Greene Was Raised In A Quaker Family

The first fact in the list of facts about Nathanael Greene is that he came from a Quaker family. Greene was born on Forge Farm near Potowomut in the Warwick Township of Rhode Island, which was then a part of British America, on August 7, 1742. He was the second child of wealthy Quaker farmer and merchant Nathanael Greene Sr. and Mary Mott. John Greene and Samuel Gorton, two of the original founders of Warwick, were the ancestors of Greene. Greene was one of six children born to Nathanael and Mary, and he had two older half-brothers from his father's first marriage.

Despite their tremendous income, his father's religious convictions prevented him from receiving a very excellent education at first. Greene's father forbade reading, as well as dancing and other pursuits, because of his religious convictions. In spite of this, Greene persuaded his father to pay for a tutor, who helped him study math, the classics, law, and numerous texts from the Age of Enlightenment. Greene developed a small lump at some point in his boyhood that he would carry with him for the rest of his life. Greene was able to study the classics, algebra, law, and writings from the Age of Enlightenment as a result.