Person:Nathaniel Seaver (21)

A biography of Nathaniel Seaver was published in the book "Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey," published by Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1910. The article covered the entire Seaver ancestry of Howard Eves Seaver. Nathaniel's portion reads:

"(II) Nathaniel [Seaver], son of Robert and Elizabeth (Ballard) Seaver, was baptized in Roxbury, January 8, 1645, and was slain by Indians in the battle of Sudbury, Massachusetts, April 21, 1676, during King Philip's War. He was one of ten Sudbury men who were killed on that day and served in Captain Wadsworth's company. The site of the battlefield where Captain Wadsworth so long held the Indians at bay is on what is now called "Green Hill." While an attack was being made on a small body of eighteen minute-men under Edward Cowell, Captain Wadsworth and his company came upon the scene and seeing a small party of Indians rushed forward with impetuous haste and were caught in the usual ambuscade, for when within about a mile of Sudbury they were induced to pursue a body of not more than one hundred Indians and soon found themselves drawn about a mile into the woods, where on a sudden they were encompassed by more than five hundred, and were forced to a retreating fight toward a hill where they made a brave stand for a time (one authority says four hours) and did heavy execution of the enemy until (Hubbard says) the night coming on and some of the company beginning to scatter from the rest of their companions were forced to follow them, and thus being surrounded in the chase the officers and most of the company were slain. It is said that the savages set fire to the woods and thus forced the disastrous retreat, and only thirteen out of the entire company escaped to Noyes' mill. Nathaniel Seaver married Sarah -----, and by her had two children: 1. John, born August 18, 1671, see post; 2. Sarah, died April 18, 1674."

He died intestate, and an inventory of his estate was taken 19 May 1676 by Thomas Weld, Senr and John Stebbins. The estate amounted to 327 pounds, 16 shillings. The widow, Sarah Sever, acknowledged the inventory on 29 May 1676 before Edw. Ting and Joseph Dudley Esq (Suffolk County Probate Records).

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. (Salem, Massachusetts: Essex Institute, 1925-1926)
   315.