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REV.
NATHANIEL MASSIE URMSTON was born at Chillicothe,
Ohio, Apr. 12, 1799. He was the first child born there
after the founding of the town by Gen. Nathaniel Massie,
and was named for him. His father, Benjamin Urmston,
was a companion of Gen. Massie in laying out the
town. He asked for the privilege of felling the first
tree in marking out the town, and the privilege was granted
to him by Gen. Massie. Benjamin Urmston built a
home in the new town, and it had glass windows and a shingle
roof. However, he did not reside long in Chillicothe,
but soon removed to a farm, and died in a short time after
that.
Nathaniel studied theology at Princeton, New
Jersey. He had a school friend who resided in Danbury,
Connecticut, and visited him there. He became
acquainted with Miss Evaline Comstock there,
and married her in 1826. He returned to Ohio and
became a missionary for Ohio and Kentucky. His wife's
health failed in this work and he went to Connecticut, and
there connected with the Congregational Church. In
1844, he located at Bainbridge, Ohio, in the ministry, and
remained there until 1853.
He was then called to the Old Stone Church in West
Union, Adams County, Ohio, to which he ministered until
1857. While there he taught a select school which the
writer of this sketch attended, and he can certify that
Mr. Urmston was a most thorough teacher. What
Rev. Urmston taught, the writer learned and has never
forgotten. In this place, in 1855, Rev. Urmston
lost his wife. She rests in the Old South Cemetery at
West Union.
His daughter, Miss Mary E. Urmston, also taught
a select school for girls at West Union, and she was
regarded as a most excellent teacher. She afterwards
taught in the Young Ladies' Seminary at Portsmouth, Ohio for
several years. She married the Rev. E. P. Pratt,
D. D., of Portsmouth, Ohio, and is now his widow.
In 1857, our subject went to Missouri and preached
there until the breaking out of the war. He then
returned to the vicinity of Hillsboro, where he remained
until his death on August 27, 1884. He married for a
second wife, Miss S. Johnson, of Cornwall,
Connecticut. His third wife was Miss Melissa A.
Stover, of Highland County, Ohio, who survived him.
They had seven children of his first marriage.
His son, Lieutenant Thomas A. Urmston, of the Regular
Army, was killed in one of the battles in Virginia.
His con Comstock died in young manhood. At the
time of his death, Rev. Urmston left two surviving
children, Mrs. E. P. Pratt and Philander Urmston,
of Muscatine, Iowa. Rev. Urmston was a man of
strong conscience, and lived up to his belief. He
believed in doing thoroughly everything he found to do, and
followed that belief both in preaching and teaching.
(Source 1: History of Adams County, Ohio - Publ.
1900 - Page 911-12) |
