Levin H.² WHEELER was born in North Carolina in 1801.^{(4) (5)} For close to 4 decades he lived in NC. The first mentions of Levin are in the records of Rockingham Co, NC. The most interesting of these is one in which Ezekiel Wheeler gives to his son Levin Wheeler some property.⁽⁶⁾ Ezekiel also gave some land to his son William so we know that one of his brothers was named William.⁽⁷⁾ He also appears as a member of a grand jury in Rockingham Co in May of 1835. ⁽⁸⁾ Levin also appeared in the Court minutes in July 1836 and May 1837.^{(9) (10)}

We can only speculate why Levin and three of his siblings left NC for MS. More than likely they were tobacco farmers. Tobacco was a crop that quickly depleted the nutrients in the land and perhaps there land was worn out. New land became available in Northwest Mississippi with the treaties with the Indians of that region. Once the Indians were removed from the land it was opened up to white settlers. It appears that in 1838, Levin and his family moved to DeSoto County. ⁽¹¹⁾

Levin first appears in DeSoto County records on a deed transferring property from Edward Orne to the Trustees of the Hernando Methodist Episcopal Chruch.⁽¹²⁾ The 1840 Census is the next time that Levin appears in records. In this census Levin already had 4 male slaves and 6 female slaves.⁽¹³⁾. In 1840 he purchased 120 acres for $800.⁽¹⁴⁾ Throughout the 1840's Levin appears on the DeSoto County tax roll. By 1848 Levin is paying taxes on 8 slaves. ⁽¹⁵⁾ On Nov 12, 1850 Levin purchased for $1600 another 160 acres adjacent to his original 160 acre purchase.⁽¹⁶⁾ What was this land like and what did he do with it. We get some clues from the 1850 Agricultural Census. Of his 320 acres, 150 acres was improved and 170 acres was unimproved woodland. He had a wide variety of livestock; 4 horses, 3 mules, 10 milk cows, 12 other cattle, 20 sheep and 40 swine. He also farmed a wide variety of crops with Cotton (18 400 lb bales), Indian Corn (500 Bushels) and Barley (280 Bushels) being the main crops. He also rasied wheat, irish potatoes and sweet potatoes. His farm also produced 45 lbs of wool, 365 lbs of butter and 100 lbs of honey.⁽¹⁷⁾

The 1850 Census is the first census in which all names in a household were listed. In this Census 8 of his children are listed along with his wife's sister, Elizabeth Jones. Levin's age is listed as 49, which is consistent with his being born in 1801 and Zilpha his wife is listed as 44 years old.⁽¹⁸⁾ The 1850 Slave Census shows that he also owned 8 slaves, 5 males and 3 females. ⁽¹⁹⁾ In the 1850's Levin and his family grow in wealth. In 1854 he pays a tax on a pleasure carraige for the first time.⁽²⁰⁾ The 1860 Slave Census shows 8 slaves, 5 between the ages of 14 and 22, one 40 years old and two children.⁽²¹⁾ The 1860 Agricultural Census shows how much work had been done on the farm in the perceding decade. Now there were 220 Improved acres of land. He also obtained 3 oxen to work the fields with. The rest of his livestock numbers remained consistent with the 1850 numbers. His biggest crops were cotton (20 400 lb bales), Indian Corn (1000 bushels), sweet potatoes (200 bushels) and wheat (75 bushels). He also grew peas and beans, Irish potatoes and two tons of hay. He reported no honey so he had evidently gotten rid of his bees. He reported 150 lbs of butter. Since he had sheep, he must have had some wool, but the 1860 Census did not have a place to report wool. ⁽²²⁾ In 1860 the Population Schedule of the Census showed that Levin and Zilpha still had 4 children at home; Zalmon, Joseph, Iverson and Francis. They also had two grandchildren living with them, M. A. Jackson and E. M. Jackson. Their mother Mary Wheeler Jackson had died in 1853.⁽²³⁾

The 1861 Personal Tax gave a glimpse of the storm that was already overtaking Levin and Zilpha and their family. Along with a tax on 2 pleasure carraiges and 10 slaves, there was also a military tax collected.⁽²⁴⁾ Before the decade ended tragedy would strike the family taking more than half of Levin's sons. As early as June 21, 1862 Federal troops occuppied Hernando.⁽²⁵⁾ All five of Levin's sons marched off to fight for the lost cause and be involved in the largest battles in the west.

The last half of the decade saw Levin move more into public life. He would serve the county as a Justice of the Peace in 1865 and 1866. ^{(26) (27)} In December of 1866 Levin placed an ad in the paper about apple trees and shrubbery that list him as a agent of Jospeh Browning.⁽²⁸⁾ Levin also became involved in the DeSoto County Bible Society during the 1860s. The first record of his involvement is a speech he gave in May 1867. This speech takes up half a column in the newspaper and it is included in Appendix A. ⁽²⁹⁾ In June 1869 Levin was elected President of the Bible Society. ⁽³⁰⁾ Levin remained active in the Bible Society at least until 1871 when he was elected to the executive committee. ⁽³¹⁾

The year 1870 came upon Levin and Zilpha and the house must have seemed quiet. Only their son William Harvey and his wife Fannie lived with them.⁽³²⁾ His farm contained 320 acres of improved land but he only grew 1 bale of cotton, 500 bushels of corn and 150 bushels of wheat along with small amounts of peas and beans, irish potatoes and sweet potatoes. ⁽³³⁾ The lower production was probably accounted for by he and his family needing less and by his age. Levin lists his age as 70 on the 1870 Census form. Levin looked to other sources for income. The Hernando Press in Feb 1872 includes an ad for "the Polygot Bible, and the Medical Advisor" and lists Mr. L. Wheeler as the agent.⁽³⁴⁾ In April he palce an ad for "A New Editon of Bunyans Complete Works in One Volume." ⁽³⁵⁾ The June 6, 1872 edition of the paper ran an ad by Levin for 'Bunyan's Complete Works' and the "Medical Adviser'.⁽³⁶⁾ Then just as suddenly as he began running these ads, he stops and Levin is not mentioned in the local paper again until his death.

Eighteen-eighty found Levin an old man with a full house again. The Census that year shows Levin, Zilpha, Harvey, Fanny and 8 children and 2 servants⁽³⁷⁾ According to the census data, Levin's parents were from MD and Zilpha's parents were from NC. The 1880 Agricultural Census finds that Levin is still growing the same crops that he had grown his entire time in MS, but the production was up almost to pre war totals. He had 40 swine, 5 milk cows, 1 mule, 3 horese, 57 poultry which produced 900 dozen eggs. He had 20 acres planted in corn and produced 300 bushels, 10 acres of oats producing 20 bushels, 20 acres in wheat producing 130 bushels and 15 acres in cotton producing 8 bales. He also had a small orchard producing 24 bushels of apples and 20 bushels of peaches. ⁽³⁸⁾ Levin would not live to see the end of the decade. He died on April 3, 1884 at his residence. ⁽³⁹⁾ Levin's will was probated in 1885 and in it he left 120 acres to William Harvey Wheeler and the rest of the land was to be divided between his other children. Des Co. Will book 2, page 238. His wife Zilpha followed him in death the next year. Together they are buried in the Wheeler Cemetery on a shady hill on the land where they settled.