USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of the town of Milford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1881 > Part 106
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"In the year 1873 I became interested in the new system of education for young children. At the same time I visited Miss Peabody, the prime mover of it in this country, and Mrs. Horace Mann. They invited me to their kinder- garten, and kindly imparted so much information on Froebel's method, that I saw the utility and necessity of establishing one in my own town. Not fore- seeing many difficulties, I went to work, like most of the followers of that great educational reformist, Froebel, resolved, during my active life, to abide by his motto, 'Come, let us live with our children.' One cannot have a garten with- out a kinder, any more than one could have a flower-garden without the flowers. The first thing I did was to plant the children; and, through the instrumental- ity of Miss Peabody, I secured the services of a lady from Washington, D.C., who opened my kindergarten with success. But as she could only remain through her vacation, I was obliged to hire another teacher, who, unfortunately for me, did not understand Froebel's system. So the wished-for kindergarten was converted into a common private school for that year. During the next long vacation another kindergartener was secured, who had graduated at the regular training-class, but who, like the other one, could remain only through her vacation. I then plainly saw that the educational work I had planned must
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be given up entirely, or I must learn the new system myself. Consequently I secured the services of the same teacher the second year, and, in the mean time, was admitted to the Froebel Class, and graduated, receiving my diploma at the Boston Training Kindergarten in 1876. In the fall of the same year I hired a lady to assist me to open a true kindergarten, together with a primary class. This proved a complete success, no change of teachers having been made for the last four years. The whole number of children registered in kindergarten, 75. The average whole number during the year, 50. Whole number registered since the birth of the school, 95."
I sincerely regret to add, that, since the above communication was received, Mrs. Morgan has experienced a series of very painful and trying afflictions, mental and physical, from which she has hardly yet emerged. I sympathized deeply with her, her hus., family relatives, and real friends, as I learned, from stage to stage, the nature and bitterness of these calamities. May the gracious All-Father bring her out of the furnace like gold seven times purified.
A few other Morgans have transiently dwelt in town, but I need not specify names and particulars imperfectly at my command.
MORSE. Our Morses have not been numerous. I suppose them all to have descended from Samuel Morse of Dedham, b. in Eng., 1585. He came to New Eng. in 1635, set. in Dedham 1637, and d. at Medfield, April 5, 1654. Our first citizen of this name was, -
MORSE, NATHANIEL 4 (Nathaniel,8 Daniel,2 Samuel1), b. in Sherborn, 1682; m., 1st, Mary Lovett, dr. of James and Hannah Lovett of Mendon, an elder sister of Ebnr. and Joseph Sumner's wives; cer. Dec. 31, 1703, prob. by Rev. Grindall Rawson. Just when he came from Mendon town-seat to our Centre I have not ascertained, but it must have been previous to 1730. His homestead comprised at the outset 100 acres or more. It extended from Congress St., south-eastwardly, to Charles River; bounding north- easterly on the old Burying-Ground, Spruce St., behind the Heater, and Main St., to below the Town Common. Its south-westerly boundary prob. ran with Exchange St., and thence in the same direction to the river. He was a cooper by trade, and apparently a man of moderate enterprise; as be seemed to have eaten up several parcels of his farm, most of which were absorbed by his prosperous nephew, Daniel Sumner. His domicile was on or near that of the late Ziba Thayer, previously occupied by Dr. G. D. Peck, and before him by Abner Wight. He and his wf. Mary were recd. into the Cong. cli. here in 1755; their dr. Joanna in 1744. His chn. : - JAMES, b. in Mendon, June 22, 1707; no further traced; prob. d. young, RACHEL, b. in Mendon, date not found; no further traced.
JOANNA, b. date not found; m. Peter Norcross, July 21, 1748.
I bave discovered no other names of chn. Mrs. Mary d. Oct. 25, 1758. The hus. m., 2d, wid. Sarah Hayward ; cer. Sept. 9, 1762, by Rev. A. Frost. Mrs. Sarah d. Aug. 26, 1767. The hus. d. May 23, 1768.
MORSE EDMUND, Esq.5 (Samuel,+ Jonathan,8 Daniel,2 Samuel 1), b. in Sher- born, perhaps the part afterwards Holl., 1695; m. Rachel Sheffield, dr. of William and Hannah (Bullard) Sheffield, b. Oct. 12, 1702; cer. May 4, 1722. They moved to our Centre, and remained some yrs. Chn. : -
BEULAH, b. March 4, 1723; m. Phinehas Lovett, Dec. 22, 1742.
RACHEL, b. June 8, 1725; untraced.
MARGARET, b. Feb. 22, 1728-9; d. Oct. 4, 1740.
WILLIAM, b. Oct. 23, 1733; d. Jan. 31, 1735-6.
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MORSE, MOULTON, MOWRY.
ELIZABETH, b. March 9, 1737; d. Sept. 21, 1740.
WILLIAM, b. April 28, 1746; untraced.
The parents were recd. into ch. here, Dec. 3, 1749. I understand the hus. to have been justice peace, and perhaps general scrivener. Just where he dwelt, I am not certain, but near the Parish Common. He took out license as innholder in 1738-40, but only as retailer in 1741, and then as innholder 1742-43. He may have been some sort of a shopkeeper for a time. I think I have been informed that he finally returned with his family to Holl., where, perhaps, they died.
MORSE, Dea. JAMES 5 (Henry," Joseph,4 Joseph,8 Joseph,2 Samuel 1), b. Med- way, Sept. 5, 1742; m. Hannah Daniels, b. June 25, 1741; cer. July 9, 1759. They res. much in Medway, but several yrs. in Mil. Their chn. :- OBADIAH, b. /61; d. Nov. 28, 1766.
JOHN, Rev. A. M., b. March 24, 1763; clergyman ; set. in sev. places; m. Clar- issa Sanford.
HENRY, Dea., b. April 25, 1766; m., 1st, Eleanor Clark; 2d, Betsey Taft; 3d, Esther Whitney.
RUTH, b. Aug. 15, 1768; m. Joel Hayward, Mil., May 8, 1788.
RHODA, b. Aug., 1768.
POLLY, b. Nov. 14, 1769; m. Daniel Elliot, Sutton, May 10, 1797.
CATHERINE, m. Nathan Fletcher, Mil.
Dea. James is said to have been puny in body, but of capable and exec- utive mind. He d. June 19, 1808. Mrs. Hannah lived 20 yrs. longer, and d. May 14, 1829, a. 88 yrs. Their remains slumber together in So. Mil. Cemetery. MORSE, THOMAS E.8 (Adam,7 Asa,6 Henry,5 Joseph,4 Joseph,3 John,2 Sam- uel1), b. Canton, Sept. 16, 1822; m. Caroline F. Maynard, dr. of Rev. Lyman and Elizabeth Wood (Macomber) Maynard, b. in Medway, Nov. 28, 1827; cer. in Dennis, Dec. 14, 1847, by Rev. Lyman Maynard. Offspring :-
ELLA J., b. in Needham, April 18, 1851 ; m. to Henry J. Bailey, Mil., Jan. 10, 1872; cer. by Rev. G. L. Demarest. One granddr. :-
BESSIE F. BAILEY, b. June 21, 1874.
Asa Morse, the gd. fr. of Thomas E., was among the famous Revolutionarles that united in throwing overboard the tea in Boston Harbor. Thomas and wf. rank reputably among us for sterling usefulness and worth. He is a house- painter by trade, and supplies from his establishment, So. Bow, near Main St., painters' materials, doors, sashes, and blinds to numerous customers.
MORSE, LEMUEL G., pedigree not traced; m. Almira Cobb, dr. of Elmer and Sylvia (Johnson) Cobb (for birth-date see Cobb); cer. at Hopedale, Jan. 6, 1853, by the writer. No report of issue. They res. in Up. A few other Morses in town, but no reports of family record from them.
MOULTON, NATHANIEL, and wf. Betsey, pedigree not ascertained, stand cred- ited on our records with the births of 2 chn. : -
ARBA, b. Feb. 2, 1793.
ANNA GRANT, b. May 11, 1795; family no further traced.
MOWRY, ISRAEL 5 (Israel,4 Elisha,8 Henry,2 Nathaniel1, of Smithfield, R.I .; the ancestral immigrant from Eng.), b. Mendon, Aug. 24, 1787; farmer, jobber, etc. ; m. Phila Wood, dr. of Col. Ezra Wood, b. Up., July 12, 1798; cer. Aug. 20, 1815. Their chn: -
BARBARA B., b. Dec. 30, 1817; m. Samuel Colburn, Dec. 30, 1840; she d. June 23, 1843.
BETSEY C., b. Dec. 26, 1819; m. William Bracket, May 30, 1841.
:
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
EZRA WOOD, b. Oct. 14, 1822; m. Ann E. Aldrich, June, 1846. DANIEL C., b. June 16, 1825; m. - Lawrence, - Taft, etc. ANN A., b. April 16, 1827; m. Horatio F. Bowen, May 28, 1846. ALMIRA M., b. Jan. 12, 1829; m. Edward J. Prentice, Mil., Nov. 28, 1850. JOHN GARDNER, b. Sept. 10, 1831; m. Ann Isabella Maynard, Oct. 26, 1864. CHARLES H., b. May 23, 1833; m. Marion Braman, Nov. 7, 1859.
GEORGE W., b. May 25, 1835; twice or thrice m .; names not ascertained.
Israel Mowry res. in several localities at different periods of his life, -in Mendon, Uxbridge, Upton, Dedham, and last in Mil., on Purchase St. There he bought the Henry Allen place, so called, and spent his last earthly days. He was an industrious, hard-working, well-intentioned man. He d. in Mil., June 16, 1855, a sincere and hopefnl Spiritualist, a. 66 yrs. His worthy wf. sur- vived him several yrs., but joined him in spirit-land some time since.
MOWRY, JOHN GARDNER 6 (Israel," Israel,4 Elisha,8 Henry,2 Nathaniel 1), b.
Up., Sept. 10, 1831; mr's. maiden name, Phila Wood; m. Ann Isabella Maynard, dr. of Rev. Lyman and Elizabeth Wood (Macomber) Maynard, b. Hingham, June 29, 1840; cer. at Hopedale, Oct. 26, 1864, by the writer. No chn. Chiefly engaged in the straw goods manufacture. Excellent per- sons. Res. Mil., Amherst, Holl, etc. He d. very suddenly in Mil., Ang. 8, 1878, highly esteemed and deeply lamented. His desolated companion sur- vives, and res. in town.
MOREY, JAMES M., ancestry not traced; son of William and Mary (Fifield) Morey, b. in Wilmot, N.H., Sept. 25, 1829; blacksmith; m., 1st, Nancy F. Heath, dr. of Samuel and Sally (Fogg) Heath, b. Bridgewater, N.H., 1830; cer. Warner, N.H., Aug. 3, 1850, by Rev. Walter P. Harriman. 1 child, -
NANCY CALISTA, b. Wilmot Flat, N.H., April 29, 1852; d. March 18, 1864.
Mrs. Nancy, the mr., d. Wilmot Flat, May 7, 1852. The bus. m., 2d, Sarah Emma Walker, dr. of Richard and Sally (Hatch) Walker, b. in Milton, N. H., Feb. 13, 1832; cer. at Hopedale, Sept. 25, 1853, by the writer. Two chu :- CHARLIE E., b. Holl., Sept. 8, 1855; d. Feb. 23, 1857.
. MINNIE MABELLE, b. Hopedale, Dec. 14, 1858; m. Frank A. Southwick, Brooklyn, N.Y., July 4, 1880.
A very worthy family. Mr. M. is an industrious, skilful blacksmith at Hopedale, for several yrs. the res. of the family.
MOREY, JAMES, son of Rev. William and Ann (Platt) Morey, b. in Eng., July 2, 1837; farmer; in. Jane Gill, dr. of Abraham and Elizabeth (Tanner) Gill, b. June 29, 1835, in Prince Edward Island ; cer. Little York, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 7, 1861, by Rev. A. W. Nicholson. Their chn :-
IDA, b. DeKalb, N.Y., May 29, 1864.
ABNER, b. DeKalb, N.Y., Aug. 27, 1865.
EMMA, b. Darlington, Wis., July 26, 1867.
SETH, b. Sheridan, Wis., June 14, 1869.
LUKE, b. Sheridan, Wis., Jan. 24, 1871.
OLIVE, b. Sheridan, Wis., March 9, 1873.
JOHN, b. Sheridan, Wis., Dec. 22, 1874.
MYRON, b. Prince Edward Island, Nov. 27, 1876.
ROSE, b. Mil., March 27, 1879.
Mr. Morey purchased, three or fonr yrs. ago, the John Cheney farm in No. Purchase, the ancient Jonathan Bond place. He brought along with him into town his venerable fr. and mr. Rev. William d. in No. Purchase, May 30, 1879,
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MOREY, MULLIKEN, MUNYAN.
in his 71st yr. ; and I ministered at his funeral. His aged consort still survives. James and family give promise of useful and respectable citizenship.
We have other Moreys in town, named in our directory, whose family records have not been reported to me. These are, -
MOREY, ELSON, boot-click, h. Mechanic St., near Pearl.
MOREY, GEORGE H., finisher, bds. Elson Morey's; prob. a son.
MOREY, GEORGE H. boot-click, h. Mechanic St., near Pearl.
MOREY, JAMES, bootmaker, h. West St., beyond Prospect.
MOREY, JAMES K., bootmaker, h. So. Main St., below Fruit.
I suspect some of these may be descendants of the late Rev. William, but have not made myself certain of it.
MULLIKEN, ELIJAH SANDERSON; ancestry not traced; son of Nathaniel and Lydia (Sanderson) Mulliken, b. in Lexington, June 30, 1824; carpenter ; m. Helen Louisa Munyan, dr. of Lemuel and Fanny W. (Pitts) Munyan, b. in Millville, April 1, 1832; cer. Hopedale, Sept. 4, 1854, by the writer. Their chn. :-
MAYBEL FANNY, b. So. Uxbridge, Feb. 21, 1858.
KATE WILMARTH, b. Warwick, R.I., Aug. 12, 1863.
HARRY SANDERSON, b. Warwick, R.I., Oct. 17, 1866.
For intelligence and practical Christian character this family will bear high commendation, for two good reasons: first, because they richly deserve it; and second, because they are too modest to be harmed by it. They were ornaments to our Hopedale Community when they belonged to it in its zenith, and they cannot have been otherwise to any of the neighborhoods where they have since dwelt. If worldly prosperity has not smiled on them in their laudable endeavors to deserve it, they have laid up treasure where "moth cannot corrupt, nor thieves break through to steal." They have res. in Hopedale, So. Uxbridge, Warwick, R.I., Malta, N. Y., and now for several yrs. in West Upton. There Mr. Mulliken is a respected employé of the Knowltons; and Mrs. Mulliken has distinguished herself as the head of a successful kindergarten seminary, and is training her drs. for like usefulness.
MUNYAN, LEMUEL; ancestry not traced; son of Ezra and Sarah (Knapp)
Munyan; b. Thompson, Ct., Aug. 18, 1807. Woollen manufacturer for- merly, and now farmer; m., 1st, Fanny Willard Pitts, dr. of Esek, Esq., and Abigail (Wood) Pitts, b. in Millville, date not given; cer. in Millville, May, 1830, by Rev. Nathaniel Barker. Their chn. : -
HELEN LOUISA, b. Millville, April 1, 1832; m. Elijah S. Mulliken, Sept. 4, 1854.
ABBY FRANCES, b. July 7, 1833; m. Jerome Wilmarth, M.D., Nov. 19, 1856; res. Upton. Mrs. Fanny d. Nov. 26, 1837, much esteemed and lamented. The hus. m., 2d, Catherine G. Shove, dr. of Marvel and Lydia (Fisk) Shove, b. Woonsocket, R.I., April 18, 1818; cer. at Crosswicks, N.J., Oct. 13, 1842, according to usage of Friends. Their chn. :-
ANNA GERTRUDE, b. Worcester, Jan. 25, 1847; m. William Read Warren, Oct. 13, 1867.
EDWARD MARVEL, b. So. Uxbridge, Jan. 2, 1858; salesman, Boston; bds. with parents.
The commendatory testimonial borne above to the intelligence and Chris- tian character of the Mullikens is equally applicable to the Munyans, their parents. They were among the best members of our Community at Hopedale during its best yrs. Fortune has seemed to frown on their pecuniary weal at
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times, but no blight ever touched their moral and social excellence. They have res. at different stages of their earthly pilgrimage in So. Uxbridge, Worcester, Hopedale, Warwick, R.I., Providence, R.I., and latterly for some yrs. at No. Woburn.
Of grandchn. they have 8, -3 Mullikens, 2 Wilmarths, and 3 Warrens. The Mullikens and Wilmarths appear in the family records of their respective parents. The Warrens I may as well give here. Anna G. Munyan and Wm. R. Warren were m. in Providence, R.I., Oct. 13, 1867, by Rev. Augustus Wood- bury. They are worthy of their kindred, and res. in West Upton. Their chil- dren are, -
BESSIE SHOVE, b. Providence, R.I., May 26, 1869.
WILLIAM LORING, b. Upton, Oct. 13, 1872.
FANNY LOUISE, b. Upton, April 6, 1878.
Another has since been added to the flock; name and date not ascertained.
NELSON. The Nelsons have long been conspicuous and influential inhab- itants of our territory and that of Upton. With the acceptable aid of important genealogical documents, left by the late Newell Nelson, Esq., and equally valu- able ones furnished by Mr. Elijah Nelson of Upton, now resident in Providence, R.I., supplemented by careful researches of my own, I am prepared to give a reliable account of our Nelson ancestry and descent. From the printed docu- ment kindly sent me by Mr. Elijah Nelson, entitled, " A Family Record of the Descendants of Thomas Nelson and Joan his Wife : By one of them " published 1868, I quote as follows :-
"THOMAS NELSON was the ancestor of the Nelsons in Maine, New Hamp- shire, and the northern part of Massachusetts. He was one of the twenty families that emigrated with the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers from Rowley, Yorkshire, Eng., to this country, in Dec., 1638, and probably spent the winter in Salem, and removed, in the spring of 1639, to a place between Ipswich and Newbury, called for some time ' Mr. Rogers's Plantation.' In Sept. of the same year the Gen. Court gave it the name Rowley.
"Thomas Nelson was made freeman, May 23, 1639; chosen deputy to Gen. Court in 1640 and 41; in 1643 was chosen chairman of a committee to make a survey of the town, and lay out and register house-lots. In Oct., 1644, he was appointed to join in marriage persons in Rowley." Thus promoted to positions of honor and responsibility, he seems to have gone steadily forward to prominent wealth and respectability. At length, being called on important business to England, he prudently made his will, departed, and, as it happened, never returned. He was taken dangerously sick in England, and died there in 1648. His wf. was Joan Dummer, dr. of Thomas Dummer, understood to have been of Rowley, Eng., or that vicinity. Their chn. were :-
PHILIP, b. in Eng., 1636; grad. Harvard U., 1654, and rose to eminence.
THOMAS, b. in Eng., 1638; m., had a large family, and d. in Rowley.
MERCY, b. Rowley, 1643; m. John Stark.
SAMUEL, b. Rowley, 1646; no further traced.
MARY, b. Rowley, 1648; no further traced.
NELSON, THOMAS 2 (Thomas1), m., 1st, Ann Lambert, dr. of Francis Lam- bert, one of the original Rowley settlers. Their chn. were :-
THOMAS, b. March 10, 1661; lived and d. in Rowley.
DOROTHY, b. Feb. 14, 1662; no further traced.
HANNAH, b. June 22, 1665; m. Joseph Dickenson, Nov. 3, 1714.
JONATHAN, b. Nov. 20, 1667; d. 1690.
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NELSON FAMILIES.
ELIZABETH, b. Feb. 25, 1669; d. Dec. 31, 1668.
GERSHOM, b. July 11, 1672; the progenitor of all our Mil. Nelsons.
FRANCIS, b. Feb. 19, 1675; no further traced.
Ann (Lambert) Nelson d. Jan. 2, 1668. He m., 2d, Mary Lunt of Newbury, May 13, 1680. She bore him Ephraim, March 23, 1681, and d. May 28, 1688. He m., 3d, Phillippa Platts of Rowley, April 9, 1690, who d. Oct. 9, 1709; and he, April 5, 1712.
NELSON, THOMAS & (Thomas,2 Thomas 1), m., 1st, Hannah -, 1690, and had, -
SAMUEL, b. Feb. 14, 1691; progenitor of the Upton Nelsons.
HANNAH, b. Dec. 17, 1693; no further traced.
ABIGAIL, b. Feb. 4, 1696; d. Aug. 12, 1716.
ELIZABETH, b. Oct. 15, 1704; m. Jos. Aspinwall, June 5, 1728.
ABIGAIL, b. Oct. 24, 1717; by 2d wf. Tabitha -.
The fr d. May 20, 1719, a. 59 yrs.
NELSON, GERSHOM 8 (Thomas,2 Thomas1), b. July 11, 1672; m. Abigail Elli- thorpe, July 16, 1700; to whom were born, -
NATHANIEL, b. April 22, 1701; conspicuous here as Dea. and Elder.
ANN, b. Sept. 4, 1703; m. James Godman, Nov. 19, 1731.
SARAH, b. Feb. 27, 1707; m. Moses Gage, Jan. 13, 1731.
MARY, b. April 16, 1713; m. Joseph Chapin, Feb. 5, 1729.
HANNAH, b. Oct. 14, 1714; m. William Legg, had several chn., and d. July 3, 1755.
NEHEMIAH, b. Oct. 4, 1716; lived and d. here a respected citizen.
ABIGAIL, b. May 20, 1720; d. Aug. 29, 1736, in her 17th yr.
These chn. were all b. in Rowley. In April, 1722, Gershom Nelson pur- chased of Josiah Wood his large farm of some 200 acs., lying mainly just south of the Eld. John Jones est. in now Hopedale, though extending farther both east and west. Thither he immediately removed his family, and commenced the management of his new purchase. He appears to have been a man of means, energy, and enterprise. Josiah Wood bought the bulk of this real estate of Capt. Seth Chapin, the original settler, in 1715, but had made some additions to it, and in partnership with certain neighbors erected a saw-mill on its southerly skirt. The scant remains of the old dam are still discernible on the river, about half-way down from the Mendon-road stone bridge towards the new mill now in possession of Saml. Walker. But Mr. Nelson did not live long to enjoy his farm. He d. Sept. 14, 1727. His est. was settled by his eldest son Nathaniel, and divided among his heirs. His wid. long survived him, and d. Dec. 25, 1765, a. almost 87 yrs.
NELSON, SAMUEL 4 (Thomas,8 Thomas,2 Thomas1), nephew to Gershom, b.
Rowley, Feb. 14, 1691; m. Ann Palmer, Oct. 25, 1721, and settled in the southerly part of Upton, then included in Mendon, not long after his uncle Gershom came to the Josiah Wood farm in now Hopedale. Their homes were only about two miles apart. He was known and much respected in Upton, as Dea. Samuel Nelson, I have not undertaken to go much into details relative to the Upton Nelsons, and shall content myself with giving the substance of Mr. Elijah Nelson's communication to me on the subject, which is as follows :-
Dea. Samuel had two sons, Francis and Thomas. Francis was b. in Row- ley, Sept. 10, 1722; and Thomas in Upton, April 9, 1727. Between the births of these sons he moved into the south part of Upton, then Mendon. He divided
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his land between his two sons; giving the northern portion to Francis, and his immediate homestead to Thomas. Francis built anew on his land.
Thomas had 3 sons : viz., Ezra, Nathan, and Thomas. Ezra d. in the Rev- olutionary war. Nathan never married. Thomas m. Hannah Bracket; and they had 3 sons and 4 drs. Their sons were Ezra, Jonathan, and Thomas. Ezra kept the tavern in Upton. Jonathan and Thomas lived on the old homestead. They are all dead. Hannah, one of their sisters, m. Jonathan Nelson of Worcester. He was a son of Dea. John, that went from Mil. to Worcester, and bro. to Rev. John Nelson of Leicester. Jonathan and Thomas left no chn.
Francis Nelson, eldest son of Dea. Samuel, m. Hannah Tyler of Mendon. They had 3 sons and 4 drs. These all went to different parts of the country, except Joseph, who remained at home with his father. He had 3 sons and 3 drs. The drs. all d. young. His eldest son, Daniel, m, Betsey, a dr. of Thomas Nelson. She d., leaving one son, Samuel A. Nelson, boot and shoe dealer in Charleston, S.C. His 2d wf. was a sister of his 1st, and d. without chn. His 3d wf. was Betsey, dr. of Asa Wood. She had one dr., Betsey Jane, who m. George Claflin. They have been seven times to Africa as missionaries, and went last to Kansas. Issue, two drs. Elijah and Levi, sons of Joseph, lived with their fr. on the homestead. Elijah m. Mary, dr. of John Sadler. They had two chn., Mary Jane and Granville Dean. The dr. d. young; and her mr. d. June 14, 1871. The son is a merchant in Providence, R.I .; and Elijah, his fr., has resided with him since the death of his wf., in 1871. He, the fr., my correspondent, says he was b. Ang. 10, 1795, and was therefore, when this was written, in his 83d yr. His bro., Levi Nelson, m. Adaline, dr. of Joseph Wood of Upton. They had 2 chn., a son and a dr. The dr. d. young; and the son dwells on the old paternal homestead.
My correspondent further states that his ancestor, Dea. Samuel, had a brother at one time near him who had a son David. This son went to Shrews- bury, and became the progenitor of all the Nelsons in that town. Mendon records mention a Nathaniel and wf. Sarah, 1741; prob. Dea. Samuel's brother.
If I seem to have wandered beyond my proper limits, in giving this sketch of the Upton Nelsons, I trust the good may exceed the evil. I was curious to inquire into their relationship to our Nelsons, and my friend of that tribe took too much kind pains for my enlightenment to be lost. If any of the Upton Nelsons desire more information concerning their family stock, what is above given may serve to aid their researches. I now return to the Mil. Nelsons. NELSON, NATHANIEL 4 (Gershom,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), b. April 22, 1701;
m. Deborah, dr. of Capt. Seth and Bethiah (Thurston) Chapin, Mendon, April 15, 1725; cer. by Josiah Chapin, Esq. She was b. July 14, 1704. He was styled "weaver" in deeds and other legal instruments. He was early chosen a deacon of the First ch. in Mendon, next of the Second ch., East- erly Precinct, and then a ruling elder of the latter. He inherited, by deed of gift, one-third of his fr.'s real est. He dwelt at or near our Hopedale Corner, and through a long life enjoyed the unlimited confidence of his fellow-Christians and fellow-citizens generally. The chn. of Eld. Nelson and wf. Deborah were, -
RUTH, b. Jan. 28, 1726; d. Ang. 29, 1736.
GERSHOM, b. July 29, 1729; lived, m., raised up a family, and d. here. JOSIAH, b. Ang. 16, 1732; lived, m., raised up a family, and d. here. SETH, b. June 22, 1735; lived, m., raised up a family, and d. here,
ABIGAIL, b. July 14, 1737; m. Benjamin Albee, Dec. 3, 1755.
917
NELSON FAMILIES.
NATHANIEL, b. June 10, 1741; d. Aug. 21, 1772.
DEBORAH, h. July 5, 1743; m. Comfort Keith of Ux.
Mrs. Deborah, the mr., died July 21, 1777, at the age of nearly 73 yrs. The eld. m., for his 2d wf., Mrs. Sarah Thayer, wid. of Ensign Samuel Thayer, June 3, 1779; cer. by Rev. A. Frost. He d. Jan. 6, 1783, in his 82d yr., leaving an honored and long-cherished memory.
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