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Nelson Marshall Watson was born to Lewis and Melvina (Harnden) Watson on June 2, 1864
in Arbela, Tuscola Co., MI. We do know that Nelson's father Lewis left the
family and went off on his own. We think that Melvina couldn't afford to
support her children so Nelson and his sister, Ella went to live with Gary
Covell in Dundee, MI. We are not exactly sure who Gary Covell is, but
believe him to be a relative of Melvina. In the 1870 census, it shows that
Nelson 4 and Ella 10 were living with Gary and Adeline Covell. (We are not
sure if Adeline is Gary's sister or wife.) Family sources state that Nelson
named one of his sons Gary after the man that raised him.
Click here
to see a picture of Nelson as a child with his sister Jennie. |
Nelson Watson
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Here is a
family story about Nelson. None of this is verified yet . . .
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Nelson
Watson |
Nelson
was living on the farm in Dundee, MI. Nelson appreciated that family and
their taking him in but he didn't want to stay on at farm work. When
Marshall was only 12 years old he decided to leave the farm and go out
into the world on his own. He talked to a man who was taking a flat boat
up the Raisin River from Monroe past the farm. He told the man he wanted
to run away, and the man told him to be at the river when he was
returning to Monroe (about 14 miles from Dundee) and he would take the
boy to Monroe. Somehow, he got work on a boat going from Monroe to
the East Coast and went to Boston where he was able to enlist in the U.S.
Marines. Nelson was 6 feet tall at the age of 12 and Marine enlistment
rules must have been pretty loose. Nelson supposedly did get onto a
ship which traveled a great distance. Finally when Nelson was 14
years old he grew tired of Marine life and confessed his true age to
someone and was able to obtain a discharge.
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Nelson
was 20 years old when he married Esther Jane Todd. The family story is
that he was a Singer sewing machine salesman who rode around Detroit on one of
those 6 foot high front wheel bikes with a sewing machine strapped to his back
calling on potential buyers. He called on the dressmaking shop where Esther Todd
worked as a seamstress. They fell in love and married on May 12, 1885.
They were married in Windsor, Ontario where the Todd family lived at that time.
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Nelson
with sewing machine
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Nelson
and Esther's wedding day
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Esther
Jane (Todd) Watson |
Nelson
Watson |
Together
they had six children. Chester (Roy), Don, Glenn, Esther, Gary and David.
1905 -
picture taken by Don Watson
bottom row: David, Esther, Gary (sitting) Esther, Nelson
back row: Glenn, Roy, Don
Nelson
was an inventor as his father Lewis was. Click here
to see a list of inventions that Lynn Watson-Powers obtained.
The
following was taken from his obituary:
While
residing in Detroit Mr. Watson was well-known as a machinist and electrical
engineer, and his work brought him in touch with Henry Ford and many others,
then working in obscurity, who have since become prominent in the automotive
world. He had great mechanical genius, and had a hundred of more inventions to
his credit. Of these the best known were a time record clock, an electrical
medical vibrator and an electrical annunciator.
One of
his inventions, the Time Clock, we have found the most information on.
This was taken from a booklet for the Time Clock:
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Nelson's
Time Clock
1900 |
A correct time roll and good order are essential to the welfare of all
establishments employing help. This result is more perfectly attained by
the Watson Time Register than by any other means every devised.
A permanent
records is made and the employer is enabled to know at a glance the time at
which each employee comes to and goes from his place of work, which creates a
prompt and regular attendance that nothing else will do, "literally a
labor-saving device that pays for itself may times over."
The
apparatus is simple, substantial and reliable, does its duty without fear or
favor, makes no mistakes, and the time roll is correct beyond all question.
Space will not permit us to detail the many merits and advantages of our
register and timekeeping system. We attach the testimony of a few of the
leading manufactures and businessmen that are users of our Time Registers.
"They speak for themselves."
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Apparently
Nelson ran into troubles with the patent of his Time Clock. The following
is part of a letter Glenn Watson, Nelson's son, had written in regards to
Nelson.
My father Nelson M.
Watson spent most of his life as an inventor and his father ahead of him,
Lewis Watson had also spent his life as an inventor of steam laundry
machinery. My grandfather was wealthy for his day.
Pa was well started
in the manufacture and sale of his patented Time Clock for factories and was
really making money. He had been rough up a few times while installing
machines by men and women workers who claimed that a Time Clock took the bread
from their mouths.
He was sued by the
Bundy Time Registry Company which later became the IBM. He won the first suit
as being no infringement - also the second suit which was tried before William
Howard Taft, who later became U S President. The Bundy Company took it to the
Supreme Court in Philadelphia. By this time my dad had spent every dollar he
had. His backer who had promised to furnish the money necessary died three
days before the case came up and my dad lost due to being unable to appear.
There were no autos to hitch hike to Philadelphia.
That
soured my dad and although he continued to invent, he insisted that patents
were not worth a darn because the Government would not protect a poor invent
from the wealthy companies.
Nelson
moved his family to a place in the county in Milford. There they started
the Ancona Chicken Ranch and Nelson went into business with his sons, David and
Gary to formed the Milford Concrete Works.
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Ancona
Chicken Ranch
1917
Gary Watson
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Milford
Concrete Works
April
29, 1929
Nelson,
Dave, Gary Watson |
In
September of 1926, a fire broke out at the business. The following was
taken from an article in the Pontiac Daily Press.
Milford,
Sept. 30. - Flames, believed to have originated from an oil stove used to
hurry the process of curing cement blocks in the block factory of N. M. Watson
& Sons, at the east end of Commerce street, last night completely
destroyed the building. A large stock of cement and some equipment, as
well as a large quantity of completed blocks were ruined.
Mr. Watson has not
been able to estimate his loss which he believes, however, will mount into
several thousands of dollars.
Plans were announced
this morning for the immediate rebuilding of the structure.
Because the plant
was rushing manufacture of blocks, and has many orders ahead during this, its busiest
season, every effort will be made to get the new structure up quickly.
A
recently installed machine of costly type, and the company's motor truck were
removed to safety. Several new electric motors were among the equipment
destroyed.
Nelson for many years had
been a Mason of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council, Consistory and Shrine.
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Nelson
died on the same day as his mother, Melvina Harnden Watson.
Apparently Nelson had been ill for some time, but died suddenly on June
1, 1929 at 10:50 p.m., a few hours before his 65th birthday.
Melvina had died on June 1, 1929 at 5:00 a.m.. A double funeral
service was held at Denton Methodist Church in Denton, MI.
Several
sources say Melvina, Nelson and later, Esther were buried in Denton
Cemetery in Denton, MI. However there are no grave markers for the
three. |
Nelson
& Esther Jane (Todd) Watson |
A
special thank you to my Uncle Paul Watson for sharing many of his great memories
of Nelson and Esther with me. -Diane
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