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Orange County Indexed

The Nelson surname

The Nelson name in Orange County Indexed: 372 historical records, 7 people in the chronology and 2 headings in books and archives.

In the records
1752 to 1890 most named in the 1850s
  • Deeds 1752–1857
  • Tax lists 1755–1790
  • Court minutes 1780–1818
  • Wills 1782–1864
  • Marriages 1785–1890
  • Records of enslaved people 1825–1857
In the chronology
1794 to 2009 7 people in 54 entries, most in the 1990s
In books and archives
2 people, born 1963
Places in its deeds and wills
Mebane (9), Hillsborough (7), Haw Creek (6), Eno River (5), Cane Creek (3), Churton Street (3), John Williams Mill Creek (2), Stones Creek (2)
Married into
Jones 3, Tate 2, Smith 2, Allen 1, Burnside 1, Burnsides 1, Couch 1, Craig 1, Dunn 1, Eaton 1, Gill 1, Hart 1 · the marriages
Often named with
Jones 18, Smith 15, Strudwick 11, Turner 11, Mebane 10, Paul 8, Laws 8, Craig 8, Strayhorn 8, Tate 6, Gill 6, Squires 6
People with a page here
Mike Nelson, William Nelson
Spellings to try
Nilson, Neelson
Search beyond these records

Drawn from the records below. Families named together, or married to one another, are leads to follow, not proof of kinship. A similar spelling may be another family, and two people of the same name are not necessarily the same person.

In the chronology 7 people

The people of this surname named in the county’s dated events, as the names index lists them. Each printed name is its own heading; names that may be one person are not merged.

In books and archives 2 headings

Subject headings from the library catalogs Orange County Indexed gathers. A family heading collects genealogies and family papers; a person heading, the works about that person.

In the historical records 372 records

121 deeds, 11 records of enslaved people, 33 marriages, 180 court minutes, 10 tax list entries and 17 wills and papers, oldest first. Every record that names someone of this surname, as the record spells it; choose a collection to narrow the list. Nelson marriages in full · Search the name in every collection

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Undated

Other surnames beginning with N · All surnames · People

Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026