MSS 626 Ebenezer Nye Papers

              MSS 626
Ebenezer Nye Papers
1/ 4 cubic foot
Preliminary inventory
Collection Synopsis
Provenance: The Ohio Historical Society acquired the Ebenezer
Nye Papers as a g i f t of W. W. Gates i n October 1951. S h e r r i l l
Dryden- Baird processed the collection in May 1980.
Prc? erty rights: The Ohio Historical Society owns the property
ri5ht- s to t h i s collection.
Coi~ yxi~ htsW: . W. Gates has not dedicated such copyrights as he
possesses in these papers to the public. Consideration of the
req&- tlments of copyright is the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the author and
publisher.
Accssr This collection is open under'the rules and regulations
of L? r Ohio Historical Society.
C i t a t h n : Xesearchers are requested to c i t e collection name,
collection number and the Ohio Historical Society i n a l l foot-note
and bibliographic references.
Biographical sketch : Ebenezer Nye was born i n Tolland, Connecticut,
on October 21, 1750. In 1774, he moved to Litchfield County,
. Connecticut, where he met Desire Sawyer whom he, married in4March .
1776. Ebenezer Nye and family followed Nye ' s brother, ~ chabod, to
Ohio in 1790 upon exchanging t h e i r Connecticut farm for a share in
the Ohio Company purchase.
Ebenezer Nye was a member of the Baptist Church organized in. 1797
in the Rainbow settlement north of Marietta, Ohio. A schism i n
1804 ilmong the Baptists over the question of open communion ended
Nye's association with t h i s church. Nye was part of a minority group
who adhered to the established belief t h a t communion was open only
to bantized believers. After t h i s schism, Nye's formal association
with 2n organized church is unclear.
Nye married Silence Gardner a f t e r the death of Desire Sawyer i n
1800. The children of Ebenezer Nye included sons Lewis, Neal,
Xelzar, George, and Nathan, and daughter, Sarah. Ebenezer Nye
died on October 29, 1823.
Soarce: Williams' History of Washington County, Ohio, 1788- 1881,
( Cleveland, 1881; reprint ed. Knightstown, Indiana, 1976).
Scope and content: The Ebenezer Nye Papers date from 1802 to 1844
and occupy one- quarter cubic foot. The papers are comprised of
sermons and miscellaneous material and are arranged chronologically.