Born: August 27, 1834, Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Died: October 10, 1894, Hartland, Connecticut.
Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut.
Wheeler was the son of Joseph Brooks and Almira Dimmis Parsons Weaver.
At age 19, he began teaching school for while. He then became a grocery clerk, eventually opening his own store.
Wheeler became a Mason in 1860, received the 32nd degree in 1863, and the 33rd degree by 1865, and served as Grand Master of the Masonic Grand Bodies of Connecticut. Eventually, his Masonic work absorbed so much of his time that he left the grocery business.
Wheeler also served on the city council of Hartford (1873–74), and was a member of the Windsor Avenue Congregational Church and the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.