The Nelsons manufactured spring knives in the Edward Street / Upper Allen Street area.  The family can be traced as far as Abraham Nelson, who was born in Sheffield on 10 October 1804.   Abraham was the son of Isaac, a cutler, and his wife, Hannah.  He worked as a spring knife cutler until his death at Daisy Walk on 24 March 1880, aged 75.   His wife, Elizabeth, had died in 1869, aged 64.   They were buried in St Philip’s churchyard, Shalesmoor.   Their son, Samuel (1837-1917), continued in the trade.  He and his wife, Harriett née Clay (1839-1911), had a large family, which included Samuel Jun. (1871-1961) and Walter (c.1862-1929).   Samuel Nelson Sen. was an employed cutler for most of his life, though in the directory in 1893 he was listed as a manufacturer at Columbia Works, West Street.   In that year, his son, Samuel, landed at Ellis Island, New York, and headed for a job at Southington, Connecticut (probably at either Southington Cutlery Co or the American Shear Co).  His brother, Walter, had preceded him in 1892.   By 1906, Nelson had moved to another job at Schatt & Morgan in Titusville, Pennsylvania.  By 1914, he was working at the factory of Camillus, New York.  In 1946, he retired and in the following year returned to Titusville with his wife, Mary.  He continued making knives until his death in Titusville on 8 October 1961, aged 90.   His biography, illustrated with many fine examples of his file-worked pearl pocket knives, has been told by Clark (2012)¹.

^1. Clark, David, ‘Samuel Nelson – Craftsman of Pearl Cutlery’, Knife World (October 2012)