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THE FOURTH GENERATION

57. NATHANIEL REYNOLDS: (Nathaniel3; Nathaniel2; Robert1) was born in Boston, January 14, 1693; baptized there Jan.21, 1694. He died in Boston, probably in the house for many years rented to Josiah Franklin, on October 29, 1719, “aged 26," supposedly of consumption. According to the Sexton's bill, he was buried on the 31st of October, 1719.

It was probably in the stone houset of his grandfather, Captain Nathaniel, then living in Bristol, R. I., that this third Nathaniel was born. His grandfather, Captain Nathaniel, died when he was 14, and his own father when he was about 23, possibly of tuberculosis. Like his three American forbears he also became a "cordwainer."

In Boston or Bridgewater he was married January 27, 1716, to Mary Snell, by the Rev. Ebenezer Pemberton. She was born January 6, 1689; d. March 27, 1757, aged 68, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Harris) Snell of West Bridgewater, Mass. After his marriage he apparently lived in the famous little house, one hundred feet down Milk Street from the corner of Washington, in which Benjamin Franklin had been born in 1706, and in which the large family of Josiah Franklin, tallow-chandler, lived between 1685 and 1712. Nathaniel no doubt plied his trade of shoe-maker industriously there. His father's death was apparently within a year and a half after his marriage. His mother died the September after his marriage. Nathaniel 3rd, in order to clear up the estate of his father, who, it seems, left no will, bought a quit-claim from his brother John and Philip to the property and house of his father, which the Franklins had rented so many years.

Quitclaim Deed

GIVEN BY JOHN & PHILIP REYNOLDS to

NATHANIEL Reynolds, 3rd.

May 31, 1717

(Suffolk Reg. of Deeds, Vol. 36, Folio 94)

TO ALL PEOPLE unto whom these presents shall come, JOHN REYNOLDS, cordwainer, and PHILIP Reynolds, cordwainer, both of Boston in the County of Suffolk in New England, sendeth Greeting. KNOW YEE that the said JOHN & PHILLIP REYNOLDS for & in consideration of the sum of One Hundred Pounds current money of New England to them in hand before the Ensealing and delivery hereof well and truly paid by their brother NATHANIEL REYNOLDS of Boston aforesaid, cordwainer, the receipt whereof to full content and satisfaction they do hereby acknowledge. Have given granted, bargained, sold remised, released, quitclaim, conveyed and confirmed and by these presents Do fully, freely, absolutely give, grant, bargain, sell, transfer, convey and confirm unto the said NATHANIEL REYNOLDS his Heirs, Exects.,

*See property map shown opposite page twenty. See also pp. 40-41.

Admrs., Assignes forever All that their right title interest use possession reversion remainder, property claim and demand whatsoever which they hath, or had, or shall, should, may, might, or of right ought to have, or claim of in and to all that Messuage or tenement and land thereunto belonging situate, lying, and being in Boston aforesaid fronting northerly upon the street called Milk Street, over against the Old South meeting house Together with all and singular the Edifices, buildings, fences standing and being thereupon rights, commodities, privileges, ways, easements, passageways, profits, advantages whatsoever with the appurtenances to the said messuage, land and premises, or any part or parcel thereof, belonging or in any wise appertaining which said messuage land premises is now in the tenure & possession of said NATHANIEL REYNOLDS and was the Estate of their Father NATHANIEL REYNOLDS, late of Boston, cordwainer, deceased.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said messuage land & premises with their appurtenances to him the said Nathaniel Reynolds his Heirs & Assigns forever to his & their only proper use benefit and behoof so that neither they the said JOHN & PHILIP REYNOLDS nor either of them nor any other person, or persons in the name right or stead of them, or either of them, shall or will at any time or time hereafter hafe, challenge, claim or demand any Right or Interest unto the aforesaid granted and released premises therein or thereof out of and from all & every action of Right, Title or Interest therein or thereto they themselves & every their Heirs Exectrs. Admrs. respecting shall be utterly excluded & forever debarred by these presents.

IN WITNESS whereof the said JOHN & PHILIP REYNOLDS above-mentioned have hereunto set their hands and seals the thirty-first day of May in the third year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George King of Great Britain &c Anno Dom. One Thousand seven hundred and seventeen.

JOHN REYNOLDS & Seal,
PHILIP REYNOLDS & Seal.

Signed Sealed & Delivered in the presence of us John Fosdick Jacob Sheafe Suffolk SS Boston 25 Aug., 1719. Mr. John Reynolds then appearing before me the subscriber One of His Majties Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid and acknowledged this Instrument on the other side to be his free Act & Deed. Jno. Valentine, J. Pacis.

Suffolk SS May 21, 1722. Mr. Philip Reynolds appearing before me the subscriber One of His Majties Justices of the Peace for the County of Suffolk acknowledged the Instrument on the other side to be his free Act and Deed. Elisha Cooke, J. Pacis.

Aug. 15, 1722. Received and accordingly Entered and examined. John Ballentine, Regis.

(Note the tardy addition of the Notary's acknowledgments. Philip's acknowledgment was taken nine days after he came of age.)

Nathaniel Reynolds, 3rd, was not to live long after this, for he died a little over two years later. The next mention of the property, after his will gave it to his widow, is of the sale to John Fosdick in 1725.

His father-in-law, Thomas Snell, a well-to-do early farmer-settler of Bridgewater (now West Bridgewater), gave him and Mary‡ a large tract of land there, which they sold in 1718. His great-grandson Simeon Reynolds [see page 151], married another Mary Snell here in 1809. These Snells were descendants of John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden of Pilgrim fame.

*Her Mayflower descent is traced on p. 00.

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ANCESTRY OF CAPTAIN SNELL, FATHER OF SIMEON REYNOLDS' WIFE, MARY SNELL.

(Simeon's biography appears on page 151)

-1657

Of Nathaniel's brothers and sisters living at the time of the death of the two parents within a few months of each other, Sarah was Mrs. Harper, later Mrs. Young, and lived somewhere in Boston; Mary (Mrs. Edward Marion) resided in Boston; John, a shoe-maker, who m. Anna Blanch of Marblehead, Mass., in 1717, seems to have removed about that time out to Marblehead; Philip, also shoe-maker, died a bachelor in 1727, in Boston; Ruth, about twelve at the death of her parents, married Samuel Ridgway in 1724 and lived in Boston. Nathaniel's aunt, Sarah (Reynolds) Fosdick, who lived next door to him, died there in 1718; and his half-uncles and aunts lived in or about Bristol, R. I.; his stepgrandmother, Priscilla (Brackett) Reynolds, lived in Bristol until 1740. His grandaunt Mary (Reynolds) Sanger of Watertown, Mass., was living in 1711, and may have been alive when Nathaniel died in 1719.

The widow of this Nathaniel 3rd, because she had removed to Bridgewater where her parents lived, sold the last unit of the old Reynolds property (see pages 20, 40-41), in 1725 to the husband of her late husband's aunt, John Fosdick. This sale within the family might have been out of respect to the clause in Captain Nathaniel's willt which enjoined a tender first to "one of the Brothers .. unless they refuse, etc."

As stated under the account of Nathaniel, Jr., tuberculosis seems a plausible explanation for the numerous deaths of members of the Boston family between 1715-1728. At any rate this, the third, Nathaniel Reynolds, "cord-wainer," died less than three years after his marriage, aged 26, and left two infant sons. Another argument for the tuberculosis theory is found in the first statements in his brief will; he seems to have known his end was near. Thirteen days after signing and sealing his will he died. He was probably buried in the King's Chapel burying ground, corner Tremont and School Streets, where I imagine Robert and Robert's wife were buried.

In the Registry of old wills, Suffolk Court House, Pemberton Square, Boston, Vol. 21: pp. 539-40, is the record of the will:

Will of Nathaniel Reynolds, Ird (1693-1719)

In the Name of God, Amen. I, Nathaniel Raynolds of Boston, in New England, being sick and weak of Body, but of Sound Mind and Memory, praised be God therefor, and considering the Uncertainty of my life, Do make and ordain this my present last Will and Testament in manner and form following:

That is to say, First & Principally I commit my soul into the hands of Almighty God hoping for a pardon and remission of all my Sins through the alone Merits Death and Passion of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to inherit eternal life, and my Body I commit to the Earth to be Decently buried at the discretion of my Executrix hereinafter named, And as touching such temporal estate it pleased God to lend me, I dispose thereof in manner as followeth:

First, I will that all my just Debts and Funeral Charges be paid and discharged in due Seasonable time.

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