Weymouth New England Genealogy

The Upton,MA History 1735-1935 says that "Samuel Nelson withmother,wife and sister had his home loom at work as early as 1726". In another place it says,"Before the town was incorporated, Samuel Nelson wove cloth for which his daughter,Dorothy, did thespinning and his 'accompt book' names many patrons. Many other homes spunand wove cloth from the wool of their own sheep. (The sister wasHannah,RN=108.) Samuel Nelson was the progenitor of the Upton,MA Nelsons. He wasdismissed from the Rowley church to "Mandon",25 October 1735. Hesettled in the southerly part of Upton,then included in Mendonnotlong after his uncle Gershom came to the Josiah Wood farm inwhatis now Hopedale. Their homes were only about two miles apart. He was known and much respected in Upton as Deacon SamuelNelson. At a meeting, 10 November,1735, it was voted to build a meeting house 35x40 ft. to be located at a site in the old graveyard. The minister, Rev.Thomas Weld, was ordained in 1738 and promptlyafterward Deacon Samuel Nelson prepared the first Sacrament and continued that function through 1743. On January 4,1749, Samuel Warfield and Samuel Nelson as deaconofthe First Church of Christ in Upton brought the members of the Church together and led in signing a strong Covenant in renewaloftheir faith. Besides the deacons,there were twenty-one men (the negro Pompey being one) and there were three women signers. "Deacon Samuel Nelson divided his land, giving each son a part, Thomas living at the immediate homestead with his father. Francis built anew and lived on the northern portion. DeaconSamuelhad a brother,Jonathan,who went to Upton and who had a son,David.David went to Shrewsbury and became the ancestor of theShrewsbury Nelsons."(From a letter of Elijah RN=514 to HenryRN=2386 dated 26 Dec 1877) In the woods, a half mile from the Church yard of the firstmeeting house, among the great pines, is a burying place of someof the Nelsons. North of the common a half mile is a secondcemetary and across the highway is Lakeview. There is alsoMaplewood. By 1790, the old Nipmuck Trail had widened into agood road from Mendon, past Deacon Nelson's buildings and so onto Grafton.