My Genealogy Hound

William and Thomas Nicholson are among the large land-owners and substantial as well as esteemed residents of Washington County. Their parents were William and Bettie (Nanson) Nicholson, both natives of England, who immigrated to America with their family and settled in Washington County, Mo., in 1834. The father, who was both a farmer and miner, died December 16, 1853; the mother died March 13, 1844. William and Thomas are the only surviving children. The former was born in Westmoreland, England, December 16, 1812, and, as before stated, came to this country with his parents in 1834. He has always followed the pursuit of agriculture and his farm is one of the attractive locations in the county; there is a remarkable spring on the place which supplies three streams, and here was built one of the first mills erected in Washington County. Mr. William Nicholson owns about 800 acres of land. February 14, 1846, he married Miss Mary Martin, who was born in Washington County, in 1822, and is a daughter of Noah and Margaret (Hinkson) Martin, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter born in Kentucky, who were early settlers and honored citizens of Washington County. Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin six are living, viz.: Mary, above mentioned; Catharine A., the wife of V. B. Mitchell, of Franklin County; Eliza, who married Charles H. Springer; Sarah, now Mrs. Thomas Nicholson; John L. and James. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson have a family of eight children, viz.: Sarah J. (now Mrs. Hornsey), William N., Nancy S. (the wife of L. B. Higginbotham), Thomas C., Julia A. (now Mrs. Hancock), Margaret (now Mrs. Joseph Cresswell), John J. and Mary E. (now Mrs. Highey, of Farmington, Mo.). Thomas Nicholson was also born in England, in 1820, and came to the United States with his parents, where he has been principally engaged in farming and mining. He owns 1,050 acres of land, and is one of the prosperous farmers of Washington County. In 1853 he married Miss Sarah Martin, a sister of his brother’s wife. They are the parents of three children, viz.: Margaret, wife of T. D. Sloan; Mary A., now Mrs. George Cresswell, and William B., who married Elizabeth A. Scott, a native of Washington County.