Edwards, Nelson G.

Born: 1820-XX-XX Kentucky

Died: 1852-08-19 Alton, Illinois

Flourished: Alton, Illinois

Son of Cyrus Edwards, Nelson moved with his parents from Kentucky to Illinois at an early age. After completing his education at Shurtleff College, Nelson commenced reading law under his father's tutelage. He earned admittance to the bar, and entered into partnership with Levi Davis, forming one of the most popular and successful law practices in Alton, Illinois. In 1846, he married Harriet Cooper, with whom he had two children. In 1850, he was practicing law and owned real property valued at $8,000. From 1851 to 1852, he represented Madison County in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Gravestone, Alton Cemetery, Block OY, Lot 231, Alton, IL; History of Madison County, Illinois (Edwardsville, IL: W. R. Brink, 1882), 189, 192; John Clayton, comp., Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 217; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Alton, Madison County, IL, 365; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Madison County, 7 October 1846, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL.