The writer of this piece, Susan LaFleur, is the secretary and librarian of the Rochester Historical Society. This is part of a series of Rochester history briefs.

If you have ever walked through the older section of Rochester’s Center Cemetery you may have noticed a worn gravestone with the following inscription. “Memento Mori. Here lieth the remains of Elnathan Haskell. He died the 16th April 1783 - In the 58th year of his age.”

What follows this inscription is curious. It reads:“Lieut. Nathan Haskell, son of Mr. E. Haskell fell in an engagement in latitude 47 & 18 N on the coast of France ye 9th Sept. 1780. In the 20th year of his age.”                                                                                             

The Haskell family was a very prominent family during the early years of Rochester’s history beginning with Mark, known as Witchcraft Mark, the 1st to settle in our town. Later descendants included Nathan’s brother Major Elnathan Haskell, a Major of artillery & Aide de Camp to General Washington. He is depicted in Trumball’s painting “Surrender of Burgoyne” found in the Capitol building Rotunda in D.C.  

Major Haskell is to the left near the tent. Another was Eugenia, who it was said, was a great beauty, who lived on Walnut Plain Rd. in the house where she was born in 1818 and died in 1907.

So why is Nathan who died so young of interest? It turns out that the battle he died in, as with many others, has been lost to time. Research offered little to no information between the internet and an 111 year old newspaper article. 

The battle took place off the Port of Nantes, France on Sept. 9, 1780. Haskell had been commissioned Lieutenant of Marines on June 5, 1780, to serve on the Massachusetts’ ship Mars.  

The Mars, a ship of at least 14 guns, was commanded by Capt. Simeon Samson from Plymouth. On the passage over, The Mars had captured Brig “Tryall.” The article noted that Nathan and other officers had signed a petition about the way the spoils (the Brig and cargo) would be divided. The council in charge of the decisions voted on July 7, 1780 that the crew would receive half of all prizes captured.  

Captain Samson intended to call at a port in France with the Tryall when it became engaged in battle. As for the battle, the paper states “there was a sea fight on the 9th of September 1780, in which at least one American fell cannot be doubted.” Any other details, as mentioned earlier, are lost to time. Young Haskell served on Mars three months and four days before his death. He never received his “spoils” of war.