Reverend Nathaniel Millard Jr.
1Isaac Backus, A History of New England, with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptists (1796).
URL = http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jaycary2&id=I3 The above quotation is from Jay Cary's website. Apparently Nathaniel fathered several children by his second wife before they got married.
"Nathaniel Millard was an educated man who was described as 'Clerk' when he was executor of his father's estate. He inherited half of his father's homestead in Rehoboth, valued quite high at more than 3,000£. He had also received 220 acres in Rehoboth from his father. He had two careers - first as a Baptist preacher in Rehoboth, Massachusetts and second as a forge and foundry operator in Warwick, Rhode Island. In 1736 when he was 40 years old, he was ordained as the minister of the Oak Swamp Baptist Church. After six years as minister, he was dismissed and histories of the church indicate some controversy about his dismissal. Isaac Backus, writing in his 'History of New England...' states that, 'his principles and conduct were corrupt and he was dismissed in 1742 after which he he went off with another woman instead of his wife.' There does not appear to be any other corroboration of the charges that his principles were corrupt, but it was true that within three years after his dismissal, he left his first wife and moved from Rehoboth and started a new family with another woman. There is no evidence of a legal divorce having been granted.
After his dismissal in 1742, he immediately bought a house in Providence, but probably never lived there and he sold the house to his son Nathan in 1747. He began to sell his property in Rehoboth in 1747 and by 1748, his residence was noted as Bristol, Rhode Island where he bought a farm and twenty-one acres. This deed was also signed by his first wife . About this time his first child by his second wife was born, out of wedlock. By the end of 1748, he purchased another farm and forty-six acres in Warwick, RI. His first wife Ruth apparently remained in Rehoboth where she continued to own his original homestead farm. Eventually his son, Nathaniel Jr. joined him in Warwick where they operated forge together. It appears that the children from the first marriages of Nathaniel and Barbara got along well with each other and with their half siblings from the second marriage."