THOMAS NELSON JR. 1738-1789

Early in the 17th century, Thomas Nelson came to America.  By hard work and wise decisions he accumulated a large estate.  He married and raised a large family, the subject of this piece being the eldest son, Thomas Nelson Jr.
When Thomas was 13 years of age his father sent him to England to be educated in the best schools of the day.  He returned to America in 1761 with a keen eye on the activities of the British Parliament before and during the administration of Prime Minister George Grenville who, in 1765 came up with the idea of the "Stamp Act" to fill the empty treasury.  Americans promptly rebelled at the idea of a tax on every piece of paper they used.
In 1774 he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses which promptly sided with the Patriots against the "Boston Port Bill", which caused Lord Dunsmore, royal governor of Virginia to dissolve the Assembly.  The next day 89 of the members met in the local tavern and formed a new assembly.
Nelson was a member of the first meeting of the new assembly where they elected delegates to the the first Continental Congress in 1774.  He was reelected in 1775 where he moved to form a militia of the State.  Thomas Nelson was appointed to command one regiment, Patrick Henry commanded one regiment and Richard Henry Lee another.
Thomas Nelson Jr. was reelected in 1776 and voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence.
In the spring of 1777 he was forced to return to Virginia because of a sudden illness.
He could not stay inactive long because the British fleet threatened the Virginia shore and his regiment was called into action.  However Lord Howe chose to sail up the Chesapeake Bay to attack Philadelphia.
When General Washington was calling for local Militias and volunteers Nelson used his fortune to help pay expenses.  He also sent his field workers to surrounding farms left unattended to make sure those families crops were harvested.
In 1781 when Virginia became the major theater of the war and Yorktown was occupied by the British he kept his command together and in the fight by using his own funds.  When he noticed that the cannon fire was avoiding his home out of respect for him, he order the fire to be directed at that house.  The subsequent fire killed two British officers and routed the rest.
When Jefferson left the Governors office Nelson was elected to take his place, and after the British surrender at Yorktown he found his health declining and resigned his office.It was at this time that he was charged with mal-practice while Governor.  A full investigation cleared him of all charges and he retired from public life.  On January 4, 1789 Thomas Nelson, Jr. died, Patriot, General, Governor and American!......Medicineman!