The Page-Nelson Society of Virginia
Descendants of Col. John Page and the Hon. Thomas “Scotch Tom” Nelson, keeping their history accurate, preserved, and shared since 1994.
Two families, one society
The Page-Nelson Society is an organization of documented descendants of two immigrants from the British Isles who settled Virginia’s Lower Peninsula.
Col. John Page
1627–1692
Arrived about 1650 from Middlesex, in the present London borough of Hounslow, and settled in the Lower Peninsula of Virginia.
Spe labor levis
Hon. Thomas “Scotch Tom” Nelson
1677–1745
Came from Penrith, in present-day Cumbria, and settled in Yorktown about 1703.
Palmam qui meruit ferat
About the Society
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 Page and Nelson descendants living in 35 states and several other nations, including Argentina, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Associates who are still verifying their descent are welcome too.
Individuals unrelated to the Page or Nelson families are welcomed as Friends of PNS, a category created to support the Society’s scholarship program.
Because the Page-Nelson Society of Virginia is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization, donations to support its activities are tax-deductible.
Our missions
The Society’s twin missions are preservation of historic documents and education, carried out by member volunteers for the benefit of the general public.
- ScholarshipAid students who need support at critical points in their academic careers.
- PreservationCollect and focus attention on historical documents, memorials, artifacts, and buildings associated with Colonel John Page, the Honorable Thomas “Scotch Tom” Nelson, and their descendants.
The Society is concerned for the accuracy of historical data, particularly what is accessible in the public domain. We support research into how Page and Nelson family members connect to significant events in our nation’s history. Of particular interest is the close friendship between Governor Thomas Nelson Jr. of Yorktown, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Governor John Page of Rosewell.
We also research the transatlantic origins of both families, and publish a quarterly newsletter for members on subjects of historical relevance to the Page and Nelson families.
Genealogy
The Society maintains a database of several thousand descendants of Colonel John Page and the Honorable Thomas “Scotch Tom” Nelson. To keep it current and accurate, members are asked to check their listings periodically and report new information or corrections.
Associate and prospective members are asked to provide as much information as they can about their Page and Nelson ancestors, so they can be linked to the right lines of descent. One base record for both families is the second edition (1893) of Dr. Richard Channing Moore Page’s Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia, available in reprint from the Society. Some of its information has been revised by later research, but the Society considers it a landmark record of the Page and Nelson lines.
The full genealogy database is not currently available to the general public.