NATHANIEL MESSENGER

• Death Notes
  • maybe 1652 d before 1700

• General Notes
  • Nathaniel Messenger was born on 18 June 1653 in Windsor, Hartford Co., Conn..1,2 He was the son of Edward Messenger and Dorcas(?) (___). He married, at age 24, Rebecca Kelsey, age 18, daughter of Mark Kelsey and Rebecca Hoskins, on 5 April 1678 in Windsor, Conn..3,4 He died circa 1693/94.5
        
    
         Nathaniel Messenger, at the age of 24, married 18 year old Rebecca Kelsey, of Hartford, in 1678. That same year, Rebecca received forty shillings in the will of Henry Wolcott Sr. The significance is unknown (her marriage?), but could indicate an unknown relationship between the Kelsey's and Wolcott's.
         In 1686 Nathaniel was taxed by Windsor at the rate of 18.00 and owned ten acres at Greenfield and has two cows and one swine. He may have resided for a time at Hartford, where his wife's family resided. In the 1690's, Nathaniel applied twice, unsuccessfully, to the citizens of Simsbury for residency in that town. While Simsbury gave land freely to those residents who could show a use for it, they tried to retain tight control on new residents.
         Nathaniel died about 1694, leaving his widow with small children. Rebecca married second, by 1699, Elias Gillett, with whom she had a daughter, in 1700. Elias Gillett is also our grandfather through his first wife, Sarah Griffin. Elias died in 1731/32. I have no information on whether or not Rebecca survived her second husband. 
    
    
    
         Children of Nathaniel Messenger and Rebecca Kelsey:
    Hannah Messenger   b. Sep 1682
    Nathan Messenger   b. 7 Apr 1683, d. 30 Dec 1683
    Rebecca Messenger   b. 11 Feb 1684/85, d. c 1 Jan 1756
    Joseph Messenger+   b. 2 Sep 1687, d. 10 May 1763
    John Messenger   b. 24 Nov 1689
    Return Messenger+   b. 4 Aug 1691, d. a 1731
    Nathan Messenger   b. 29 Nov 1693
    Citations
    
    [S220] Connecticut Historical Society, Matthew Grant Records, 52.
    [S100] NEHGR, Helen S. Ullman, "The Three Messengers: Henry, Andrew, and Edward: Clearing the Decks", 152(1998):372 .
    [S62] Henry R. Stiles, History of Ancient Windsor, 2:493.
    [S144] Jean Fyler Arnold, Fyler - Filer Family, 723.
    [S141] TAG, "Nathan Gillett's Earlier Descendants", 56(1980):132.