Captain NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr was born 02 August 1727 in New Kent County, Virginia. He was the son of CHARLES MASSIE and ANN MACON of New Kent County. While I have not yet ascertained exactly when he moved to Goochland County, it was likely shortly after 1756, when he married his first wife, whose name is unknown. His parents remained in New Kent County.
NATHANIEL was living in Goochland County when he married as his 2nd wife ELIZABETH "BETSY" WATKINS on 2 January 1772, as per The Douglas Register marriage records. She died before August 1776, when NATHANIEL married his 3rd wife, ANN CLARK, on 24 August 1776. He had children with all three of his wives.
During the Revolutionary War NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr served in the 1st Division,Virginia Militia, Goochland County, from 18 Dec 1776 until 22 Sept 1777, with a rank of Captain, as per a pay voucher. Some sources show him with a rank of Major, but DAR website only lists the above mentioned period of service, and rank of Captain. I could not find any evidence that he ever saw any type of battle during his time with the 1st Division of the Virginia Militia. After the war, he received a Revolutionary War Land Bounty Grant, and acquired lands in Kentucky, which he bequeathed to his sons THOMAS and NATHANIEL Jr.
Captain NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr's eldest son NATHANIEL MASSIE Jr also fought in the Revolutionary war; he was sent at age 17 to serve as a substitute for either his father or another family member, likely in the 1st Virginia Militia, with rank of Private. NATHANIEL MASSIE Jr later settled in Kentucky, on the lands his father had bequeathed to him, and went from there to Ohio, where he founded the settlement of Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio. In some sources he is listed as "General" NATHANIEL MASSIE Jr--although I could not find any records at all to explain this rank! It was certainly not bestowed upon him during his service in the Revolutionary War.
Captain NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr wrote his will on 16 December 1801 in Goochland County, Virginia. In it he names his sons NATHANIEL & THOMAS " all my lands in Kentucky"; daughters MARY ROBARDS, ELIZABETH MASSIE, CONSTANCE MILLER; son GIDEON; with bequests to his six youngest daughters "I had by my last wife": REBECKY, NANCY, SARAH, PATSY, CHARLOTTE and GINNEY MASSIE.
Unfortunately I don't have an actual copy of the will. NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr was a very wealthy plantation owner, and likely owned many slaves. Their names are not included in the abstracted version of the will.
Captain NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr died before 19 July 1802, when his will was proved in court.
I have not been able to find his gravesite or the name of his plantation in Goochland.
Capt NATHANIEL MASSIE Sr is in the lineage of my maternal grandfather R B MARTINE
Sources:
-DAR Patriot Index + website
-A Massie Family History by Evelyn Hepworth Massie
-A Catalog of the Descendants of Thomas Watkins of Chickohomony VA by Francis Nathaniel Watkins
-St Peter's Parish Register, New Kent County Virgina
-The Douglas Register (Goochland County)
-Virginia Militia in The Revolutionary War by Joseph Thompson McAllister
-Biographical Sketches of "General" Nathaniel Massie Jr by John McDonald
Have a great day!
Betty
© Betty Tartas 2026
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