Hartford County CT Archives Biographies.....Harmon, Nathaniel May 13, 1653 - May 2, 1712 *********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ct/ctfiles.htm *********************************************** ************************************************************************ The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification. ************************************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Cheryl Harmon Bills cherylbills@gmail.com May 29, 2007, 4:15 pm Author: Cheryl Harmon Bills NATHANIEL HARMON & MARY SKINNER Nathaniel Harmon, son of John, the Pioneer, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts 13 Mar 1653. Nathaniel was the seventh of eight children. Nathaniel and his older brothers, Samuel and Joseph, became interested in trading with the Indians, and for many years were the principal partners of that noted trader, Colonel John Pynchon who was the original proprietor of the site of Springfield, Massachusetts. Nathaniel's brothers, Samuel and Joseph were the first settlers of Suffield, Connecticut, or Stony Brook, as it was then called. They built the first cabin there in 1670. Nathaniel also located at Suffield in 1670, which remained a part of Hampshire Co., Massachusetts until 1749. Here he worked with his brothers Joseph and Samuel and also with John Pynchon. They had routes through the forest in all directions and collected large quantities of fur. Their sheds in Suffield being always covered with skins stretched for drying. Their land lay near the brook west of the village, and they also bought land at Warehouse Point, where they established a storage place for furs. Suffield, Connecticut was just across the river from Springfield, Massachu- setts. It was a dense forest with very heavy timber growing upon her soil. The Stony Brook Plantation of twenty-three thousand acres was purchased for 30 pounds sterling, or less than one cent per acre in 1670 with title granted to Major John Pynchon and others (possibly the Harmon brothers who were his partners) by the General Court of Massachusetts. The two Harmon brothers, Joseph and Samuel settled about one mile west of High Street. Nathaniel followed soon afterward. In 1671, land grants were made to Samuel Harmon, a farmer; Nathaniel Harmon, a weaver; and Joseph Harmon, the town's first constable; and to Zerubabel Fyler and Robert Old. The Harmons served on a committee active in advancing the interests of the plantation. We have no record of Samuel ever marrying. Joseph married in 1673 Hannah Filley, daughter of William Filley and Margaret Cockney. The outbreak of King Phillip's War in 1675 put a temporary stop to their progress. Those who had taken up grants of land were obliged to remove to places of greater security for about two years. After the war, the old settlers returned to reoccupy their lands. There was a lot of tension over signing an oath to the crown. We do not find these brothers signatures on the oath of allegiance to the crown. Samuel Harmon died in Sep 1677. They accumulated property and upon the death of Samuel, Nathaniel and Joseph became possessors of his Suffield property. Although Nathaniel was not a qualified voter, when the town of Suffield was organized, he constantly held some town office. He had a house on High Street and a farm on Northampton Road. The town of Suffield was organized in 1681 and eighty proprietors were present at the town meeting to choose the municipal officers and discharge the committee who had managed the affairs of the town from the time of the grant in 1670. A board of five selectmen were elected for the new town officers. They were: Anthony Austin (who is Esther Austin's father. Esther marries Nathaniel and Mary Harmon's son, Nathaniel.), Samuel Kent, Thomas Remington, John Barber and Joseph Harmon, the constable. There were about eighty families in the place with a population of four or five hundred. The most numerous settlers in High Street were the Kings, Hanchetts, Remingtons, Grangers, Kents, Nortons, Spencers and Sikes. A road leading east from High Street connected it with Feather Street where lived the Burbanks, Hollydays, Smiths, Trumbulls, and Palmers. In South Street were the Austins, Risings and Millers. On the western road were the Harmons and Copleys, and in Crooked Lane the Taylors, Hitchcocks, and Coopers. The streets were rude pathways winding among stumps and trees. Along these pathways were scattered the dwellings of the settlers. Their cabins were of the rudest architecture, consisting for the most part but a single room lighted by one or two small windows, warmed by the huge fireplace and furnished with rude stools, tables and shelves. Ricks of meadow grass and stocks of corn were carefully reared adjacent to the still cruder shelters provided for the cattle. Around these abodes lay a few acres of half cleared land with charred stumps yet standing. Beyond this little clearing and surrounding it on every side was the dark, threatening forest. The families had nothing but their strong arms and brave hearts to depend upon. Morals, religion and education from the very beginning of the settlement received their fair share of attention at the town meetings. The Connecticut code of 1650 required all parents to educate their children and every township of fifty householders (later thirty) to have a teacher supported by the men of the families. In 1696, Mr. Anthony Austin (whose daughter would later marry Nathaniel's son, Nathaniel), undertook to become the first school teacher. He received a salary of twenty pounds per year. In 1703, the first school house was erected near the church on the green, and the dimensions were twenty-feet long, sixteen-feet wide and six feet high. Reading, writing and arithmetic made up the curriculum of the pioneer schools. The established ecclesiastical system was the Congregational Church, of which the Harmons were active participants. The Connecticut code of 1640 taxed all persons for support of the Congregational Church and forbade formation of new churches without the consent of the general court. Our ancestors helped build the first Church erected in Suffield and worshipped within its walls. It was built about 1680, just ten years after the Harmon's first came to Suffield. At a town meeting on 6 April 1685, the townsmen voted that the town purchase a ladder and a red flag. With the ladder, a man could climb upon the roof of the Church and hang the flag out as a sign to all inhabitants that a meeting was scheduled to be held. Nathaniel Harmon married Mary Skinner, the daughter of Joseph Skinner and Mary Filley on 19 Nov 1685 at Suffield. [Mary Skinner was a niece of Nathaniel's sister-in-law, Hannah Filley, who married Nathaniel's brother, Joseph Harmon.] I like to think the wedding took place in the little Church that Nathaniel helped build. Nathaniel and Mary were the parents of ten children as follows: 1. Nathaniel b. 15 Jan 1687 m. Esther Austin, d.1763 2. Ebenezer b. 21 Mar 1688 d. 1689 3. Mary b. 14 Jul 1692 m. James Barlow Jr. d. 1752 4. Elizabeth b. 29 Dec 1694 m. Thomas Dewey 5. Ann b. 23 Mar 1696 m. William Judd d. 1746 6. Samuel b. 15 Aug 1699 m. Deborah Winchell d. 1755 7. Sarah b. 2 Jan 1701 m. Joshua Lyman 8. Ruth b. 24 Nov 1704 m. Elias Alexander 9. John b. 29 Aug 1708 m. Mary Austin d. 1786 10. Benjamin b. 17 May 1711 m. Hannah Jacques d. 1795 Nathaniel Harmon died at Suffield, Hartford, Connecticut on 2 May 1712-- leaving a young family. He had accumulated quite an estate as will be seen in another entry to this site. Prior to his death, he deeded land to his loving and dutiful son, Nathaniel. His widow, Mary, then married John Hanchett in 1713. Mary had a family of teenagers, a few married children and a two year old baby when she married John Hanchett. I have not located records of her having any children with him. John had nine grown children and possibly one son who was just two years old at the time of his marriage to Mary. Mary passed away in 1730 when her youngest son was just 19. John remarried twice after her death. The Hanchett's remained close to the Harmons for the next several generations, with many intermarriages among their descendants. Additional Comments: This Monument is in the West Suffield, Connecticut Cemetery in honor of the descendants of John Harmon who were the first settlers of Suffield. Its backside (shown above) reads: John Harmon-England-1617; Springfield, Mass.- 1661 Joseph 1st Springfield-Mass–1646-Suffield, Conn-1729 Nathaniel-Springfield-Mass–1653-Suffield-Conn-1685 Brothers–First Settlers of Suffield, Connecticut Israel 1st -1753-1831-Soldier Am. Rev. War Israel 2nd-1784-1844 Israel 3rd -Suffield-Conn-1834-Springfield-Mass 1913 This stone is erected by Israel Harmon 3rd The front side reads: In Memoriam Israel Harmon 1784-1844 Paulina Harmon His Wife 1801-1868 Her children rise up and call her blessed George W. 1821-1888Eliza 1822-1870Oliver 1824-1856Martha 1829-1857 Israel 1834-1913Julius Alonzo 1837-1895Julia Annette 1837-1867 Photo: http://usgwarchives.net/ct/hartford/photos/tombstones/harmon3gbs.jpg File at -- http://files.usgwarchives.net/ct/hartford/bios/harmon3gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ctfiles/ File size: 9.3 Kb