Nathaniel Ashby
Pre-Campaign
Born: 15 Apr. 1805, Salem, Massachusetts
Baptized: 9 Dec. 1841, Salem, Massachusetts, but future electioneer Erastus Snow
Married: 11 Nov. 1826 (21 yrs) to Susan Hammond (18 yrs), Salem, Massachusetts
Occupation: Shoemaker, businessman, and landlord.
Church Experience: ?
Other: Nathaniel was a descendant of Governor William Bradford of the Mayflower. After being baptized he gave Erastus Snow money to build a house in Nauvoo and contribute to the temple. He moved his family to Nauvoo in 1843. There, he and Erastus shared a duplex brick home that still stands today. The Ashby's had 11 children before the campaign.
Campaign
Age: 39
Assignment: Called at the 9 Apr. 1844 special elders' conference. Assigned to Massachusetts.
Electioneering Experience: Unsure when he left Nauvoo, but was laboring in and around Salem, Massachusetts during late June and early July 1844. Attended the Salem, Massachusetts conference in early July and worked with apostle Heber C. Kimball.
Location 27 Jun. 1844: Near Salem, Massachusetts.
Post-Campaign
1 Jan 1846: Nauvoo. He was endowed as a seventy to Susanna on 30 Dec. 1845. Sealed by fellow electioneer Amasa Lyman on 3 Feb. 1846.
1850: Dead
Family: He and Susanna had their final and twelfth child in 1845.
Synopsis: Sometime after his mission, Nathaniel was ordained a seventy. Most likely at Oct. 1844 conference. During he exodus from Nauvoo, Nathaniel lingered to get the most out of his property and regain his health before heading west. He secured three wagons and three yokes of oxen. They fled in August 1846 during the battle of Nauvoo. Not accustomed to exposure and outdoor work, Nathaniel's already sick body failed. He died miles out of Bonaparte, Iowa on 10 Sep. 1846 at 41 years of age. He was buried in a makeshift coffin along the trail. Susanna and the children pushed on to Salt Lake in 1848.