My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in The History of Camden County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Owen A. Nelson, county treasurer of Camden County, Mo., was born in Posey County, Ind., August 29, 1854, and is the son of Alexander G. and Sarah A. (Highman) Nelson, the former a native of Posey County, Ind., and the latter of Iowa. The father was a blacksmith by trade, but never followed it for a livelihood, for farming was his principal occupation. He left Indiana at the beginning of the late war, and went to White County, Ill., where he remained until 1868, when he moved with his family to Camden County, Mo., and located near Linn Creek, where he died in 1881. The mother is still living. They were the parents of four children, all sons: Owen A., John W., George W. and Grant. Owen A. Nelson was but a small lad when his parents moved to White County, Ill. He assisted his father on the farm until 1868, when he came to Missouri, locating in Camden County, where he has since made his home. He was elected treasurer of Camden County in 1886, and re-elected in 1888. He is a prominent citizen of the county. He was married in 1876 to Miss Mary A. Russell, by whom he had two children: William G. and George E. Mrs. Nelson died in 1881, and he married for his second wife, February 1, 1883, Miss Amanda J. Scofield, a native of Iowa, who bore him one child, Hugh R. Mrs. Nelson is a member of the Baptist Church, and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the I. O. O. F. His grandfather Nelson was an early settler of Posey County, Ind.

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This family biography is one of 46 biographies included in The History of Camden County, Missouri published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Camden County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Camden County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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