An exceptionally unexceptional life

November 28, 2024 2:14 AM

“When I find myself dipping into the dark, I know that I can call up a Nelson town on the computer, and I begin to do the research, and I begin to conduct the interviews, and I start reaching out to people, and it just brings me back.” Then it is onto the next town, the next dot on a map, where Nelson is waiting for him. from In every Nelson he visits, Jeff Truesdell finds the man he loved [The Nelson Star] Nelson Photographs LoveStory
posted by chavenet (16 comments total)

Touching story.

I don’t understand why ‘Nelson’ is such a popular name choice among people who presumably have no particular enthusiasm for British naval history.
posted by Phanx at 3:24 AM on November 28 [2 favorites]

It’s suddenly a bit dusty in here… *wipes tear *
posted by web-goddess at 3:41 AM on November 28 [3 favorites]

Phanx, I’ve always assumed that it’s something to do with the fact that after the defeat of Napoleon, a lot of out-of-work British naval officers (like Lord Thomas Cochrane) wound up serving in the navies of the South American colonies fighting for independence from Spain and Portugal, resulting in a sort of veneration of Lord Nelson by proxy. Haven’t confirmed that, though.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 3:59 AM on November 28 [4 favorites]

awww, that's sweet and def'ny my jam. When my boy Milo was ~6 we went on a road trip from Boston up to Maine and took photos of him in front of Milo Hardware, Milo Firestation, Milo Library, Milo Historical Society, Milo City Limits. In a thrift store on the edge of town we picked up [5c!] a promotional canvas tool belt / nail pouch for/from A.A.Bailey Hardware, Milo, Maine. It was kinda useless for tools or nails but just dinky for miscellaneous keys in the glovebox of . . . all the cars we've owned since 1982.
posted by BobTheScientist at 4:26 AM on November 28 [3 favorites]

What a sad, sweet tale.
posted by senor biggles at 7:01 AM on November 28 [1 favorite]

(like Lord Thomas Cochrane)

Interesting fellow, that.
posted by Phanx at 7:41 AM on November 28 [3 favorites]

This is so sweet! That picture of the two of them with their dog!

Oddly enough, I used to flinch when I saw the name Nelson too much. I absolutely broke my heart over a boyfriend of the name when I was probably too young to date at all. It’s been years since I reacted that way, but it still makes me smile a bit sideways at the article.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:13 AM on November 28 [3 favorites]

Thanks chavenet, it’s beautiful.

A best friend’s brother overdosed years before I’ve were friends. I asked how he grieved. He said “You figure out what they did for you, what they filled for you, and you do it for others.”

Disney’s Coco is the easiest popculture metaphor I can use to explain the relationship between the living and the dead. And my friend’s advice is simplest way I can explain how to get there.
posted by rubatan at 8:39 AM on November 28 [9 favorites]

Nice map!
posted by Nelson at 9:07 AM on November 28 [6 favorites]

So the thing about the name "Nelson" is it's not totally unknown but just uncommon enough it's a surprise when you see your name somewhere else. One game I play on social media is trying to get in early enough I can grab the username. So I have it on Twitter, which has made me the target of a bunch of hacks (and probably cost me my Goodreads account). And here, obviously. I'm just glad I didn't take [e-mail] when I had the chance, turns out short name accounts get a lot of mis-addressed mail.

I've been to Nelson, BC but nowhere else on that map. Not even Nelson, CA which is just an hour's drive from me. (Looking at the map it's not clear it really counts as a town.) I grew up near Nelsonville, TX though, that seemed very exciting when I was seven years old.

I never think about the British navy Nelson so it's always a bit weird when someone mentions him to me. You'd think by the age of 52 I'd have a good joke about being pickled in a barrel of brandy but I've never worked one up. Early in my life people would always associate me with Rockefeller. But he's uninteresting and mostly forgotten. I mostly take pride to share a name with Mandela. That's a namesake to live up to.
posted by Nelson at 9:15 AM on November 28 [12 favorites]

I’ve always assumed that it’s something to do with the fact that after the defeat of Napoleon, a lot of out-of-work British naval officers (like Lord Thomas Cochrane) wound up serving in the navies of the South American colonies fighting for independence from Spain and Portugal, resulting in a sort of veneration of Lord Nelson by proxy. Haven’t confirmed that, though.

The popularity of Nelson in Latin America definitely peaked because of Nelson Mandela (for example, for Argentina you can see a clear peak from 1980-1992), as I imagine it did in many parts of the world. That's not so relevant to this particular Nelson who was born in 1949, but Nelson is a pretty common surname, so it might be difficult to relate the name to any particular person, Lord or otherwise.
posted by ssg at 10:05 AM on November 28 [4 favorites]

I'm writing from the Nelson in NH with the contra dances. The dances have actually been going on here in one form or another for over 200 years. I think one of my neighbors met this guy.
The town was originally named Packersfield, for one of the incorporators who was supposed to gift lots of land to the town. When that didn't happen, the town felt free to change its name, so in about 1812 or 14, they chose Nelson. It's unclear whether they actually meant to honor the famed British Admiral but Nelson, NH has been known to raise some folks who may enjoy tweaking the Feds from time to time.
posted by Hobgoblin at 10:07 AM on November 28 [3 favorites]

[This lovely, tender story has been added to the Best Of blog! ]
posted by travelingthyme at 11:12 AM on November 28 [3 favorites]

" I don’t understand why ‘Nelson’ is such a popular name choice among people who presumably have no particular enthusiasm for British naval history."

It might be coincidence but when I see his surname Figueroa I am reminded how popular names ending in -son are in Brazil. I know men called Adilson, Anderson, Wilson, Edielson, Edson... not sure what that -son sound connotes for Brazilians but it's a thing.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:27 AM on November 28 [1 favorite]

Nelson, BC is named after Lt-Gov Hugh Nelson, at the time of the city's founding. I expect many of the other Nelsons have nothing to do with the hero of Trafalgar (which is a name often used to commemorate the Admiral).
posted by CCBC at 3:01 PM on November 28 [1 favorite]

I know men called Adilson, Anderson, Wilson, Edielson, Edson... not sure what that -son sound connotes for Brazilians but it's a thing.

There's a Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears Of The Kingdom joke to be made here, maybe, about the Bolson Construction Company, which only hires people whose name ends in -son.
posted by xedrik at 8:28 AM on November 29