Nathaniel Bissell (1640 - 1714)

Born 24 Sep 1640 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Husband of Mindwell (Moore) Bissell — married 25 Sep 1662 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Husband of Dorothy (Fitch) Bissell — married 4 Jul 1683 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Husband of Deliverance (Hawes) Bissell — married 1692 in Windsor, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 12 Mar 1714 at age 73 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Larry Alger [send private message]

Biography

Nathaniel was the 6th child of John and an unknown mother^[1]. Lived in Windsor, CT. Buried Old South Windsor Cemetery, CT.

From Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania:

Mindwell, eldest child of Nathaniel and Mindwell (Moore) Bissell, born October 23, 1663, died December 31, 1728.

Birth

24 SEP 1640 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut (Yates)

Marriage

1655 Connecticut (Yates)

25 SEP 1662 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Death

12 MAR 1713/14 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Burial

Old South Windsor Cemetery, South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Timeline

1640 Nathaniel Born

1662 Married Mindwell Moore

1663 Child #1 born: Mindwell

1665 Child #2 born: Nathaniel

1668 Child #3 born: Jonathan

1669 Child #4 born: Hannah

1673 Child #5 born: Abigail, died same year

1674 Child #6 born: Jonathan

1676 Child #7 born: Abigail

1679 Child #8 born: Elizabeth

1681 Child #9 born: David

1682 Wife #1 Mindwell Moore, Died, age 39, 12 months after giving birth

1683 Married #2 Dorothy Fitch, age ~43 (On July 4th, 7 months after his 1st wife died)

1684 Child #10 born: A Son (20 months after 1st wife died)

1686 Child #11 born: Dorothy

1688 Child #12 born: Ann^[2]

1690 Child #13 born: Mary^[2]

1691 Wife #2 Died, age ~51 (leaving Nathaniel age 51, and 6 minor children)

1714 Nathaniel Died, age 73

Excerpt from: Windsor Historical Society News Vol. X, No.1:

"We thought you might be interested in a happening on the Connecticut river between Windsor and South Windsor in January,1670. This story is from Henry Stiles History of Ancient Windsor:

'Three women, viz., the wives of Lt. Filer, and of John Drake, and of Nathaniel Lomas (loomis) having crossed Connecticut River upon a necessary and neighborly account (undoubtedly to attend a woman in labor - H.R.S.) and having done the work they went for, were desiring to return to their own families, the river being at that time partly shut up with ice.

'There being some pains taken aforehand to cut a way through the ice, the three women above said got into a canoe with NATHANIEL BISSELL and an Indian. There was like wise another canoe with two men in it that went before them to help them in case they should meet with any distress, which indeed quickly came upon them. For just as they were getting out of the narrow passage between the ice being near the middle of the river, a greater part of the upper ice came down upon them and struck the end of the canoe and broke it to pieces so that it quickly sank under them. The Indian speedily got upon the ice, but NATHANIEL BISSELL and the abovesaid women were left floating in the middle of the river, being cut off from all manner of human help besides what did arise from the two men in the little canoe, which was so small that three persons durst seldom venture into it. They were indeed discerned from one shore, but the dangerous ice would not admit one to come for them from either shore. All things thus circumstanced, the suddeness of the distress (which is apt to amaze men especially when life is concerned); the extreme coldness of the weather, (it being a sharp season that persons out of the water were in danger of freezing); the inaptness of persons to help themselves, (being mostly women, one big with child and near the time of her trevail, who also was carried away under the ice); the waters deep, (there was no hope of footing); no passage to either shore even with their little canoe by reason of the ice. NATHANIEL BISSELL swam to the upper ice, got upon the ice, and he saw one of women swimming down under the ice and perceiving an open place some few rods down the ice he watched and took her up as she swam along.

'The other two women were in the river till the two men in the little canoe came for their relief. By getting their little canoe upon the ice and carrying one at a time...did get all safe to the shore.'"

Research Notes

Kathleen Fenton was a researcher for the Jabez Warren line for decades, and her article in The Connecticut Nutmegger from 1996 reveals more children for Nathaniel Bissell:

"I looked in the photostated records of First Congregational Cihurch in Lebanon, New London county and found marriage of Jabez Warren and Mary B. The writing is close together and page is torn. We discovered a probate abstract (Manwaring, Digest. Vol.2, pp.157-8) for one Nathaniel BISSELL of Windsor (dated 23 Sept 1713, probated 24 March 1713/4. This abstract mentions his wife (without naming her) and his children: "my son Jonathan," "my son David,""my three eldest daughters... Mindwell, Abigail and Elizabeth,"" my three youngest daughters...Dorothy, Ann and MARY," and my "daughter Hannah Bancroft's six children." The 3 older daughters were bequeathed L20 each, the 3 younger daughters were to be given L60 each, indicated that these last might have been unmarried daughters who had not yet received a portion from their father.

There is a gap in baptisms for the First Church of Windsor, from about 1686 to 1700, accounting for Nathaniel's youngest daughter being overlooked in the histories. There are no other Mary unaccounted for among the many children and grandchildren of Nathaniel's brothers. Nathaniel's first wife died after having nine children, on November 24th, 1682 in Windsor. Nathaniel remarried on 4 July 1683 at Windsor, to Dorothy Fitch, a daughter of the Reverend James Fitch of Norwich DT and his first wife, Abigail and it is thought that Anne(born probably 1688) and Mary (born probably 1690-1) both named in Nathanial's will, must surely also be Dorothy's children. Dorothy died 28 June 1691 in Windsor, probably shortly after Mary's birth."^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ See profile of John Bissell section on "John Bissell's wife"
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Kathleen D. Fenton. The Conneticut Nutmegger, (Conneticut Society of Genealogists Inc, 2 September 1996) , vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 195-96.

• Find A Grave: Memorial #50428251
• Welles, Edwin. Births, Marriages, and Deaths Returned from Hartford, Windsor, and Fairfield, and Entered in the Early Land Records of the Colony of Connecticut (Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company, 1898) Windsor Marriages, Folio 45.

• Page 9: "Nathanell Bifsell and mindwell moore Both of Windfor Ware married . feptem 25 . 1662 ."

• Some Early Records and Documents of and Relating to the Town of Windsor, Connecticut, 1639-1703 (The Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, 1930) Page 23-4
• Stiles, Henry Reed The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut (Hartford, CT., Case, Lockwood & Brainard, 1891) Vol. II, Page 76+
• Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 2004) Birth: 1640 CT. Marriage: 1655 CT
• Windsor Historical Society News Vol. X, No.1:
• Jordan, John W. Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., New York, 1915, Vol. 3. pg. 1707-1711)