| Notes |
- Also known as "Jan Nelse", "Jan Elizen", "Jans Elsen", "Jan Nelsie", etc., all Dutchified versions of his English name. [The Nelson Family]
John and Hendrickje Nelson removed to Mamoroneck before 1683. ["Dirck Jansz Van der Vliet of Flatbush, New York"]
"John Nelson may have emigrated from Norfolk, England, between the years 1660 and 1665. A short time after his arrival in America, he settled in Flatlands. There, he married Hendrickje, the daughter of Dirck Jans van der Vliet. He moved to Mamaroneck before July 1697. There he served on the grand jury of Westchester County in 1699; was overseer of Mamaroneck in 1697; and constable in 1699. He died after 1713. Descendants lived in NY, NJ, OH, and elsewhere." ["Descendants of John Nelson and Hendrickje Van Der Vliet"]
"John Nelson, the ancestor of the Nelsons of Westchester, Dutchess and Putnam Counties, NY, was plaintiff in a suit against Thomas Sprey, of New Amsterdam, 17 January, 1670. (Court Minutes of New Amsterdam. V. 278). For a time, at least, he resided at Flatbush, but had removed to Mamaroneck, Westchester Co, before 27 July, 1683, on which date he purchased lands from John Richbell and Ann his wife (Westchester Deeds, A. 20) and he was an administrator, with James Mott and Ann Richbell, of the estate of John Richbell, the first patentee of what later became the manor of Scarsdale. John Nelson's home-lot adjoined the land of Robert Penoyer, and is so described in a deed from himself and wife Hendrica to William Pierce, 2 April, 1694. On 28 January, 1707, he conveyed to his 'eldest son,' Polycarpus, a house, lot of land, and orchard, in Mamaroneck, in consideration of which the son was to pay his 'nephew', Richard Rogers, (Ibid., D, 179, 180.) He served on the grand jury of Westchester Co, 1 August, 1688; as overseer of Mamaroneck in 1697, and as constable in 1699, and his name frequently appears in the records as a member of various town committees, and always with the prefix of 'Mr.,' a designation of some distinction at that period. He died after 28 March, 1713, at which time he was a witness to a deed of John Pell, Sr., brother of Thomas Pell, second lord of the manor of Pelham. A low hill in the town of his adoption perpetuates his name. It was made historically memorable during the Revolution for the surprise and defeat, by Colonel Smallwood, of a large body of the British stationed thereon under Major Rogers." ["Notes on the Nelson Family", appendix to The Journal of the Reverend Silas Constant, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Yorktown, New York by Emily Warren Roebling, edited by Josiah Granville Leach. Philidelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1903.]
John Nelson named his eldest son Polycarpus; Polycarpus, in turn, gave a number of his own offspring names such as Absalom, Tamar and, most notably, Mahar-Shalal-Hash-Baz Nelson. About that, Cortez Nelson's The Nelson Family, published in the 1890s, passes on a family legend which probably need not be taken very seriously:
"Recalling a previous statement that the names in the [Nelson] family indicate its Puritan origin, it will not be amiss, at this time, to explain the origin of the name 'Polycarpus'. Tradition [has it] that John Nelson emigrated from the town of Norfolk, England, between the years of 1660 and 1665; and that the ship he embarqued in was driven by stress of weather upon the coast of France. The passengers were distributed among the peasant along the coast and in the smaller towns until such time as the ship could be repaired and proceed on her way. It appears, however, that John Nelson was given quarters in the family of a French physician, Polycarpus by name, and with him John stayed until the ship sailed. Agreeable to his Puritanic principles, John Nelson offered to reimburse Dr. Polycarpus for his kindness toward himself and others, but Polycarpus refused any payment whatever, but made this one request of John Nelson, that when he was married and settled in his American home, that John should name his first-born son, Polycarpus. How well John kept his word of promise will be seen later on; but no account remains by which we can ever know that John Nelson ever informed Dr. Polycarpus that he had given that name to his first-born son."
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Nielsen Hayden genealogy
Abt 1640 - Aft 1713 (~ 73 years)
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