Henry Nelson was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, in 1875, the son of Henry and Jane Nelson (née Marsh). He was the second eldest of four children and his father was a railway porter, who later became a railway inspector.
After completing his education, Henry left his home town behind him and moved to the port city of Liverpool where he became a barman, and also changed his named to Neilson! There he met Frances Evelyn Duke, and the couple married on the 4th November 1894 at St. Pauls Church, Princes Park, Liverpool, and in 1895, their son, Charles Henry, was born.
On the 25th August 1907, the Neilson family arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on board the s.s. Lake Erie from Liverpool. Five days later, they crossed the border into the United States of America at Detroit, Michigan, and travelled on to Chicago, Illinois.
It is unknown for how long they stayed in Chicago, but at some point the family moved to Brooklyn, in New York City, where both Henry and Charles found work as clerks. Their home there was at 831, Nostrend Avenue.
The family returned to England in April 1913 for a three month holiday, and in the spring of 1915 they decided to return to England again. Consequently, they booked second cabin passage on the Lusitania, which left New York on the afternoon of 1st May 1915. It is likely that this was only for a holiday and not for a permanent return.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the vessel was torpedoed and sunk, by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
All three of the family members were killed as a result of this action and as none of their bodies was ever recovered and identified later, none of them has a known grave! Henry Neilson was aged 40 years.
As soon as the news of the sinking reached Britain, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool set up The Lusitania Relief Fund administered by a local committee to help survivors and relatives of victims of the sinking and one of the first to apply for financial help was a Mrs. Nelson of 2, Greig Street, Park Road, Liverpool, Lancashire. On 20th May 1915, she was granted an immediate award of £2-0s-0d., followed by 5/- (25p.), per week for four weeks and then 3/6d, (17½p.), thereafter, until the end of 1915 when she became eligible for the Old Age Pension.
It would appear from this award that Mrs. Nelson was a dependent relative of the Neilson family and was probably Henry Neilson’s mother.
On 23rd June 1916, over a year after Henry Neilson’s death, administration of his will was granted to an Ellen Neilson, described as a widow, at London. His effects mounted to £108-15s-7d., (£108.78p.). It is likely that Ellen Neilson was the dependent relative described above.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1935, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to the U.S. 1895 – 1960, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Massachusetts Passenger Lists 1820 – 1963, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.