Nye's Life Before the War

Welcome back to the Nye Diary Project, where we continue to look into what the diary does not say, that is, the backstory of Nye’s life.

Albert B Nye’s entry in A Genealogy of the Nye Family tells us a couple of important things. First, that the mysterious ever-present “B” stands for Bancroft, second, that he left his wife and son behind for the war, and lastly, that his living situation was rather chaotic.

The 1850 census puts Nye in Norwich, but the 1860 census puts him in Lebanon, where his son George was born in 1862. The place of births of his children suggest he may have been living in Hanover and Thetford before returning to Norwich. But why?

It could have been due to Nye’s profession, as a painter, which is mentioned before the war in his listing in the 1860 census in Lebanon, living at the hotel of Howard B. Benton. Maybe he moved around to get more work?

Nye's entry in Lebanon Census 1860

His profession may also explain why he came to Lebanon in the first place, which in turn would explain why he ended up registered for the 15th New Hampshire Infantry.

No matter the reason, end up in the 15th New Hampshire Infantry, he did. And that is what brought him to New York, and to the New York City Hospital, where the diary begins.

Remember the diary? We are getting it, I promise.

- Ella

Nye Family History

Hello again! Welcome back to my project on the Civil War diary of Albert B Nye. When we last left off, I noted how much the diary can tell us about Albert Nye’s life beyond the basic sketch we get from his gravestone. But the diary centers around his time during the war. Who was he? Did he have a family? What did he leave behind? In order to answer these questions and ground the diary in a life before the war, we must look beyond the diary itself. Albert B Nye’s story begins long before he began this diary. For my purposes, his story starts with Benjamin Nye, the first Nye to come to the United States from England. Benjamin arrived in Massachusetts on the “Abigail” in 1635. He was Albert B Nye’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather. From A Genealogy of the Nye Family, I was able to gather that the Nye family first came to Vermont with Albert B Nye’s Great-Grandfather, Daniel Nye, after he served in the Revolutionary War. Due to an injury during the war, Daniel was compelled to wear a bandage over his eye for the rest of his life. They lived in Orange County VT, presumably as farmers, until Albert B Nye’s father, Samuel, moved to Norwich. It is Albert B Nye’s entry in this very genealogy that gave me my first insight into his life and allowed me to start to answer my questions.

Albert Nye’s entry in A genealogy of the Nye family

Stay tuned. - Ella

Introduction

Hello, Norwich community and beyond! I am Ella Lubell, a Norwich resident, recent Hanover High graduate, and incoming Yale student. This summer I have been working on a digital humanities project with the Norwich Historical Society transcribing and researching the diary of Albert B Nye, a Civil War soldier who was born and died in Norwich.

Headings of two diary entries from Nye's stay at New York Hospital  

Interestingly enough, I was not the only one recently involved in documenting Albert Nye’s history and service. September of last year, the Valley News published an article on a ceremony conducted by the Lebanon Historical Society to mark the graves of two Norwich Civil War veterans whose graves were at that time unmarked because they enlisted in Lebanon. One of those soldiers was Albert B Nye.

Nye's gravestone at Hillside Cemetery in Norwich

The author writes, “Not much is known about the veterans, including why their graves went unmarked for so long and whether they have any living descendents...these unanswered questions make it all the more important to preserve what is known about the soldiers”

This is what was known: Nye was born on March 16th, 1834 and died on August 25th, 1912. He served in the 15th New Hampshire Infantry from November 1862 to August 1863 in New Orleans, most notably at the Siege of Port Hudson to secure Union control of the Mississippi. His wife’s name was Abbie L Nye.

But now we know so much more. And it’s all because of a small, leather bound, unassuming journal in an acid free box in the Norwich Historical Society, as well as a community of people dedicated to preserving Norwich’s history.

The goal of this project is not only to bring to light the journey of this one man, but also to use his eyes as lenses to see into the world of his time, from Norwich to New York City, and from Key West to Baton Rouge.

I hope you'll join me in the endeavor!

- Ella

There are two ways to follow along, receive emails through Norwich Historical Society or link to this blog for photos, tags, and more information.