Re: NIMOCK of County Derry of Northern Ireland
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In reply to:
Re: NIMOCK of County Derry of Northern Ireland
Pamela Baase 1/31/10
What I find the most interesting about the following "Two brothers came to America" story is that it has been handed down to descendants of Richard virtually unchanged for 260 years--and the story remains the same even when told by the disparate branches of Nimocks' who migrated to North Carolina, Wisconsin, Iowa & Kansas. I well remember my grandmother, Angie Amy Nimocks Page (1889-1984) saying,"Richard Nimocks came from the Highlands of Scotland."
I don't believe that James had male children, therefore, the name Nimocks in America (at least after the 1st generation of American-born children) would be from Richard.
The following is credited to Josh Nimocks' post of May 24, 1998.Josh credits his grandfather, David Ray Nimocks, Jr.
"The Nimocks name first appeared in this country in the 1790 U.S. Census in Massachusetts. Found under heads of households:
Page 130 Richard Nimocks, Hampshire County, Westfield Town,
1 male over 16 yr., 3 males under 16 yr., 5 females.
Page 103 James Nimocks, Hampshire County, Blandford Town
1 male, 4 females.
Regarding the early life of these brothers little is known. According to a family tradition, their parents started to this country from the Highlands of Scotland when Richard was 2, and James 4, and their parents died on the voyage over leaving Richard and James to be carried for by strangers. We do not know who took care of the orphans, nor where they were brought up, though it is probable that it was at or near Westfield, Mass. The year of their arrival must have been about 1746.
In 1769, Richard when he was about 25 years old, bought land near Westfield, as appears in the Land Records at Springfield, Mass. Vol. 8, Page 424.
Richard's marriage took place in 1772, and thereafter he resided at Westfield until his death in 1803.
During the Revolutionary War, Richard saw service as a Sergeant, his military record being given in the "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution", Vol. XI, Pages 475-6, as follows:
"Nimocks, Richard, Westfield. - Sergeant, Capt. Malcolm Henry's Co., Col. David Brewer's (9th) Regt. Company return dated Oct. 7, 1775."
"Nimocks, Richard, Westfield. - Sergeant, Capt. Malcolm Henry's Co., Col. Brewer's Regt.: Muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; engaged May 13, 1775; service 2 mos., 3 weeks, 2 days."
"Nimocks, Richard. - Capt. Malcolm Henry's Co., Col. Rufus Putman's (Late David Brewer's) 9th Regt.; order for bounty coat, or its equivalent in money dated Roxbury Camp, Dec. 23, 1775."
His brother, James, was also in the army as a corporal and his military record appears in the volume quoted under "Nimocks" and "Nimock", thus giving three variant spellings of the name. James married Molly Frost, at Westfield, in 1774, and had three daughters, - Molly 1776; Sophia 1779; and Pamelia 1783. James is further mentioned in "Connecticut Valley" by L.H. Everts as answering the call (to arms) from Lexington, Mass. of Sept. 14, 1778.
Richard was probably out of the army by 1777, as in the fall of that year when the British prisoners of war from Burgoyne's surrender marched through Westfield on their way to Boston, the citizen's had to provide quarters for the prisoners overnight and a family tradition runs that the next morning Richard's night-cap was missing, one of his Hessian guests had purloined it.
The Index of Revolutionary War Widows Pension Applications File #7675, Reel #1822 show Richard's wife Zerviah Nimox (Nimocks).
1800 US Census of Mass. Hampshire County, page 122 (name of Nimocks is mis-spelled and shown as "Nimox"):
Richard Nimox 2 males under 10 yr. 1 female under 10 yrs 2 female 16 - 26 yrs
1 male under 45 yr. 1 female 10 - 16 yrs 1 female over 45 yrs.
Richard's son:
Noble Nimox 1 male 16 - 26 yrs 2 female under 10 yrs 1 female 16 - 26 yrs
On page 180 is found:
Nimmocks 1 male under 10 yrs 2 females 26 -45 yrs
1 male 26 - 45 yrs 1 female over 45 yrs
There is no Nimocks, Nimox, Nimmocks, or Nimmo in the US Census of Mass. for the year 1810.
On his death, Richard left an estate of $5,000. He was buried in the Old Burying Ground at Westfield, and his grave is located about 200 yards off Bartlett St. and has a upright reddish slab tombstone that is oval on top and the following inscription on his tombstone is an interesting example of the quaint epitaphs in vogue in that day:
In Memory of
MR. RICHARD NIMOCKS
who died 23rd Aug. 1803
Aged 59 years
Turn here my children
as you pass and
View my bed of clay
Swift as the sand
Spins through the glass
Man's life doth pass away.
Ref. for date of Richard's marriage and names and dates' of birth of his children is "History and Genealogy of Thomas Noble of Westfield, Mass.", 1878."