Joseph A. Wheeler RNR

Sex: M
AKA: Joseph Wheeler ⁵³⁷⁰
Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1775 - Wallasey, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England ⁸⁴⁵⁸ ^,8459 Christening: Death: 16 Dec 1866 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( about age 91) ²¹ ^,141 Burial: 19 Dec 1866 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ¹⁰³⁵ ^,8460 Cause of Death:
Events
• Military: Royal Newfoundland Regiment, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Highly doubtful information contained in his newspaper obituaries.
• Property: 21 Year Lease on property near Signal Hill Rd., Between 20 Oct 1818 and 23 Aug 1821, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. From the Newfoundland Mercantile Journal, several editions in 1819 and again in 1821. This was found on the MUN Digital Archives Initiative by Gloria Dawe Bruce and brought to my attention today (100423).

Entries for 26 08 1819, 02 09 1819, 09 09 1819, 23 09 1819 and 23 08 1823.

Will be Sold
By Public Auction, at the Store of Messrs.
Wm. & Henry Thomas
In this Town
On Wednesday 29th September next,
at 11 o'cock in the forenoon
Under the Direction of the Trustees of the
Insolvent Estate of Mr. William
Bevil Thomas
The Undermentioned valuable Free-
hold and Leasehold Property:

Lot 14. The freehold of a Dwelling House
Garden and Meadow situate near the road
leading to Signal Hill, on the upper part
of Maggoty cove, late in the occupancy of
Mres Prescott but now in the occupancy
of Joseph Wheeler, and let to him on
lease, for 21 years from 20th October
1818, at £16 per annum.

AND

For Sale
By Auction
To-Morrow
The 24th Instant At 11 o'clock
On the Premises
Called Pitts' Buildings
Situate on the Raod leading from St. Johns
to Anderson's Farm
All Joseph Wheeler's Right
title, and interest, in and to One
Dwelling House, containing Four
Tenemants, and Four Gardens, held under
lease from Thomas Pitts and Others,
for Twenty-one years, twenty years of
which wil be unexpired on the first of Ja-
nuary next, subject to the yearly rent of
£16 and yielding a profit rent of £24 per
annum, particulars may be known, at any
times previous to the Sale, by application to
Joseph Wheeler, or to
Wm. Hayward
Auctioneer
August 23, 1821.
• Court: Writ against him by James Crispy for 2/4/- cost of writ -/5/- #323, 1819, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. There were probably at least 2 Joseph Wheelers in St. John's at this time so it cannot be stated with certainty that this was our Joseph. There are no other details of these writs in existence.
• Occupation: Farmer; stipulated as such on grant and on indentures, 1845-1848, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: 50 acre grant on west side of Torbay Rd. just beyond Majors Path, 15 Dec 1845, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: Morgage for £150 from John W. Brocklenbank on Torbay Rd. Grant, 20 Aug 1847, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: Paying off of mortgage on Torbay Rd. Grant to John W. Brocklebank, 4 Oct 1848, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: New mortage on Torbay Rd. Grant to William B. Row, 10 Oct 1848, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. CDC Vol 11 Fol 247-249 Joseph Wheeler To William B Row 10-10-1848

£216 4 Shillings and 6 Pence.
• Interesting: A piece of unclaimed mail at the Post Office for Joseph "Almer" Wheeler, 13 Aug 1857, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Adverstised in The Courier, 15 Aug 1857. Discovered on DAI on 080723 by Gloria Dawe Bruce.
• Owner: Land on Torbay Rd. Referenced in Newspaper article, 1864, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Posted by Milt Anstey on Newfoundlanders and Genealogy Facebook, 100423, passed to me by Gloria Bruce.

Spouses and Children

1. *Jane ²¹ ^,168 Marriage: Bef 1812 ¹⁸⁸ Children: 1. Joseph Wheeler 2. Mary Anne Wheeler 3. James Richard Wheeler 4. Philip Wheeler 5. Margaret Wheeler 6. William Francis Wheeler 7. Jane Lucy Anne Wheeler

Notes
General:

13 April 2021:

Everything that appears below this explanatory note results from a continuing attempt over the course of about 10 years to understand how to explain two entries in the earliest register of the Anglican Cathedral. The first entry appears on August 2, 1813 and reads:

"105 - Joseph Wheeler - - - - aged 46 years - - of the Nova Scotia Regiment was buried August 2d - - - 1813 Registered by me David Rowland Offic. Chaplain."

The second entry appeared on the 15th of November 1813 (3 months later) and reads:
"115 - Mary Anne Daughter of Joseph Wheeler a Corpl. in Nova Scotia Regt. by Jane his wife was born on the 29th of Octr. __ 1813 and chrisened on the 15th Day of November 1813 _____ & registered ________ by me David Rowland _ _ _"

I read these and put two and two together figuring this was the same man and could therefore not possibly be "my" immigrant ancestor of that name who is known to have raised a family on the Torbay Rd. and died in 1866, not 1813. I felt that "my" immigrant ancestor was another Joseph Wheeler also married to a woman named Jane by coincidence who served in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment according to his newspaper obituary appearing in identical form in three different newspapers, not the Nova Scotia Regiment. I therefore concluded that this Mary Anne was not one of his children.

Gloria Bruce read these same entries and said the contrary, that the man who died and was buried in August of 1813 was a different man than the one who was declared as the father of Mary Anne Wheeler later that year even though they had the same name, the same wife's name, and both were of the Nova Scotia Regiment. She contended that the latter Joseph Wheeler was the one who raised his family on the Torbay Rd. As proof she offered the fact that when Mary Anne married, a witness signing the marriage record was J. A. Wheeler.

We agreed to disagree on this subject for the last eight years since 2013. Today I am finally in agreement with her. The reason is that we have been able to piece together a subsequent marriage or conjugal relationship for this Mary Anne Wheeler to William Field which connects her to a court case posted by Edward Chafe on Newfoundlanders and Genealogy Facebook page yesterday (12 April 2021) and the pieces all fall together that she was indeed a member of the family of Joseph Wheeler of the Torbay Rd. For this reason, I am today separating Mary Anne from the Joseph Wheeler who died in 1813 and connecting her to the Joseph Wheeler who died in 1866.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NB: The information below is copied in the notes of Cpl. Joseph Abner Wheeler of the Nova Scotia Regiment and those for Joseph Wheeler of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment to show how these two men have been confused by us and others over the years and to hopefully prove that there were two separate men by this name, both with a wife named Jane (?) and both having a child or children whose christening record appears in the Anglican Cathedral register in the early 1800s.

30/03/03: This person was a witness to the marriage of Mary Anne Wheeler (Nfld.Genweb website). I have assumed Mary Anne was a sister to James and Phillip and that this J. A. Wheeler must have been the father since James would not have been old enough to be a witness at the time of the marriage. All suppositions need to be challenged. [much later -- 070613 -- this supposition is clearly wrong as Joseph Wheeler of the NS Regiment died in 1813 before Mary Anne was born; the J. A. Wheeler who witnessed the wedding was almost certainly her mother Jane.]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

02/04/03: Proven already! Just discovered the Family Tree Maker website of a Doug Wheeler (not Mom's cousin): http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/h/e/Douglas-C-Wheeler/

Douglas C E Wheeler 3 Ebsary Place Grand Falls-Windsor, NF A2A 2L1 Canada doug.wheeler@nf.sympatico.ca

He has scads of information on the Wheelers back to Joseph Abner Wheeler, born about 1776 (location unknown) and died Dec. 18, 1866 in Torbay Rd., St. John's. Now the fun begins! [070613 Doug Wheeler's information was confused as he did not know that the Joseph Wheeler of the NS Regiment died before Mary Ann and hence any of the other purported children were born. I believe Doug is deceased as he has never responded to my queries]

261009: From NGB website Mary Anne WHEELER Joseph & Jane b Oct 29 1813 bap Nov 15 1813 Corporal in the Nova Scotia Regt.

Note where it says he comes from, or at least where his regiment hailed from.

030711 from NGB: Joseph received a grant of land on Torbay Rd.: Dec 15/1845 Wheeler Joseph Vol. 4 Pg. 104 Torbay Rd.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

200711 Information from Gloria Dawe Bruce:

NLGenWeb Parish Records

Avalon South Region St. John's District

ST THOMAS ANGLICAN CHURCH

BURIALS 1865- JAN. 1867

Dec 19 1866 Joseph WHEELER 91 yrs

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

010312:

Now here is where things begin to get confusing. Clearly there were two Joseph Wheelers in the St. John's area at the same time and we (Doug Wheeler and I) may have mixed them up. The Joseph Wheeler who was with the Nova Scotia Regiment and who was the father of Mary Anne Wheeler, born in 1813, now appears to have died in 1813 before she was born:

Joseph WHEELER 46 yrs Aug 2 1813 Nova Scotia Regiment

Information was transcribed by Jill Marshall for the NGB website in 2012 so it is possible that Doug had never seen or heard of this burial record at the Anglican Cathedral before connecting the other Torbay Rd. Wheeler's to this man. It now seems likely that the other Joseph Wheeler, who died 18 Dec 1866 was a completely different person from heaven only knows where.

I tried to check this out with Doug to see what he says but his email address no longer works and his FTM website has been dormant since 2002. I'm afraid he may be deceased.

020312 from NGB Ang Cath Burial Register

Just to add to the confusion, look at the notations on the burial register put in by the transcriber, Jill Marshall in 2011:

Joseph WHEELER St Johns 91 yrs Dec 19 1866 Formerly of the NL Regiment; may have married Jane & was Corporal of the NS Regiment in 1813 per baptism of child.

Not very helpful and very confusing! Note to start with that his age was given as "in his 90th year". That means he was 89 and less than 90, not 91 as she has figured. Also she is clearly mixing up the records of two Joseph Wheelers, the one from the NS Regiment who died in 1813 and the one in the obituary, who MAY have been in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and who died in 1866.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

230412: The regiment to which Joseph Abner Wheeler was supposed to have belonged is the: Nova Scotia Regiment of Fencible Infantry, 1803-16: Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

061112 from the NGB website transcript of the Anglican Cathedral register"

"Oct 31 1833; St. John's; George Ringsbury, bach., St. John's. Mary Anne Wheeler, spin, St. John's; J. A. Wheeler, William Earle."

This entry in the Cathedral Register has caused no end of confusion for the family. Note the two initials J.A. Wheeler. This would seem to imply Joseph Abner Wheeler. [070613 No. He was dead 20 years by then. It must be Jane]

We had initially been persuaded that Mary Anne's father and the father of many ancestors of the Wheelers in Newfoundland today, including Mom, was Joseph Abner Wheeler, a Corporal in the Nova Scotia Regiment, who seems to have married his wife Jane (?) after coming to Newfoundland as part of the gasrrison for the town during the War of 1812. This was certainly the information originally provided to me by Doug Wheeler's family tree. And I was pleased to receive it because it gave a name to the immigrant ancestor of the Wheelers of Torbay Rd. Mary Anne's baptismal information in the Anglican Cathedral register substantiates this fact.

However, lately we have learned that Corporal Joseph Abner Wheeler of the Nova Scotia Regiment died on August 2 1813, a few months before the birth of his daughter Mary Anne. Therefore he could not have been the father of the several other children who were born later to a Joseph Wheeler (without the middle name Abner) whose wife was by weird coincidence (?) also named Jane (?). There was another Joseph Wheeler, originally of the Newfoundland Regiment, who now appears to have been the father of these other children, including Mom's great grandfather James.

But then we see this J. A. Wheeler showing up again as a witness to the marriage of Mary Anne to George Ringsbury 20 years after the death of Joseph Abner Wheeler. So who was this J. A. Wheeler? An older brother whose birth record is not found in the Anglican Cathedral register? Or possibly this is the other Joseph Wheeler, who was in the Newfoundland Regiment and who may have been a cousin of the Joseph Abner Wheeler in the Nova Scotia Regiment perhaps? These are only theories and there is no evidence to support either. [070613 No. J. A. Wheeler must be her mother Jane]

The mystery remains.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

061112 from Gloria Dawe Bruce:

Hi Chris....

Well, wonder no more! Joseph Wheeler was indeed a member of the Newfoundland Regiment.... as proven in 3 different papers that I looked at this morning... I have attached copies of all the death notices for you to see and as proof that it was actually in the paper and not something added by Gert Crosbie.

I guess now the search begins.... to see just when he was enlisted and how long her served... IF any of that is actually out there. You know when Margaret and Job Daw were married... on their record of marriage it says Margaret Wheeler from Quidi Vidi.... so they did not live on Torbay Road then. I wonder if he was in the military then and worked at the Quidi Vidi battery?? Anyway, more research needed but the proof is here now and we need not confuse it with the Nova Scotia regiment anymore.

Oh.... the photos you have online at your website.... of Mary Ann (Taylor) NOEL. I saved several of them off your site and passed a few of them on to a fellow NOEL researcher who I believe has come connection to Mary Ann Taylor as well. He works with the "Newfoundland Ancestor " and he asked me for permission to put the photos in their magazine. I told him I would check with you to see if you would agree to that.... so please let me know and I will pass it on to him ok.

Take care, Gloria

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
110114:

It is interesting how the repetition of wrong information gives it credibility. The three newspaper listings stating that the Joseph Wheeler of Torbay Road who died on December 18, 1866 was formerly with the Newfoundland Regiment were undoubtedly written by one person (possibly a journalist who specialised in writing obits for families and then having them published in various newspapers for a fee). The were identical to the letter. In any event, the information is not based on any factual evidence. And what is more, it has now pretty much been disproven since the publication of "A Directory of Officers & Men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment 1795-1816" by Rodney T. Lee in cooperation with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council in 2011. He covers the two periods of active service of the RNR during this period -- 1795-1802 and 1803-1816. With the exception of these two periods when the RNR or its predecessor bodies were called into service, the regiment was decommissioned and did not exist until WWI. In his book, Lee names every soldier and officer in both of these manifestations of the RNR, the original Royal Newfoundland Regiment (1795-1802) and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Fencible Infantry (1803-1816). In neither body was there ever a Joseph Wheeler on the rolls. In fact, there was only one man named Wheeler who served in either of these bodies: William Wheeler. His enlistment date is not known but he was demobbed when the original RNR was disbanded on 31 July 1802.

I think that it is therefore safe to say that the writer of the obits that appeared in the 3 papers was either given incorrect information as to the history of the man who died or he extracted that information erroneously from other sources that pertained to Cpl. Joseph Abner Wheeler of the Nova Scotia Regiment who died on August 2, 1813. The only other possibility, slight though it may be, is that the William Wheeler whose name appeared on the rolls of the RNR prior to it being disbanded in 1802 was also known as Joseph. But this seems to be grasping at straws.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

140414:

Gloria Bruce and I continue to struggle with the family relationships of the Wheelers known to have resided on the Torbay Rd. in the 1800's. I am convinced that they are all the same family but I do not have christening records for many of the people I believe are children of Joseph and Jane Wheeler and I cannot account for this since the Cathedral and St. Thomas records are believed to be fairly complete.

Here is an email I sent yesterday to Gloria concerning a discovery of a baptism alluding to Wheelers Torbay Rd. in 1835, giving at least a hint of how long the family was resident in that location.

Hi Gloria:

I went into the NGB website to get a few examples of where the same baptisms appeared in the St. Thomas register as in the Cathedral register but before even finding one I came upon this curious baptism that pertains to our earlier discussion as to when the Wheelers were first found on the Torbay Rd. This is from the Vital Statistics transcript of the St. Thomas register:

Torbay Road HENBERRY John and Mary Maria F N/G Thos. Wood Feb 26, 1835 Wheelers Torbay Rd N/G

Note two things: where the place of residence should be it says "Wheelers Torbay Rd.". Also note the surname of the couple - Henberry.

The designation of "Wheelers Torbay Rd." I believe may be an error in transcription. I never heard of an area of the Torbay Rd. referred to specifically as "Wheelers". I suspect that this was an annotation as to the surname of the mother Mary Wheeler, married to John Hennebury. You will recall that Jane Lucy Anne Wheeler married a Robert Hennebury on 25 October 1850. It looks to me like an earlier marriage between a Hennebury and a Wheeler that we had not discovered previously may have existed.

In either case, it does appear to show that the Wheeler family had an association with the Torbay Rd. as early as 1835, if not earlier. This would coincide with the period when Joseph and Jane were raising their family.

Cheers

Chris

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

140414 from NGB transcript pf Ang. Cath. Burial register:

Joseph WHEELER St Johns 91 yrs Dec 19 1866 Formerly of the NL Regiment; may have married Jane & was Corporal of the NS Regiment in 1813 per baptism of child.

These notations added by Jill Marshall are incorrect and confusing. There is no evidence whatsoever that he served in the Newfoundland Regiment, though this was stated on his obituaries in 3 newspapers, probably where Jill got the idea. And the man who was in the Nova Scotia Regiment who was also named Joseph Wheeler and who also married a woman named Jane died
before 2 Aug 1813 (his burial date) two months before their only known daughter, Mary Anne, was born (29 Oct. 1813).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

150715:
A bit repetitious but here is how this Joseph's death is recorded on Ancestry.com for all to see:
Name: Joseph Wheeler
Gender: Male
Event Type: Death
Birth Date: abt 1776
Death Date: Abt 1866
Age at Death: 90
Reference Date 1: 18 Dec 1866
Source: Gazette (Royal Newfoundland Gazette) 1807-; Express (Newfoundland Express) 1851-1876; Newfoundlander 1827-1884
Notes: Deceased was Joseph Wheeler, "formerly" of the Newfoundland Regiment.
Source Information
Ancestry.com. Newfoundland, Canada, Index of Birth, Marriage & Death Notices from Newspapers, 1810'961890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
Original data: Births, Deaths and Marriages in Newfoundland Newspapers, 1810'961890. CD-ROM. St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada: Maritime History Archive, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Description
This collection from the Maritime History Archive in St. John, Newfoundland, includes an index to birth, marriage, and death notices from Newfoundland newspapers

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

160715:
At The Rooms pulled the box for Surrogate Court records for St. John's to find the entry for a writ against Joseph Wheeler by James Crispy that I saw in the Wheeler Name File at MHA yesterday. This is GN 5/2/A/1 Box 1. I eventually found the record (there is no index but the writing in these original court books is extremely careful and legible). But the records of writs are extremely skeletal and there is apparently no other court information on the case available. What it says is:
No. 320. Plaintiff - James Crispy. Defendant - Joseph Wheeler. Sum sued for - 2.4.0. Cost of Writ - .5.
And that is it! We don't know if this is "our" Joseph as there was at least one other by that name in St. John's at the time and we don't know the outcome of the case.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

090716:
This is the reply I received from Rod Lee to my query about whether he knew of a Joseph Wheeler in any version of the Newfoundland Regiment:

"Hi Chris
I have the rolls of the RNR after the war of 1812. to 1816. that is where I stopped
I have redone my list of RNR from 1795- right up to when it was disbanded in 1816. Have looked Under ever rock!.

The only person is a Pte. William Wheeler who was in the 1795-1802 Newfoundland Regiment he was discharged 31 July 1802.

It must be remembered at that time or any time, you did't have to be a Newfoundlander to be in the RNR and you did't have to be from Nova Scotia in be in the Nova Scotia Regiment!

But I have no other information. Sounds like Cpl. Joseph Abner Wheeler is you guy. I think a lot of Newfoundlanders joined the Nova Scotia Regiment 1806-1815 I would think they may have Nova Scotia Regiment pay-lists in Ottawa. if not then they would be in the UK National Archives.

Are you sure he was not in the mid 19th Century Regiment Royal Newfoundland Veteran Companies 1824-1862. I'm not sure where I would start with that unit.
I wish I could helped more

Sincerely
Rod Lee
Guelph Ont."

So the only possibility would be that he was a member of the Newfoundland Veterans Companies. I will try and check that out at the Rooms or the RNR Museum.

240419:

The Joseph Wheeler who lived on the Torbay Rd. and had four sons and two daughters (that we know of) by his wife Jane, whose surname is never revealed in any public documents, was supposed, according to his obituary repeated in three newspapers, to have been at one time a member of the Newfoundland Regiment, though experts, including Ron Lee above, have shown this is evidently not the case. Perhaps more research is needed on the period on the Royal Newfoundland Veteran Companies as he suggests. However, as the name implies, the members of this group were veterans of the earlier Royal Newfoundland Regiment in one of its forms that had since been disbanded. So, if Joseph Wheeler was a member of the latter group, his name should have appeared in the muster rolls of one of the earlier groups, and so far at least, no evidence had ever surfaced that it did.

Therefore, with the exception of the mention of his name on the birth/baptismal records of his six children, and the possible court action against him by James Crispy in 1819, the first evidence that we have of the existence of this Joseph Wheeler (whose name never shows a middle initial "A" or name "Abner", as some previous researchers have suggested without providing a source for their information, is in 1845 when he receives a grant of land on Torbay Rd. just beyond Major's Path on the west side (airport side) of the road. This grant, dated December 15th, 1845, shows him as "Joseph Wheeler (Farmer)", implying that even before his acquisition of this grant he was already farming, most likely in the same area, and most likely on land that was not granted and that he was simply occupying since it was vacant. Quite possibly the land he was working was the same property for which he now obtained a legal grant for the sum of £5. Note that, at the time this grant was issued, Joseph was already 69 years old and his days of personally farming this property were most likely over, with his sons doing the hard work for him.

This grant was originally registerd in Volume 4, Folio 104-106 as Grant No. 440. However, that volume was one of several of the early volumes of grants that was destrouyed partially or fully in the Great Fire of July 1892 (note there was another "Great Fire" exactly four years later in July 1846). Here is what the Registry of Crown Titles has to say about that loss:

"All Crown lands title documents are housed in a fire proof vault for maximum security and protection. Document security is a major concern because in 1892 the Registry experienced the devastating loss of 20 volumes of Crown grants, numerous maps, and other records during the Great Fire of St. John's which occurred in July of that year. While many documents were re-registered, from duplicate copies held by land owners, a large number of titles are still missing. Listed below are the volumes which were lost in the fire of 1892. Persons holding old Crown grants registered in any of these volumes are encouraged to contact the nearest Regional Lands Office so arrangements can be made to re-register the missing grant.

Volumes Lost in the Great Fire of 1892

Volumes A, B, C, D
Volumes 1 and 2 (Free Grants)
Volumes 1 to 7 (inclusive)
Volumes 10 to 16 (inclusive)
Volumes 19,20 and 28"

As noted above, Volume 4 was one of those lost in the fire. To the extent possible, a new set of records was made to replace those grants lost in the fire and Joseph Wheeler's grant was one of those for which a copy was preserved. It then appeared in Volume 2A, Folio 587-589. But, for reasons unknown, this copy was later moved to a new Volume 5, Folio 47-49 as Number 1311. In March 2004, I applied for and received copies of this grant as well as four more from a much later period which were issued to Joseph's sons, James (2 grants) and Philip, as well as a grandson, John Thomas.

A PDF copy of the Joseph Wheeler grant is found in his Media folder.

What I found out much later was that there exist in the records of the Central District Court at the Registry of Deeds, two indentures that pertain to this property. They were recording mortgages that Joseph Wheeler received from financiers to support and possibly expand his farming operations in 1847 and 1848. PDF copies of these indentures are also found in the Media folder

Home | Table of Contents | Surnames | Name List

This website was created 9 Apr 2026 with Legacy 10.0, a division of MyHeritage.com; content copyrighted and maintained by cjmorry@ncf.ca