• Born: 1814, Baripper, Camborne, Cornwall
• Christened: 21 Jan 1815, Camborne, Cornwall ¹
• Married: 11 Mar 1838, St. Peter Port, Isle of Guernsey, Channel Islands, England ²
• Died: 24 Jan 1881, Alexandria, Douglas, MN, USA ³
• Buried: Kinhead Cemetery, Alexandria, Douglas, MN, USA ³

  Research Notes:

At the time of 1850 U.S. Federal Census Nicholas Vivian, aged 35, born in England, civil engineer, and wife Margaret Vivian, aged 27, born in Guernsey, were living in Allegheny City, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. With them was son Godfrey (11) of Wales.

In 1870 Nicholas Vivian, aged 55, born in England, civil engineer, was with his son Godfrey Vivian and his family in Alexandria, Douglas, Minnesota, USA.

In 1880 Nicholas Vivian, aged 66, born in England, engineer, was in Alexandria Township, Douglas, Minnesota.

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OBITUARY.

By the death of Nicholas Vivian, Alexandria has lost another of its early settlers. He was born at Barripa, Parish of Camborn, Cornwall, England, in the year 1815, and at an early age directed his attention to mechanics, and after serving an apprenticeship as mechanical and mining engineer, at the age of 20 years he successfully passed examination before the Royal Polytechnic Society of England. On the 11th, of March, 1838, he married Marguerite Godfrey, by whom he had two children, Ellen Ann, who died at Camborn, Nov. 9, 1845, and Dr. Godfrey Vivian, one of Minnesota's leading physicians. From 1835 to 1845 he successfully followed his profession in Wales, Ireland, France and England, when receiving the appointment of engineer in charge of the Bruce mines of upper Canada, he removed to that place and at once entered upon the discharge of the arduous duties that devolved upon him in so responsible a position. He was known far and wide as the "Pioneer Engineer" of the Lake Shore Copper Region, where remain many lasting monuments of his ability as an engineer. He was employed by the Government to make a survey of Eagle Harbor, on Lake Superior, and the maps on record show the able manner in which he accomplished the same. In 1856 he prepared the drawing and report for the Ordnance Department of the United States of Mr. Ward's invention for testing materials used in cannons. Copies of these and many other valuable drawings he retained, which show that as a draughtsman he had few equals. He has been employed in professional work by the Government of Great Britain, France, Mexico and the United States.

On July 4, 1864, at Humboldt Mines, Mich., his wife died, and in 1869 he retired from his profession and removed with his son to Douglas county, where in company with a fine classical and scientific library he spent his leisure hours in study. Endowed with an exceptional memory and fine conversational powers, his many friends will now miss the rich treat that was always in store for them from his abundant fund of knowledge. At midnight, during the winter of 1876, the thermometer 35 below zero, he awoke to find himself surrounded by flames, and with almost superhuman exertion he, alone, succeeded in partly saving the house; but the solace of his declining days, his library, was nearly all destroyed. The exertion and exposure of the night proved too much for his health, and he from that time steadily failed until his death on the 24th ult.

Douglas County News, Thursday, 3 Feb 1881, p. 4. ³