John WHELDON (1632 – 1711) was Alex’s 9th Great Grandfather; one of 1,024 in this generation of the Shaw line.

John Wheldon was born in 1632  in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass. His parents were Gabriel WHELDON and Margaret DIGUINA [or OGUINA].   John died 20 Nov 1711 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass.

Alternatively, John Whelden was baptized 4 Oct 1630 and died 20 Nov 1707.

Mary Folland was born 1630 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass. Her parents were Thomas FALLAND and Elizabeth [__?__].  Mary’s name is often written Folland, but contemporary Yarmouth records consistently spell her father’s name Falland. Mary died 10 Dec 1700 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass.

Children of  John and Mary:

John signed the Oath of Fidelity in Yarmouth in 1657. He served in Plymouth’s 4th expedition against the Narragansett Indians, March, 1675, otherwise known as Pierce’s Ambush (See my post Nine Men’s Misery), then was exempted from military training in October, 1677 “on consideration that hee hath three sons fitted with armes for publicke service.”.

Children

1. Joseph Whilldin

Joseph’s wife Hannah Gorham was born 28 Nov 1663 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Mass. Her parents were our ancestors John GORHAM and Desire HOWLAND. Hannah died 1728 in Cape May, New Jersey.

Joseph was a sea captain and they soon moved to Cape May in New Jersey about 1689.

Cape May is named for 1620 Dutch captain named Cornelius Jacobsen Mey who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614, and established a claim for the province of New Netherland. It was later settled by New Englanders from the New Haven Colony.  Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid 18th century and is recognized as the country’s oldest seaside resort

Cape May City and County, New Jersey

Joseph and Hannah had five children, the first two were born in Yarmouth, the rest in Cape May :

i. Hannah Whilldin b. 1683 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass; d. 1728 Cape May, New Jersey; m1. 18 May 1701 Thomas Leaming (b. 9 Jul 1674 in Southampton, Long Island, New York – d. 31 Dec 1723 in Cape May, New Jersey); m2. 1724 Philip Syng (b. 1676 in Ireland – d. 18 May 1739 in Annapolis, Maryland)

ii. Joseph Whilldin b. ~1689 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass; d. 18 Mar 1748 Cape May, New Jersey; m1. 1711 in Cape May to Mary Wilmon (b. 9 Dec 1689 in Cape May – d. 8 Apr 1743 in Cape May); m2. Abigail [__?__]

iii. Mary Whilldin b. ~1693 Cape May, New Jersey; m. 17 Dec 1708 Josiah Crowell (b. 1675 Cape May – d. 1734 in Cape May)

iv. Experience Whilldin b. 1696 in Cape May, New Jersey; m. 15 Nov 1712 to William Foster (b. 1692 in Burlington, New Jersey)

v. Isaac Whilldin b. 1698 in Cape May, Cape May, New Jersey;  d. 1730; m. Elizabeth [__?___]

2. John C Whilden

John’s wife Mary’s origins are not known.

The wars with the Indians had been discouraging, and new land scarce, so John and Mary took Gov. Danforth’s suggestion and moved to Maine, settling on Back Cove south of Falmouth (now part of Portland). His pastor there was Rev. George Burroughs, who had been in Salem 1680-83. King William’s War in 1689 persuaded them to move back to Massachusetts. They lived at Salem Village (now Danvers) between 1689 and 1696.

John was called to testify in the witchcraft trial of Rev. George Burroughs in August 1692. The atmosphere of the witch trials, continued Indian troubles, and the bad winter weather persuaded many families to move to better climates. John’s brother Joseph moved to New Jersey.

George Burroughs Fact Sheet

• He was the second Salem Village minister, but quarreled over his salary and left.
• He had five children.
• He was widowed three times.
• His second wife died about a year after their arrival in Salem Village.
• After his second wife’s death, he remarried and moved to Maine.
• He was rumored to have mistreated his wives.
• One of his children was not baptized; a fact that was brought up in his trial.
• He was well known for his physical strength.
• Upon his arrest for witchcraft, his wife took everything that was valuable in the house, sold his books and loaned the money for interest. She then took her own daughter and left George’s children to fend for themselves.
• During his trial, witnesses testified that his two dead wives came to them in their dreams explaining that he had killed them.
• He was also identified by the afflicted girls as the “Black Minister” and leader of the Salem Coven.
• At his execution, he repeated the Lord’s Prayer flawlessly.

John immigrated to Carolina in 1696 as part of a 52-person colony from Salem. The ship wrecked at Cape Fear, North Carolina, and it was with some delay and difficulty, but with the help of the Indians, that they reached their destination at Seewee Bay northeast of Charleston.

John purchased 500 acres of land in April, 1697, and 450 more in May, 1701. He died in 1706, his estate probated 20 Nov 1706 at Charleston. He was one of the founders of the Wappetaw Congregational Church in 1696, at a point located on Wando Neck about three miles west of Seewee Bay and about 14 miles northeast of the present day town of Mount Pleasant.

John’s family story (possibly partially fictionalized) was told in the celebration of the church’s tricentennial in 1999. S The Baptismal Record of the Salem church is missing the date column from 1694 to 1698. During that time, John Whilden’s wife (unnamed) and six children were baptized on the same day. The ages of the children are given. Since it shows Gershom aged 13, and his death is recorded about a year later, we may estimate the children’s years of birth from their age at baptism. The Wappetaw Meeting House was appropriated by the British as a headquarters in 1781; and burned, with all its records, when abandoned at the end of the war.

Children of John and Mary:

i.  Gershom Whilden (c.Oct 1681 – 25 Dec 1695) died in Salem, age 14y 2m

ii. John Whilden (c1683 – 1723) married after 1702 Mary (see below)

iii. Mary Whilden (c1685)

iv. Jonathan Whilden (c1687-1736) married before 1715 Elizabeth DuBose (b.1691-after 1642),  Elizabeth’s parents were  Isaac DuBose and [__?__]. John and Elizabeth had seven children born between 1715 and 1736.

Jonathan purchased 140 acres in Berkeley County 16 Feb 1709/10, and by 1734 owned 1,364 acres in his own name, and 250 acres as guardian to his nephew John, in Berkley and Craven Counties. His will was written 26 Jul 1736, and his estate was inventoried 2 Mar 1736/7. His son Jonathan was of age at the administration of his estate, indicating he was born by 1715. But C Michael Harrington’s well annotated The Whilden Family in the War Between the States estimates his son’s birth, and therefore Jonathan and Elizabeth’s marriage, as occurring in 1722.

v. Joseph Whilden (c.1690) undocumented report says born 19 Jan 1692/3, no further record found

vi. Samuel Whilden (c.1692-after 1731) Unmarried in St James Santee Parish in 1731, he deeded  all his property to his “loving cousins” Sarah and Ann Whilden, identity uncertain.

vii. Elisha Whilden (c.1695-after 1722) married Sarah. Witnessed a will in 1722.

Sarah xxx Elisha and Sarah had two childrem Elisha (b. 1719) and Hannah (b. 1724)

4.  Jonathan WHELDON  (See his page)

5. Thomas Wheldon

Thomas’s wife Elizabeth Marchant was born about 1675 or 1681 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass.  She was Thomas’ second cousin.  Her parents were Abishai Marchant (1650 – 1717) and Mary Taylor (1650 – 1718); of Yarmouth. Her maternal grandparents were Richard Taylor (____ – 1673) and   Mary Whelden (1621 – 1673) and her great grandparents were Gabriel WHELDON and Jane [__?__].  Elizabeth died 9 Feb 1718

Thomas lived at Yarmouth and at Martha’s Vineyard.

Children of Thomas and Elizabeth

i. Samuel Wheldon b. May 1699 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass; died young

ii.  Marcy Wheldon b. 9 Dec 1701 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass;

iii. Thomas Wheldon b. 15 Dec 1702 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass;

iv. John Wheldon (twin) b. 21 Jul 1707 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass; d, efore Dec 1755; m. Abigail Chase (b. 30 Oct 1714 in Marthas Vineyard, Dukes, Mass)

v.  Elisha Wheldon (twin) b. 14 Nov 1707 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass.; d. Unknown;  m1. Mary [__?__]; m2. 15 Apr 1731 Harwich, Barnstable, Mass. to Lydia Nickerson (b. 1703 in Harwich).  Lydia’s parents were  William Nickerson (1678 – 1765) and   Lydia Maker (1684 –  ____)

vi.  Samuel Wheldon b. 8 May 1708? Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass;

vii. Thankful Wheldon b. Jun 1715 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass;

viii. Gershom Wheldon b. 9 Nov 1717 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass; m.24 Oct 1745 Priscilla Nickerson

ix.  Desire Wheldon b. 1 Oct 1723 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass;

Sources:

http://jliptrap.us/gen/whilden.htm

http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=35685300&st=1