Wheeler moved to the U.S. in 1846 or 1847 and stayed until the 1860s, after which he returned to London.[1]
Personal life
Wheeler's father, who was also named Gervase, worked as a manufacturer of gold, silver and gilded jewelry from 1832 to 1844. London directories indicate he worked at 28 Bartlett's Buildings in Holborn, then just outside London.[1]
In 1855, he stated that "the desire to build, to have a home of one's own is implanted in the breast of every American, and I fancy statistics would show that the number of those who own homesteads in this country far exceeds England."[7]
^ abGuter, Robert P. The Willows at Fosterfields Historic Structure Report, "Architectural History Report", 1983. Written by Robert P. Guter of Acroterion Historic Preservation Consultants, available in the archives of the Morris County Park Commission.
^Ryan, Mary P. (1985). The Empire of the Mother: American Writing About Domesticity, 1830–1860. Harrington Park Press. p. 108.