Nelson W. Napier Jr. ("Ned") was the son of Capt. Nelson W. Napier and Henrietta Marie Scoville. He was the ninth born of their ten children. When he was 18 years old, his father went down with his ship ALPENA in a violent storm on Lake Michigan.

On Oct. 7 1886, Nelson married Georgia Vida Keyes in Saint Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan. Their daughter Sarah was born in July 1890, but lived only 18 months. Another daughter Stella Grace, was born in 1891. "Grace" married Lester A. Wood in 1909, her mother signing a consent form since Grace was under the age of 17. Lester and Grace had 5 children before Grace's death in 1919, the year their youngest child was born.

In the 1920 Census, Nelson Napier Jr.'s household included, besides his wife Georgia, his son-in-law Lester Wood and Nelson's five grandchildren: Nelson A. Wood 7, Edgar B. Wood 5, Lester Wood Jr. 4, Lillian G 2, and Janice M, 0. Janice was later adopted by another family, according to family descendants.

By 1930, Ned had adopted the two oldest grandsons and they are listed in the Census as Nelson Napier 17 and Edgar Napier 15. Later that year, both boys were killed by a car that struck them. They are buried in the Saint Joseph City Cemetery with their birth surnames and their adoptive surnames as Nelson Wood Napier and Edgar Wood Napier.

In November of 1941, in Paw Paw, Lake County, Michigan, Ned married Irene "June" Jasper (Riley), who had three children from her previous marriage to Charles Riley.

Nelson W. Napier Jr. was killed in a car accident in June of 1943.

* [Thanks to Find a Grave member Outespace for information about the location of Nelson's death and his year of marriage to Georgia. He also suggested that Nelson's nickname was "Ned." ]