NATHAN NILES Father Nathaniel Niles Mother Mary Hannah Birth 12 September 1700 South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island Death 5 July 1778 age 77 Burial July 1778 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15) FAMILY GROUP RECORD 1 st Marriage MARY NORTHRUP 12 September 1728 by Rouse Helme Father South Kingstown, Washington County, Mother Rhode Island Nathaniel Niles & Mary Northrup 2 nd Marriage aft 1761 Nathaniel Niles & Zerviah Fanning Birth 1712 North Kingstown, Washington County, R.I. Death 15 September 1757 age 45 Burial September 1757 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15) KATHERINE NILES Birth 18 July 1729 South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island Death 9 January 1759 Burial January 1759 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15) Marriage 13 October 1748 NATHAN FISH Birth 11 September 1727 Death 22 October 1822 Burial October 1822 Burrows Cemetery, Parents Nathan Fish & Abigail Havens Children of Katherine & Nathan: Samuel, Katherine, Abigail MARY NILES Birth 19 May 1731 South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island Death 12 June 1800 age 69 Burial June 1800 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15) Marriage without known issue PETER AVERY Birth 22 February 1730 (baptized 22 March) Death 16 December 1807 age 77 Burial December 1807 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15) Parents James Avery 5 & Elizabeth Smith SARAH NILES Birth 22 October 1732 South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island Death 12 April 1783 Orford, Grafton County, New Hampshire Burial April 1783 Orford Village Cemetery, Orford, New London County, Connecticut Marriage 25 October 1750 SIMEON AVERY Birth 25 April 1730 Baptism 25 July 1730 First Congregational Church of Groton. Death 18 September 1790 Orford, Grafton County, New Hampshire Burial September 1790 Orford Village Cemetery, Orford, New London County, Connecticut Parents Ebenezer Avery & Dorothy Parke Children of Sarah & Simeon: Simeon, Mary, Sarah, Lucy, Nathanm Catharine, Mary, Zerviah, Hannah, Jesse, Silas & Joshua. Children of Sarah & Simeon: Simeon, Mary, Sarah, Lucy, Nathan, Catharine, Mary, Zerviah, Hannah, Jesse, Silas, Joshua. ROBERT NILES Birth 2 September 1734 Death 1818 aged 83 years Burial 1818 City Cemetery (Hale Cemetery #314-9), 1 st Marriage abt 1757 Goton, New London County, Connecticut ABIGAIL AVERY Birth 15 May 1737 (Baptism First Church of Groton) Goton, New London County, Connecticut Death 18 February 1790 City Cemetery, (Hale #314-9) Burial February 1790 City Cemetery (Hale #314-9) Parents Parke Avery & Mary Latham Children of Robert Niles & Abigail Avery:? 2 nd Marriage after 1790 MARY UNKNOWN Birth abt 1764 New London County, Connecticut Death 23 January 1799 3 rd Marriage after 1799 HANNAH FITCH Birth 1751 Stonington, New London County, Connecticut Death 8 January 1810 Burial January 1810 City Cemetery (Hale #314-9), Parents Theophilus Fitch & Grace Grant TABITHA NILES Birth 7 August 1736 Death 28 March 1823 Marriage 14 January 1756 WAIT STODDARD Birth 14 July 1729 Death 3 November 1776 Parents Ralph Stoddard & Hannah Lester: Children of Tabitha & Wait: Wait, Simeon, Mary, Elkana. NATHAN NILES Birth 12 September 1737 Death 6 March 1794 Burial March 1794 Burrows Cemetery, Marriage abt 1759 PRISCILLA STODDARD Birth 12 March 1794 Death 29 January 1782 Burial January 1782 Burrows Cemetery Parents Ralph Stoddard & Hannah Lester Children of Nathan & Priscilla: Jonathan, Nathan, Peleg, Jeremiah, Lodowick, Nathaniel, Stoddard, Mary, Hannah. THOMAS NORTHRUP NILES Birth 9 December 1739 Death 6 May 1796 Burial May 1796 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15), Marriage 6 June 1762 ANNA AVERY Birth 28 May 1739 Death 10 April 1816 age 76 Burial April 1816 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15), Parents John Avery & Anna Stanton Children of Thomas & Anna: Northrup, Amos Avery, Jonas, Phoebe, Paul Frederick, John Avery, Silas, Jospeh Stanton NATHANIEL NILES Birth 23 March 1741/42 Death 17 February 1812 (age 71) Burial February 1812 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15), Marriage bef 21 April 1769 ANNA FANNING Birth abt 1745 Death aft 1812 Parents William Fanning & Ann Miner Children of Nathaniel & Anna: Henry, Gideon, Zerviah.
HANNAH NILES Birth 4 November 1744 Death 5 May 1808 (aged 63 years & 6 months). Burial May 1808 Avery Cemetery, Preston, New London County, Connecticut Marriage 14 April 1762 without issue AMOS AVERY without issue Birth 16 April 1737 Death 5 June 1824 (aged 87 years) Burial June 1824 Avery Cemetery, Preston, New London County, Connecticut Parents John Avery & Anna Stanton LUCY NILES Birth abt 1750 Death 6 July 1836 Burial July 1836 Marriage abt 1770 JONATHAN LATHAM Birth 29 June 1746 (Baptism) Death 10 July 1790 Burial July 1790 Ledyard Cemetery, Parents Jonathan Latham & Mary Avery Children of Lucy & Jonathan: Ebenezer, Jonathan, MaryAnn ELISHA NILES Birth 1750 Death 17 February 1812 age 62 Burial February 1812 Niles Cemetery (Hale #15) Marriage 15 May 1772 SARAH BURROWS Birth 16 August 1747 Death 12 March 1832 aged 84 Burial March 1832 Niles Cemetery, (Hale #15) Parents Hubbard Burrows & Mercy Denison Children of Elisha & Sarah: Rodman, Nathan, Anna
NILES Family of Nathan Niles & Mary Northrup Resources& Additional Information Nathan Niles is one of those persons, born in the late eighteenth century whose major life events were all committed to vital records, all of which are extant: from his birth 12 September 1770 to the perfectly accurate stone record of his tombstone which in part reads: July 1778 age 77 to his marriage to Mary. Nathan 4 was a member of the fourth generation of his family in New England (John 1 Nathaniel 2 Nathaniel 3 ). His father Nathaniel spent his entire life in Rhode Island, most of it in South Kingstown. His grandfather was early at Block Island (later a part of the Rhode Island county of New Shoreham) where in February of 1771 he married Sarah, daughter of James Sands & Sarah Walker.* 1 Both his father & his grandfather lived to be eighty-five years old. His father Nathaniel was the second born child (of six), probably not born until the family s return to the mainland and settlement at South Kingstown. His father received no legacy from the will of his own father (a will dated 21 April 1726), the will noting: to son Nathaniel, no legacy, he having had his share by deed of gift. This was the beginning of a heritage of land ownership that continued to expand throughout Washington County, Rhode Island & neighboring New London County, Connecticut.* 2 A similar bequest was mentioned to Nathan in his father s will dated 27 March 1766: Son Nathan, had already had farm at Groton and 500 acres in this town. Nathan was one of the eleven children of Nathaniel Niles & Mary daughter of Robert Hannah & Mary Wilson. He named eight of his children after either himself or his siblings.* 3 Nathan married Mary Northrup of North Kingstown whose parentage is unknown.* 4 Their first three children, all daughters, were born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Between the birth of third daughter Sarah in October of 1732 & the birth of eldest son Robert in September of 1734 the family had moved to Groton in New London County, Connecticut. Nathan presumably worked as a farmer. All of the eleven children married into well established Groton families, five marrying into the Avery family.* 5 The Niles family owned property on Mason s Island for over a hundred years. Nathaniel Niles 3 (John Niles 1 Nathaniel Niles 2 Nathaniel Niles 3 ) purchased in 1744 the entire western half of the island as well as considerable land in Groton* 6 The Walsworth family acquired most of the eastern half of the island. At the time in 1744 that Nathaniel 3 deeded his land both on the island and in Groton to his son Nathan 4 a wall was built between the Niles & Walsworth properties running the entire length of the Island. Nathan Niles 4 & his family settled on the island moving into the Mason house on what was called Money Point. Nathan 4 & Mary s four sons: Nathan, Nathaniel, Elisha & Thomas were all born on the island. Their births were all recorded at Groton, perhaps because of the large amount of property the Niles family owned there. Since the U.S Census began in 1790 Mason s Island has always been part of the town of Stonington as it appeared to be when Mason family progenitor John Mason was first granted both the Island and nearby property in Stonington on the mainland. Over the years various Niles family property owners on the Island sold parcels of land to families (including Stoddard, Sawyer, Beebe) whose sons & daughters were the most natural mates for Niles children coming of age. Mary, Nathan & six of their children are buried in Niles Cemetery.* 7 As all the interments at this cemetery, up to at least 1932, were Niles family relations it is presumed that the cemetery is on land once belonging to Nathan, Mary and their descendants. After Mary s death Nathan married Zerviah Fanning, widow of John Wheeler without issue. Nathan s will is an interesting document. He acknowledges the prenuptial agreement he made with Zerviah. He names all five of his sons. He names all six of his daughters (including Katherine, who was deceased) by their married surnames. He also makes a bequest to nine of his grandchildren naming each of them individually and acknowledges with a bequest his other unnamed grandchildren.* 8 Nathan was amongst the oldest members of the idealist Awakening generation (born 1701-1723). Prominent members of this generation were Jonathan Edwards, Benjamin Franklin & Samuel Adams and abroad Henry Fielding, Jean Jacques Rousseau & Frederick the Great. There were some 350,000 members of this generation which was 19% immigrant: 18% of them were slaves. Their typical grandparents (born 1615-1647) were those who arrived in New England as children or were amongst the first born Americans & their grandchildren were the Compromise generation (born1767-1791) of the Great Triumvirate Daniel Webster, Henry Clay & John C. Calhoun. As did the last idealist generation (the original Puritans) the Awakener s refused to compromise over principles or to separate politics from religion. The Great Awakening resulted in 250 new churches and some 200,000 religious conversions. During this period many slaves converted to Christianity and women assumed positions of visibility, previously unprecedented in colonial society. During their lifetime were: The Great Awakening peaking (1740); The Stamp Act Riots (1765); The Boston Tea Party (1773); The Continental Congress (1775) proclaimed Thanksgiving Day (as a day of prayer & fasting); Slave ownership, in most northern states was abolished; Poor Richard s Almanac & Benjamin Franklin s autobiography were published. After the furious firestorm of spirituality of their early adulthood and the withdrawal to reflect of their midlife they became; entering elder hood the leaders of choice. From 1774 to 1776 the average age of office holding in New England towns rose from the low forties to the low fifties. Eleven of the thirteen new states were in effect led by members of this generation. Three years before his death Benjamin Franklin had been one of four members of his generation to sign the Constitution. Fourteen years earlier, he had been one of eleven of his generation to sign the Declaration of Independence. The spiritual Fury of this generation s Great Awakening directly fed, decades later, into the political fury of the American Revolution. Katherine Niles married Nathan Fish son of Nathan Fish & Abigail Havens had children: Samuel, Katherine, Abigail.
Mary Niles married Peter Avery son of James Avery & Elizabeth Smith. In his will Peter names no children. There appears to be confusion between this Peter & the Peter and Rachel Avery of Greenwich and their family. No relationship between the two families is known. Peter Avery married 2 nd Hannah Avery, widow of William Avery and daughter of Paul & Sarah Goodrich Woodbridge. She had previously been the widow of Samuel Walsworth. Peter was a missionary to the Indians in western New York. He was a deacon of the Baptist Church of Groton for fifty years. He was surveyor of the town; selectman, 1778 to 1782, 1787, in which period the town passed many patriotic measures. He was one of the committee of six who were ordered, Dec. 22, 1775, to direct the work on Fort Griswold. In 1787, as one on the selectman of Groton, he petitioned the legislature for the remission of a fine of 60, for being short four men on the town s quota of soldiers in 1781, about 70 men were killed and many wounded and carried away prisoners. They were allowed only such remission of the fine as would come out of sufferers who had had taxes abated (Connecticut State Archives, and Allyn s Battle of Groton Heights, p 141). * 9 Sarah Niles married Simeon Avery son of Ebenezer Avery & Dorothy Parke had children: Simeon, Mary, Sarah, Lucy, Nathan Catharine, Mary, Zerviah, Hannah, Jesse, Silas & Joshua. Simeon Avery served in Captain Joseph Morgan s company that marched to the relief of Fort William Henry, August 1757 (French and Indian War Rolls 1:197). He moved to Orford, New Hampshire where he was a deacon of the Congregational church and Innkeeper for many years. He kept the first ferry across the Connecticut there. Simeon married 2 nd Hannah Smallee daughter of Benoni Loomis & Hannah Woodward & widow of Loomis had son Simeon Hyde.* 10 Robert Niles married three times. His first wife was Abigail Avery daughter of Parke Avery & Mary Latham. His second wife was Mary. His third wife was Hannah Fitch daughter of Theophilus Fitch & Grace Grant. There is a claim that all three of his wives buried with him @ Norwich s City Cemetery (Hale Cemetery #314-9). Charles R. Hale in recording the information from tombstones in that cemetery in 1932 did not find evidence of a Mary Niles. Robert Niles served in the campaign against the French and Indians in 1757, in Captain Gallup s company, Col. Lyman s regiment (French and Indian War Rolls, 1;190). During the Revolutionary war, he was a famous privateer, captian and commander of the sloops, Spy and Dolphin. In 1778, as captain of the Spy, he skillfully avoided the British vessels that were watching for him and made the passage of the Atlantic in the shortest time then known. He bore the news that the American congress had ratified the treaty with France, the only treaty of alliance ever made by the United States. On the minutes of the Connecticut council of safety for July 20, 1779, it is recorded: Captain Niles came in, having arrived home last Saturday after having been twice captured &c gave an account of his voyage &c. arrived at Paris in 27 days after he sailed, which was beginning June, 1778, and delivered his mail to Dr. Franklin, containing the ratification by Congress of the Treaty with France, being the first account he had received of that event, which was greatly satisfactory to him and the French ministry and nation in general &c. (See Connecticut Men in the Revolution, 593).* 12 Tabitha Niles married Wait Stoddard daughter of Ralph Stoddard & Hannah Lester had children: Wait, Simeon, Mary, Elkana. Nathan Niles married Priscilla Stoddard daughter of Ralph Stoddard & Hannah Lester had children: Jonathan, Nathan, Peleg, Jeremiah, Lodowick, Nathaniel, Stoddard, Mary, Hannah. Nathan married 2 nd Catherine Helme had children: Sarah, Sands, Hannah, Roswell, Cynthia, Edmund, Nancy. Thomas Northrup Niles married Anna Avery daughter of John Avery & Anna Stanton had children: Northrup, Amos Avery, Jonas, Phoebe, Paul Frederick, John Avery, Silas, Joseph Stanton.* 11 Thomas was a farmer. Nathaniel Niles married Anna Fanning daughter of William Fanning & Ann Miner had children: : Henry, Gideon, Zerviah. Hannah Niles marries Amos Avery son of John Avery & Anna Stanton without issue. Amos was deacon of the Separatist church of Preston. They had no children, but brought up several belonging to their relatives.* 13 Lucy Niles married Jonathan Latham son of Jonathan Latham & Mary Avery had children: Ebenezer, Jonathan, MaryAnn. Elisha Niles married Sarah Burrows daughter of Richard Wheeler & Prudence Payson had daughter Martha. *1 Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England by James Savage in four volumes 1860 vol. III p 284. *2 The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island Comprising Three Generations of Settlers Who Came before 1690 by John Osborne Austin. Albany, NY 1887. *3 ibid pp 139-140. *4 Conjecture on the Northrup Family. There does not appear to be any extant vital record that establishes Mary Northrup s parentage. There is widespread conjecture that appears to lack any proof. Neither Arnold or Savage see any connection between the two known Northrup families in New England during the 17 th century: the large family of Joseph that settled in Milford, Connecticut (by 1713 there were twelve heads of families there including two or three widows); the descendants of Stephen Northrup who was in Providence in 1645 & Kingstown, Rhode Island before 1660. It seems more likely that Mary is a descendant of Stephen of Kingstown, as that is where she married at age sixteen. Stephen had four known children, all sons: Stephen, Henry, Joseph & David. Second son Henry married Mary and had four children, including a daughter Mary, however Henry s will dated in 1740 identifies her as the wife of Jeffrey Champlin. Fourth son David married Susanna Congdon and had four sons. David s will suggests there were also unknown younger children, who his wife is to bring up. Third son Joseph married Hopestill Smith daughter of John Smith & Phillis Geready. It is only because of John Smith s will that it is known that Joseph & Hopestill had five children that were not named. A son Joseph but none of the other four children s names are known. The conjecture is that one of them is the Mary that married Nathan Niles. First son Stephen married Mary Thomas had children: Stephen, Thomas, Henry, Nicholas, Abigail, Mercy, a daughter & Patience. Stephen & Mary were married in 1684, & his two eldest sons may have been born in 1685 & 1686. His son Thomas could therefore easily have been old enough to marry and have a daughter, named after his mother in 1712, the year Mary Northrup (Niles) was born. This line of conjecture also offers a more plausible reason for Nathan Niles & wife Mary to name a son Thomas Northrup Niles. There is also the matter of an unidentified Thomas Northrup being buried next to Thomas Northrup Niles. The conjectured scenario in which Joseph & Hopestill are Mary s parents could, of course, allow for a son Thomas to have been a favorite brother of Mary s. *5 The Groton Avery Clan by Elroy McKendree Avery and Catharine Hitchcock Tilden Avery Cleveland 1912 pp 159,173,243,257, 276,323. Of the other six siblings two married into the Stoddard Family, and one each into the Burrows, Fanning, Latham & Fish family. *6 The Niles family land in Groton was south of the Beebe Farm on Beebe cove. The old house was still standing on the Noank Road in the 1970s. Major John Mason s Great Island James H. Allyn Mystic 1976. p 46 *7 Connecticut Hale Cemetery Inscriptions 1673-1934 by Charles R. Hale 1932. *8 Stonington Probate District, Town of Groton. Estate of Nathaniel Niles 1778 #2331. Eighteen documents including his will.
*9 The Groton Avery Clan by Elroy McKendree Avery and Catharine Hitchcock Tilden Avery Cleveland 1912 p 159 *10 ibid. p 173 *11 ibid. p 257 *12 ibid. p 276 *13 ibid. p 323 The eight generation NIles Family lineage in the United States of America in this ancestral family tree began with the progenitor John Niles 1 Nathaniel Niles 2 Nathaniel Niles 3 Nathan Niles 4 Nathan Niles 5 Nathaniel Niles 6 Nathaniel Niles 7, Lucy Ann Niles. 8 Vital Record of Nathan Niles Birth & parentage as son of Nathaniel Niles & Mary Hannah is established by Vital Record of South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island Marriage to Mary Northrup is established Volume 1 p 71,73 of South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island Death is established by the stone & paper record of Niles Cemetery (Hale Cemetery #15),. Issue: The eleven children of Nathan Niles & Mary Northrup are confrimed by the vital record of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, the vital record of Groton, Connecticut Volume 1 p 174, the stone record of Niles Cemetery & Charles Hale s paper record of the cemetery. Vital Record of Mary Northrup Birth is established by stone record of her tombstone. Her parentage is not established. Marriage to Nathan Niles is established Volume 1 p 71,73 of South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island. Issue: The eleven children of Mary Northrup & Nathan Niles are confrimed by the vital record of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, the vital record of Groton, Connecticut Volume 1 p 174, the stone record of Niles Cemetery & Charles Hale s paper record of the cemetery. See Appenidx A: Generations. Nathan was amongst the oldest members of the idealist Awakening generation (born 1701-1723). See Appendix G: Graveyards See Appendix P: Progenitors See Appendix W. Wills Resources: History of New London, Connecticut From the First Survey of the Coast in 1612 to 1860 Francis Manwaring Caulkins, New London 1895. Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England by James Savage in four volumes 1860 volume I pp 65-66. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records Griswold, Groton by Jerri Lynn Burket 1999. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records Stonington 1658-1854 compiled by Nancy E. Schott 2000. Mystic Built Ships and Shipyards of the Mystic River, Connecticut 1784-1919 by William Peterson published by the Mystic Seaport Museum. Curbstones, Clapboards And Cupolas 4 Self Guided Walking Tours: A brief History of Mystic Connecticut In Words & Pictures Published by the Mystic River Historical Society. A Genealogical History of the Descendants of the Rev. Nehemiah Smith of New London County, Connecticut 1638-1888. H. Allen Smith Albany 1889. The Groton Avery Clan by Elroy McKendree Avery and Catharine Hitchcock Tilden Avery Cleveland 1912. Genealogy Of The Descendants Of William Chesebrough by Anna Chesebrough Wildey published in 1903 by Press of T.A. Wright. Generations The History of America s Future, 1584 to 2069 William Strauss & Neil Howe 1991. Connecticut Hale Cemetery Inscriptions 1673-1934 by Charles R. Hale 1932. History of the Fanning Family Walter Frederic Brooks Worcester, Massachusetts 1905. Denison Genealogy. Ancestors and Descendants of Captain George Denison by E. Glenn Denison, Josephine Middleton Peck, Donald L. Jacobus. 1993. Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850 First Series, Births Marriages and Deaths by James Arnold 1891. The Refugees of 1776 from Long Island to Connecticut. Frederic Gregory Mather Albany, NY 1913. A History of West Mystic 1600-1985 Kathleen Greenhalgh 1986. John Niles of Braintree, Mass., and some of His Descendants Joel N. Eno as printed in NEHGR volume 85 April 1931 pp145-159. Major John Mason s Great Island James H. Allyn Mystic 1976.