Born: 1716
Married:
Died: 1782
Burial:
Will:
Parents: Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson and Margaret Read
Children:
Thomas Nelson, like his brother William, was a son of one of the wealthiest men in the colony of Virginia. Both sons were sent to England to get an education and study law.
Thomas Nelson was appointed as the Deputy-Secretary of the colony in 1743, and was the last person to serve in that position before Virginia became an independent state in 1776. He was known as "Secretary" Nelson to distinguish him from his nephew, who also became a prominent Virginia leader and ultimately the third governor of the state in 1781. The son of William Nelson was known as "Junior" so everyone could separate him from his uncle.
Older brother William inherited "Scotch Tom" Nelson's house in Yorktown in 1745, and that structure survived the bombardment when Cornwallis occupied the town in 1781. "Secretary" Nelson built his own home in Yorktown, but it was destroyed during the siege.1