In the June issue of Memphis magazine, I told you what I could about Nelson Business College, a school that was located at various places around town for close to half a century. Shown here is a view of the typing class at the school, taken sometime in the early 1900s. You can read that fascinating story here.
But I was stumped about the college founder himself, a fellow named Albert Nelson, who apparently (so I said at the time) came here from Ohio, got the school running, and then ... disappeared.
Well, my pal Beverly Crawford decided she would look into the mysterious Albert Nelson, and discovered quite a lot about him. Including the fact that he is buried in Memphis.
Here's what she had to say:
Dear Vance:
I enjoyed your bit on Nelson Business College. I did a little snooping and found Albert Nelson in Solomonville, Arizona, by 1900. The 1900 census showed him there with his wife Lilly and two children. His occupation was shown as College President. Interestingly, his family was listed among the inmates of the Graham County Hospital. It makes me wonder if he moved there for his health.
In any event, Nelson died there on January 17, 1903. He is buried in Forest Hill Midtown in Memphis. I also found papers relating to his estate in Graham County., Arizona. He left everything to his wife and two children. His estate consisted of household furniture, his share in the estate of his father, Richard Nelson, and 100 shares in the Nelson Business College. The wife estimated the value of these shares to be $300.
Tracking his widow has been a little more difficult. She was back in Memphis by 1909. In the 1910 census she was still in Memphis with with her son Albert, her daughter Corinne, and a daughter from an earlier marriage. She died in 1920 and is also buried in Forest Hill Midtown, apparently next to Albert E. Nelson. But the name on her tombstone is Lilly K. Bryan. The DAR listed her husband as Alfred M Bryan, but I haven't been able to track any information on him.
Beverly Crawford
Thanks for all your hard work, Beverly. The next time I'm out at Forest Hill, I'll try to track down Nelson's grave and post a photo of his tombstone, if I deem it interesting enough.
