Nathaniel Perry was born on July 2, 1713, in Sandwich, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin Perry. He married Mehitable Willis (née Leonard) in 1736, and soon thereafter moved to Easton, Massachusetts. He received a commission from Governor Shirley in the Massachusetts Militia in 1754, and served as a captain under Colonel John Winslow. Perry saw action during the French and Indian War and fought at the Battle of Fort Cumberland in 1755. Following the surrender of the fort, Perry's unit remained in Nova Scotia, where he died of illness on June 15, 1756. Perry had several children, including Nathaniel Perry, Jr., and Samuel Perry, both of whom served with their father at Fort Cumberland.
From the guide to the Nathaniel Perry drill book, Perry, Nathaniel drill book, 1751, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
