In 1880, he and his parents moved to Missouri where they lived for about 10 years before heading to Cottage Grove, Lane, Oregon, United States by 1892.
Walt married Ethel Yancy.[citation needed] She was ill with consumption and passed away about a year after marriage.
In 1918, both he and his brother, Rube Nelson, are living in Latah County, Idaho, United States where they both registered for the WWI Draft on 12 September. Shortly after, William moved to the neighboring county of Shoshone, Idaho where he lived for many years. Off and on, however, he would go back to Latah County and live with his brother Rube for a while. Sometime before 1935, he became estranged from the rest of the family.
Sometime after 1942 William moved to Lebanon, Oregon.
William died on 8 Sep 1956 in Lebanon, Linn, Oregon aged 77.[1][2][3]
Research Notes
William Walter Nelson is elusive in some of the census years. There are records that at first glance seem to be a match until you delve deeper.
During these missing years, he may have married, as the 1920 Census reports his Marital Status as Widowed.
The 1940 Census indicates that he is Head, Single with a household of 4. The three subsequent entries are identified as wife and daughters of the head. Two of his great nieces, Wallen-623 and Wallen-625, stated years ago that they had never known him to be married. On 31 March 2020, they confirmed that earlier statement.
However, both acknowledged that they may not have been aware of a pre-1920 marriage with a non-surviving wife.
UPDATE 4 Apr 2020: Subsequent to the conversation of 31 March, 2020, [[Wallen-625, found, on 3 Apr 2020, some handwritten notes amongst the effects of Edythe (Nelson) Wallen. The notes identify a wife of William Walter Nelson as Ethel Yancy, who died of consumption about a year after marriage. A preliminary search has not located any marriage or death records substantiating this information. However, an Ethel Yancy, born about 1883, appears in a 1900 Census for Cottage Grove, Lane, Oregon, United States. Since the population of Cottage Grove was 974 in 1900 [4] and Walt's father and most of his siblings were also in Cottage Grove [5] the working hypothesis is that this is Walt's wife.
Sources
↑ "Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZCS-JPX : 11 December 2014), William W Nelson, 08 Sep 1956; from "Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2000); citing Linn, Oregon, certificate number 10544, Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Salem.
↑ [(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7602/4118766_00436/45737234)] Ancestry.com, 1900 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004); Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. (T623, 1854 rolls.), 1900; Cottage Grove, Lane, Oregon; Page: 22; ED: 0120; (FHL microfilm: 1241348); Nelson.
"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHSM-184 : 13 January 2022), William Nelson in household of Samuel T. Nelson, Randolph Township, Ohio, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8Q8-SQR : 31 December 2021), William Walter Nelson, 1917-1918.
"United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJT-22PY : 10 March 2021), William Walter Nelson, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
[(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6742/4240635-00316/19448075)] Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census (Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010;) Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. (National Archives, Washington, D.C.), Roll: 302; Page: 24A; ED: 148; Randolph, Ohio, Indiana; pg 9; Nelson.
[(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6061/4300165_00950?pid=109442274)] Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010); Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920,. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C; (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls), Sunset Precinct, Shoshone, Idaho; Roll: T625_294; Page: 7A;ED: 208; William W Nelson.
[(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00753-00491/99759101 )] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012); Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. (T627, 4,643 rolls), ullan, Shoshone, Idaho; Roll: m-t0627-00753; Page: 15B; ED: 40-23; Nelson.
[(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005240760_05374/23590311)] Ancestry.com, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005; Original data: World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.), Registration State: Idaho; Registration County: Latah; Roll: 1452217; Serial # 732; William Walter Nelson.
[(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1002/31887_B011817-01272/10315845)] Ancestry.com, U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010); Original data: United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration), The National Archives at St. Louis; Box or Roll Number: 36; Serial# 1551; William Walter Nelson.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Walt by comparing test results with other carriers of his ancestors' Y-chromosome or mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Walt: