There seems to be a conflict as to Nelson's children from census tocen sus. Maggie may not belong to this family of siblings.
Residences & events:
Bef 1859 CA where son Perry was born.
1860 Where was the family that year at census time? On the move backh ome?
7/8/1870 Rock Creek Twp, PO Rockfield, Carroll Co, IN. ApparentlyCal ifornia did not present the fortunes as touted as the cenus takerfound t he family back east. Nelson was recorded as a 39 year oldfarmer with p roperty valued at $2000/6000. Wife Elizabeth was 35 andtheir only chi ld was Perry, 12. (Where was Maggie?) Cousin Adam VanGundy lived in t he same area. Two doors down was sister Mary andJohn Sneathan.
6/1880 Carroll Co, IN. The census taker found Nelson at age 49, afarm er, with wife Elizabeth, 42, and children, Perry, 21, and Josie,7. (A gain Maggie was missing.) Two doors down was the Adam VanGundy family a nd 3 doors in the other direction was Elizabeth'sbrother, Levi Turner.
A story in the History of Carroll Co, IN of the abduction of a LuellaM abbit says Nelson served as sheriff:
In October, 1887, deputy sheriff Stanley, of Cass county, arrestedAmer G reen in southwestern Texas and lodged him in the Carroll countyjail. T he news of his capture went broadcast. He had been in jail buta few da ys until strangers were noticed on the street; but it did notcreate an y suspicion that a mob was preparing to take him out andhang him.
On Friday morning, October 21, 1887, a mob of one hundred or moresurro unded the jail, overpowered the sheriff, Nelson VanGundy, andhis deput ies, and with sledge hammers battered down the doors andseized Amer Gr een, tied him, put him in a carriage and drove offsouth, being joined b y many more, and went east on the Delphi andFlora road, about eight mi les, to Walnut Grove, where a parley tookplace. Green was asked as to w hether Luella Mabbitt was alive; hesaid, "She is." He said, "She is at F t. Worth, Texas, living with aSamuel Payne." He said, "I hope you are n ot going to burn me; youhave come out to murder me, and are going to d o it, but do it likecivilized men." The mob cried out, "Give him
the stake." "Burn him." "Torture a confession out of him."
A descendant said that what the above article did not say is that thet hen-governor of Indiana wrote a letter that was printed in theIndianap olis papers criticizing the sheriff for not being more awareof the dan ger. Nelson responded that "if the danger were so obviousto the gover nor, why didn't he mobilize the milita?" Nelson wascalled "Van Blunde rbus" for his statements.
Nelson is buried on Row 6 along with his wife, son anddaughter-in-law, h is parents and a sister.
