History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with
Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious,
Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons
and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co.,
Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 465, Astoria Township
William Wheeler, farmer, sec. 29; P. O., Astoria.
Twenty-three years ago Mr. Wheeler set out for Illinois and after the
usual trip settled in Astoria tp., where he has since resided. He
is a native of old Virginia, where he was born in 1816. His
father, William Wheeler, was a balcksmith by trade, and on attaining
his eighteenth year, in 1811, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth
Fowler, by whom he had 6 children. William, the third,
accompanied his parents to Ohio in an early day, where he grew to
manhood on a farm. In 1838 he married Miss Francina E.
Phillips. He purchased 220 acres of land but little improved and
heavily timbered, and now after much hard labor, has a fine, well
improved farm. Of the marriage with Miss Phillips, 12 children
were born, 7 of whom are living, - Arden, Nancy A., Willie, Elijah and
Elisha (twins), John, Franklin and Silas.
