unmarked
family legend has that he died as the result of a fall from the roof of a house he was helping to build. However, based on the sworn statement of his wife in the estate papers, she told the judge 1 month after his death that Thomas had died in Ouachita Parish. In 1843 Vienna was a part of Ouachita Parish and did not become part of Lincoln Parish until the Parish maps were redrawn in 1874. Thus, my conclusion is that Thomas is buried here, beside his wife with no marker, at least not one that appears above ground. Possible research at the site might reveal an actual marker from 1843 under the soil. There is ample room beside her grave for this to be highly probable.

Thomas Jefferson Nelson was born, according to most family versions in Covington, Tipton county, Tennessee.(1) However, based on my own research I have come to believe that he was actually born at the farming community located in the Tunica Hills, at that time the Spanish territory of New Feliciann, Louisiana. I came to that conclusion based on the sworn statement of his father John Nelson, that the family moved to New Feliciann in 1803.(2) It would therefore be unlikely (in my opinion) that they would make a long return vogage upriver to a remote area of Western Tennesse for the birth and then return to the farm in Louisiana. I am supported in this conclusion, somewhat, by 1/2 of his children. When you review the census records of the children of Thomas Jefferson Nelson. One of the questions asked is the birthplace of that persons parents. One half of his children list Tennessee, and the other half list Louisiana for the birthplace of their father.

Thomas was the son of (Major) John Nelson (1753-1819) and Nancy Ware Hunter Nelson (1764-1813).(3) He was the last of 5 children. Siblings were as follows:
Martha Ware Nelson 1790-1844
Alexander Franklin Nelson 1791-1865
Mariah Theresa Nelson 1793-1878
Mathilda Caroline Nelson 1795-1858

There appears to be an 11 year time span between the birth of Mathilda Caroline and Thomas Jefferson Nelson. This could mean that there could have possibly been children born during this period for which there is no record. The only known existant family Bibles are those of Thomas Jefferson Nelson (owned by Mrs. Mary Poe of Galveston, Texas) which records mainly the children of Thomas and their families, and that of Martha Ware Nelson Fouts (owned by the late Cloma Barron of Friendship, Louisiana) which does not shed any light on the parents family.

John Nelson's family evidently moved first from the Catawba River area of North Carolina(4), where the first 4 children were born, to the Triune area of Williamson county, Tennessee.(5) It was there that John Nelson tried to establish a town. Located within a 5,000 acre grant of property, the town was to be called Nelsonville.(6) Unfortunatly, the county seat of the area was shortly thereafter designated as Triune, not far from Nelsonville and Major Nelson's dreams for a town were ended as his property went for farmland.

Tragedy seemed ever to befall Thomas Jefferson even from an early age. His mother died in a yellow fever epedemic caused by swarms of mosquitoes moving northward from the New Orleans area shortly after the end of the War of 1812.(3) Then at the age of 13 he was left an orphan on the death of his father on July 20, 1819. Young master Thomas was then made a ward of his older brother Alexander. He then came to live with his brother Alexander in the village of Trenton in the area which is now in the northern area of the town of Ruston, LA.