Nathaniel Wing, Son of Stephen Wing & Oseah Dillingham



1646/47...before March 2...Nathaniel Wing (Stephen, Rev. John, Matthew) is born to Stephen Wing and Oseah Dillingham. If the family historians are correct that Stephen Wing lived in the Fort House by this time, we are safe in saying that Nathaniel was born there. Nathaniel will be the only child born to Stephen and Oseah who will survive to adulthood.

Nathaniel will mature as his father and Uncle and other various family members are persecuted for being Quakers. Like his father before him, and his father's father...he would witness many abuses committed by authorities who refused to allow men and women to worship as they pleased. He was brought up in an atmosphere which inflicted a penalty for entertaining a Quaker, for speaking upon the highway with a Quaker, for being present at an assemblage of Quakers. At some point in his adult life he turned away from the Quaker religion.

1654...April 9...Nathaniel's mother, Oseah Dillingham Wing, dies in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony. Nathaniel is only about 8 or 9 years old. It is assumed by most Wing family historians that Nathaniel was the only surviving child when Oseah died...therefore, he was probably not only an orphan, but there is a good chance that his siblings had already preceded his mother in death.

1654...November 7...Nathaniel's father, Stephen, marries his 2nd wife, Sarah Briggs, in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony. The theory has always been that Stephen married Sarah Briggs primarily out of a need for a housekeeper/childkeeper. The records indicate though that Stephen and Oseah's son Ephraim, was already deceased and that their daughter Mercy, if she was still alive, would have been about 4 years old by the time that Oseah died.

1669...October 29... Nathaniel Wing appears in court at Sandwich, Plymouth Colony. He is a young 22 years when the following appears in the court records at Plymouth; "In reference to a shirt stolen by an Indian from Christopher Blake and sold unto Nathaniel Winge, which shirt is now in the custody of the constable of Sandwich, the Court have ordered that said Constable shall return the said shirt to Christopher Blake & to inquire the said Wings to pay 5 shillings to the said Blake in satisfaction for his trouble and charges about it, and 2 shillings & 6 pence to the said Wings be required to look up the said Indian and to bring him or cause him to be brought before some of the magistrates of this jurisdiction to answer for his said act."

1675...King Philip's War breaks out.

1675/76...March 26...Nathaniel's half brother, Stephen Wing is killed in the massacre of Captain Pearses company of Seekonk. It was around this time that Nathaniel, who was about 30 years old, enlists as a soldier in that war and served in Captain Gorham's Company. For his service, Nathaniel is listed as a resident of Sandwich that was granted lands in the Narragansett Grants, the town of Gorham, Maine. In his later years he would bequeath that land to his son Nathaniel Wing Jr.

Nathaniels anger must have been very great when he enlisted in the war after the death of his brother. I can almost feel his rage and his need to atone for Stephen's death...the young 19 year old brother who would forever be known as the first Wing to lose his life defending his home and family. The company that Nathaniel joined, Gorham's Company ,was at the Great Swamp Fight in which the Narragansetts were so thoroughly punished.

"In December of 1675/76, Governor Josiah Winslow of Plymouth led a 1,000 man army with 150 Mohegan scouts against the Narragansett. The English demanded the Narragansett surrender of any Wampanoag who remained and join them against Philip. When this was refused, the English attacked. Known as the Great Swamp Fight (December 19, 1675/76), the battle almost destroyed the Narragansett. In all they lost more than 600 warriors and at least 20 of their sachems, but the English also lost heavily to and was in no condition to pursue the Narragansett who escaped. Led by their sachem, Canonchet, many of the survivors joined Philip at Hoosick."

1681...Nathaniel Wing is admitted as a townsman at Sandwich, Plymouth Colony. He is about 35 or 36 years old.

1686/87...(estimate)...Nathaniel Wing marries Sarah Hatch at Falmouth, Barnstable Co., Massachusetts. Nathaniel is 40 or 41 years old when he takes his first wife , Sarah, who is 23 years old. He apparently married "out of meeting" which indicates that he did not follow the Quaker faith.

Sarah Hatch was born to Jonathan Hatch and Sarah Rowley on March 21, 1664 at Saconecet (Falmouth), Plymouth Colony.

1687...Nathaniel Wing and Sarah Hatch settle around Pocasset, which was near Hatchville, the settlement that Sarah's father, Jonathan Hatch, chopped out of the Falmouth wilderness in Plymouth Colony around 1661. Nathaniel settled in Pocasset, a part of Falmouth, Mass. His holding were so momentous that even today that part of the country is known as "Wings Neck."

"Nathaniel's settlement in the western part of Sandwich may have been due to a number of causes. First, it is quite apparent that he was out of sympathy with his Father's religious views; second, his younger brother, Elisha had located about this time upon the opposite shores of Buzzard's Bay in the town of Wareham, not more than twelve miles distant across the water; third, his cousin, John Wing, had built his home upon Great Neck, directly across the bay and almost within sight of his own habitation on the east side of the water; fourth, his desire to live in close proximity to his wife's kindred, The Hatches. It is said that the first five families in the present limits of that prart of town of Sandwich bordering on the east shores of Buzzard's Bay were the Lawrence, Swift, Nye, Handy and Wing families, and that for many years they were the only settlers living in that part of town."

"In the very early days, before the settlement of Pocasset, a road was cut through a forest of pitch pine trees from Falmouth to Sandwich village, and in those early days the trees were tapped for pitch, which was made into turpentine. Thus the road became known as the "Turpentine Road." From this old road, which was probably the only one at that time between Falmouth and Sandwich, the first five settlers drew their boundary lines to the bay; the Lawrence family next to Falmouth, the Wing holdings extending a considerable distance north (including the Neck) with Handy, Nye and Swift between. When the "county road" was laid out it was made to follow the shore, or nearly so, consequently was not a direct route from Pocasset to Sandwich village. As the settlers were obliged to attend church service at Sandwich, they naturally desired to make the walk as short as possible, therefore made a track through the woods which lessened the distance about two miles and became a well traveled road.For many years they were not allowed to maintain a separate church at Pocasset. it was not until the year 1767, nearly one hundred years after the first settlement, that they got permission from the Sandwich church to establish a church in their village. At that date they were set off as a separate precinct. Had they not attended church in Sandwich they would have been fined, and so every Sunday they had to walk this trail."

1687...(estimate)...Nathaniel Wing builds the home that will still stand generations later. This home would become known as the "Natty Wing Home."

1722...October 4...Nathaniel Wing makes and dates his will, naming his wife, Sarah, executrix. In the will he mentions his wife, and children; Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Hozia, Sarah, Marey, Oaseth and Joseph. His inventory show a personal estate of £99, 5s, 6d...no real estate.

"Nathaniel Wing was purportedly the owner of a large tract of land...but land is not mentioned in his will. It is thought that he probably had already divided his land among his children. It is also a known fact that for many generations, the descendants of Nathaniel Wing were extensive land owners in that area.The last large land owner bearing the name of Wing was Nathaniel Wing (Alvin, Lemuel, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Nathaniel, Stephen, Rev. John, Matthew). He owned a large part of Wing's Neck in addition to extensive holdings east of the Neck. When the survery was made for the railroad that now runs to Wood's Hole, it was run directly across his land and although he vigorously opposed it, he was not able to prevent it. Nathaniel would often comment sadly that he had been obliged to give up his possessions, which he said had "come down to him through generations."

1722..November 17...Nathaniel Wing dies at Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts. Nathaniel would have been about 75 or 76 years old at the time of his death.

1731..July 8....Sarah Hatch Wing, widow of Nathaniel Wing makes and dates her will. She appoints her daughter, Mary Wing, executrix and mentions sons, Joseph, Nathaniel, Ebenezer and "these other daughters not mentioned". She also mentions her granddaughter, Mercy, the daughter of her son Nathaniel. Her inventory at that time was £80, 16s.

1734...Sarah Hatch Wing dies.

1734...October 8...Sarah Hatch Wing's will  is proven.

Nathaniel Wing and Sarah Hatch had the following children:

1. Keziah Wing, born about 1689 at Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts.

2. Nathaniel Wing Jr., born about 1692 either at Sandwich or Pocasset, Massachusetts.

3. Ebenezer Wing, born about 1694 either at Sandwich or Pocasset, Massachusetts.

4. Sarah Wing, born about 1695, Natty Wing House in Pocasset.

5. Hozea/Hozeth Wing, born about 1702, Natty Wing House in Pocasset.

6. Mary Wing, born about 1705, Natty Wing House in Pocasset. Nothing more is known about Mary Wing.

7. Joseph Wing, born March 30, 1709, Natty Wing House in Pocasset.