Will County ILGenWeb Biographies..... 
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File contributed for use by:
Dori Leekly & Margie Glenn

Author: History of Will County, Illinois; Chicago: Wm LeBaron Jr & Co, 186 Dearborn Street, 1878.

William NELSON, farmer, Sec. 15 P. O. Wilmington; owns eighty acres, valued at $40 per acre; 
born Nov. 8, 1816, in Sterlingshire, Scotland; emigrated to Canada in 1830 thence to the 
United States in 1833; located at Trenton, Oneida Co., N. Y.; remained there four years; 
thence to Joliet, Will Co., IL, remaining about six months; thence to what is known as 
the Five-Mile Grove, Manhattan Twp., and remained there one year; there were only two 
habitations in the township, both owned by PERKIN Bros., one of which Mr. NELSON rented; 
being so sparsely settled in that vicinity, Mr. NELSON preferred to go to New Lenox Twp., 
which was then better populated; there he lived with A. FRANCIS for about four years in 
partnership he thought a farm with Asa MCDONALD, where he lived three years;, sold to 
McD., and returned to Five-Mile Grove, where he lived until 1860. Married Mary A. RUDD 
in 1846, in New Lenox Twp.; she was born in, New York State, and came to Illinois with 
her parents in 1845; have five children living - Mary E. (now Mrs. W. COOK), William W., 
James (deceased), Nettie (now Mrs. C. FAUT), Olive Z. and Leonard. Mr. NELSON was 
Supervisor of Trenton (now Manhattan Twp.), also Assessor of Trenton and Florence, 
which office be now holds in Florence; in March, 1860, he moved to his present residence.