William Nelson and Susannah Merchant

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Husband William Nelson ^{1 2}

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           Born: 5 Apr 1822 - Lawrence Co, PA 1
     Christened: 
           Died: 5 Aug 1895 - Findley Twp, Mercer Co, PA 2
         Buried: 

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         Father: Robert Nelson (1793-1836) 1 2 3
         Mother: Sarah Dunavin (1803-1875) 1

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       Marriage: 

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Wife Susannah Merchant ^{2 4}

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           Born: 1817 - Westmoreland Co, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 26 May 1885 4
         Buried: 

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         Father: Jacob Merchant (1783-      ) 2
         Mother: Mary Davis (Abt 1790-1885) 2

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   Other Spouse: Philip Crill (      -      ) 4

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Children

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1 M James R. Nelson ^{4 5}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Sophia Zahniser (1856-      ) 6
           Marr: 1886 5

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2 M Albert E. Nelson ^{7 8 9}

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           Born: 31 Jul 1859 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Sarah Jane "Jennie" Hosack (1864-      ) 7 9 10
           Marr: 6 May 1885 11

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General Notes: Husband - William Nelson

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He was born Sept 5. [HMC 1909, 906]
He was born in Lawrence County, PA, and received his education in the pioneer schools of that place. The old log school building was typical of its times, being furnished with slab benches without backs, heated by a fireplace and lighted by such rays of daylight as were admitted through an aperture covered with greased paper. When he was thirteen years old he sustained a great loss in the premature death of his father, and soon after began earning his own living, working at first for four dollars a month and board, afterwards receiving twelve dollars each month. Wise in his expenditures and prudent in his savings, he accumulated a sufficient sum to purchase fifty acres of land in his native county. A few years later, having cleared a portion of it, he sold at a profit and moved to Findley Township, Mercer County, where he bought one hundred acres of timbered land. Toiling early and late, he succeeded in clearing and improving a good farm, and in course of time bought more land, until he had two hundred and fifty acres in his home farm and an outlying tract of value. Here he resided until his death.

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General Notes: Wife - Susannah Merchant

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The same date of death is given for her mother, which suggests there might be some confusion.
Per HMC 1888, 968, Crill was her first husband and Nelson was her second. HMC 1909, 906, gives them in the reverse order.

1 —, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 967.

2 J. G. White, A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1909), Pg 906.

3 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 661.

4 —, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 968.

5 Kate M. Zahniser & Charles Reed Zahniser, The Zahnisers - A History of the Family in America (Mercer, PA: Kate M. Zahniser, Publisher, 1906), Pg 117.

6 —, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 931.

7 —, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 958, 968.

8 J. G. White, A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1909), Pg 905, 908.

9 Beatrice Barnes McClelland, A History of the Barnes Families in Jackson Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania (Tionesta, PA: Forest Press, Inc., 1977), Pg 198.

10 J. G. White, A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1909), Pg 907, 908.

11 J. G. White, A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1909), Pg 907.