Dr. William Randolph Nelson

Brief Life History of William Randolph

When Dr. William Randolph Nelson was born on 9 October 1784, in Hanover, Virginia, United States, his father, Col. William Nelson, was 38 and his mother, Lucy Chiswell, was 32. He married Lucy Harrison Tomlin on 9 February 1825, in Hanover, Virginia, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He died on 8 August 1862, in his hometown, at the age of 77, and was buried in Summer Hill Plantation Cemetery, Studley, Hanover, Virginia, United States.

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Family Time Line

Dr. William Randolph Nelson
1784–1862
Lucy Harrison Tomlin
1792–
Marriage: 9 February 1825
Sallie Page Nelson
1821–1904

Sources (5)

  • William R Nelson, "Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Records, 1853-1912"
  • William R. Nelson, "Virginia, Vital Records, 1853-1934"
  • William R. Nelson, "Virginia, Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912"

Spouse and Children

World Events (8)

1786 · Shays' Rebellion

Caused by war veteran Daniel Shays, Shays' Rebellion was to protest economic and civil rights injustices that he and other farmers were seeing after the Revolutionary War. Because of the Rebellion it opened the eyes of the governing officials that the Articles of Confederation needed a reform. The Rebellion served as a guardrail when helping reform the United States Constitution.

1788 · Becomes the 10th state

On June 25, 1788 Virginia became the 10th state. 

1808

Atlantic slave trade abolished.

Name Meaning

English: patronymic from the personal name Nell or Nele, either of which might be a pet form of Elias or less commonly of Niel (from Latin Nigellus). See also Neal .

Americanized form of Swedish Nilsson and also of the Danish, Norwegian, and North German cognates Nielsen and Nilsen (compare Nelsen ). Compare also Neilson and Nielson .

History: The Nelson name was an important one in 18th-century VA, starting with Thomas ‘Scotch Tom’ Nelson, who emigrated to VA at the close of the 17th century from Penrith, Cumbria, where the Nelsons were numerous. Scotch Tom settled c. 1700 at Yorktown, VA, where he became a successful merchant and landholder. His son was sheriff and a member of the VA Council, and his grandson, Thomas Nelson (1738–89), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was governor of VA.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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