Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16454, Page-Nelson Society of Virginia Historic documents, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession 2019-0135 Donated by Peter M. Page, 26 January 2019.

Historical Note

The Page-Nelson Society is an organization of documented descendants of two immigrants from the British Isles, Col. John Page, who arrived circa 1650 from Middlesex (in the present London borough of Hounslow) to settle in the Lower Peninsula of Virginia, and the Honorable Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson, from Penrith (in present-day Cumbria), who settled in Yorktown circa 1703.

The Society was founded in 1994 by Cecil Wray Page, Jr. (1920-2011) of Gloucester, Virginia, a descendant of both Colonel John Page and the Honorable Thomas Nelson. Membership includes Nelson and Page descendants residing in 35 states in the U.S. and several other nations, including Argentina, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Individuals unrelated to the Page or Nelson families are also welcomed as Friends of P-NS, a new category initiated to support the Society's scholarship program.

The twin missions of the Society are preservation of historic documents and education, with provisions for specific activities in these areas, designed and implemented for the benefit of the general public.

Source: https://pagenelson.org/

Scope and Contents Note

Page-Nelson Society of Virginia Historic documents (1790-1805, 0.21 cubic feet) contain an autograph letter signed from John Page (1744-1808) to "Dear Sir," noting that he will be absent from Congress during January 1791 (dated 6 December, 1790); a printed commission on parchment, completed in manuscript, appointing John Preston as Major in the Third Division of the Virginia Militia, signed by Governor John Page (1744-1808), dated 24 December 1802; a printed land grant on parchment (oversize) with seal affixed, completed in manuscript, granting 400 acres to John Keesee, signed by Governor John Page, dated 26 September ,1805 and a partly printed document, 1 page, completed in manuscript, a legal complaint against John Page (1744-1808?), executor of the estate of John Page (of North End?, 1720-1744), for settlement of a debt due to Bowdoin, Eyre and Smith, Caroline County, Va., 30 January, 1786, signed by Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Arrangement

Legal size folder contains an autographed letter signed by John Page, a printed commission on parchment, and legal complaint against John Page. Printed land grant on parchment with seal affixed, granting 400 acres to John Keesee, signed by Governor John Page 26 September, 1805 is in an oversize folder.

Separated Material

University of Virginia Commencement program for 1934 transfer from this collection to University Archives.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Legal documents
• land grants
• letters (correspondence)
• military commissions