I would be interested in information about any of the children of Alexander Nichols and Sarah (Gardiner) Gould. I am especially interested in Silas Nichols as I have been unable to locate him after the birth of his daughter, Huldah in Kingsbury, Washington Co., NY. Husband: Alexander NICHOLS * Birth: 28 Jan 1717/18 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Will: 16 Aug 1784 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Death: bef 1788 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Marriage: 29 Jan 1743/44 Exeter, Washington, RI Father: James NICHOLS *(twin) (b 29 Mar 1693) Mother: Elizabeth HULING * (b abt 1695) Other spouse: Mercy SPENCER (m 13 Jul 1740) Other spouse: Sarah BROWNING (m aft 1752) Wife: Sarah GARDINER * Birth: 5 May 1716 Exeter, Washington, RI Death: 20 Mar 1751/52 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Father: Isaac GARDINER * (b 7 Jan 1687/88) Mother: Elizabeth DAVIS * (b abt 1687) Other spouse: John GOULD (m abt 1738) Children: 1 M John NICHOLS Birth: 4 Oct 1744 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Spouse: Rachel DAY (m 27 Nov 1768) 2 M James NICHOLS Birth: 22 Oct 1746 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Spouse: Hannah PEARCE (m abt 1770) 3 M Isaac NICHOLS Birth: 29 Sep 1748 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Death: aft 1810 Spouse: Anna BOONE (m abt 1770) 4 M Silas NICHOLS * Birth: 28 Jun 1750 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Census: 1790 Kingsbury, Washington , NY Census: 1800 , Greene, NY Death: 24 May 1814 Spouse: Ruth UNDERWOOD `* (m 28 Mar 1776) 5 F Sarah NICHOLS Birth: 20 Mar 1751/52 RI, Kent, East Greenwich Death: 1814 Spouse: UNKNOWN Spouse: Samuel VAUGHAN (m 15 Mar 1772) ============================================================================ ============== FAMILY NOTES Marriage(1): By Benoni Hall, Justice HUSBAND NOTES: Alexander NICHOLS * Birth(2): Parents: RIVR, 6:206 (EGProbate 4:86-89) Will(3,4): Will proved 26 April 1788. He gave the homestead farm to his sons John, James and Isaac. He left the farm in North Kingston, where Isaac then lived, to his sons William and Silas, and daughter Sarah Vaughan. He gave 20 acres to his son James and grandson William Nichols, son of Sarah Vaughan; a lot to son William, tools to three sons John, James and Isaac; William Nichols his wearing apparel, one milk cow, his gun or fowling piece and writing desk. He directed that William be brought up and have suitable schooling. The following is from A Nichols Genealogy by George Louis Nichols, Rev.ed., 1988: "Alexander's Will is dated August 16, 1784. He died four years later in 1788. Upon his death, Alexander divided his homestead farm in East Greenwich between his sons, John, James, and Isaac. John received twenty acres, James, thirty-five, and Isaac received twenty-seven acres which included a dwelling house. He bequeathed a ninety acre farm in North Kingstown to his children, William, Silas, and Sarah, to be divided equally between them. Sarah's share was to be held during her life time and then divide equally between her two sons, William Gardiner Nichols and Alexander Vaughn. Alexander willed twenty acres of land, purchased from the estate of Richard Green in the Township of Warwick, to his son James and grandson William, son of Sarah, to be divided equally between them. His wearing apparel was to be divided equally between all his sons and grandson, William. He also directed that William be educated by being "brought up and have suitable school learning and that the expense thereof be paid out of my estate." A special affection for this grandson seems to be an underling current in Alexanders wishes, for he also makes a bequest to him "of one milked cow, my gun or fowling piece and writing desk." A "Ceader Swamp Lot lying in West Greenwich" went to Alexander's son William. His farming tools and utensils when equally to his sons, John, James, and Isaac. One third part of his household goods were divided equally between his five sons and daughter, Sarah. As for his wife Sarah, Alexander named her executrix of his will. In which he bequeathed to her the "remaining two-thirds part of all household goods and furniture, together with all my personal estate," plus "profits and improvements of one-third part of all my real estate in full satisfation of her right of dower." Death(5): General: Alexander Nichols, the namesake of Captain Alexander Huling, had a prosperous but tragic life. He apparently was a hard-working, intelligent man. He was born to James and Elizabeth (Huling) Nichols on January 28, 1717 in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Early in his life he won the affections of his grandfather, Thomas Nichols, one of the founders of his native town. In about 1739, Alexander married the sweetheart of his youth, Mary Spencer. As a wedding gift, the elder Thomas gave him two tracks of land in East Greenwich, one of 100 acres, the other, of 20 acres. Both parcels were given on 13 Jan 1740, "for a better livelihood and more comfortable maintenance." The young couple's happiness , however, was short lived, for not long after the birth of their only child, William on 14 Jul 1741, Mary passed away. Two years later on January 29, 1643/44, Alexander took a second wife, the widow of John Gould, Sarah (Gardiner) Gould. She was born in Exeter, Rhode Island on May 5, 1716 to Isaac Gardiner of Exeter and his wife Elizabeth Davis of Kingstowne. At about the same time Alexander purchased from his father, sixty-two and one half acres of land in East Greenwich for £ 1,200. A year later in 1747, he inherited an additional 100 acres from his grandfather, Thomas. Alexander, at the age of twenty-seven, now held title to at least 282-1/2 acres of land in East Greenwich. Alexander and Sarah were married eight years and produced four sons. But then, on March 20, 1752, Sarah died in childbirth delivering their only daughter, who would be named Sarah. Their children were all born in East Greenwich. Upon the death of his second wife, Alexander at the age of thirty-five, was again a widower, but this time with five young sons and a new born baby. He quickly needed to find a new wife, a mother for his children. Soon he would marry Sarah Browning. It is reported that they had two children, but probably nether survived to maturity for they are not mentioned in either of the wills of Alexander or Sarah. It also seems that Sarah Browning helped raise an illegitimate son of the young Sarah Nichols. In the latter part of 1769, young Sarah, at the age of seventeen, gave birth to a child conceived by her fourteen year old distant cousin, William Gardiner of East Greenwich. This child, named William Gardiner Nichols, grew up in the home of his grandfather and step-grandmother Sarah and continued to stay with them long after young Sarah, his mother, wed Samuel Vaughn in 1772. Sarah Browning must of had a profound impact on her family, for it is in her remembrance that her stepson, John pays tribute to by naming a child "Browning." Thus starting a tradition that continues to this day. Sarah probably lived on at her home, presumably with her step grand child William, though the home now belonged to James, who would live there with his growing family. This living relationship did not last long, for in the 1790 Census records, James Nichols and Sarah Nichols show up as heads of separate households, although the listings are consecutive. Sarah would live on for another ten years, making her will out on January 26, 1791 in East Greenwich and passing away in 1800. Her will was Probated in South Kingstown on April 15, 1800." CHILD NOTES: Isaac NICHOLS Birth(9): General(10): They were said to have been Quakers. In 1790 they migrated to Nichols Corners, now Milo Center, Yates County, NY. He is probably the Isaac Nichols living in 1790 in Jerusalem, Ontario County, NY. He seems to have purchased land and lived in Benton, Vernon and possibly Snell. Isaac received a 1/3 share of Alexander's homestead farm at his father's death. CHILD NOTES: Silas NICHOLS * Birth(11,12): Census(13,14): Believed to be the Silas Nichols, son of Alexander. Death(15): "Nicholls, Silas S., Corp., 23rd Inf." General: He was probably the Silas Nichols in 1790 in Kingsbury, Washington Co., NY with 3 males over 16, 4 males under 16, and 2 females. And may have been the Silas Nichols in Greene Co., NY in the 1800 census. "Silas, the father of Huldah Nichols, was a captain in the war of the Revolution; his widow was captured by the Indians, her life being spared on account of kindness shown to the chief a few years prior." ( Caldwell, p.372) Silas shared in the North Kingston land owned by his father along with his older stepbrother, William. (Nichols Genealogy, p. 26). Silas was a great rambler, the last reports of him was that he died in the western country in 1810. (p. 91) SOURCES 1. Esther Littleford Woodworth-Barnes. Huling Genealogy: Descendants of James and Margaret Huling of Newport, Rhode Island and Lewes Delaware. Clemson, S.C.: the author, 1984. pp. 63-4. 2. George Lincoln. History of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts. Somersworth, MA: New England History Press, 1982. I:133. 3. Probate Record. East Greenwich, RI Probate 4:86, 90. 4. Nichols, George Louis, comp.. A Nichols Genealogy. Rev. ed., Houston, the author. 1988. p. 26. 5-9. Esther Littleford Woodworth-Barnes. Huling Genealogy: Descendants of James and Margaret Huling of Newport, Rhode Island and Lewes Delaware. Clemson, S.C.: the author, 1984. pp. 63.64 10. Ibid. pp. 128-29. 11. George Lincoln. History of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts. Somersworth, MA: New England History Press, 1982. I:134. 12. Esther Littleford Woodworth-Barnes. Huling Genealogy: Descendants of James and Margaret Huling of Newport, Rhode Island and Lewes Delaware. Clemson, S.C.: the author, 1984. p. 63. 13. U.S. Census, Population Schedule. 1790. Kingsbury Town, Washington Co., NY; 1790; p.191. 14. Esther Littleford Woodworth-Barnes. Huling Genealogy: Descendants of James and Margaret Huling of Newport, Rhode Island and Lewes Delaware. Clemson, S.C.: the author, 1984. p. 64. 15. Known Military Dead in the War of 1812. FHL fiche. Charlotte Brennan cpbrenna@frontiernet.net http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cbrennan