John Nelson and Thomas Nelson papers

John Nelson and Thomas Nelson papers

1777-1862

1 folder (10 items)

MSS L.2027.009

Collection documenting the military service and public careers of Major John Nelson, an original member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati, and his son Thomas Maduit Nelson of Virginia. Spanning the Revolutionary War through the mid-nineteenth century, the papers illustrate the Nelson family's military service, political connections, and civic life through correspondence, military documents, and Society of the Cincinnati records.

The collection consists of correspondence, military papers, and related documents of Major John Nelson, an original member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati, and his son Thomas Maduit Nelson of Virginia. Highlights include a letter signed by the Marquis de Lafayette concerning cavalry operations during the Virginia campaign, dated 13 June 1781; a document signed by George Washington accepting Captain John Nelson's resignation from military service; an invitation signed by Thomas Jefferson; a circular letter of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati dated 9 May 1822; and a letter from John Randolph of Roanoke.
Formerly part of the Nelson family papers (MSS 249f) at the Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center. The papers were presented to the Atlanta History Center by descendants of the Nelson family as a gift in 1971.

Transferred as a gift from the Atlanta History Center following deaccession, 2027.

Major John Nelson (1748-1827) served as an officer in the Virginia Continental Line during the American Revolution and was an original member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati. His son, Thomas Maduit Nelson (1782-1853), served as a major during the War of 1812 and later represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. The collection documents two generations of military and public service in Virginia from the Revolutionary era through the mid-nineteenth century.

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