Early life John Nelson was born near London, England, in 1654 to Robert and Mary Nelson. He came to
Boston in 1680 and married Elizabeth Tailer, who was 12 years his junior. That same year he became a member of the
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. He would later become a captain in the colonial militia. He was a nephew of Sir
Thomas Temple, a British proprietor and governor of
Nova Scotia, and inherited much of Temple's estate, including his territorial claims to Nova Scotia (which had been restored to France as
Acadia in the
Treaty of Breda).
Boston revolt On 19 April 1689, Nelson, a resident of
Long Island in
Boston Harbor, was one of a number of prominent Bostonians leading
a revolt against Governor Sir
Edmund Andros. Andros, the hated governor of the
Dominion of New England, had angered may colonists by vacating land titles, enforcing the
Navigation Acts, and promoting the
Church of England.
Land deals During 1690, John Nelson bought all of the property from the tenants on Long Island with the exception of four and one-half acres owned by Thomas Stanberg, a shopkeeper from Boston. Stanberg was one of the original tenants on Long Island. Nelson was well connected politically, being a close relative of Sir Thomas Temple and the husband of Elizabeth Tailer, the niece of Lieutenant Governor
William Stoughton and sister to Lieutenant Governor
William Tailer. On 4 June, Nelson mortgaged his Long Island property to William and Benjamin Browne from
Salem, Massachusetts, for 1,200 pounds. Henry Mare managed the Brownes' house and land on Long Island.
Capture by the French In 1691, in the
Naval battle off St. John, John Nelson was captured by the French while on a trading or privateering voyage to Acadia, and was imprisoned in
Quebec. It was common for local
privateers to receive commissions in Boston but were considered pirates by the other nations of the world, especially the French and Spanish, who were the superpowers at the time. While in prison, Nelson learned about secret French plans for attacks against the Massachusetts colonies. Nelson discreetly informed the Massachusetts authorities of this information from his prison cell. For this act, Nelson was punished by being transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the
Bastille prison in France. In 1702, after ten years of imprisonment, his relative, Sir Purbeck Temple, obtained his release. Nelson immediately returned home to Nelson's Island (Long Island) as a local hero. In 1696 he communicated a "a scheme for the reduction of Canada" to the British authorities.
Political activities Nelson was a signer of "The Humble Address of the Publicans of New-England" in 1691. He was not allowed any share in the subsequent government, likely on account of his being an
Anglican, according to
Thomas Hutchinson.
Family and later life Nelson married his wife, Elizabeth, and had six children. Rebecca, who married Henry Lloyd, Elizabeth, who married Nathaniel Hubbard, Mehetable, who married Captain Robert Temple, Margaret who married Captain Thomas Steele, Temple, and Pachal. Nelson and his wife were active in the activities of
King's Chapel from 1700 to 1719. ==Notes==