Guide to the David Nelson Papers

Descriptive Summary

Title

David Nelson Papers

Inclusive Dates

1815-1857

Call Number

RG 411

Creator(s)

Nelson, David, 1793-1844.

Quantity

0.25 cubic feet (1 box)

Restrictions on Access

Collection open for research

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Biographical Note

David Nelson was born on September 24, 1793 in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He attended Washington College in Tennessee and later went to the Medical College of Philadelphia. During the War of 1812 Nelson served as an army surgeon in Canada, Alabama and Florida. In 1825 he was ordained by the Abington Presbytery in Virginia and returned to Tennessee to preach. Rev. Nelson moved on to preach in Danville, Kentucky in 1828 and established Marion College in Missouri in 1830. He settled down in Quincy, Illinois and founded a missionary school there in 1836. David Nelson died on October 17, 1844 at age 51.

Collection Overview

The Bulk of Record Group 411 consists of correspondence between Nelson, his family and fellow members of the clergy from 1815-1856 and undated notebooks. Also included are, affidavits from 1853, personal information about his family history and his death, and miscellaneous items such as newspaper clippings and business cards.

Organization and Arrangement

SERIES 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION, 1843-1844, n.d.

SERIES 2: CORRESPONDENCE, 1815-1857, n.d.

SERIES 3: NOTEBOOKS, n.d.

SERIES 4: MISCELLANY, 1822-1853, n.d.

Alternative Formats

Portions of the collection available on microfilm: MFPOS 73.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Processing Information

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: Aug. 1998
Jeffrey LaMonica, Archives Technician

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Personal Name Subject

Nelson, David, 1793-1844.

Topical Subject

Presbyterian Church--Southern States--Clergy.

Genre-form

Correspondence. aat

Family papers. aat

Notebooks. aat

Clippings (information artifacts) aat

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 411

		Some of the correspondence and notebooks are fragile, handle with care.

		SERIES 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION, 1843-1844, n.d.

1	2	Personal Information, 1843-1844, n.d.

		SERIES 2: CORRESPONDENCE, 1815-1857, n.d.

1	3	Letters, 1815-1850
1	4	Letters, 1851-1857
1	5	Letters, n.d.

		SERIES 3: NOTEBOOKS, n.d.

1	6	Notebooks, n.d.
1	7	Notebooks, n.d.

		SERIES 4: MISCELLANY, 1822-1853, n.d.

1	8	Miscellany, 1822-1853, n.d.

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Guide to the David Nelson Papers

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