Nathaniel Cooper Shackford (1769-1852) of Newington and Wakefield NH Kept a Bible with Family Records – Was it Preserved? (Blog 510)

Nathaniel Cooper Shackford, the son of Capt Samuel and Elizabeth (Ring) Shackford was born in Newington, New Hampshire on April 11, 1769 and was baptized in the same town on April 23, 1769. He was 29 when he married Phebe Nutter, the daughter of Matthais and Martha (Perkins) Nutter on April 15, 1798.

According to Samuel Burnham Shackford, Nathaniel C Shackford “lived on the old farm in Newington until he moved to Wakefield and sold out to James Hoyt”. We have found a deed showing that on May 22, 1816 Nathaniel Cooper Shackford, Husbandman, sold land he inherited from his father (his ninth of that property along the Piscatagua River) to his uncle, Seth R Shackford for one hundred and ten dollars and a second deed showing the sale of eight acres of land and buildings to James Hoit for four hundred and fifty dollars on Oct 8, 1825. We presume that after the 1825 land sale, he moved to Wakefield, New Hampshire as we find him there in the 1830 census.

Phoebe died in Wakefield on August 11, 1849. Her obituary was published in The Exeter News-Letter on Sept 10th. “In Wakefield, Mrs PHEBE SHACKFORD, wife of Mr Nath’l C. Shackford, formerly of Newington, aged 72.”

Sometime thereafter, Nathaniel moved in with his daughter Mary Jane and son-in-law, Charles Dorr (or Dore) who also lived in Wakefield. He died at age 83 on April 27, 1852. We haven’t found an obituary or any probate records yet.

Nathaniel’s Bible is referred to multiple times in Samuel Burnham Shackford’s Shackford Genealogy Manuscript which is stored at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only source of exact birth dates for many of the Shackfords who are directly related to or descend from Nathaniel. Samuel’s documentation states “Family Bible per Mary E J Dow. [Dorr?]. We suspect that he is referring to Mary Etta Dorr, the grandchild of Mary Jane Dorr via their son Francis A and Calista Dorr. Mary Etta was born on June 1, 1885 and lived in Woburn, Massachusetts. We do not believe she married.

While we are unsure if Nathaniel Cooper Shackford’s Bible was preserved, we do know that a transcription of the Bible and one of Samuel Shackford’s Bible was made by the Daughters of the American Revolution. A copy of this typed transcript is also available at the New England Historical and Genealogy Society in Boston, Massachusetts which has sourced this document extremely well and lets us know that Nathaniel purchased this Bible after 1811. We are hoping to return to Boston for another visit at the New England Historical and Genealogy Society within the next year and are starting a list of research to accomplish there – reviewing this transcript will be on the list.

CHILDREN:

Elizabeth Ring Shackford (1799-1881) – married Horatio G Dearborn

Nathaniel Shackford (1800-1873) – married Abigail Coleman

James Nutter Shackford (1802-____) – married Charlotte Burnham, Elizabeth Keniston, Rebeca Bickford – have not yet found information about his later life – also may have missed a page about him in Samuel Burnham Shackford’s manuscript

William Shackford (1805-1843) twin of Mary, married Sarah Dearborn or Polly Rand

Mary Jane Shackford (1805-1891) twin of William, married Phineas Graves Hanson and Charles W Dorr

Ephraim F Shackford (1810-1849) – married Mary A Newton, then Abigail Earl

Martha Ann Shackford (1812-1884) – married David D Smith

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

Research Still to Do:

  1. Research newspapers to find reference to Nathaniel — any obituaries?
  2. Visit NEHGS to find transcript of Nathaniel’s Bible.

SOURCES:

1800 United States Federal Census, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, population schedule, , Nathl C Shackford; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 February 2023).

1810 United States Federal Census, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Newington, Nathl Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 February 2023).

1830 United States Federal Census, Strafford County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Wakefield, Nathl Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 February 2023).

1840 United States Federal Census, Strafford County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Wakefield, Nathaniel C Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 February 2023).

1850 United States Federal Census, Carroll County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Wakefield, page 315 (handwritten), 158 (stamped), dwelling 6, family 6, Charles Dore; digital images, Family Search (http://familysearch.org : accessed 24 October 2017).

Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution Library Catalog (https://librarycatalog.dar.org/library2 : accessed 5 February 2023), Nathaniel Cooper Shackford Bible.

“Deaths,” The Exeter News-Letter (Exeter, New Hampshire), 10 September 1849; digital images, (https://exeter.advantage-preservation.com/ : accessed 4 February 2023).

“New Hampshire, Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2013), Nathaniel C Shackford m Phebe Nutter 15 Apr 1798.

New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Birth Records, 1659-1900, , Nathaniel C Shackford, before 11 April 1769; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2013); “New Hampshire, Birth Records, through 1900.” Online index and digital images. New England Historical Genealogical Society. Citing New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire.

Newington Church Records, p. 157

Rockingham, New Hampshire, Vol 212: Page 26, Image 274 of 802, Nathaniel Cooper Shackford sold land inherited from father to Seth R Shackford; FHL microfilm 16248 8204309.

Rockingham, New Hampshire, Deeds, v. 244-246 1825-1826, Vol 244: Page 173, Image 91 of 699, Nathaniel C Shackford sold property to James Hoit; FHL microfilm 16295 8291351.

Shackford Samuel Burnham, “Shackford Genealogy Manuscript,” #78 Nathaniel Cooper Shackford; SG SHA 5, Folder (56) William Shackford, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Shackford Samuel Burnham, “Shackford Genealogy Manuscript,” #154 William Shackford b Apr 25 1805; SG SHA 5, Folder (56) William Shackford, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Copyright 2023 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere –as these posts are a work in progress, they are sometimes updated and we are hoping to only share the most current information) .