Born at Kempsey on January 5, 1855, William John Nelson was a son of Robert Nelson, whose father, Robert, was a brother of Horatio Lord Nelson. Hobert Nelson, Jnr., and his wife Elizabeth, arrived in Australia from England in 1852. They took up land at Christmas Creek near Kempsey, and farmed on the Macleay for many years. William was the fifth child of a family of seven.
Obituary reprinted from the Nambucca News. The Lord Nelson descent is family lore (Horatio Nelson had no legitimate children and his brothers' lines are documented); not asserted.
A link with pioneering days on the Central North Coast was severed by the death recently of Mr. William John Nelson, of Nambucca Heads, at the age of 92. He was born at Kempsey in 1855 and spent most of his life on the Macleay and Nambucca Rivers as sawmiller, farmer and builder. His passing removes one of the best loved figures of Nambucca Heads where he had resided for the last 30 years, and breaks a marriage partnership that lasted 70 years. He is survived by Mrs. Nelson, who is 86, and by 13 of their 15 sons and daughters. They have over 160 descendants, including 64 grand children, 81 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. The grand old man died suddenly at his home on the evening of July 14th, after an illness lasting only three days.
'I pray that God will give this country more of such men aud more of such families.' said Rev. E. Bate during the simple graveside service at the funeral on Wednesday, July 16th, Earlier, to a congregation that more than filled St. Stephen's Church, Nambucca Heads, Rev. Bate paid high tribute to the late Mr. Nelson as a family man, a citizen, and as a lay preacher of the Methodist Church for over 3 0 years.
At the time of his marriage, William Nelson was fireman and engine driver at a Kempsey sawmill. Shortly afterwards he took his young bride to the Mannine River, and they spent a year at Tinonee before returning to Kempsey. There Mr. Nelson managed Hennessy's mill for some years. Later he was for many years a building contractor, and had farms at Clybucca and Warrell Creek. He first went to Warrell Creek 55 years ago. In 1917 he built a home at Nambucca Heads where he resided up to the time of his death.
In September, 1877, he married Harriett Rebecca Barber, one of the ten children of Joseph and Chaptotte Barber, of Kempsey. Mrs. Nelson's grandfather came to Australia with Governor Macquarie, and her parents were both born at Parramatta. Mrs. Nelson was born at Wollongong in 1860. and was five years old when her family moved to Kempsey.
Oxley Is-land having been his birthplace 72 years ago, and his parents were the late Mr. and Mrs. Richard Crossing-ham -(Manning River)
Manning River Times obituary of Henry Albert Crossingham, quoted as the Trove OCR stands (the hyphens are the newspaper's line breaks). It names his parents and gives Oxley Island as his birthplace - 72 years before 1933 is 1861, matching birth registration 8477/1861. austcem records him at Bowraville, 1933, aged 72, spouse Jane Gilliban Wiseman (McKay).