Nathaniel Hammond of South Woodstock, Vermont (1763 – 1834)

An Extension of Genealogy Research published in Kennedy Family Genealogy: About our Parents, Great and Grand, by Terence S. Kennedy

Nathaniel Hammond was born on February 6, 1763, in Rochester, Massachusetts, the first child of Faunce and Mary (Holmes) Hammond. With each parent having roots dating back to the early colonial period, Nathaniel Hammond’s ancestry included paternal ancestor Thomas Faunce who “saved Plymouth Rock” and maternal ancestor Richard Warren of the Mayflower’s manifest and pilgrim colony.

Nathaniel’s formative years were likely spent among a broad network of family members, both immediate and extended. In addition to younger siblings, which eventually numbered nine, Nathaniel Hammond was fortunate to have both paternal grandparents along with countless aunts, uncles and cousins living nearby.

As an adolescent growing up in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, escaping the reality of the geopolitical climate was simply not possible. Rochester, which is said to have produced more patriots in proportion its population than that of any other jurisdiction in the colony, was a hotbed of patriot ideals. Even though their storied patriarch, Jabez Hammond, had been commissioned a captain by the King of England, the Hammonds demonstrated a commitment to American independence.

Before the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, many of the Rochester Hammonds had begun relocating to central Vermont, more than 150 miles to the northwest. Nathaniel’s immediate family was among a group of Hammonds that chose to stay in Rochester. However, by the end of 1777, they had moved about ten miles southwest to Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

While the infamous British raid of Old Dartmouth of 1778 was a defining and terrifying moment for the family, the reality of the war may have hit a pinnacle in August of 1780 when Nathaniel’s father answered the call and enlisted in the American army. Nathaniel’s father’s service was in response to what later became known as the Rhode Island Alarm of 1780. Fortunately for the family, any stint the oldest son had as “man of the house” was brief; Faunce Hammond returned unscathed after about a week of service.

During a time when teenagers as young as fifteen could enlist in the Continental Army, Nathaniel Hammond notably did not. Perhaps instead he served in an apprenticeship, learning the cordwainer trade. Shoes and boots were a significant need of the Continental Army during the timeframe and parts of Massachusetts boasted major footwear producing centers that, in some locations saw production increases of five-fold between 1767 and 1783. During the war years, Continental Congress established public shoe factories to ensure its soldiers were surefooted. If that was in fact the path that Nathaniel Hammond took, it may have been his way of serving in the patriot cause!

By the time Nathaniel Hammond was age 21, the typical concluding point of apprenticeship, research suggests that he was living in southern Maine, more than 100 miles to the north of Dartmouth. A local church record reveals that in May of 1784, Nathaniel Hammond married Mary Adams. Although preliminary research concludes that Mary (Adams) Hammond had an extended local family presence in southern Maine, with roots dating back to the early colonial period, Nathanial and his wife moved north. The couple settled in Hancock County, Main, at a homesite near a relative named Moses Hammond, who, like Nathaniel, had previously lived in Rochester.

In contrast to the developed communities near Boston, the region where the Hammonds settled in Maine was more akin to a pioneer outpost. The residence, which was situated in Hancock County’s Township #6, was seated on a 100-acre lot. The Hammond property had access to Union River Bay, with approximately 500 feet of shoreline along the saltwater estuary.

The area in which the Hammonds chose to live had previously been inhabited by loyalists under British control. Following the British evacuation in 1783 and the banishment of loyalists a year later, the settlement areas that remained were said to be primitive. Lacking in adequate building materials, many homes had been constructed with rough-hewn pine. Records suggest residences had poor sanitation and ventilation. Food resources were also limited; attempts to grow corn crops were quelled by raccoons and bear, forcing local inhabitants to settle instead for farming pumpkins, potatoes, rye and beans. Locals hunted the plentiful woodchuck, racoons, deer and bears. Perhaps the leather biproducts of the local fauna served as a medium for Nathaniel Hammond’s shoemaking trade.

In November of 1786, Mary (Adams) Hammond gave birth to a son who the couple chose to name Nathaniel. Their first child was followed by Abram Hammond in 1788, Mary Hammond in 1790 and David Hammond in 1792.

The Hammond family’s time in Hancock County, Maine, was not permanent and they ultimately decided to move to Vermont, to be reunited with the many Hammond family members there. The Nathaniel Hammond, Sr., lot was sold in July of 1794.

The Hammond’s new home, Woodstock’s South Parish (known simply as South Woodstock) was a settlement about 5 miles south of Woodstock, Vermont, the county seat of Windsor County. Historical accounts reveal that the first settlers of South Woodstock were Massachusetts-born brothers, Jabez and Warren Cottle, who moved there in 1773. Of relevance to Hammond family members, Jabez Cottle was married to Rochester-native, Sarah Arnold, a second cousin of Nathaniel Hammond’s.

Shortly after completing their move to Vermont, the Hammond grew further to include another son, George Hammond. Given the family presence in the hamlet, Nathaniel’s family was quickly integrated in the local network. The two eldest of Nathaniel’s children were among the inaugural class being taught in the local meeting house. The schoolmaster happened to be a family member known to the young students: Uncle Jabez Hammond.

With an abundance of hardwood for building materials, Nathaniel Hammond, Sr., constructed a home on a one-acre lot about half a mile south of Woodstock’s South Parish. The home, which measured 30’ x 40’, likely had enough space to accommodate the entire family which grew to be nine, after the couple’s final two children, Henry Clinton Hammond in August of 1797 and John G. Hammond in April of 1800.

To generate income for the family, Nathaniel continued work as a cordwainer, working from the home residence which had a shoe-maker’s shop on-site. The property reportedly also included a small barn, a “good garden” and a woodhouse.

Though it seems that the one-acre lot, family home and outbuildings were sold in the late summer of 1810, Nathaniel and Mary (Adams) Hammond continued to reside in Woodstock’s South Parish for many years. There, Nathaniel Hammond produced footwear for locals into his fifties. Over time, the Hammond children left the residence. By the year 1820, three of the couple’s sons had left the vicinity entirely and were living nearly 700 miles away in Hamilton, Ohio. Contrasting their midwestern siblings, the couple’s other children, excepting Abram who had died in 1812, were living in closer proximity.

On October 29, 1821, Mary (Adams) Hammond died. Family lore suggests that at a point following the death, Nathaniel Hammond, Sr., moved to the property of his son, David Hammond. That son, who carried on the cordwainer trade, lived in nearby Reading, Vermont, with his wife and several children. Perhaps while living there, Nathaniel Hammond was able to spend time with grandchildren and share shoemaking wisdom with David.

On August 19, 1834, 71-year-old Nathaniel Hammond, Sr. died. His remains were interred at Baileys Mills Cemetery, in Reading, Vermont.

Endnotes and detailed specifics available upon request.