26 THE WHEATLEY GENEALOGY.
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aul Revere’s ride. After Captain Wheatley’s family moved toNew Hampshire, Phillis, the negress whom Mrs. Wheatley hadpurchased and began to educate, lived in the Lothrop family.This gave the dusky poetess the advantages of higher education,under the eye of a college graduate. ‘ 3° iy) at Lieut. John Wheatley accompanied his father on the expe-dition against Havana, Cuba, in 1762, and drew about ($17.50)seventeen and a half dollars of prize money. In 1766 he mar-ried Jane Cooke of Bozrah, Conn., at which place they lived fora while. Two years later they were living at a place called“Coase,” and in 1770 were living east of the Green at Norwich.By old issues of the Packet we find he had a boot and shoe shopnear the Packet office, where he made the best of goods, “goodwork and quick dispatch being the cardinal points of his com-pass.” The next year he moved into the Peck Tavern, acrossthe Green. In the big elm, known as the “Liberty Tree,” frontof the tavern, was arranged a bower among the branches, sup-plied with tables and seats for dinner parties and speech-makingto the people on the Green. This was connected with an upperwindow of the tavern by a plank walk. ‘Here Landlord Wheat-ley entertained Generali Washington at dinner when en route toBoston, thus winning a point over his rival, Joseph Peck, whokept the Lothrop Inn across the Green.” June 20, 1776, he was commissioned second lieutenant ofCapt. Joshua Huntington's company, in Col. Samuel Selden’sConnecticut regiment. He was wounded and taken prisoner(reported ‘killed or taken”) in a battle with the British troopsat Harlem Heights, N. Y., September 15, 1776, and died a fewdays later. His estate was settled by his widow Jane and brother An-drew, the tavern being run with the assistance of Deodat Little. According to the Norwich Packet they offered also “brown sugar | and molasses for sale.” His widow and daughter Lucindamoved to Lebanon, N. H. Mrs. Wheatley married a Mr. Bliss. Colonel Bliss, son-in-law of General Taylor, on whose staff he | served during the Mexican war, was their grandson. THE WHEATLEY GENEALOGY. 2
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