Nathan Churchill (1820 - 1888)

Born 14 Aug 1820 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, British North America

Ancestors

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Biography

Nathan CHURCHILL , son of Zaccheus CHURCHILL (1787-1861) and Susanna ROSE (1779-1831) , was born on 14 August 1820 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. He married Martha Harding DOANE on 25 November 1845. He died on 24 March 1888. Lived in Yarmouth County. He was a farmer.

^[1] -.....3 males, 2 females, total 5

^[2] Nathan CHURCHILL Household, Male, Other Information: Birth Year <1820> Birthplace Nova Scotia Age 61 Occupation Farmer Marital Status M <Married> Ethnic Origin English Head of Household Nathan CHURCHILL Religion Free Baptist Source Information: Census Place Ohio, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia NA Film Number C-13171 District 14 Sub-district D Division 2 Page Number 26 Household Number 135

^[3] …... His daughter Mariam's marriage cert. states he was a farmer.

^[4] - Originally published in The Nova Scotian. Eel Story..... Some interest has been created here the past week that a report that a young man about 19 years of age, son of Zachariah Churchill, residing about three miles from Town, had vomited an eel. ** The young man was alone at the time in question, and therefore the probability or improbability of the case rests upon circumstantial evidence, and a knowledge of the physiology of the human stomach. As there is a diversity of opinion upon the subject - some firmly believing - some doubting - and others entirely denying the possibility of such a case - we will merely state the circumstances of the case as they were related to us by Mr. Churchill, who is an honest, respectible farmer, of undoubted veracity, and by Mrs. Churchill and the young man himself. About three years ago the young man one evening stated that while drinking out of a brook during the day, he swallowed something, which, from the motion it made in his throat, he thought was a young eel. No attention was made to his remark at the time. About a month afterwards he said that he felt something moving in his stomach, and has ever since entertained an idea that it contained a living eel. For the last twelve months he has had fits of a very violent nature. On friday last while at work he compalined of feeling unwell and his mother gave him a dose of assafoedita ( asafetida ) which instantly produced a very distressing sensation at his stomach. He continued poorly until about 8:00 o'clock on Saturday morning, when, growing worse, he went upstairs to his bed, attended by his mother, who adjusted the bed clothes around him, and went below. In a few minutes she heard him make a noise as if in fit, and immediately called Mr. C., and his workmen who followed her upstairs, when they discovered the young man with his head over the side of the bed, retching convulsively, and a dead eel laying on the floor directly below his face, and there was every appearance that it had been vomited by him. The eel measured twelve and one half inches in length and two and one half inches in circumference. There is nothing remarkable about it, except perhaps, apparently opaque eyes, , having a white tough covering. Whether this is a natural effect of the extinction of life in eels, or not, we cannot say, but we have heard it so stated. The young man has been so ill as to be unable to converse until Wednesday morning. We then saw him, in a weak state, but recovering, and he assured us that he had vomited the eel - no mistake. He says he recollects feeling something like an eel coming up, ( which caused him much suffering ), and of his grasping the end of it between his thumb and finger to draw it out but can recollect nothing further, as he was rendered insensible by the shock. These are the main particulars we have had from the family, and Mr. and Mrs. Churchill earnestly affirm that the eel came from the stomach of their son. On the other hand, it is proper that we mention that medical gentleman have examined the stomach of the eel and found in it eel grass, waterflies and insects, particles of slate stone &c, which have been shown to us. It is of importance in more than one point of view that the actual facts of the case be established.

24 Sept. 1838 - The Yarmouth Herald - Response from Mr. Zacheus Churchill, ( Nathans father ).

Mr. Editor, Sir - In looking over one of your late papers I was surprised to see it stated in a piece from The Nova Scotian, that I had vomited an eel. But when I considered how the statement ( or eel story as it was called ) was begun and ended in the Herald of the 3rd. of August last concerning my son that vomited an eel, my suprise was greater to see that the Editor of the Novascotian took notice enough to mention it. Now, Sir, not only in compliance with the request of my friends and fellow-townsmen, but to fulful a promise I made some time since to my son who was much greived after his suffering to see so many slurs in the Herald, and who also thinks with you, Mr. Editor, it is important the facts of the case should be established beyond dispute. I send you for publication the particulars of the case from the day I believe he vomited the eel, not withstanding I am so inadequate to write for the press. On the 27th. of July last, on the morning after my son eat his breakfast as usual, while turning the grindstone for me he was taken very suddenly in a fit. We got him into the house, I asked my wife to get him some castor as usual when the fits commenced. She said she thought the castor was too strong with spirits - it would hurt his head - she would give him some Assafoedita ( asafetida ). We prevailed with him to take it for the first time, and the rising in his throat seemed to subside, and he got easier, so that I and his brother left him with his mother , but kept nearby. Soon after he told his mother that he felt a different feeling in his stomach from what he had ever felt before, he continued through the day very ill, much opressed at the stomach, he had no appetite to eat. About eight o'clock the next morning he went upstairs to lay down in bed, in a short time after his mother carried him an orange but could not eat any of that; she put the clothes around him and went below, - and in 10 or 15 minutes she heard him make a noise as if in a fit; she ran part of the was upstairs, and thought it no use for her to go alone, as she could do nothing with him in a fit, turned and ran to the door, gave me a call, as I and my other son still kept near the house on his account, we all ran as fast as possible; my wife got to him a few seconds before me, and found him with his head over the side of the bed in the position of a person when vomitting. She catched hold of his head and shoulders, and as she looked down under his face she saw an eel lying in the phlegm upon the floor; she let go of her hold and called out as I entered the bedroom door, see what Nathan has vomited up - to my joy I saw the eel and catched hold of Nathan, who was senseless and speechless, and his hands appeared to be catching hold of his throat; he soon got easier and sensible, but very weak, and a sore throat, and soon raised a quanity of blood. Now sir, if it will not tresspass upon your patience, I wiil add to the above the testamony of two scientific physcians, the first is Dr. Webster, who came about two hours after my son vomited the eel, as I believe, and after he had examined the eel, said that his eyes convinced him that it came from Nathan. Soon after Dr. J Farish came; I told him how Nathan was taken very suddenly in a fit, the day before, and we gave him assafoedita, I asked him if he thought if it was that what killed it. If my memory serves me, concerning the eel grass ( so called ) and water flies & c found in the stomach of the eel found by the medical gentleman confirms the above. If it be true what men that is well acquainted with eels tell me, they say that eel grass and flies cannot be found in eels even when they are caught amoung eel grass, Sir, how then wiil Mr. V., ( who knew so much about the galley slave, stated in the Herald some weeks since, ) account for these things found in the stomach of the eel unless it came from my son, who eat the day before he had his last fit, greens for his dinner; he also eat berries that day, and drank molasses and water frequently, and used sugar in his tea that was quite dirty. And sir, the greatest evidence of all is, he is now in good health, ( thank God ) has no signs of having fits for eight weeks; and for a year before he had spells of having fits about every four weeks; ho now says much the same both in drinking the eel, and vomiting it up, as you have already stated in the Herald of the third of August last. - ZACHEUS CHURCHILL

• • Author's Note - At the time of the "eel" incident they were living on Snob Hill across from the Churchill Mansion. The only brook in the immediate area would have been the brook/canal that connects Lake Darling and Allen's Lake where the Churchill mill was located.

Martha Harding DOANE, daughter of Edmund Calvin DOANE (1797- ) [22154] and Margaret Whitney HARDING (1801- ) [22152], was born on 8 April 1827 in Barrington, N.S. She died in 1885.

1881 Census of Canada - female, NS born in 1827, age 54, married, English, living with husband Nathan, Free Baptist.

Martha Harding DOANE and Nathan CHURCHILL had the following children:

1. Almira C CHURCHILL (1846-1908) [2396]. Almira was born on 7 May 1846 in Yarmouth. She married John SAUNDERS on 7 May 1863. She died in 1908 in Yarmouth, NS.
2. Lydia Ann CHURCHILL (1848-1906) [4181]. Lydia was born on 22 September 1848 in Yarmouth. She married Joseph ELDRIDGE on 29 April 1871 in Yarmouth Co., N.S.. She died in 1906.
3. Mariam H CHURCHILL (1855-1935) [4603]. Mariam was born on 29 June 1855 in Short Beach, Yarmouth Co., NS. She married Howard THURSTON on 14 December 1884 in Short Beach. She died in 1935 in Yarmouth Co., NS.
4. Calvin E CHURCHILL (1857-1927) [1613]. Calvin was born on 30 September 1857 in Short Beach, Yarm., Co., N.S. He married Annie A CHURCHILL on 9 March 1881 in Yarmouth Co.. He died on 18 March 1927 in Darling's Lake, Yarmouth Co., N.S.
5. Ada Alice CHURCHILL (1864-1864) [1060]. Ada was born on 14 January 1864 in Yarmouth. She died on 19 July 1864.
6. Charles Everett F CHURCHILL (1865-1941) [12206]. Charles was born on 1 August 1865 in Short Beach, Yarm. Co. N.S. He married Sarah R ELLIS on 11 November 1888 in Salem, Yarmouth Co., NS. He married Mary Lydia WYMAN on 17 July 1892 in Sanford, Yarmouth Co., NS. He died in 1941 in Darling's Lake.

Sources

1. ↑ 1861 Census: Ohio, Yarmouth Co. N.S. repository - Nova Scotia Archives,
2. ↑ 1881 Canadian Census; repository - Library and Archives Canada
3. ↑ Nova Scotia Vital Statistics; repository - Nova Scotia Archives
4. ↑ The Yarmouth Herald - newspaper - 03 Aug 1838; repository - https://news.google.com/newspapers

• Churchill Family in America, Supplement 1V (Asaph Churchill, Elsie Tolson, Adeline Plissey, L.Joy Churchill, Nancy Churchill; Library of Congress, Camden, Maine, USA.
• The Nova Scotia Churchills , by George R Churchill; Copyright - June 2008; registration # 1059094; printed by Gaspereau Press, Kentville, NS; ISBN # 978-0-9867403-0-5.
• https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=TFP_iSt0sucC&dat=18380803&printsec=frontpage&hl=en