Nathaniel5 Caverly (Nicholas4, Nathaniel3, Thomas2, Moses1)
Nathaniel Caverly was born in Barrington, Strafford County, New Hampshire on 10 December 1821, son of Nicholas and Betsey (Stickney) Caverly. He married Nancy Jane Ricker, daughter of Ezekiel Jr. and Nancy Hurd (Coffin) Ricker, on 20 October 1844 in Barrington, Strafford County, N.H. He died on 26 August 1845 in Barrington and was buried in the Nathaniel Caverly Family Cemetery in Barrington.1
Nathaniel and Nancy Caverly had one son, Nathaniel Jr. 2
The Journal of Reverend Enoch Hayes Place, a Free-Will Baptist minister and spiritual advisor to the Caverly family, lends insight into Nathaniel's life and his religious experience:
Sunday December 22, 1833: We had a great and good meeting at Brother John Tuttle’s house, then repaired to the water and baptized Brothers John S. Caverly, Nathaniel Caverly, Brother John Critchet, and Sister Mary Jane Critchet. The two former are sons of Brother Nicholas Caverly and the two latter the only children of Brother Richard Critchet.3
Thursday, August 28, 1845: We went to Barrington to see Brother Nathaniel Caverly Jr. and found he had deceased on Tuesday night last, and that I had been sent for to preach at his funeral. We arrived at this house of Sorrow, and death about ten A.M. where a multitude soon assembled, and were addressed in the most feeling manner from Lamentations 1, first part of the 12th verse: “’Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me…’. Elders M. Clark and H. Brock were present. Brother Clark closed the meeting by prayer.
Over 200 persons followed in the funeral procession, beside the bearers, and attendants.
The body of the aged grandmother who was buried on the 23rd was re-enterred, and carried to Barrington, so that both coffins were visible at the same place to the relatives, and gazing multitude, all of whom were more or less affected at the sight. Brother Caverly was 23 years 8 months and 16 days old.
He experienced religion just before he was twelve years of age, and when 12 years and 12 days old was Baptized with his brother John Stickney, John Critchet, and Mary Jane Critchet, by me. The two former all the children of Brother Nicholas Caverly, and the two latter all the children of Brother Richard Critchet, all very young. From that day to the day of his death he was a pious devoted servant of the Lord.
For some four or five years he has been Clerk of the third Church in Barrington. He was a talented young man of a robust constitution and a clear heavy voice.
He was very useful in revivals, but in the time of the Miller excitement, it being congenial to his nervous feeling, he was carried away with it, and for some six months left off work, and spent most of his time with Elder Hiram Stevens in Dover, who converted him to Millerism. But when their 43 time had passed he came home, confessed his error to his Church, and the public congregation, resumed his work, purchased a good farm, and on the 20th of October 1844 was married to sister Nancy Jane Ricker, daughter of Brother Ezekiel Ricker of Lebanon, ME. She has an infant child, is still sick, and has but just escaped death.
Brother Caverly died of a brain fever after five days of severe illness.
The Church, his family, and the public have sustained a severe loss in the death of this good man.4
References:
1 Nathaniel Caverly Family Bible, in the possession of Lynne Rhodes, a copy of whose records are in the R. Stanton Avery, Special Collections Department, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
2 Nathaniel Caverly Family Bible.
3 William E. Wentworth, Journals of Enoch Hayes Place, 2 vols. (Boston, Mass.: NEHGS and NHSOG, 1998), 1:376.
4 Wentworth, Journals of Enoch Hayes Place, 1:744-5.
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