Nathaniel Fellows was born in 1758 at
Dorchester in Grafton County, New
Hampshire. In 1837, he started
west with his son’s family and stayed in
Indiana one year. The following
spring, they moved on with others
heading west and ended up at the Iowa
River near Iowa City. Friendly Fox
Indians under Chief Poweshiek let them
settle on land not yet open to white
settlers. Weakened by two long
journeys, Nathaniel died July 12, 1838,
in Coralville, Iowa, just two months
after his son’s home was established.
He was buried on a corner of the
family’s land claim there and the grave
marked by the Nathaniel Fellows Chapter
DAR in 1940. When US Highway 6 was
built, it passed close to the edge of
his grave. Additional street
changes necessitated moving the grave
marker to the Oak Hill Cemetery north of
Coralville. Oak Hill Cemetery is
located off Interstate 80 at Exit 242,
also known as 1st Avenue in Coralville.
Nathaniel Fellows DAR marker is located
at the cemetery entrance near the flag
pole. He served as a private on the New
Hampshire line.
Nathaniel
Fellows