Nahum Curtis (1784-1846)
History of Nahum Curtis
Compiled by Dora M. Curtis Taylor
Taken from Curtis Family book by C. Fern Burrell
Nahum Curtis was born in New Salem, Franklin, Massachusetts 7 July 1784, to
Mary (Molly) Meacham and Moses Curtis. He was the Sixth child in a family of nine
children. He had blue eyes, dark hair and was about five feet and seven inches tall. He
was slow of speech and had a mild disposition.
Nahum’s father Moses served in the Revolutionary War in the same company
with his Wife’s (Mary Meacham) brothers; Captain William Meacham, Jeremiah
Meacham, John Meacham and Jonathan Meacham. Taken from the New England
Historical and Genealogical Register- Vol. 49 pp 204/205.
Nahum’s grandparents on his mother’s side, Jeremiah and Rebecca Hawkins
Meacham, were the first to settle New Salem, Franklin, Mass. In 1737. Taken from the
History of Connecticut Valley by Louis H. Everts Vol. 2 p. 666.
On 29 October 1809 Nahum married Millicent Waite in the First Congregational
Church of New Salem. Three children were born to them while living in New Salem.
In Massachusetts Military Record of the War of 1812 page 95, Corporal Nahum
Curtis served in Lieut. W. Whitaker’s Co., Liet. Col. Town’s Regiment from Sept. 12 to
Oct. 30 1814. Service at Boston.
The family then moved to Conneautville, Erie (now Crawford) County Penn.
This place was first settled on Conneaut Creek in 1815. Taken from the American Guide
Series, cosponsored by the Penn. Historical Commission and the University of Penn. –
Oxford University Press, New York. Nahum and Mary must have been among the first
settlers as they had a child Moses Curtis born there 8 May 1816. Two more children
were born here, and then they moved to Silver Lake, Oakland county Michigan. My
grandfather George was the first of four children born in Michigan.
The following was dictated by George Curtis to his grand daughter Irene Colvin:
“In December 1832, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Jared Carter came to our place
preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Meeting was held in my
father’s house.”
That night after retiring, the parents were conversing upon the principles they had
just listened to for the first time, when they noticed the room begin to grow light. It grew
lighter and lighter until it was as bright as noonday. Then they heard a voice
say, “Nahum the Book of Mormon is a true record of the people that lived on this
continent.” They were converted and soon every member of the family joined the
church.
The Saints come to Michigan, by John and Audrey Cumming, PBA #1319 states:
A non-Mormon resident of Oakland County recalled in later years the enthusiastic
reception of this religion in 1832. . . . This early resident recalled that more than fifty
persons in and around Pontiac abandoned their homes and moved off to join the
Mormons. Some of the names he recalled were Thaddeus Alvord, Ezekiel Kellogg,
Seville Harris, Jeremiah Curtis, Nahum Curtis, Joseph Bent, Edward Stevenson and
Temperance and Almira Mack. . . . Falling stars, sacred dreams, and strange sounds all
took on deep meaning. In the school house near Silver Lake where the Mormons held
their meetings, one Mary Curtis (Nahum’s daughtera0 a young girl of twelve years rose
to testify of her feelings about God. Suddenly her voice became unintelligible and she
was “speaking in tongues.”. . . .
About two years after the Saints were driven from Jackson County Missouri in
1833 and effort was made to purchase the land from which they had been drive that the
Saints might return and make permanent homes. Money was needed for it. Nahum had
sold his homestead in Michigan for $800. Which represented the entire wealth of the
family, but of this sum he gave $325 to aid in the purchase, a sacrifice the family feel had
been richly returned. After three years in Missouri they were driven into Warsaw by the
mob.
On 13 November 1833 the Saints were driven from Jackson County and that same
night a shower of stars fell all over the United States. That Marvelous event was
remembered by many people. They went to Clay County and commenced to build up a
city and took farms on Log Creek. Nahum bought a farm from Mr. Fletcher which they
farmed for two years. It lay seven miles east of Far West at the mouth of Log Creek,
where it emptied into shoal Creek.
While Nahum was on this farm, his wife Millicent died 3 Sept. 1838. Two days
later Nahum and his sons, Lyman, Moses and Joseph were called to stand guard to keep
the mob from burning and stealing.
Oct. 29, 1839 Nahum married a widow lady, Mrs. Delia Byan Reed, who had
seven children. She was loved and appreciated by Nahum’s children.
When the Saints were driven from Missouri they went to Illinois, to the swampy
and uninhabitable regions where they were soon reclaimed and Commerce (later Nauvoo)
became a thriving and prosperous and beautiful commonwealth.
Nahum built a two room log house, which were about three fourths of a mile
north and a little east of the Temple block in Nauvoo. Next on the east was the Davis
home.
19 Jan. 1841 the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation, commanding the
Saints to erect a Temple for the purpose of revealing Keys and Powers of the Priesthood
and for the salvation of the living and the dead. By 8 Nov. 1841 the baptismal font was
ready for dedication in the Temple, baptisms in the river having been discontinued on
Sunday 21 Nov. 1841 the first baptisms for the dead in the Font in the Lord’s house were
done.
Nahum and his sons helped build the temple. They helped with polishing the
stones; sometimes it took days to polish a single one. Sand was poured on a cut stone,
then another large flat one was laid on and ground back and forth until the under stone
was polished.
Patriarch Hyrum Smith gave Nahum a Patriarchal blessing 28 March 1843. He
was promised that his name and acts would be remembered by the generations that
follow. He received his endowments in the Nauvoo Temple 18 Dec. 1845.
During the time that the Saints were being persecuted by the mob, Nahum’s home
and that settlement was a place of refuge. The floors were covered with beds. When he
came home from guard duty, he fitted up a wagon and teamster and sent them with a load
to the Mississippi river. While they were gone he got things ready to move his family
and two poor families that were with him. They started in February and it was very cold
and middy, making it very difficult for them to walk. After crossing the river, they
camped a little way from Quincy for two weeks while the team and wagon went back
again to assist others that had to have help.
Through these persecutions, Nahum’s death was hastened. He died 9 March 1846
in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. His children came west with the saints. His oldest son
Lyman came with Brigham Young’s Company.
As a family they were noted for their honesty, industry and independence of
character. Their special line of work was to redeem the wilderness and to make the
barren soil productive.
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