Aaron Nutt, Sr. was born on July 17th, 1758 in New Jersey to Quaker parents Levi and Ann Ivens Nutt. At age 14, Aaron’s mother sold him to be an indentured servant for a local tailor, John Lippencott. Through his period of service, Aaron became a skilled tailor.

Aaron served in the New Jersey Militia in Lippencott’s place after Lippencott was drafted in 1777. Aaron was assigned non-combat duties, due to his Quaker beliefs, and served as a spy and a teamster (a person who drove a team of animals pulling a wagon). Even though he never saw combat, Aaron was not allowed membership in the Quaker Society of Friends, since he participated in the war.

At the age of 20, Aaron married Mary Archer on May 4th, 1779. During their 17-year marriage, Aaron and Mary had nine children. Aaron and his family moved to Kentucky in 1788, along with his brother-in-law Benjamin Archer, then they all moved to Ohio in 1799. A brother-in-law already settled in the area, Benjamin Robbins, offered to store Aaron’s family’s possessions and let them stay with them while they built their home, but Aaron responded with, “I am not going to unpack until I enter my own cabin” and with help, built his new home in just one day.

After Mary’s death in 1817, Aaron married again, to Martha Craig. The couple had two more children together. As each of his eleven children grew up and married, Aaron gave them portions of his land so that they could have their own farmland.

Throughout his life, Aaron was a farmer, a tailor, a tanner, a tavern owner, a construction worker, an auctioneer dubbed “Uncle Aaron,” and a stockholder in the Farmers and Mechanics Manufacturing Company of Centerville. He also held elective offices in Washington Township, including the position of Supervisor of Roads and the Overseer of the Poor.
Aaron Nutt, Sr. died on June 2nd, 1842 and is buried in Sugar Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Centerville (located here).

As Aaron is considered to be a co-founder of Centerville, Nutt Road in Centerville is named for him. Also, The Aaron Nutt Cottage located at 78 North Main Street in Centerville is owned by Centerville-Washington History and is operated as their Research and Archive Center, housing their permanent collections, genealogy files, and Landmark files.