USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Plymouth > History of Plymouth, New Hampshire; vol. I. Narrative--vol. II. Genealogies, v. 2 pt. 2 > Part 8
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i. ABIGAIL, b. Oct. 17, 1787. m. March 17, 1808, Timothy Ferrin, of Hebron (see), where she d. June 8, 1861. He d. June 14, 1864. (1) Horace. m. Mary Ann (Emerson) Lapham, dau. of Romanus Emerson, and lived in South Boston, Mass. (2) Leonard, b. May 5, 1811. m. March 13, 1839, Caroline Crosby, dau. of Col. Isaac Crosby. She d. Dec. 17, 1861. m. second, Oct. 21, 1865, Susan W. Blanchard. She d. March 6, 1874. m. third, Dec. 6, 1876, Lydia Carlton. Two children, Mary E., b. April 14, 1842. m. June 9, 1866, Frost Spalding. Sumner C., b. Jan. 18, 1844. m. March, 1867, Mary Osgood. Res. Everett, Mass. (3) Elizabeth, b. Oct. 14, 1813. m. 1843, Uriah Pike (see). (4) Mary Ann. m. Roswell Crosby, son of Col. Isaac Crosby. m. second, Maj. Samuel Carr, son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Worth) Carr. (5) Abigail. d. young. (6) Isaac M., b. April 18, 1821, was a locomo- tive engineer. Res. Detroit, Mich. IIe m. August 26, 1850, Leonora (Hackett) Smith, b. Nov. 15, 1826, dau. of Jonathan P.
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and Leonora (Hackett) Smith. Ile d. August 3, 1884. (7) Clarissa, b. May 18, 1826. m. April 15, 1859, Benjamin Franklin Smith, b. Feb. 8, 1830, son of Jonathan P. and Leonora (Hackett) Smith. She d. Ilebron, Jan. 20, 1870. (8) Samuel Carr, b. April 6, 1828. m. Feb. 24, 1860, Arvilla A. II. Smith, b. April 25, 1833, dau. of Jonathan P. and Leonora (Hackett) Smith. He was a locomotive engineer. d. Mt. Clemens, Mich., June 23, 1SS8.
ii. ELIZABETH, b. March 14, 1789. m. Dec. 25, 1817, Judge Edward Webber, b. Rumney, Sept. 8, 1792, son of John and Mary (Cotton) Webber. Ile was a minister of the Christian connection and a man highly respected in the community. He was judge of probate, Grafton Co. 1832-1840. Ile lived in Rumney, where he d. April 6, 1842. She d. at Somersworth. Five children : (1) Joseph Cotton, b. July 5, 1819. d. young. (2) Edmund Worth, b. Jan. 24, 1821. (3) Martha Susan, b. July 27, 1824. d. young. (4) Emily Ann, b. Jan. 4, 1826. (5) Daniel, b. March 1, 1828. iii. EDMUND, b. Feb. 23, 1791. d. August 6, 1817.
iv. JONATHAN, b. Feb. 21, 1793. m. Feb. 24, 1820, Jerusha Gilson, b. June 15, 1796, dau. of Jacob Gilson, of Dunstable, Mass. He d. March 31, 1854. She d. Sept. 10, 1887. (1) Amelia Bigelow, b. May 20, 1821. m. Sept. 6, 1841, Rev. Levi Smith, b. Acworth, March 9, 1812, son of David and Eleanor (Giddings) Smith. He was a Baptist minister in Vermont and New York. He d. March 12, 1879. She was living 1895. (2) Jonathan Varnum, b. Jan. 3, 1824. m. Jan. 7, 1817, Sarah Ann Kezer, b. July 29, 1826, dau. of Stewart and Sarah (Taylor) Kezer. Ile d. Oct. 28, 1887. Their son, Frank Oscar Morse, m. Alma Celia Blodgett, dau. of John Perkins Blodgett (see). (3) Oscar Fitzallen, b. June 12, 1826. m. Sept. 17, 1848, Eliza Ann Sanborn, b. June 14, 1831, dau. of Moses Sanborn. She d. March 18, 1886. Ile m. second, Dec. 28, 1886, Lavinia -. He was conductor and express agent, living at Bristol. (4) Ann Sophia, b. May 9, 1831. m. William C. Goodwin, who d. in Cleveland, Ohio, April 15, 1898.
v. DAVID, b. May 24, 1795. m. Nov. 20, 1823, Dorothy Ladd, b. June 10, 1793, dau. of Isaac and Dolly (Blaisdell) Ladd. Lived in Hebron and Haverhill. He d. Oct. 14, 1868. She d. Feb. 8, 1876. (1) Darius, b. June 26, 1825. d. Oct. 24, 1839. (2) Au- gustus, b. Dec. 13, 1829. d. August 29, 1838. (3) William Sullivan, b. Oct. 3, 1832. unm. (4) Eliza Anna, b. Feb. 1 1859.
vi. ISAAC, b. May 9, 1797. m. Oct. 4, 1828, Mary Kendall, dau. of Ebenezer and Susanna (Dow) Kendall. She d. May 21, 1842. He m. second, August 2, 1843, Nancy Allen, dau. of Reuben Allen. She d. March 29, 1864. He lived in Haverhill. Was selectman and representative, 1847, 1854, 1855, 1856. He d. Nov. 11, 1871. (1) Abiah Worth, b. April 30, 1830. m. Dec. 20, 1859,
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Samuel H. Crocker, b. April 23, 1819. He d. in Greenville, Ill., Dec. 28, 1876. (2) Flavius Josephus, b. March 24, 1832. d. Feb. 2, 1833. (3) Susan Dow, b. May 4, 1837. m. August 4, 1880, Sylvanus Ilutchinson, of Greenville, Ill.
vii. JACOB, b. Jan. 14, 1800. m. Dec. 20, 1823, Hannah Lovejoy, b. Oct. 3, 1799, dau. of Jacob and Ilannah (Bailey) Lovejoy. He removed from Hebron to Haverhill. Was selectman of Ilaverhill, and representative, 1853. He d. 1886. (1) Hannah Elizabeth, b. Dec. 18, 1825. m. Amos Foster, of Landaff. (2) Marcellus Jacob, b. Jan. 24, 1827. m. Mary A. Haines, b. July 20, 1829, dau. of Simeon and Sarah (Flanders) Haines. (3) Caroline Burbank, b. May 24, 1830. m. Oct. 14, 1849, George Wells, b. March 18, 1828, son of Enos Wells. (4) Albinus, b. July 30, 1832. d. young. (5) Annette, b. March 22, 1834. m. Jan. 1, 1852. Enos Clark Wells, son of Enos Wells. She d. Sept. 30, 1886. (6) Malvina, b. April 23, 1837. m. Levi Bisbee, of Haverhill.
viii. DANIEL, b. March 25, 1804. Was representative, 1849 and 1861, and town officer of Haverhill. He m. 1833, Lavina Colby, b. 1808. She d. 1839. Ile in. second, Ann Bradlee. m. third, Gracia (Glynn) Emerson. He d. Feb. 3, 1870. (1) Luther Colby, b. Nov. 24, 1835. Dartmouth College, 1860. Ile read law with Oliver A. Lull and with Nathaniel W. Westgate. Admitted to the bar, 1863, and was in practice in Haverhill several years. Register of probate, 1861-1871. He removed to the west and has been engaged in mining. He now res. Vanderbilt, Cal. He is pleasantly remembered by many friends as a man of agreeable personality, vivacious, pungent, and humorous.
ix. STEPHEN, b. June 23, 1807. m. Jan. 11, 1832, Ann Taylor. He removed, 1845, to Springfield, Mass., where he d. May 15, 1888. (1) Edmund Lawrence, b. July 14, 1834. m. July 25, 1860, Cornelia J. Hawkins, b. Nov. 20, 1837, dau. of Josiah and Eliza- beth (Ewing) Hawkins, of Virginia. He m. second, Eugenia L. Almedia, dau. of William H. and Mary E. (Bradley) Almedia, of Philadelphia, Pa. (2) Helen Mar, b. May 4, 1836. m. Daniel Gould.
13. WILLIAM MORSE, son of Dea. Benjamin 2, b. Jan. 23, 1673/4. m. May 12, 1696, Sarah Merrill, b. Oct. 15, 1677, dau. of Daniel and Sarah (Clough) Merrill. Lived Newbury, Mass. Deacon. d. May 10, 1749.
14. BENJAMIN MORSE, son of Dea. William 18, b. August 8, 1703. m. Oct. 3, 1726, Margaret Bartlett, dau. of Dea. Daniel and Abigail (Moulton) Bartlett, of Newbury. He d. Amesbury, Mass., about 1785.
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MORSE.
15. DANIEL MORSE, son of Benjamin 14, b. Sept. 18, 1745. m. Nov. 20, 1766, Miriam Hoyt, b. Sept. 22, 1746, dau. of Capt. John Miriam (Currier) Hoyt, of West Amesbury, Mass. He was a soldier in the Revolution. He first settled in Newton. He sold his land and buildings in Newton, Nov. 25, 1791, and removed to Plymouth, and was taxed here 1792-1795, inclusive, and subsequently he lived in Bridgewater. He was a captain and a justice of the peace. They were members until death of the Plymouth Congregational Church. He d. Feb. 25, 1826. She d. Nov. 16, 1812. Using the common ex- pression of kinship he was a second cousin of the brothers, Samuel 6 and Dea. Jonathan 12. Eleven children b. previous to removal to Plymouth.
i. STEPHEN, b. July 14, 1767. m. 1789, Betsey Bailey. m. second, Mehitable, widow of John Clarke (see). Ile lived in Holderness, where he d. Dec. 27, 1851. No children.
ii. MOLLY, b. June 25, 1769. m. Hon. Joseph Bartlett. He was a representative in Congress from New York.
iii. MIRIAM, b. May 19, 1771. m. Isaac Senter (see).
iv. DANIEL, b. May 30, 1773 .. m. Sarah Morse, dau. of Benjamin and Rachel (Webster) Morse, and settled in Haverhill, where he d. May 3, 1861.
v. MARGARET, b. July 23, 1775. m. Charles Mitchell, of Bridgewater. Their dau. (1) Lydia, b. Sept. 4, 1799. m. William Crawford (see). m. second, William L. Heath (see).
vi. JOHN, b. June 17, 1777. m. Eunice Willoughby. He removed to Haverhill. d. Dec. 3, 1847. Their son, Rev. Joseph B. Morse, b. May 21, 1814. Dartmouth College, 1848. Teacher and Univer- salist clergyman. d. Hanover, June 26, 1893.
vii. MOSES, b. August 22, 1779. Res. Sydney, P. Q.
viii. ABIGAIL, b. Sept. 6, 1781. m. Robert Mitchell, of Bridgewater, (see).
ix. RUTH, b. Nov. 27, 1783. m. Joseph Bartlett. m. second, Dearborn.
X. BENJAMIN, b. May 1, 1786. m. Eliza Thomas, dau. of Jacob and Ruth (Perkins) Thomas, of Sanbornton and Bridgewater. Re- moved to Kendall, N. Y.
xi. JOSEPH, b. Feb. 21, 1788. m. Abigail Thomas, dau. of Jacob and Ruth (Perkins) Thomas. He removed to Morgan, Vt. Was a prominent citizen, a colonel in the militia, and d. Sept. 15, 1873.
16. ANTHONY MORSE, son of Anthony 1, known as Lieut. Anthony. m. May 8, 1660, Elizabeth Knight, who d. July 29, 1667. m. second, Nov. 10, 1669, Mary Barnard, b. Sept. 22, 1645, dau. of Thomas
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Barnard. He d. Newbury, Mass., Feb. 25, 1677/8. She m. second, August 22, 1778, Philip Eastman.
17. ANTHONY MORSE, son of Anthony 16, b. Jan. 1, 1662/3. m. Feb. 4, 1685/6, Sarah Pike, b. Oct. 12, 1666, dau. of Joseph and Susannah ( Kingsbury ) Pike, of Newbury, Mass. He lived in New- bury, Mass., where he d. March 5, 1704/5 ..
18. STEPHEN MORSE, son of Anthony 17, b. Dec. 28, 1695. m. Elizabeth Worth. He was a deacon and lived in Newbury.
19. THOMAS MORSE, son of Dea. Stephen 18, b. June 30, 1726. m. May 20, 1747, Elizabeth Bartlett. He was a weaver and lived in Bradford, Mass. His son Edmund m. Sarah Wesson (see).
20. STEPHEN MORSE, son of Thomas 19, b. Bradford, Jan. 28, 1757. m. Sallie Keay. He was a soldier in the Revolution. He removed from Bradford, Mass., to Haverhill about 1780. He was a blacksmith, and lived on the road from North Haverhill to Benton. He had a family of twelve sons.
21. TIMOTHY MORSE, son of Stephen 20, b. Haverhill, April 27, 1803. m. Jan. 27, 1822, Pamelia Haines, dau. of Cotton Haines, of Rumney, and grand-dau. of Rev. Cotton Haines. He removed to Newbury, Vt., and was "one of the most active business men in that region." He was a dealer in lands and a merchant, and at one time a part- ner in Newbury of Denison R. Burnham. He was a trustee and treasurer of Newbury Seminary. He d. Sept. 7, 1862. She d. Sept. 9,1863.
22. CARLOS M., son of Timothy 21, h. Newbury, Vt., Jan. 19, 1829. m. April 19, 1853, Sarah R. Gale, b. May 1, 1829, dau. of Emory Gale, of Wells River, Vt. Associated with and succeeding his father he was a merchant in Newbury, Vt., until 1862. He removed to Plymouth, 1864, and was the capable landlord of the Pemigewasset House many years, retiring from business April 1, 1898.
i. GEORGE W., b. Newbury, Vt., Jan. 5, 1858. Clerk, Pemigewasset House, of Plymouth, the Windsor, of Montreal, and the West- minster, of Boston. d. April 28, 1903.
ii. MARY HELEN, b. Jan. 22, 1861. d. March 12, 1861.
MORTON.
1. URI MORTON, son of Alexander and Alpha (Smith) Morton, b. Concord, Vt., August 24, 1803. m. Lovica C. Hibbard. Lived in Con- cord, Vt., and there d. July 8, 1873. Julia Morton, wife of Peter Hobart (see), was a sister of Uri Morton.
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MORTON - MOULTON.
2. FRANK MORTON, son of Uri, b. Concord, Vt., July 16, 1846. 17th Vt. Infantry, corporal, was in the many engagements engraven on the colors of the regiment, and mustered out July 26, 1865. He m. May 9, 1877, Lizzie Sarah Kimball, dau. of Jacob Dodge Kimball (see), and since his marriage he has res. in Plymouth. He attended the gates at the railroad crossing several years, and has had care of the water gauges at the river. She d. August 15, 1902. Two children.
i. PERLEY FRANK, b. April 2, 1879. Soldier in the Spanish War, 1st N. H. Infantry. Ile was a clerk in north end drug store, and now a carpenter.
ii. MARY ELLEN, b. March 4, 1884. m. Charles Cook Burtt (see). MORTON.
1. JOHN F. MORTON, b. Campton, July 4, 1811. m. Maria Augusta Thomas. He was a successful commission merchant, in Buffalo, N. Y., from 1849 to 1868, when he removed to Plymouth, where he d. May 15, 1875.
i. MARIA CATE. m. Charles Jarvis Gould (see).
MOULTON.
1. WILLIAM MOULTON, emigrant ancestor of one of the families of Moulton, b. England, about 1617, came to Hampton, 1637. m. Mar- garet Page, b. England, 1629, dau. of Robert and Lucy Page, early inhabitants of Hampton. He d. April 18, 1664. She m. second, John Sanborn, and d. July 13, 1699.
2. JOSEPH MOULTON, son of William 1, b. Hampton. m. May 24, 1677, Bethia Swaine, b. Nov. 22, 1652, dau. of William and Prudence (Marston) Swaine, of Hampton. He lived on the homestead. No record of his death. She d. Dec. 19, 1723.
3. SAMUEL MOULTON, son of Joseph2, b. Dec. 25, 1679. m. Au- gust 8, 1706, Deborah Palmer, b. April 28, 1679, dau. of Joseph and Deborah (Batchelder) Palmer, of Hampton. He lived in Hampton, where he d. Jan. 22, 1754. She d. May 20, 1716.
4. JOSEPH MOULTON, son of Samuel 3, bapt. August 2, 1713. m. Dec. 24, 1733, Bethia Hobbs, b. Oct. 8, 1705, dau. of Nehemiah and Mary (Holmes) Hobbs, of Hampton. Lived in Hampton.
5. SAMUEL MOULTON, son of Joseph 4, b. Sept. 1, 1747. m. May 17, 1770, Elizabeth Mason, b. 1749, dau. of John and Mary (Sanborn) Mason, of Hampton. He lived in North Hampton, and later in Tam- worth, where he d. March 4, 1813. VOL. II .- 31.
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MOULTON.
6. SIMEON MOULTON, son of Samuel 5, b. North Hampton, March 10, 1773. m. Feb. 18, 1792, Betsey Philbrick, b. Hampton, Oct. 9, 1775, dau. of Benjamin and Sarah (Page) Philbrick. He removed from North Hampton to Tamworth, 1794, and to Sanbornton, 1796. He was a deacon, a tanner, and a farmer. He d. Sanbornton, May 21, 1821. She d. Feb. 2, 1859.
7. SIMEON MOULTON, son of Simeon 6, b. Sanbornton, Jan. 21, 1797. m. April 24, 1822, Jane Bamford, b. April 16, 1798, dau. of Jacob and Susan (Shepard) Bamford, of Sanbornton. She d. August 27, 1840. He m. second, March 22, 1841, Sarah Sanborn, b. Dec. 13, 1793, dau. of Benjamin and Anna (Cate) Sanborn, of Sanbornton. He lived in Holderness until about 1835, when he removed to Campton. He came from Campton to Plymouth, 1854. He d. Oct. 26, 1871. She d. August 8, 1872.
i. SELINDA, b. Feb. 2, 1823. m. William Connell Curry, b. Jan. 24, 1811, son of William and Margaret (Collins ) Curry, of Holderness.
ii. GEORGE A., b. July 14, 1826. m. July 30, 1855, Elizabeth A. Page, dau. of Samuel Page (see). He was a merchant, in Chicago, Ill., and d. in Plymouth, Nov. 4, 1855, a few months after his marriage. She d. in Lowell, Mass., March 15, 1880.
iii. AMANDA MELVINA, b. April 14, 1830. m. Ralph Metcalf Merrill (see).
iv. CAROLINE, b. Nov. 11, 1833. d. Feb. 14, 1854.
8. v. ETHAN ALLEN, b. Sept. 10, 1837.
8. ETHAN ALLEN MOULTON, son of Simeon 7, b. Campton, Sept. 10, 1837. m. June 28, 1862, Martha Cummings, dau. of Noah Connor Cummings (see). He was a farmer a mile southwest of the village. He d. Dec. 14, 1900.
i. LOUIS IRVING, b. April 14, 1868. He is a dentist in Concord.
ii. DELL MIRA, b. Feb. 14, 1870. Plymouth High School, 1890. m. Feb. 4, 1897, John Henry Worthen, D.D.S., b. Holderness, April 21, 1868, son of Warren B. and Mary G. (Moulton) Worthen. He is a dentist, Concord. (1) Doris Moulton, b. Jan. 11, 1898.
iii. BERTIE WILLIE, b. July 20, 1875, janitor Holderness School for Boys. m. Oct. 1, 1904, Ruth Phillips. He is now employed by J. P. Huckins.
MOULTON.
1. JOSEPH MOULTON, son of Joseph, b. Ellsworth, July 15, 1804. m. Nov. 23, 1826, Abiah Moore, dau. of Jacob and Ada (Shepard)
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MOULTON - MUDGETT.
Moore, of Loudon. He removed from Ellsworth to Plymouth, 1867, and to Tilton, 1875, where he d. July 12, 1889. Two children.
i. CHARLES C., b. Dec. 22, 1827. m. Nov. 11; 1855, Julia Franklin Bean, dau. of Asa and Hannah (Dudley) Bean. He was a tin- smith, and for some years a photographer. He lived in Plymouth, 1866-1878, coming from Ellsworth, and removing to Thornton, where he d. August 23, 1886. Three children : (1) Asa Byron, b. June 17, 1858. d. Jan. 13, 1864. (2) Fred C., b. August 16, 1866. m. Dec. 31, 1880, Gertrude Dow, res. Laconia. (3) Ada Mabel, b. July 29, 1875.
ii. FRANCIS J. Was a photographer in Plymouth, 1866-1875 ; removed to Tilton. He made the illustrations for " History of Sanborn- ton."
MOULTON.
1. JOHN G. MOULTON, b. 1835, son of Daniel Moulton, of Sand- wich and Ashland, is a blacksmith, living in Holderness. He is a pensioner.
2. CHARLES ABNER MOULTON, son of John G. Moulton 1, b. March 30, 1867. Lived in Holderness, Woodstock, Danbury, and Campton, removing to Plymouth, 1896. He is a sawyer, res. in the village. He m. May 2, 1886, Emma A. Lewis, dau. of Calvin A. Lewis (see).
i. MARTHA ETTA, b. June 26, 1888.
ii. FRANK JOHN, b. Oct. 19, 1891.
iii. LILLIAN ANGELINE, b. April 29, 1893.
iv. EDNA ELIZABETH, b. Feb. 5, 1896.
v. MAUD BLANCHE, b. June 26, 1898.
vi. HAROLD HERBERT, b. Feb. 25, 1900.
MUDGETT.
1. JOHN HUDSON MUDGETT, son of Joseph Mudgett, b. Brentwood, March 15, 1770. m. Feb., 1794, Mary Clifford, and lived in Poplin, now Fremont, where he d. Feb. 27, 1858.
2. JESSE MUDGETT, son of John Hudson 1, b. Poplin, March 28, 1801. m. Ruth Carr, dau. of Moody and Ruth (Hudson) Carr. He d. in Holderness, Dec. 11, 1879. She d. July 7, 1877.
3. JOHN HUDSON MUDGETT, son of Jesse 2, b. Holderness, Feh. 16, 1829. m. March 8, 1860, Mary Edmands Walker, b. Sept. 3, 1830, dau. of Peter and Mary Frye (Edmands) Walker. He was a carpenter, living in Plymouth after 1869. Representative,
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MUDGETT - NELSON.
1885: He d. March 15, 1897. He was a good man and a useful citizen.
i. CAROLINE WILLETTS, b. Dec. 3, 1865. Grad. State Normal School, 1888 ; Wellesley Coll. ; teacher. Res. Plymouth.
ii. MARY LOUISA, b. Feb. 8, 1872. Plymouth High School, 1888. State Normal School, 1895; Wellesley Coll .; teacher, Normal School, Castine, Me.
NELSON.
1. JOHN NELSON was born in Stirling, Scotland. He was one of the small colony who settled at the head of tide water on St. George's River in Maine, about 1753. The leader of the settlement was Dea. John Crawford, who was an able and a prudent manager.
John Nelson was a trader, conducting a business incidental to a new settlement, but unknown at the present time. He purchased light wares from the incoming vessels and sold them to the stores in the towns near the coast. In Sabine's " Loyalists," he is styled a pedler, but in a modern sense the word is not fairly expressive of his business. In the Revolution he was a loyalist and his property was confiscated. He was driven from Warren and removed to Reading, Mass. After the Revolution, and as soon as the humanity of peace soothed the exacting and turbulent spirit of war, the citizens of Warren passed a vote of approbation and gave him leave to return to his former home. The pride of John Nelson refused the invitation, and a feeling that he had been harshly and unjustly treated by his former towns- men hastened his death. He d. in Reading, Mass., about 1800. While a resident of Warren he m. Anna Crawford, a dau. of Dea. John and Sarah (Fisher) Crawford. Dea. John Crawford was an active and useful citizen of Warren, Me., and is frequently and honor- ably named in the civil and military annals of the locality. The name of a mountain, a lake, and a river perpetuates his memory. Anna (Crawford) Nelson, widow of John Nelson, d. in Reading, Mass., March 4, 1815.
2. REV. WILLIAM NELSON, son of John 1, b. Reading, Mass., March 29, 1791. He lived a few years in Saugus and in Reading, Mass. In 1817 he removed to Roxbury, in Cheshire Co., where he res. ten years and where five of his children were born. At this time he was a farmer and occupied a large farm formerly known as the Crossinan farm. Here as elsewhere his ability and usefulness were promptly recognized. He gave a loyal support to the schools and
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NELSON.
he was a selectman of Roxbury, 1823-1825. In 1825 he was licensed to preach by the Methodist Conference, and was elected secretary of several quarterly meetings on the Winchester circuit, which included Winchester, Roxbury, Rindge, and other towns in the southwest part of New Hampshire. The license was renewed in 1826, and in 1827, at the age of 36 years, he was admitted on trial to the New England Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Two years later, at the division of the Conference, he was admitted to the New Hampshire and Vermont Conference. According to the usage largely prevailing, his appointments were to circuits including churches and preaching stations in several adjoining towns, and two or more were generally sent to each circuit. His first appointment was to the Ashburnham, Mass., circuit in 1827, where he remained, living in Ashburnham two years. His associate on the circuit was Rev. H. G. Woolley. In 1829 he was appointed, again with Mr. Woolley, to the Winchester circuit. In 1830 he was admitted to full connection, was ordained a deacon, and was appointed to Sandwich. His co- laborer was John Worcester. His next appointment, 1831, was to Plymouth, and the junior preacher was Matthew Newhall. In 1832 he was ordained an elder and appointed to Newbury, Vt., in the Danville district. In 1833 and 1834 he was appointed to the Corinth circuit.
In 1835 and 1836 he was superannuated. He purchased a farm in this town near the line of Hebron, and removed to Plymouth in April, 1835. Here he subsequently res. In 1837 he was ap- pointed to Plymouth with Holman Drew and Lorenzo D. Blodgett, and again the following year with E. B. Fletcher and S. G. Scott. In 1839 he was appointed to West Plymouth with H. G. Woolley, his early associate in the ministry, and the following year again at West Plymouth. His last appointment was to Bristol, in 1841. The junior pastor this year was Rev. Henry H. Hartwell, now living in Suncook. In the following years he preached when duty called, and from time to time supplied several vacant pulpits. In school and town affairs the services of Rev. William Nelson were frequently sought, and cheerfully rendered with unfailing ability. He was a selectman of Plymouth, 1838, 1839, 1849, and 1850 ; a repre- sentative, 1836 and 1837 ; and a delegate to the constitutional con- vention, 1850. He d. Jan. 2, 1859.
Such, briefly stated, are the outlines that define and the milestones
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NELSON.
that measure the life of Rev. William Nelson. He has been dead nearly fifty years, yet the appreciative tributes to his memory, the testimony of those who knew him, and the sweet influence of a devoted life are not lessened or obscured by the lapse of time. He was of commanding presence, direct and forceful, yet not unaccom- plished in manner, and of a dignified and stately bearing. In his daily intercourse with his fellowmen he was candid and serious, yet always sympathetic and affectionate. He ever enjoyed the confidence and the friendship of his fellowmen. While stationed in Vermont he was associated with the founders of the Newbury Seminary, and during life he was foremost in the reforms and the educational enter- prises of the church. After the years of his active ministry his advice in civil and in ecclesiastical affairs was often sought and was always wise. The many elections to office, here recorded, are evidence of such qualities of mind and character, and for many years he was called Father Nelson. As a preacher he was impressive and instructive. His sermons were thoughtful and lucid, and he was regarded as one of the ablest preachers connected with the conference. Rev. Henry H. Hartwell, who was appointed with Mr. Nelson at Bristol, 1841, and the only surviving colaborer in the ministry, in a recent testimonial says, " Brother Nelson was a good preacher and a man of God."
He m. in Reading, Mass., May 25, 1815, Lucy Batchelder, b. March 9, 1794, dau. of Simeon and Elizabeth (Parker) Batchelder, of Reading. In the record of marriage he is called of Saugus, Mass. She d. July 31, 1829. He m. second, Dolly Sumner Elliot, b. Pomfret, Conn., July 4, 1800, dau. of Clark and Lois (Smith) Elliot. She d. Campton, July 29, 1886. Six children by the first and six by the second marriage.
3. i. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, b. Reading, Mass., August 17, 1815.
ii. JOHN WESLEY, b. Roxbury, Jan. 3, 1818. Lived several years in the west, and returned to New England. Ile d. unm. in Ply- mouth, April 1, 1843.
4. iii. HARRISON PICKERING, b. Roxbury, March 9, 1820.
5. iv. DAVID BATCHELDER, b. Roxbury, June 15, 1822.
v. ELIZABETII, b. Roxbury, Jan. 7, 1825. m. 1842, Rufus Fellows, M.D., b. Bristol, June 11, 1821, son of Josiah and Susannah (Sanborn) Fellows. He was a physician in Ilill and in Lowell, Mass. She d. in Lowell. He d. Boscawen, March 19, 1886. Three children. (1) Abbie, b. Nov. 20, 1844. d. by accidental poisoning, Sept. 20, 1845. (2) Willis Mott, b. March 22, 1848. m. August 19, 1867, Ella Clough, b. Nov. 10, 1846, dau. of Ira
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487 1
NELSON.
Clough, of Lowell, Mass. He was a physician and druggist in Haverhill, Mass., where he d. April 20, 1890. (3) Annie, b. May 28, 1854. d. May 4, 1872.
6. vi. SIMEON B., b. Roxbury, March 7, 1827.
7. vii. CHARLES W., b. August 7, 1834.
viii. ELIZA A. m. Hon. Henry W. Blair (see).
8. ix. JAMES C., b. Nov. 24, 1838.
X. HENRY, b. 1840. d. young.
xi. JOSEPH B., b. 1812. Enlisted Sept. 8, 1862, 15th N. H. In- fantry, and d. in the service, of disease, at Port Hudson, La., July 9, 1863.
xii. EMMA GRACE, b. 1815. Wasan accomplished teacher. She m. 1867, G. D. Vranken, M.D., a physician in Dr. Strong's Sanitarium, Saratoga, N. Y. She d. 1875.
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