Nelson

My mother commented on a number of occasions that the Nelsons came from Sheffield, the place where they make stainless steel! At that time my image of Sheffield was of a place with a curiously named football team, 'Sheffield Wednesday'. But more of that later.

I did look for a 'Sheffield connection' on a couple of occasions over the last decade or two, but it was not until mid 2015 that I found a link in the 1861 English Census. There was William Dickerson Nelson, wife and first child; recorded as a 'Labourer'. A couple of years later they were in Queensland, although I have not been able to find a record of their passage.

William's mother came from the Norfolk village of Swaffham and his father, Robert from the nearby village of Necton where he was born and buried. Via the media of Google Street View we can today see that both villages appear 'picture perfect' with large, very old church cemeteries. Necton was for many generations the home of the Nelsons, but I suspect that William grew up in Swaffham which appears to be Robert's adopted village from the time of his marriage until his death.

William Dickerson was the first of 10 recorded children of Robert and Sophia. Fortunately the Swaffham records are now available on line and each christening records Robert's occupation. William was christened on 25th Sept 1829 (born 17th Aug 1829); just after his parents marriage on Sunday 28th June 1929. Their 10th child, Samuel was christened on 30th May 1855; soon after Robert's death (buried at Necton on 17th March 1855, aged 73).

I find people's occupations interesting! They help to put a person and the time into perspective. Robert Nelson:

1829 Labourer;1832 Butcher; 1834 Labourer; 1837 Butcher; 1842 Kiddier; 1845 Kiddier; 1847 Labourer; 1849 Labourer; 1851 Labourer; 1855 Gardener.

It this era it was often parents desire to 'cut lose' a son in the hope he could find a better life elsewhere, usually in a big city. As the eldest child it may have been William's parent's desire for him to leave, or approaching 30 years of ago, his own. In any case he left Norfolk and married Ann Harrison on Tuesday 21st Feb 1860 in Sheffield.

Sheffield in 1860

Sheffield like so much of the mid lands of England was a booming industrial heart land.

Munitions to support the powerful British Army and even greater Navy were adding to the economy, already expanding to feed the markets in her colonies and beyond.

In the mid 19th century Sheffield was the crucible of football, and can now boast the world's oldest clubs, Sheffield FC and Hallam FC formed in 1857 and 1860 respectively. On Wednesday 4th September 1867 the Wednesday Cricket Club formed a football branch to keep members together during the winter season. The cricket team played on Wednesday afternoons when members, craftsmen, shopkeepers and clerks, had a half day off work. The new club was officially named The Wednesday Cricket & Football Club.

In their first ever game, The Wednesday defeated the Mechanics Club by three goals and four "rouges" to nil. Under "Sheffield Rules", the goal posts were four yards apart and a second pair of vertical posts stood four yards to either side. If the ball passed between these outer posts and was touched down by the attacking side, a rouge was scored: if teams finished level on goals, the one with the most rouges was the winner.