JORGEN NIELSEN
George Nelson
Shelby County Pioneer: George (b. 1821 in Denmark) and Margaret Nelson, moved to Shelby County
(Galland's Grove), in 1853 or 54.
The 1856 Iowa census lists my ancestors as John (age 35) and Margrette (33) Nelson, with three children, Mariah (8), Christian (6) and Nealse (1), living in Gallands Township, Shelby County Iowa. The names of the parents were originally Jorgen Nielsen and Margarethe Pedersen up until they defected from a Danish LDS party when passing through Council Bluffs in June of 1853. Jorgen, later known as George Nelson, was a blacksmith by trade. The 1856 census indicates that John (George) Nelson was a property owner and a member of the militia. They seemed to have shortly afterward moved to Shelby County. Their youngest at the time, Cornelius (Nealse in the census) was born in Shelby County in 1854. They moved to Crescent City later in 1856, then to Gentry County, MO in 1858.
Pictured: George Nelson in his Union Army uniform in 1863. |
Contributed by: Jack Nelson at yakobo@excite.com.
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