Nathaniel B. Fish Autobiograhy with KRAMER, HILLIER, NICOL, FRENCH, KNECHTEGES connections ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * *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. Submitted to the Archives by Celene Eliason 11/98 ********************************************************************************** LIFE HISTORY - written by Nathaniel Bragg Fish I, Nathaniel Bragg Fish, was born in the town of China, Kennebec County, State Of Maine, on the Fifteenth day of May 1813. My Father's name was Bolton Fish, who was born on Nantucket Island, off the cast of New Brunswick, or Maine, on the ________day of_________, in the year of 17__. My mother's maiden name was Annie Bragg, who was born at____________, on the ____day of ________. 17__. My Father's father's name was George Fish, who was born in ___________, England, on the _______day of ________, A.D., 17__. My Grandfather George Fish, was a Sea Captain, and went with foreign barges and was lost at sea. My Father Bolton Fish, was his Father's only son. My Grandmother, Jerusha Fish, wife of George Fish, was born on Nantucket Island, on the __day of ________17__. My father was shot and killed at the Battle of Lundy's Lane, in (about) the year of 1812, while fighting with the United States troops; we was a private soldier. My Mother died in the town of Dover, Piscataquis County, Maine, in old age, date and cause of death unknown to me. The aforesaid Nathaniel Bragg was a Blacksmith and a Farmer, by occupation. My Mother's mother's name was Moore, before she was married, date and place of nativity unknown, but, I think that she, as well as all thse of the old Bragg family, came from the vicinity of Nantucket Island. I do not know what my Father's occupation was, but, I think it was farming. I was the ninth and last child of my parents. My two oldest brothers were born in Penobscot County, Maine; their names were: Abial (the older) and George. The other seven children, in the order of their birth, were: Randall, Amaibia, Ruby, Hiram, Ephriam, David, and myself,--Nathaniel. All excepting the two oldest children were born in Kennebec County, ME. My mother, with such help as her children gave her, worked and maintained her family, making the clothes for each of her aforesaid nine children, from flax and wool. This was customary in that locality in those day. When I was eight years of age, my other married a man by the name of Nathanel Dexter, a farmer by occupation, and a resident of Kennebec Co. ME. Immediately after the marriage of my mother to Dexter, my mother, her husband and my brothers David, Ephriam, and my sister Ruby, moved to the town of Dover, Maine, where my mother continued to reside until the time of her death. I resided in Dover until I removed to Mitchell County, Iowa, which was in the year of 1869. In the fore part of March, 1869, I arrived in Charles City, Iowa, and went from there in the next month, to Union Township, Mitchell Co., Ia., where I bought an eighty acre farm, for $14.00 per acre which I kept and resided upon until the fall of 1877, when I sold it for Twenty-eight Dollars per acre, when I went to Nothwood, Worth County, Iowa, and bought an eighty acre farm for Fourteen Dollars per acre. I resided upon that farm for three years, and then removed to Chas. City, Iowa, and rented the farm. I resided at Charles City until the year of 1882, where I lived with my son-in-law, Hiram Kramer, helping him on a farm, when I went to Osage, Iowa and bought the house and property in Osage, which I have ever since continued to own, and in which town I continue to reside. Since comming to Osage, I have farmed so long as my health permitted, which was until the year of 1900, when I sold out the fifteen acres west of Osage. I was married on the 27th day of May, 1839, in the town of Dover, Maine, to Nancy M. Shepard, which was the first and only marriage of either of us. Rev. Joseph Page, a Baptist Minister, performed the marriage ceremony, at the home of the bride. My said wife was born in the town of Dover, in the year of 1817, to Joseph and Polly Shepard; Joseph Shepard being a farmer and wheelwright. My wife's mother's name was Lambert; the Lamberts having come from the State of Maine. My wife and I resided together until the time of her death in my house in the city of Osage, from the cause of Consumption, on the 19th day of October, 1883. To my wife and myself, have been born nine children, all of whom, excepting only the second born, is still living. The names of my children in the order of their birth, is as follows, to-wit: Rozilla, wife of Joshua M. Little field, of (Postoffice) Olds, Alberta, Canada. Webster A., was a Union Soldier in the late Civil War, being a Private Soldier in Company "I", Twenty-second Regiment of Maine Infantry Vols. He died in a Soldiers' Government Hospital, at Baton rouge, Louisiana from Chronic Diarrhea contracted while he was a member of the aforesaid organization and in line of duty, as a soldier thereof. The date of his death being April 27, 1863. Luthera, wife of Parker French, residing at Frazee, Becker County, Minnesota. Howard C. residing at Osage, Iowa. Josephine Eliza, wife of W.R. Nicol, of Osage, Iowa George Raphael, residing at St. Cloud, Minnesota Percies Nancy, wife of James Hillier, residing at Charles City, Iowa. Joseph Franklin, unmarried, residing at Osage, Iowa Lillie, wife of Henry Knechteges, residing at Osage, Iowa. I was never a member of any Secret Society, nor of any church organization. Have always been a Republican in politics, and was a strong Abolitionist. In the year of 1839, when the U.S. Government was having some trouble about the boundary line between the state of Maine and the Province of New Brunswick, I enlisted as a soldier of the Federal Government, and remained in the woods with the troops from January until the following April, when the boundary line was drawn and the New Brunswick authorities found out they were in error and yielded to the claims of the United States. I received a Government Land Warrant by reason of my services. The only school privileges which I ever had were two short terms, before I was eight years of age, while my mother was living at China, Kennebec County, State of Maine. If I had only had the opportunities and privileges which the boys and girls and young people of this day ahd age have, with reference to education, I would have made much more of a success in life to be proud of. I have always refrained from being what could justly be termed a "Confidence Killer", and my nature and character have always been strongly opposed to that. (Copied from an old manuscript-March, 1946) - I don't know who copied (typed) it. Since it was typed I'm rather assumning it was done by Uncle Stanley Nicol - but that is only a guess. A copy was found in my father G. Everest Nicol's desk after his death in Feb, 1983.) Nantucket Island if off the coast of Massachusets. ---cde ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This was written by my Great Great Grandfather Nathaniel Bragg Fish who died 18 April 1904 in Osage, Mitchell County, Iowa and is buried in the Osage Cemetery. Submitted to the Archives by Celene Eliason 11/98