Browse Items (882 total)

Elmer's Hunting Diary includes stories about his hunting excursion with Uncle Oren, Arthur, Walter, and his father on Nov. 18th-19th. The account details the boys' successful hunting of hedgehogs, their construction of a campsite, and preperation of meals.

This page of the 1860 U.S. federal census record refers specifically to Fairfield Township in Cumberland County, New Jersey. In this document, Ida Farr, only five years old, and her family are listed as one of the households of the township. Her other family members include her father Eleazer (44), mother Charity (45), sisters Alice (19), Almira (15), and Sarah (8), along with brothers Nathan (10) and Elmer (1). At the time this census was taken, Ida's eldest brother Oren had been married and her older sister Emily had died at the age of eleven only a few years prior.

Eleazer Farr's occupation is listed as "Physician & Clergyman" and it appears that no other members of the family had a formal job. This document also specifies that while taken in New Jersey, all of the Farr children except for Elmer were born in New Hampshire.

This document is a page from the 1870 US federal census. It specifically lists households from Goshen, Sullivan, New Hampshire, including a young Hial Nelson (22) along with his mother Lydia (51), sisters Marietta (23) and Jane (16), and brother John (20). At the time this census was taken, Hial's eldest sister Mira Ann had been married already and his father Ephriam had passed away. Hial's job description is notated as "Farm Laborer"

This document shows a page of the 1880 U.S. federal census, specifically in Newport, Sullivan County, New Hampshire. This is the first census record in which Ida (25) and Hial Nelson (32) are married and their two oldest sons, Elmer and Arthur, are documented. At the time of this census, Elmer was 2 years old and Arthur was only 4 months of age. Hial's profession is listed as "Farmer" and Ida's is "Keeping house."

This document is a page from the official 1900 federal census, depicting residents from Goshen Township, Sullivan County, New Hampshire. At the very top of the list is the Nelson family, Hial (52), the head of the household, and Ida (45), Elmer (22), Arthur (20), Walter (17), and Ernest (8) denoted below him as members of the household. This is the first and only census record where all Nelson brothers live under the same roof with their parents. Hial, Elmer, and Arthur all list their profession as farmers, while Walter and Ernest are still "At-School." As can be expected from the Nelson Brothers' childhood works, all boys are noted to be literate.

This official census of Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts depicts Elmer Nelson's family in the year 1910. At the time this record was taken, Elmer (31) lived with his wife Jessie (34) and daughter Lillian (4). His second daughter, Beatrice, was not yet born. In this document, Elmer lists his occupation as "Retail."

This 1910 census record of Goshen Township, Sullivan, New Hampshire depicts the nuclear Nelson family at the time. For this year's census, three out of the four Nelson boys had grown up to lead their own independent lives, leaving the youngest brother, Ernest (18) with his parents Hial (62) and Ida (55). However, it is interesting to see that the Nelsons had taken up a boarder, one Mr. Josiah Hooper. According to this record, Mr. Hooper was a ninety-one year old clergyman originally from Maine.

This official 1920 census document pertains to the town of Goshen, Sullivan, New Hampshire. Arthur Nelson (39) is listed along with his wife Ada (37) and children Hazel (15), Arthur Jr. (12), Paul (10), David (6), and Clifford (5). Cora Hooper, Ada's sister, also lived within the household. The only family member with a listed occupation is Arthur, a "farmer."

At the bottom of the page, Walter R. Nelson's family is also present. Walter (39), a butter-maker, is listed alongside his second wife Elizabeth (28) and their two oldest biological children Walter Jr. (2) and Harlow (3 months). It is interesting to see that Walter's young daughters born to his first wife Cora, Doris and Ruth, can be found living in their grandparents' household on their respective 1920 census.

This official census record from Haverhill City, Essex, Massachusetts lists information about Elmer Nelson's household. In 1920, this includes Elmer (41), the head, his wife Jessie (43), and two daughters Lillian (13) and Beatrice (8). Compared to the previous decade's census, Elmer has been promoted from "Retail" to the "Proprietor" of his own grocery. This is the first record that paints a full picture of Elmer's family.