Today I will be looking at the oldest son of Edward Marden Jr. & his wife Elizabeth Annis. Nathaniel is as much a mystery man (but for different reasons) as his youngest brother, Chapin, who was covered in my last Marden family post.
Nathaniel Marden – data not all verified
- 11-Sep-1809 – birth in Lyman, NH [1810 according to brother, Joseph in the Annis Genealogy and the family is documented here in the census]. Nathaniel claims he was born in Granby, VT.
- 2-Nov-1828 – marriage to Sally Beedy in Lunenburg, VT [transcribed marriage record found in card file, confirmed in published genealogies]
- 5-Oct-1829 – son Edward Marcelus (d.1900 Farmington, ME) born in Victory, VT. [date from Marden & Freeman Genealogy, location from military records]
- 1830 – Nathaniel “Mardean” in Albany, VT for the census. Both he and Abigail are age 20 to 30 and there is 1 male under 5 (Edward) in the household.
- 25-Mar-1833 – daughter Elizabeth (m. Soule, d.abt.1895) is born in Vermont. [date from Marden & Freeman Genealogy, location from census]
- 14-Oct-1835 – daughter Abigail J. (m. Benjamin Durrell) is born in Phillips, ME. [date from Freeman Genealogy]
- c1838 – son Nathaniel is born in Phillips, ME [according to his military record]
- 1-Jun-1840 – found in Carthage, ME by the census taker. There are 2 males under 5, 1 male 10-15, 1 female under 5, 1 female 5-10 in the household besides 2 adults. This matches exactly with the known family.
- c1840 – son John Jewell (d.1863 in service) born in Berlin, ME. He owned land in Weld, ME at the time of his death. [date from Marden & Freeman Genealogy, location from military record]
- 20-Oct-1842 – son Aaron B. (d.1914 Temple, ME) is born in Berlin (later Madrid), Franklin Co., ME or Flagstaff, ME. [date only from Freeman Genealogy, year and location from Marden Genealogy, military file says Flagstaff for place of birth]
- c1846 – daughter Ruhamah B. “Emma” (m. Alpheus Jenkins) is born in New Hampshire [called “Richanna” in Marden Genealogy]
- c Dec-1847 – daughter Sarah Jane (m. Parsons, d.c1908 Madison, ME) born in Madrid, Franklin Co., ME [not mentioned in Freeman Genealogy]
- c1848 – Polly [found only in Freeman Genealogy – probably Sarah?]
- 9-Feb-1850 – son Chapin (d.1916) born in Rangeley, ME [Jul-1850 given in Freeman Genealogy, 3 months old on 28-Sep-1850 in census]
- 28-Sep-1850 – “Nathe Marder” found in Township 3 Range 1 (Rangeley region), ME by the census taker. He owns $150 worth of real estate. The children are all with him except 14 year old Abigail who is living with the Samuel Wright family in Phillips.
- 1851 – wife Abigail dies [according to Freeman Genealogy & Marden Genealogy]
- bef feb-1856 ? – married to Sally Jones Linnell (who m.(1) John McGill or Magill according to a Linnell Genealogy.
- Feb-1856 – daughter Ellen D. born in Errol, NH probably a child of his 2nd wife.
- Apr-1858 – daughter Ellen D. dies in Errol, NH
- 1860 – found in Errol, Coos Co., NH by the census taker. His wife is 44 year old “Sally” and there are 6 kids named McGile in the household along with 2 of his own (see the next post for a discussion of this census family). Nathaniel owns $600 worth of real estate and $200 worth of personal property, which seems to be about average for the community.
- 15-Nov-1861 – described as “dark complexion, black hair & hazel eyes” at the time of his enlistment (at age 52!). He was a resident of Upton, Oxford Co., ME
- 12-Sep-1863 – discharged from Co. G, 12th Maine due to disability before his 3 year term is complete
- 5-May-1864 – reenlisted (age 54!) into Co.I, 32nd Maine, giving his residence as Grafton, ME.
- 6-Jun-1864 – wounded in action
- 10-Jun-1864 – his exact date of death is unclear but he had expired from his wounds on or before the 10th. Nathaniel is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
- 4-Mar-1867 – wife Sally Linnell dies in Errol, NH
Descendants in Maine believe this is a picture of Nathaniel, but they are not certain. I would love to see the original and get a better copy. What was shared with me was a standard photocopy, then I scanned it, so the quality is very low.
Nathaniel Marden – Locations
- Lyman, NH – birth 1809-10
- Granby, VT – birth 1809-10? – according to VirtualVermont this town did exist at this time but the population was never very large. It did have a railroad stop at the time of the Civil War when Nathaniel referred to it as his birth place.
- Lunenburg, VT – marriage and residence in 1828
- Victory, VT – birth of son Oct-1829 – probably a substantial town at this time with a lumbering industry.
- Albany, VT – 1830 Census as a head of household in the same town as his father. Two children probably born here in 1829 and 1833
- Phillips, ME – children born 1835 & 1838. A young town at this time. It originally included part of Madrid. Farming was the primary industry with timber harvesting growing in importance. It is located on the Sandy River, which was an important canoe route for local Natives prior to white settlement of the region.
- Carthage, ME – 1840 Census – located next to Weld where his brother, Chapin, had connections and his son, Edward, later had family. Webb Lake and Webb River flow through Carthage on it’s way to the Androscoggin River.
- Berlin, Berlin Plantation, & Madrid, ME – children b. 1840, 1842, & 1847 – located on the Sandy River. Part of the plantation was incorporated as the town of Madrid in 1836, but there is also a town named Berlin. Part of the plantation was also included in Phillips. It is possible all the kids born between 1835 and 1847 where born on the same piece of property, but the jurisdiction it belonged to changed as the area developed. If that is true, I need to find a reason why Nathaniel is in Cartage in the 1840 Census. Perhaps a tragedy such as a fire or flood forced him to move temporarily. Carthage is near to Phillips and I believe his wife had relatives in the Weld/Carthage area at this time. Now I just need to find some evidence to back up my theory.
- Flagstaff, ME – alternate location for birth of child in 1842 . This town was abandoned in 1950 when a dam was built to enlarge Flagstaff Lake. The closest existing town is Eustis.
- NH ? – child born here c1846 according to census records [I find no evidence to support Nathaniel being in NH in this time period, but it certainly is possible]
- Rangeley, ME – child born here in Feb-1850. Rangeley is the name of a lake, a plantation, a town, and the general region. The town was incorporated in the 1850s, but the region was settled before that time. This region was a major Native American resource area and some Native families continued to use the seasonal resources it had to offer. It eventually became a major sportsman’s destination, but I have found no evidence of Natives acting as sporting guides after the mid 1800s.
- Township 3 Range 1 (Rangeley Region), ME – 1850 Census. As near as I can tell (based on 1795 map found at MaineMemory and a 1835 map titled A Plan of Public Lands) this is located east of Mooselookmeguntic Lake and south of Rangeley Lake. Route 17 runs through the area today.
- Errol, Coos Co., NH – 1860 Census
- Upton, ME – residence at time of enlistment in 1861
- Grafton Township, ME – residence at time of 2nd enlistment in 1864. This township no longer exists. Records should be found in Newry, ME according to my resources.
- Byron, ME – the family had some ties to this town at the time the boys enlisted in the Civil War.
The most important items to keep in mind about Nathaniel Marden are;
- His height and physical description suggest he could have Native American ancestry.
- He did own land according to census records.
- Like his youngest brother, Nathaniel moved around a lot.
- I still have lots of questions about him.
- I found nothing to suggest he ever lived in Canada.
Are there any descendants out there that can provide additional information or perhaps photos?
The Ne-Do-Ba Research Journal 