Nathaniel Church Sr (1704 - 1780)

Born 7 Feb 1704 in Hadley, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel (McCranney) Church — married 3 Jan 1727 in Hadley, Hampshire, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 9 May 1780 at age 76 in Brattleboro, Windham, Republic of Vermont

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lady Jessica Church [send private message]

Biography

Nathaniel Church Sr was a Massachusettsan.

Nathaniel Church Sr was born on 7 February 1704 in Hadley, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony^[1]. He was the son of Captain Samuel Church and Abigail (Harrison) Church.^[1][2].

Nathaniel married Rachel McCranney on 3 Jan 1727 in Hadley^[1][3].

Their children were:

Nathaniel Church, born 5 Dec 1728 at Hadley.

William Harrison Church, born 3 Mar 1730 at Hadley.

Rachel Church, born 10 Apr 1731 at Hadley.

Malachi Church, born 24 Jun 1732 at Hadley.

Jane Church (1733 – )

Jesse Church, born 14 Jul 1733 at Hadley.

Eber Church, born 14 Dec 1734 at Hadley.

Timothy Church, born 12 Mar 1736 at Hadley.

Samuel Church, born 7 Dec 1737 at Hadley.

Ruth Church (twin), born 24 Jun 1739 at Road Town (now Shutesbury), Massachusetts.

Experience Church (twin), born 24 Jun 1739 at Road Town.

Mary Church, born 4 Aug 1741 at Road Town.

David Church, born 30 Dec 1744 at New Salem, Massachusetts.

Jonathan Church, born 17 Apr 1747 at Hadley.

Benjamin Church, born 20 May 1751 at Hadley.

Nathaniel died on 9 May 1780 in Brattleboro, Windham, Republic of Vermont aged 76. His burial location is not recorded.

Land Transactions

Nathaniel bought and sold a lot of land in his time. Below are the known transactions:

DEED-5 September 1726-^[4] Nathaniel Church of Hadley BUYS 62 acres for £80 from his father Samuel Church of Hadley-a parcel of land lying and being in the 1st Division of Wood Lots East of the Town of Hadley containing 62 Acres. Bounded East on the Hwy. West on Common Land, North on land that was formerly Joseph Church’s, South on the Hwy. Witnessed by Samuel Porter and Ebenezer Porter. (Nathaniel Church is 24 years old)

1730- ^[5]Nathaniel Church owned land East of Amherst West Cemetery. It was laid out for the “east inhabitants” in 1730. It is situated in what formally the West Hwy. (this must be the area bounded East on the Hwy from Samuel Church’s Deed?). The Amherst West Cemetery is WEST of the lot then owned by Nathaniel Church, and the cemetery first contained one acre and twenty rods of land. Thus, part the Nathaniel Church’s 62 acres of land was 42°22'43.8"N 72°31'05.3"W, just West of the current Amherst West Cemetery, old section.

DEED17 March 1732-^[6] Nathaniel Church of Hadley BUYS 80 acres of land for £500 from John Wells of New Swamp in Hadley, a certain lot of land situated and being in the Twp of Hadley in 1st Division of Land belonging to the New Swamp Division containing 80 acres. Bounded North on Noah Smith’s Land and on Ebenezer Ingram’s, and South and East on the Hwy, and West on a Hwy or Common Land.

DEED30 July 1733-^[7] Nathaniel Church of Hadley BUYS from Chileab Smith of Hadley 2 parcels of land in Hadley for £90 “bills of credit” 1st Parcel-lying in the 2nd division of Wood Lands, East of Town of Hadley Plat. Half that lot originally laid out to Chileab Smith’s father, Chileab Smith (deceased) bounded East and West on the streets or Hwy. South on Land laid out to Widow Cook. North on the other half of said Lot. In breadth almost 20 roads. In quantity, 29 acres and half and 33 roads & 8 feet. 2nd Parcel- the Lot laid out to Daniel Warner of Hadley Bounded East and West on Hwy. South on land laid out to Isaac Warner. North on land laid out to Widow Cook. In Breadth Eight Rods & 13 feet. In quantity, 13 acres and 20 rods. Be the same more or less or however otherwise Butted and Bounded as of record may appear.

DEED28 July 1734-^[8] Nathaniel Church of Hadley buys from Ichabod Smith of Hadley 2 parcels of land in 2nd division of land in Hadley £42, 14 shillings, 4 pence, (cash purchase). (These parcels are next to where Nathaniel Church currently lived) 1st Parcel- Piece that was originally laid out to Daniel Warner and one half of the lot laid out to Mr. Chileab Smith, deceased, All which land, I Ichabod Smith, had by a Deed of Sale from said Nathaniel Church on July or August 1734, and do now.. relinquish and acquit my right… 28 July 1734.

DEED29 July 1734-^[9] (Nathaniel Church cross collateralized his land) Nathaniel Church of Hadley SELLS 2 tracts of land in the 2nd Division of out lands of Hadley for £58 land to Eleazer Porter of Hadley. 1st Parcel - 1 half of the lot laid out originally to Mr. Chileab Smith of Hadley, deceased, Bounded East and West on the Hwy North on the other Half of said Lot and South on Widow Cook’s land, deceased. In Breadth almost 20 Rods; in quantity, 29 acres & half and 33 rods and eight feet. 2nd Parcel- Lot laid out originally to Daniel Warner, deceased, Bounded East and West on Hwy. North on Widow Cook’s, South on land laid out to Isaac Warner. In Breadth 8 Rods, 13 feet. Quantity, 13 acres and 20 rods with the building and fences thereon. If Nathaniel Church does pay on… to be paid the sum of £58 in current bills of credit on this promise by the 5 Aug 1735 unto him the said Eleazer Porter, this deed to be of no effect…

DEED18 Jun 1735-^[10] Nathaniel Church of Hadley, husbandman, SELLS 70 Acres for £600 in “Bills of Credit, or current money” to Solomon Boltwood of Hadley; Parcel of land in Hadley at our East Farm or at the now swamp as it is called and is Bounded South on the Hwy and East on the Hwy and West on undivided land and North or Land now Benjamin Church’s. In quantity 70 acres, all the buildings and fences thereon…. Looks like he bought this 62 acres from his father, Samuel for £80 on 6 Feb 1728. He made a profit of £520, over a 7 year period, which is £74 per year!

DEED16 Oct 1739-^[11] Nathaniel Church of Hadley SELLS parcel of land, in the “common and undivided lands in the 5th and 3rd precinct of Hadley, to Eleazar Porter of Hadley for £22. Witness Samuel Church and Jeremiah Montague.

DEED26 Nov 1740-^[12] Nathaniel Church of Hadley SELLS land for £25 to Nathaniel Smith. The land was in Hadley 3rd Precinct in 3rd Division of Precinct towards the Northerly part of said division, in measure 19 acres being the Southerly part of the lot that was given for the encouraging of the settlement of a Gospel minister. Is Bounded South on Thomas Goodman’s land West up the Hwy on the Road through the Precinct North upon Nathaniel Church’s land running East to the End of the bounds.

DEED 27 Nov 1742-^[13] Nathaniel Church of Road Town sells 2 tracts of land to Thomas Wright of Harvard, MA (10 miles east of Lancaster, MA) for £180. One tract, is 1st Division lot 26 lying IN Road Town, joins East on the Governors Farm North on a hwy West on the Lot 22 South on the Lot 26. 2nd lot 42, joins West on the Gov. Farm North on Lot 76 and West undivided land and South on undivided land and the South East corner is at the Gov. South West Corner. Both lots containing 120 acres. 240 acres total.

On November 22, 1742 Nathaniel Church sold 120 acres of land in Lots 26 & Lot 42 to Thomas Wright for £180.^[14]

DEED27 Feb 1750-^[15] Nathaniel Church of Hadley SELLS 30 acres of land for £5, 6 shillings, 8 pence to David Gould of Hadley. 30 acres in Hadley in 3rd Precinct of Hadley at the North end of the 2nd & 3rd Divisions of land in the 3rd Precinct which tract was granted to the proprietor of said 3rd Division as an equivalent of for lands wanting in the lots of the said Division and has been drawn for by them but not yet laid out that is to say the Lot 29 which is the complement of the lot laying between Thomas Goodman’s Lot and Timothy Eastman’s in said 3rd Division, called the Town Lot.

DEED19 Sep 1759-^[16] Nathaniel Church of Hadley SELLS 11 acres of land in Amherst, MA for £4 to John Hawley, Zechariah Hawley, Sarah Hawley, wife of Benjamin Buckman, Anna Hawley, Miriam Hawley & Mehitable Haley, all heirs of Samuel Hawley late deceased of Amherst. The land in Amherst being part of the land given to Mr. David Sarsons as encouragement to settle in the ministry. Bounded on the South by land of Dr. Nathaniel Smith on the East by the town called Pelham (Pelham, MA is 7 miles East of Amherst, MA), and on the West by land sequestered for Hwy between the 2nd and 3rd Divisions containing 11 Acres. (The Pelham Town Hall was built in 1743 and is still standing)^[17]

Research Notes

Note: "Whipple" had been listed as Nathaniel's middle name in one GEDCOM import, but it is not substantiated in vital records, and it was unusual for people of that time and place to have middle names.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} NEHGS online database. "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Volume: Hadley - V1", pp. 9-11.
2. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCQ4-TFX : 14 January 2020), Nathanell <church>, .
3. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FC67-Z5M : 29 July 2021), Nathaniel Church, 1727.
4. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.E pg.260
5. ↑ History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers. Vol. 1, 1879, Everts, L. H., Philadelphia pg. 259 -https://archive.org/stream/historyofconnect01ever#page/258/mode/2up/search/nathaniel+church
6. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.B, pg.203
7. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk. G.p.479
8. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk. G.pg.480
9. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk. G.pg.477
10. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.H1, pg.356
11. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.K, pg.309
12. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.6, pg.206
13. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.1, pg.255
14. ↑ Hampshire Land grants 1663-1786 vol 1 pg.225 -https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89ZW-X9QH-Q?i=259&wc=MCBB-22S%3A361613601%2C363948301&cc=2106411
15. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.Z, pg.32
16. ↑ Hampden Deed Bk.4, pg.497
17. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham_Town_Hall_Historic_District

See also:

• Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots
• Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
• U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
• U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970.
• http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Info/extras/Church-Malachi/Church-Merrick-Comstock-families.pdf