William Nickerson (1646-1719) and His Wife Mercy Williams of Yarmouth and Chatham, Massachusetts

William Nickerson was baptized 1 June 1646 at Barnstable on Cape Cod. [NFA; I haven’t found the primary document] He was likely born  at Yarmouth, one of the ten children of William and Anne (Busby) Nickerson. His father was the founder of Monomoit (later Chatham) on Cape Cod, first illegally buying 4,000 acres from Native Americans but eventually working things out with the Colony leaders. Sometimes Nickerson is seen as Nicholson in records. I wrote about William and Anne Nickerson here. Because William and Mercy lived in new settlements, there is a lack of vital records pertaining to the family. 

About 1670 William Nickerson married Mercy Williams, whose name is sometimes spelled Marcy. [NFA] Mercy and William are my 10th great-grandparents on my grandmother Milly Booth Rollins’ side of the family. Mercy was born about 1644, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Tart) Williams of Eastham. William Nickerson’s brother John married Mercy’s sister Sarah.

William and Mercy raised their children in Chatham, birth order uncertain [Hawes & NFA]:

1. Thomas married Mary Bangs, the daughter of Jonathan of Harwich; was a Lieutenant in the militia 

2. William married first Deliverance Lumbert/Lombard the daughter of Caleb and second Hannah/Anna Atwood, probably daughter of Eldad of Eastham; was an Ensign in the militia 

3. Nathaniel married Katherine Stuard/Stuart, the daughter of Hugh

4. Robert marred Rebecca Jones, the daughter of Jeremiah of Yarmouth

5. Mercy married first William Mitchell and second James Griffith

6. Elizabeth married William Cahoon of Swansea, son of William and went to Duck Creek

7. Judith married Nathaniel Covell, son of Nathaniel

They may have also had an older daughter Judith who died young. I descend from William and Deliverance; I wrote about them here.

In 1663 William Nickerson signed a letter asking the court to give his father the land at Monomoit that he wanted to give to his children (Plymouth Colony Records, 4:153). 

On 3 June 1668 William Nickerson [Senior] and his sons, presumably including William, were sentenced to time in the stocks for resisting Yarmouth constable Thomas Howes in performing his duty. [PCR, 183-184] 

On 6 July 1686 the Plymouth Court Records show that William was sued by Samuel Hall of Yarmouth.  Samuel's complaint against William Nickerson, late of Yarmouth, was for £12 which he refused or had forgotten to pay for earlier services.  The issue was resolved before the case was heard.  Another suit was brought by Thomas Fallen Jr. of Yarmouth, in the same court, for William's failure to pay him.  This case was also resolved before it reached court.  [Plymouth Colony Records, Judicial Acts, 299]

Mercy is shown to be the daughter of Thomas Williams when she is mentioned in the 10 May 1692 will of Thomas Williams of Eastham. His probate record also proved her marriage to William. Thomas left his homestead to his grandchild John Smith, one shilling “and no more” to his grandchild William Nickerson the son of John,  and the rest of his estate to be divided equally by his four daughters Sarah, Marcy, Elizabeth, Mary and the children of his daughter Sarah Mulford. Thomas Williams’ inventory was taken 12 October 1696 and totaled over £106. On 26 October 1696 the heirs signed a document that they received their just proportion from Jonathan Sparrow and Joshua Bangs executors of  the estate of “our father Tho Williams Deceased,” included Marcy Nickerson (her mark) and witnessed by two men named William Nickerson. [Barnstable County Probate 2:25-28]

Before a Chatham Church was built, William was a member of the Eastham Church. When in 1700 the Chatham citizens voted to construct a meetinghouse, George Godfrey and William Nickerson were selected to oversee the construction. They also agreed to the following; "that every man that had a team should drag one load of the timber.” In 1701 the building had no shingles, clapboards or glass for the windows, rough benches were placed inside for women to sit on one side and men on the other.  On 7 September 1712 Mercy Nickerson was dismissed from the Eastham Church to the Harwich Church. Since a church had been built in town, I’m unsure why Mercy wasn’t attending church in Chatham. Perhaps a suitable minister had not been found. 

William Jr. was a soldier in King Philip's War under Capt. Henry Gold. I also read that William Nickerson was paid 2 pounds, 14 shillings for service on the fourth expedition with Capt. Pierce. I am not sure refer to same William. 

William Nickerson took freeman’s oath on 24 June 1690. [PCR 257]

William served the town of Chatham in a variety of ways, although it is sometimes challenging to differentiate between him and his father William. He was grand juryman in 1681 [PCR 60], appointed constable in 1683 and 1700 [PCR 107], appointed inspector of whales in 1690 [PCR 251], was the first Town Clerk,  a position he held for 15 years, treasurer for six years, Selectman for six years [Chatham Town Records, Deyo’s History of Barnstable Co.], and assessor in 1702. 

In 1712 William Nickerson signed a petition as a Selectman asking the state House of Representatives and Gov. Dudley to exempt townsmen from military service so they could protect the town from the threat from French privateers; petition was denied. 

Ca 1700 Chatham Settlers' Map; William's homestead on top right (source: Nickerson Family Assocation)

William was a large land owner in Chatham, not surprising since his father founded the town. Some of the land transactions he was involved in:

• By a deed of 2 December 1687 he received title from his father and sister Sarah Covell to one-half of all the undivided and unpurchased lands at Monomoit and full title to Monamesset Neck which was between Crow’s Pond and Pleasant Bay. [Hawes]
• On 29 August 1689 he bought from the three grandsons of Mattaquason land at Old Harbor in Chatham where he constructed a home and is known to have resided there for some time. [Smith]
• On 5 December 1692 John Freeman and Jonathan Sparrow of Eastham laid out to him and Sarah Covell the bounds of the un-purchased lands to which they were entitled from their late father William Nickerson. [Plymouth Colony Deeds 109] 
• By deeds dated 6 Oct 1693 and 5 July 1697 he and Mrs. Covel conveyed to Samuel Sprague of Marshfield a part of the land they received in 1692 and an undivided one-third interest in the rest. [Plymouth Colony Deeds, 500-501] On 27 June 1694 he and Samuel Smith bought of John Quason Jr a tract of land at Old Harbor. [Smith] 
• On 13 October 1702 William Nickerson, Nathaniel, William and Ephraim Covel and Samuel Sprague conveyed a portion of land in West Chatham to Michael Stewart. [Hawes citing Thomas Doane Papers]  
• On 13 Oct 1702 William gave land at Monamesset Neck and other property to son William. [Hawes citing Osborn Nickerson Papers] 
• On 11 July 1706 William and Mercy conveyed her land at the Old Harbor to their son Thomas. 
• On 13 October 1707 he conveyed his homestead and other land to his son Robert, reserving a life interest for his wife and himself. 
• On 23 Feb 1709/10, he gave more undivided Chatham land including land north of Muddy Cove to his four sons.  [Smith] 
• In 1713 he was allotted nine shares in the division of Chatham common lands. [Hawes citing Proprietors’ Book]

William died intestate at Chatham probably not long before 7 April 1719 when his widow Mercy Nickerson was appointed Administratrix. [Barnstable County Probate 3:332]

Mercy survived her husband by 20 years but did not remarry, dying 7 April 1739. She was in her 90s, an incredible age for a woman in that time period.

From Diary of Rev. Joseph Lord, printed in the Yarmouth Register 17 Dec 1846: "7 (2) 1739 [second month, old style, is April] died here Mrs. Mercy Nicholson aged ninety years or more (as is judged) and some say ninety-five (for she could not tell her own age). She was born in Eastham and has left a numerous posterity, 146 being now living in this land. Beside which there was a daughter of hers that above twenty years ago went to a place called Duck Creek in Pennsylvania or West Jersey of whose posterity her relations here cannot inform who are living; but she carried seven children with her when she went. I was afterwards informed by her son that he had found 157 of her posterity living here in this county. And Duck Creek I am informed is in Pennsylvania on ye borders of Maryland."

Sources Not Mentioned Above:

The Nickerson Family Association (NFA), The Descendants of William Nickerson 1604-1689 First Settler of Chatham, Massachusetts, 1973

Charles Swift, History of Old Yarmouth, 1884

William Smith, History of Chatham: Formerly the Constablewick or Village of Monomoit, 1909

CCGS Bulletin, Summer 2001, article on Chatham History re-printed from the Yarmouth Register 30 April 1858

Torrey’s New England Marriages

James W. Hawes, Library of Cape Cod History & Genealogy No 91: Children of William (1) Nickerson, 1912