| Page content last modified: | September 1, 2009, added detail on Charles Nelson's marriage; detail on John O. Nelson.
March 19, 2007, corrected James' mother's name; added information about Civil War pensions. August 22, 2006, added James' middle name, specific dates of birth and death, death location, death certificate. |
| McDONOUGH COUNTY, ILLINOIS FAMILIES NEWS MEMORABILIA |
JAMES VINCENT NELSON 1837-1915
EDNA WILLIAMS 1837-1925
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James Vincent Nelson, son of  Isabell Roberts and John Nelson, was born in Kentucky, perhaps Breckinridge County, on February 9, 1837. By 1840 the family was living in Hancock County, Illinois.
On December 7, 1857, John Nelson wrote a note to the "Handcock" County Clerk, giving permission for a marriage license to be issued to his son. James married Edna Williams on December 10. Edna Williams was born August 23, 1837, in Illinois. She was the daughter of Lemuel Rhodes Williams and Cassander (or Cassandre) Simmons. In several instances Edna's given name is found spelled with what seems to have been the common pronunciation, "Edney", especially when she was young.
Along with Edna's father and other Williams family members, James, Edna and their son, Charles, moved to Adair County, Missouri, leaving behind the grave of their infant son, Silas (1866-1867). Son John was born in Missouri. Sometime after the enumeration of the 1880 Federal Census, the family moved to Kansas. In 1881 James filed for and subsequently received a pension based on his service in the Civil War.
James died November 15, 1915, in Kechi Township. Edna followed James in death ten years later, on February 23, 1925, in Wichita, Kansas, at the home of her son, John. James and Edna are buried at the Kechi Cemetery in Kechi Township. The children of James Nelson and Edna Williams were:
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On August 13, 1862, James enlisted in the Union Army. He was assigned to Company G, 2nd Illinois Cavalry Regiment. He was mustered out at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on June 11, 1865.
[immediately preceding the household of James Esmon Roberts] Household of John Nelson
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Household of L. R. Williams
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enumerated September 17, 1850, dwelling #500 [immediately following the household of Lemuel and Cassandre Williams] John Nelson, 38, male, farmer, value of real estate 600, born KY
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enumerated Sept 17, 1850, dwelling #499 L Williams, 36, male, farmer, value of real estate 700, born SC
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enumerated July 25, 1860, dwelling #3356 James Nelson, 23, male, farmer, value of personal estate 250, born KY
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| We have not irrefutably located James, Edna and Charles in 1870. A family in Greensburg Township, Knox County, Missouri, looks very much like this threesome, although James' initial is off and all three birth states were entered as Illinois. A review of all other families in the township did not locate any other Williams or Nelson relatives.
enumerated July 15, 1870, dwelling #173 Nelson, James A, 33, male, white, farmer, value of real estate 1200, value of personal estate 500, born IL, male citizen of the U.S. ages 21 or more
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enumerated June 2, 1880, dwelling #19 Nelson, James, white, male, 43, married, farmer, born Kentucky, father born VA, mother born TN [The enumerator started to write Tennessee for the father's place of birth, then turned it into Virginia] Edna, white, female, 43, wife, married, keeping house, born IL, father born KY, mother born - [no entry] Charles, white, male, 20, son, married, works on farm, attended school within the year, born IL, father born KY, mother born IL John, white, male, 9, son, single, at school, attended school within the year, born MO, father born KY, mother born IL Nelson, Susie, white, female, 20, daughter-in-law, married, without occupation, attended school within the year, born MO, father born KY, mother born KY |
enumerated June 8, 1900, dwelling #49 Nelson, James V, head, white, male, Feb 1837, 63, married for 45 years, born KY, both parents born KY, farmer, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English, rented his farm, farm schedule 47 Edna, wife, white, female, Aug 1837, 62, married for 45 years; mother of 3 children, 1 living; born IL, both parents born KY, could read, write and speak English John O, son, white, male, Jan 1871, 23 [sic], married for 5 years, born MO, father born KY, mother born IL, farmer, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English Willie D, daughter-in-law, white, female, Feb 1872, 28, married for 5 years, mother of 0 children, born MO, father born PA, mother born KY, could read, write and speak English
page 83B, enumerated April 29, 1910, dwelling #129 Nelson, James, head, male, white, 73, married (1st) for 53 years, born KY, father born U.S., mother born TN, spoke English, own income, could read and write, paying on a mortgage Edna, wife, female, white, 72, married (1st) for 53 years; mother of 3 children, 1 living; born IL, both parents born U.S., spoke English, could read and write
enumerated January 5, 1920, dwelling #46 Nelson, Edna, head 1, paying on a mortage, female, white, 82, widow, could read and write, born IL, father born KY, mother born IL, spoke English Sterhase, Katie, head 2, renter, female, white, 52, widow, could read and write, born IL; both parents born Germany, native tongue German; spoke English, housekeeper, house, working for wages Anna Barl ?, daughter, female, white, 12, single, attended school after Sept. 1, 1919, could read and write, born KS, father born Germany, mother born IL, spoke English |
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