A Wheaton

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GAWP5 presents Amos Wheaton Jr. as the plane maker working in the No. Liberties of Philadelphia between 1792 and 1798. In addtition, it records that Wheaton was a joiner in Philadelphia from 1769 through 1791.

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Going through period deeds and church records, the editor purposed to try and sort out the earlier joiner and later planemaker  records. Specifically, trying to understand whether one individual was involved .... or two.

Philadelphia's Swede's Church records were important as they gave the 4-28-1732 birth date of the elder Amos, the birth date of Catherine and the 5-27-1770 birth date of Amos Jr., born to Amos and Catherine. Northern Liberty deeds for Amos (neither Sr. or Jr.), identified as either a joiner or a cabinet maker, ranged in date from 1771 to 1780 with his wife listed as Catherine. Northern Liberty deeds for Amos Jr. (consistently Jr.), identified as a plane maker, ranged in date from 1792 to 1798 with his wife listed as Rebecca in the years 1794 and after. Each craftsman was identified consistently by their respective trade. In one final deed, dated Jan. 23, 1799, Amos, a cabinet maker, sold land and a brick tenement he acquired in 1788. Three points suggest this last deed was from the elder Amos, the joiner / cabinet maker. 1) He witnessed the sale before a JP following the signing date, and thus could not be the Amos Jr., as Amos Jr. had died in late 1798. 2) He originally bought the land and tenement in 1788, a date too early for Amos Jr. who was born in 1770. Lastly, Amos (the elder), signed the 1799 deed with his mark "X" while Amos Jr. used a clear signature in his correspondences.

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Other than the recording of Amos (the elder's) birth date, the birth dates of Amos and Catherine's children and the marriage date of Amos Jr. and Rebecca, little else is known about the families.

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​Included below, are representative deeds and the probate inventory for Amos Jr., the plane maker. Of note, the inventory lists 63 new planes as a lot as well as a detailed list of "old planes".

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1792 deed, Amos the younger, plane maker.