Thomas "Scotch Tom") Nelson
Feb. 20, 1677 - Oct. 7, 1745
Of Penrith, England, on the border of Scotland, he came to Virginia about 1700 where he married Margaret Read, the only daughter of the well-to-do family of John and Mary Lilly Read. He quickly became Yorktown's most prominent citizen and built Nelson House. It still stands on Main Street with its lofty chimneys and solid walls.
Here, he and wife Margaret raised their three children: William (father of Thomas Nelson, Jr.) who served as President of the King's Council for many years; Thomas, Secretary of the King's Council; and Mary, who became the wife of Edmund Berkley.
The epitaph on Scotch Tom's monument is in Latin. Translated, it reads: "Here lies in certain hope of resurrection in Christ THOMAS NELSON, gentleman son of Hugo and Sarah Nelson of Penrith, in the county of Cumberland. Born February 20th AD 1677, he well filled the fold of a merry life died October 7, 1745 aged 68 years." The stone cutter's mark "Sanders Oliver Cannon Street London" is inscribed on the upper edge of the monument's left side.
by courtesy of D. W. Conner
Heaven A holy life is a voice; it speaks when the tongue is silent, and is either a constant attraction or a perpetual reproof.
