Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/79

 \Ik(i.\l.\ I'.IOCRAI'HY

53

W'heelvvrig'ht, merchant, for v$3,ooo, about one hundred and fifty rods of land in Xew- buryport, Massachusetts. On this lot he l)uilt a three-story brick residence which was occupied by himself for some time, but was afterward sold and passed out of pos- session of the family. Abraham Wheel- wright died April 19, 1852. at Xewlniryport. Massachusetts.

Captain Wheelwright married. September 15. 1780. Rebecca Knight, daughter of Jo- seph Knight, of Newbury, Massachusetts, by whom he had eleven children, namely: i. Jeremiah, born September 15. 1781, at New- buryport, and was lost at sea in October, 1830. 2. Rebecca, born December 30, 1783. died in infancy. 3. Rebecca, born Decem- ber 30, 1784; married. May 29, 181 1, Thomas March Clark, of Newburyport. 4. Abraham, born December 10. 1783. died December 15, 1785. 5. Abraham, born December 4. 1786, drowned at sea. May 21. 1832. fell from the masthead of the ship, "A^nus." . John, born February 14, 1790. died August 24, 1842 ; was twMce married. 7. Joseph, of whom more hereafter. 8. Elizabeth Cogswell, born August 28, 1793, died in May, 1894; mar- ried, October 19, 1813. George Greenleaf. of Newburyport, Alassachusetts. 9. Ebenezer, born May 17, 1796. died at sea. September 4, 1825. 10. Mary Ann, born June 26, 1798, died December 13, 1831 ; married, July 25, 1825, Benjamin Harrod, of Newburyport, Massachusetts. 11. Sarah Plummer, born August 27, 1800, died April 26, 1884; mar- ried. May 10, 1827, William B. Titcomb.

(VII) Joseph Wheelwright, son of Abra- ham and Rebecca (Knight) Wheelwright, was born December 29. 1791, at Newbury- ])ort, Massachusetts, died August 24. 1853. ir. \'irginia. He married. November 23, 1815. at A\'inchester. Kentucky, Lavisa Dodge, and among their children was Wil- liam Henrv, of whom more hereafter.

(VIII) \\illiam Henry Wheehvright, son of Joseph and Lavisa (Dodge) W^heelwright, was born July 23, 1824, in W^estmoreland county, \'irginia. He was a minister of the gospel, noted for his courage, energy, sin- cerity and frankness. He acquired landed property in Warren county, Virginia, and when the civil war came on he entered the Confederate army, in which he attained the rank of major. His property was all destroyed and at the close of the war he earned a living for his family bv teaching:

and preaching. He married Margaret Ker- fdot, daughter of John B. and Elizabeth (Taylor) Kerfoot, in Virginia. She was de- scended from John Samuel Kerfoot, who came from Ireland in 1734, and settled in b'rederick county, A'irginia. Mr. and Mrs. Wheelwright were the parents of three sons and six daughters, the only son living being lliomas S., of whom more hereafter. Mr. Wheelwright died in Warren county, Yir- ginia, December 17, 1879.

(IX) Thomas Stewart Wheelwright, son of William Henry and Margaret (Kerfoot) Wheelwright, was born h^ebruary 19, 1866. He began life as a farmer boy on his father's plantation, then attended the local public school taught by his elder sister Julia, and filled in his evenings by study and reading at home. Later he attended the Randolph- MaccMi College at Ashland, X'irginia, for three years, earning the money to pay for his own tuition. He secured a position as stenographer with a commercial house in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1885, ^"c^ later came to Richmond as stenographer with the bank- ing firm of C. X\\ Branch & Company. About the year 1890 he became identified with sev- eral manufacturing enterprises, and has de- voted several years to the development of industrial corporations. ando.was president of the Gray Electric Company, of Chicago, Illinois, and is now vice-president and gen- eral manager of the Old Dominion Iron and Xail Works, at Richmond. Virginia ; presi- dent of the Virginia Railway and Power Company, of Richmond and Norfolk, and director in the First National Bank and Richmond Trust and Savings Company.

In politics Mr. Wheelwright is an Inde- pendent Democrat ; he supported William McKinley on the sound money issues of 1896 and 1900, also Theodore Roosevelt for president on the later issues, but endorsed W'^oodrow W^ilson's candidacy of reforms in the election of 1912. He attends the Meth- rdist Episcopal church, and is a member of the Royal Arcanum, the Virginia Country Club, \\^estmoreland Club, Commonwealth Club, Business Men's Club, of Richmond, \'irginia. and the Kappa .Alpha college fra- ternity.

]\Ir. Wheelwright married (first) in Chi- cago, in 1893, Susan Carter, and they were the parents of one daughter. Esther, born September i. 1895. ^t Highland Park. Illi- nois. He married (second) X'ovember 15,