Nathan Hale

1755 - 1776  (21 years)

• Name	Nathan Hale  [1]
  Born	6 Jun 1755	Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Died	22 Sep 1776	New York   [1]
  Notes	NATHAN HALE was born on June 6, 1755 in Coventry, Connecticut. His father was a prosperous Coventry farmer, and Nathan was the sixth of twelve children born into the family. His parents held very strong religious beliefs and were advocates of a rigid Puritan work ethic. The Hale children grew up very much influenced by their parents' beliefs in religion, hard work, and education. The days of Nathan Hale's youth were marked with mounting political controversy. The American Revolution was in its infancy, and more and more people were promoting radical ideas that pertained to individual liberties and sovereignty. Nathan Hale took the ideas of individual and political freedoms to heart, and gained a sense of purpose. In a sense, he was very fortunate. His family had the means to send him off to Yale College at the young age of 14. His older brother Enoch was also sent to Yale at the same time. In these years, Yale was primarily a school that prepared young men for the ministry, focusing on religion and the classics. The school was evolving, however, and Nathan absorbed not only ideas in religion and the classics, but also other areas of thought, such as business, astronomy, writing, mathematics, philosophy, and law. During his years at Yale, Nathan Hale became a confident young man, supported by his ethical beliefs, willing and able to speak to others about his ideas. He graduated from Yale at the age of 18, at the top of his class. When he graduated from Yale in 1773, he accepted a teaching position in East Haddam, Connecticut, and shortly thereafter he was offered a position as the master of the New London, Connecticut Grammar School. All during this period, the political controversies between the Colonies and England were rising to a head. When war broke out, Nathan Hale put his ideals ahead of his immediate comfort, and volunteered his services to the cause of the Revolution. He served as a lieutenant, then a captain, and then as an officer in Thomas Knowlton's elite Knowlton Rangers. In 1776, George Washington needed to gain an advantage on the British. He solicited capable officers who could infiltrate the British forces; in short, Washington needed spies. Nathan Hale volunteered. The details of what happened next are not entirely clear, and never will be. But we do know that Hale was captured by the British in New York on September 21, 1776. We also know that the British General William Howe attempted to bribe Hale for information and a change in allegiance. Nathan Hale stood by his principles. He refused to betray his country, and without a hearing or a trial, he was sentenced to be hanged. Nathan Hale died in New York on September 22, 1776 because he held to his convictions. Before he was hanged, he bravely spoke words that will never, ever, die: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Nathan Hale died very young, at the age of 21, but his dedication to his beliefs are one of the symbols of of American bravery and principles. http://www.netstate.com/states/peop/people/ct_nh.htm A painting depicting this scene can be found in the Aug-Sept DAR Magazine, and is copied in the November 1996 SFAA newsletter. (The Nov. 1996 Newsletter also contains a five page biography of him).
  Person ID	I21105	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Richard (Dea.) Hale,   b. 28 Feb 1716,   d. 1 Jun 1802  (Age 86 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Strong,   b. 2 Feb 1727, Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut ,   d. 21 Apr 1767  (Age 40 years)
  Married	27 May 1746	Newburyport, Essex County, Massachusetts
  Family ID	F7492	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 6 Jun 1755 - Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut Died - 22 Sep 1776 - New York  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S32] Dwight, Benjamin "The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass." (Orig. published Albany, NY, 1871, Reprinted by Gateway Press, Inc. Baltimore, MD 2000), p 332 (Reliability: 3).