Researching William Nelson
Explore the detail of William Nelson using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 14506 people with the Nelson surname? In that year Nelson was ranked number 271 for popularity in the UK. |

The name William means "resolute guardian" and is of German origin.
Records of William Nelson on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of William Nelson in your family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for William Nelson. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for William Nelson. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for William Nelson. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for William Nelson. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for William Nelson. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Nelson ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Nelson Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for William Nelson and the Nelson Family Tree
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Nelson Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Nelson family tree.
Check out Parish Records for William Nelson at Find My Past.
Look at for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of William Nelson using the FreeBMD database.
Look at Genealogy Bank for William Nelson records.
Investigate MyHeritage for William Nelson information.
Explore the LDS Database for records about William Nelson.
Research the Nelson surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Nelson Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 24232 people with the Nelson surname in the UK? Nelson is now ranked number 212 for popularity in the UK. |
Nelson Family History Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Look at the WikiTree database for user contributed records for William Nelson.
Study MyTrees for information on the Nelson family and people looking to contact living Nelson relations.
Investigate One Great Family for Nelson records submitted by people who are already researching the Nelson Family Tree.
Find William Nelson from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Nelson Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Nelson surname using Genealogy.com forums .
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 492196 people with the Nelson surname in the USA? Nelson is ranked number 35 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Nelson Databases
Look at the Ellis Island Database for information on William Nelson. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called William Nelson
William Nelson (governor)
William Nelson (1711 – November 19, 1772) was an American planter, politician, and colonial leader from Yorktown, Virginia. In the interim between the royal governors Norborne Berkeley and Lord Dunmore, he served as governor of colonial Virginia in 1770 and 1771.
Nelson was the son of Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson, the immigrant ancestor from Cumbria, who built Nelson House at his plantation in about 1730.
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Nelson was an active supporter of the Patriot cause. Among his children was his son, Thomas Nelson Jr., who was active in revolutionary politics, one of thirteen representatives who drafted the Articles of Confederation, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a future governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the new United States of America.
Source: William Nelson (governor), Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaWilliam Nelson (Wisconsin politician)
William Nelson (July 1, 1839 – October 26, 1913) was an American politician, editor, and publisher.
Born in Rutherglen, Scotland, he emigrated to the United States in 1842 with his father and settled in Jamestown, Wisconsin Territory in 1843. Nelson was an editor and publisher, and started working for the Monroe Sentinel in 1852. He served in the Union Army's Tenth Wisconsin volunteer infantry during the American Civil War. In 1865, Nelson moved to Viroqua, Wisconsin, where he married Mary Elizabeth Fretwell (1840–1919) in 1866. In 1871, Nelson served as president of the Village of Viroqua. Then, in 1872 and 1873, Nelson served in the Wisconsin State Senate as a Republican. Nelson moved to Utah in 1876. There he first served as a United States marshal, and then joined the staff of The Salt Lake Tribune in 1881. Nelson died of a stroke while serving as editor of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Source: William Nelson (Wisconsin politician), Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Nelson
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Knelson Knowlson Nehlsen Neilsen Neilson Neligan Nelissen Nelkin Nelligan Nelsen Nielsen Nielson Nielssen Nillson Nilsen Nilson Nilsson Nulsen





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