John Niles (1739)

Born 22 Jan 1739 in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Stetson) Niles — married 23 Sep 1763 in Braintree, Norfolk, Mass.

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Sarah Krans [send private message] and Susan Potts [send private message]

Biography

John was a son of John Niles and Dorothy (Reynolds) Niles, born at Braintree, Massachusetts, on 22 January 1739 (possibly 1740).^[1][2] His father is listed as John Niles Jr. and his mother is listed as Dorothy "Dorithy" Niles.

John Niles was baptized 5 days after his birth on 27 Jan 1739 in Randolph, Massachusetts.^[2] A Dorothy Niles, wife of John Niles, was baptized at the same church on 15 Aug 1731. This same church record also lists most of the family of John Niles Jr. and Dorothy (Reynolds) Niles. ^[3]

John Niles, age 18, son of John Niles was a soldier at Braintree in 1759, and had been at Lake George in 1758 (Reg. Vol. 15).^[4]

In Braintree, John Niles was elected hogreave in 1774 and surveyor of highways 1792.^[4]

John Niles was married to Hannah Stetson. Their marriage intentions were recorded at Braintree on 23 September 1764.^[4]

Children of John Niles and his wife (all born in Braintree and baptized at South Parish, which later became the town of Randolph) were:^[4]

1. Sarah, baptized October 4, 1767
2. Elisha, baptized October 4, 1767
3. Gideon, baptized September 15, 1771
4. Samuel, baptized April 24, 1774
5. Hannah, baptized September 27, 1778

Sprague has a blank for the name of the mother of these children, suggesting some uncertainty as to whether Hannah Stetson was the mother. Since Hannah appears to have been alive in 1779 when her father's estate was distributed,^[5] it is reasonable to assume that she was the children's mother.

Sprague did not identify a death date or location for John Niles. Profile Niles-639 showed that he died in 1804. Niles-643 showed that he died in Rome, Oneida, New York, in 1810. Neither profile identified a source for this information.

Research Notes

There are three conflicting records for John Niles III: Niles-442 Niles-639 Niles-643 all with identical date and location of birth.

The baptism records provide strong evidence that John Niles III is the son of John Niles Jr. and Dorothy (Reynolds) Niles not Deborah (Reynolds) Niles.

Sources

1. ↑ Sprague, Records 3554 and 3555R.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
3. ↑ The Ancestry source apparently gives the baptism place as Randolph, but Randolph didn't exist in 1739. Sprague identifies the baptism site as South Parish of Braintree, which later became Randolph.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Sprague, Record 3565
5. ↑ Sprague, Record 4495R.

• Sprague, Waldo Chamberlain. Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, MA. 1640-1850. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001.

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Susan Collins for creating WikiTree profile Niles-442 through the import of WarrenBurtonPottsIIIFamilyTree (4).ged on Oct 25, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Susan and others.
• Niles-643 was created by Sarah Krans through the import of krans.ged on Mar 5, 2015.