B. about 1623 in (probably) Manchester, England
M. about 1655 in Concord, Massachusetts
Husband: Timothy Wheeler
D. 4 Oct 1693 in Concord, Massachusetts
In her old age, Mary Brooks wrote a quite detailed will, leaving precious items to various family members. She was born in England in about 1623 to Thomas Brooks and Grace Cunliffe, one of at least four children. Her parents had married in Manchester Cathedral in 1618, and it’s believed the family lived in or near Manchester, although no church records show the baptisms of Mary or her siblings. It’s possible that because of their Puritan beliefs, they avoided association with the Church of England.
The Brooks family moved to Massachusetts sometime during the 1630s. Mary’s father was granted land in Watertown in 1636, and became part of the community, but seems to have moved to Concord by 1638, and this is where Mary would spend the rest of her life. In about 1655, she married Timothy Wheeler, a man in his 50s who had been widowed twice. The couple had three daughters born between 1657 and about 1666, one of whom died as a child. Timothy developed a close relationship with Mary’s father and together they bought 400 acres at Medford, Massachusetts. This property eventually passed to Mary’s brothers and was owned by the Brooks Family for generations.
During the summer of 1687, Timothy died, leaving Mary as the matriarch of her small family. On April 20, 1691, she had her will prepared and presumably dictated the language in it. She described that she was “stricken in years,” likely an indication that her health was declining. The first bequest she made was to Ebenezer Prout, the husband of her deceased daughter Elizabeth, whom she left 5 shillings as “a token of my love.” To her grandson, also named Ebenezer Prout, she gave a silver cup engraved with the initials “EW” (presumably it had belonged to the boy’s mother), and also some bedding, furniture and £5. Mary's only surviving daughter, Rebecca, received another silver cup (without initials), a “standing cup,” and a bible with silver clasps. And to Rebecca’s husband, John Minot, she repeated the same sentiment as she wrote for her other son-in-law: 5 shillings as “a token of my love.”
After Mary listed bequests to her other grandchildren, she named gifts for several individuals, including her brother Caleb, a “kinswoman” who once lived in her house, and various other acquaintances. The phrase “a token of my love” followed many of the items. The will was signed off with Mary’s mark, but instead of an “X” it was a crescent moon between two blots of ink.
Mary died on October 4, 1693 at Concord. She was laid to rest with her husband in the Old Burying Ground.
Children:
1. Mary Wheeler – B. 3 Oct 1657, Concord, Massachusetts; D. 7 Oct 1660, Concord, Massachusetts
2. Elizabeth Wheeler – B. 6 Oct 1661, Concord, Massachusetts; D. 11 Oct 1683, Concord, Massachusetts; M. Ebenezer Prout, 28 May 1678
3. Rebecca Wheeler – B. about 1666; D. 23 Sep 1734, Concord, Massachusetts; M. James Minot (1653-1735), about 1684
Sources:
The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, Albert Gallatin Wheeler, 1914
A History of the Town of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Lemuel Shattuck, 1835
The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Vol. 1, Alfred Sereno Hudson, 1904
Tributaries – Mary Brooks (website)
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