Nathaniel Ames was born on April 25, 1761, in Scituate, Rhode Island. At age 18 he first enlisted in the Continental Army and over the next four years served several short enlistments under General George Washington with Connecticut Line units, which were front-line troops. He later enlisted in the Navy, was taken prisoner by the British, and was eventually discharged in 1783. After the war he moved to New York state to farm, became a Methodist preacher in 1791, and preached for 45 years. He and his wife, Sarah Hall, raised ten children. In 1836 he came to Wisconsin, settled briefly in Racine County, then bought and farmed a section of land a mile from the village of Oregon. The day after his 100th birthday he moved into the village, and two years later, on August 30, 1863, he was buried in this cemetery with Masonic honors.