| Notes |
- [Brøderbund WFT Vol. 7, Ed. 1, Tree #4588, Date of Import: Aug 24, 1997]
Nathanael Wilder,(29)(31) son of Nathanael Wilder, (11) and Mary Sawyer, a farmer of the west part of Lancaster, Mass. (now Sterling), until 1743, when he removed to Petersham, where he had purchased a large tract of land. In the early settlement of Petersham, when he was about sixty years of age, he made a purchase of seven hundred acres of land, and moved to the new town. He was a man of great force of character, never failing in an enterprise because of its difficulty, and did much to give strength and character to the new town.
It is said of him as a kind of tradition in the family, that when over seventy-two years of age, he took a horseback journey, and put up for the night at a tavern where he was accustomed to stop. On retiring for the night, the landlord told him that he must not go to the barn in the morning, as he was in the habit of doing, until he was with him, for there was a furious bull in the yard, and his life would be in danger. He had always cared for his horse, and was not to be baffled. He took his whip, and, booted and spurred, he went into the yard, when true to his nature, the bull came after him. He stepped aside, and as he passed, he sprang upon the back of the enraged animal, and with spur and whip he rode him around the yard until he was unable to go any farther. Two of his sons went with him to Petersham, others settled in other towns, and have left a very large list of descendants.
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1675 - 1679 (4 years)
[2] 