Brief guide to manuscripts collections| William L. Clements Library The University of Michigan Nixon family Papers |
The descendants of Revolutionary War veteran Colonel Thomas Nixon of Framingham, Mass., inherited land he had purchased from the Ohio Land Company in Morgan Township, Galia County, Ohio. The colonel's son Thomas and son-in-law John Nichols continued to hold the property jointly until their sons, Otis Nixon and Richard Nichols, moved to Ohio in 1818. The young men cleared a few acres in what became Watertown, Ohio, about ten miles west of Marietta. Although there is no record of Richard Nichols after the 1820's, Otis Nixon continued to live in Watertown, eventually establishing a successful 230-acre farm.
Correspondence of the Thomas Nixon family, Framingham, Mass.
This collection relates to the Nixon family's settlement on land in the Northwest Territory. there is correspondence with Rufus Putnam, representing the Ohio Land Company, concerning taxes and land values in southeastern Ohio. Letters from Otis Nixon to his father and brother describe the hardships he first encountered upon settling in Morgan Township; Otis' later correspondence gives details of his crops, farm buildings, and events within his immediate family circle.
Purchased, 1976
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