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Nathan Niles Sr. [Parents] was born on 20 Nov 1755 in Colchester, New London County, Connecticut. He died 1 on 20 Nov 1755 in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, USA. He was buried 2 in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, USA. Nathan married Irene Russell in Connecticut.
Nathan Niles, Sr., a descendant of Capt. John Niles, of Wales, who settled at Baintree, Massachusetts, in 1630, came to Pennsylvania from Hartford, Connecticut, and located in Tioga township, in September 1796. This date is established by the fact that his fourth son, Augustus Niles, born February 6, 1792, was four years of age when the family settled. Mr. Niles' father was a physician, and also, at times, performed the duties of a local preacher of the Presbyterian church. For some years previous to and during the Revolutionary War, Mr. Niles was engaged in mercantile pursuits and owned several vessels in the coastwise trade. During the struggle for independence these were mostly captured by British cruisers, thus depriving him of the bulk of his fortune. In 1796 he invested the remnant in Connecticut titles to lands in Tioga county and removed hither with his family. The land settled upon by himself and family was the most southern of the "Bartholomew and Patton tracts, including the mouth of Mill creek." In 1797 he, with many others, claiming lands under Connecticut titles, were arrested on a charge of violating the Intrusion Law, taken to Williamsport, and there tried and acquitted. A full account of the trial will be found in a preceding chapter. He finally obtained a valid title to his land through the Pennsylvania Bank. Mr. Niles married Irene Russell in Connecticut, and their children were: Irene, who married Major William Rathbone; Nathan, Aaron, Erastus, Augustus, Rodney, Clarissa, who became the wife of John Beecher; Violetta, who married John Daily, and Temperance, who married Timothy Brace. Of the sons, Nathan, moved into Charleston township; Aaron and Erastus into Delmar, and Rodney into Rutland. Augustus remained on the homestead in Tioga township until his death. Mr. Niles was commissioned a justice of the peace for the township of Tioga, January 7, 1808, while it was yet under the jurisdiction of Lycoming county, and his name frequently occurs in the early records. He served as a county commissioner from September 1808, to October 1811, when he was succeeded by Samuel W. Morris. He was also collector of taxes for the year 1804 under the Lycoming county control of Tioga township. When Wellsboro was founded Mr. Niles became identified with the interests of the town. The residence of his sons in Delmar also tended to bring him into closer communion with the people of the county seat. It is regretted that the Bible record of his birth and death, as also that of his wife, was lost in the destruction by fire of the house of his grandson, A. E. Niles, in October 1878. He died about 1837, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, which shows that he was born about 1753. He left as a legacy to his descendants an honored name and an unsullied reputation. He was familiarly known as "Squire Niles." He was not the man to seek notoriety; was plain and unobtrusive, conscientious, and well disposed towards his fellowmen. He left numerous descendants, all of whom were not only honored through life, but many of them attained to high distinction in professional, political and military station.
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