Nelson was born on September 26, 1889, to Hakad Nelson and Bertha Nelson who were originally from Sweden. She became totally deaf at the age of four. Her parents were farmers who spoke Swedish at home. Nelson credited mail-order catalogs for helping her learn English. She attended the School for the Deaf at Faribault, and the Wisconsin School at Delavan, finally attending School at Berkeley, where she graduated. She attended Gallaudet College for undergraduate and graduate school, receiving an M.A. in 1915. She did coursework in typewriting, business practice and library science at
Columbia University, often advocating for her inclusion in classes of hearing students because of her exceptional
lip reading skills. She retired from Gallaudet in March 1942 and died of cancer at the home of her sister on April 20, 1942. ==References==