Nathaniel Hicks West

Nathaniel Hicks (or Hix) West (1751-1836) was the fifth child of John West and his wife Lydia. In 1774, as part of a town-wide effort, he sent a sum of three shillings to support the people of Boston (that city’s port having been recently closed by the British). In 1775, Nathaniel enlisted in Billings Throope‘s Company of William Richmond’s Regiment. During the 1778 Rhode Island Campaign, Nathaniel served as a private soldier in the Bristol Militia Company commanded by William Throope. In 1786, he married Rebecca Sheldon at the Congregational Church in Bristol. He is listed in property records as a “yeoman”. Rebecca died in 1797. Nathaniel then remarried in 1798 to Nabby or Nellie Easterbrooks. Nathaniel and Nellie had three children: William, Rebecca, and Susannah Easterbrooks. In 1813, Nathaniel was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Bristol. In 1818, he applied for a pension, receiving eight dollars per month. His will, written in 1832, mentions Rebecca and possibly Susannah, along with sons Royal and William E. West. His will is signed with a mark (“x”) instead of a signature, implying he was illiterate.