Nelson, Annie 1849-1931

NELSON, CAMPBELL, COLEMAN

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes
Date: 6/22/2017 at 08:26:40

The Grinnell (IA) Herald
January 1931

PIONEER LADY
TO BE BURIED
HERE TUESDAY

Mrs. Samuel Nelson
Died Saturday A.M.
At 9:00 O'clock

Tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 o'clock at the Nelson residence, 711 Fifth Ave., will occur the funeral service of Mrs. Samuel Nelson, pioneer and well-loved and respected pioneer woman of this city. Rev. Wm. Welsh, pastor of the Baptist church and Rev. S.P. Robinson, former pastor and family friend, will conduct the service.

Mrs. Nelson came to Grinnell with her husband in 1872, arriving her on July 1st of that year. For the first few months Mr. Nelson was employed at farm work and for some time worked on some of the college buildings which were in the process of building at that time. In October of the same year Mr. Nelson engaged in the mercantile business in a small frame building which stood where his present store is now located on the south side of Fourth Ave. It was a two store building and Mr. and Mrs. Nelson made a comfortable and cozy home for themselves upstairs over their store and in this home entertained many of our pioneer people for meals and over night in the old-fashioned hospitable fashion. Two of their children, Mayme and Will J. were born there.

Annie Campbell Nelson was born in County Monahan, Ireland, Apr. 17, 1849, coming to Kingston, Ontario, in 1869, a girl of twenty years. She was married to Samuel Nelson, sixty years ago, at Kingston, Canada, January 10, 1871, where they lived for little more than a year, coming to Grinnell to make their home in July, 1872.

To Mr. and Mrs. Nelson five children were born, three daughters and two sons. One daughter, Mayme and son Sam preceded their mother in death not many years ago; two daughters, Grace and Harriette and one son, Will J., and one little granddaughter, Mary Ann, child of Mr. and Mrs. Will J. Nelson of Grinnell, are left to comfort Mr. Nelson in his declining years.

Mrs. Nelson had long been a member of the Baptist church and always interested in the advancement of the interests of her church and of the entire community. While she was in every sense of the word a home woman, unusually devoted to her family, she shared the joys and sorrows of her neighbors, and in the way of all pioneer women she went to homes where there were sickness and trouble and gave of her time and strength and courage without stint, at the same time carrying the burden of her own household and the care of five children. The women of those days had not heard of clubs for community service but women like Mrs. Nelson rendered service to the community of their day in most practical, helpful fashion.

All of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson's children were born in Grinnell. At the time of the cyclone in 1882 they were residing where Mr. and Mrs. Will J. Nelson now live. Will tells of the events of that evening which are clear cut in his mind although he was a very small boy. He remembers that his mother had purchased a new Leghorn hat for his little sister Mayme on that day and child-like she was anxious to show her new hat to one of their neighbors, Grandma Jentzen. After putting the other four children to bed Mrs. Nelson took Mayme, wearing the hat, over to see Mrs. Jentzen. While she was there the storm broke in all its fury and Mrs. Nelson had to be forcefully restrained from rushing through the storm to the protection of her little brood. Through the downpour of rain which followed the tornado she went to find them badly frightened but safe. She took them all to the cellar where Mr. Nelson found them when he came from the store anticipating the worst, as he knew northwest Grinnell had been practically demolished.

While both Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were born in Ireland, they first met in Kingston, Canada, where the romance of this lad and lassie from the Old Sod culminated in their marriage so many years ago, and where they lived until coming here in 1872.

Mr. Nelson relates that at one time an uncle of his had written him from a place in the States called Grinnell, Iowa. This was the only place he knew by name, so when they decided to become citizens of the United States, they bought tickets for Grinnell, Iowa, via Chicago. Small things determine the course of human lives. Had Mr. Nelson known of some other settlement by name no doubt he would have located elsewhere. Grinnell is grateful that fate or chance brought these good people here to spend their happy, devoted years.

Mrs. Nelson had long been troubled with asthma but had been seriously ill but four or five weeks prior to her death. Pneumonia with complications developed and at her age proved too much for her to overcome, although a few days ago it was thought she was improving nicely. It was during this slight improvement that the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage occurred, January 10, 1931, and while she realized that the important date had arrived by the flowers sent in by friends, she was too ill to see anyone.

During her illness Mrs. Nelson has had the devoted care and attention of her own household and also of her niece, Miss Stella Coleman, of Bushnell, Ill., a trained nurse. Mrs. Coleman has been here since shortly after Christmas and has been unremitting in her professional and devoted care.

Those who will serve as bearers at the funeral tomorrow are A.R. Longnecker, A.C. Dickerson, H.I. Yeager, D.H. Snook, E.A. Johnson and F.P. Marvin.