Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Paine, James M. 1834 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 5, 2006, 3:47 pm Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908) JAMES M. PAINE, of Worthington, is a retired farmer who has made his home in Nobles county twenty-five years, the greater part of that time as a farmer in Hersey township. He was born in Providence county, Rhode Island, July 18, 1834, and descends from one of the early American families. The American branch of the Paine family was founded by Benjamin Paine, who came from England and settled in Massachusetts. He was born in 1696. One of his sons, from whom our subject descends in a direct line, was Nathan Paine, born May 18, 1726, died in 1804. One of the latter's sons-grandfather of our subject-was also named Nathan. He was born in Rhode Island in 1755 and died Aug. 1, 1794. One of Nathan's sons was James Paine, the father of our subject. He was born in Providence county, Rhode Island, June 14, 1789, and died in the same place in 1862. Our subject's mother was Mary (Sayles) Paine, who was born in Rhode Island in 1793 and died in 1842. Of their family three children are still living-Mrs. Sarah Albee, of Houston county, Minn.; Dutse S. Paine, of Forsythe, Mont.; and the subject of this biography. Mary (Sayles) Paine's father was Christopher Paine, a descendant of Roger Williams. She was one of a family of eleven children, six brothers and five sisters. Roger Williams, who came to this country with the Pilgrims, was the founder of the original Rhode island colony. Mr. Paine resided in Rhode Island until he was twenty years of age. In the spring of 1854 he moved to Houston county, Minn., bought a farm there and made that his home for eleven years. He then sold out and moved to Grundy county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming eighteen years. In 1883 he came to Nobles county and settled in Hersey township. There he bought the east half of the southeast quarter of section 32 and took as a timber claim the west half of the southeast quarter and the south half of the northeast quarter of the same section as a tree claim. He lived on his farm until November, 1906, when he turned the management of his property over to his sons, and moved to Worthington, where he has since lived a retired life. During his long residence in Hersey township Mr. Paine took an active part in the local government. In the spring of 1884 he was elected chairman of the board of supervisors and held the office eighteen consecutive years. In Webster, Mass., on Sept. 15, 1853, occurred the marriage of Mr. Paine to Ruth Elizabeth Shumway, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Shumway, of Vermont. To this union were born the following children: Martha A., James Sayles, Rufus Monroe and Amy, all living except the first named. Mrs. Paine died in September, 1863. Mr. Paine's second mariage [sic] occurred in Houston county, Minn., April 15, 1864, when he led to the altar Nancy Jane Thorp, a descendant of another old American family. The Thorps were originally from Pennsylvania, but later migrated to Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Paine have been born eight children, of whom the following five are living: Minerva Jane (Mrs. James Selby), Hersey township; Edgar R., of Worthington; Charles Jackson, of Hersey township; Cora (Mrs. William Hansberger), of Worthington; Walter Harold, of Hersey township. Mr. and Mrs. Paine are members of the First Methodist church of Worthington. Additional Comments: Extracted from: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ARTHUR P. ROSE NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA PUBLISHERS 1908 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/nobles/bios/paine296gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb