This collection contains material documenting the personal and professional life of Thomas Nelson, an internationally renowned textile expert and educator. Included are correspondence, photographs, textile samples, clippings from print media, class and lab notes, and Nelson's various published works. Of special interest in this collection is correspondence with then-Democratic presidential nominee Franklin Delano Roosevelt, correspondence with a North Carolina State alumnus serving in World War II, and a signed 4th edition of Nelson's book, Practical Loom Fixing.
Thomas Nelson (1872-1953) worked as educator, administrator, and textile technologist. He served the Textiles Department at North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University) from 1901 to 1949, originally as an instructor, then Head of the Textiles Department, and later as the first Dean of the School of Textiles.
Thomas Nelson (1872-1953) worked as educator, administrator, and textile technologist. He served the Textiles Department at North Carolina State College from 1901 to 1949, originally as an instructor, then Head of the Textiles Department, and later as the first Dean of the School of Textiles.
Nelson was born in Preston, England on April 24, 1872. In Preston, he studied at the Harris Institute Technical School. He earned a certificate for weaving and designing in 1891 by the City and Guilds of London Institute. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from North Carolina State College in 1926. When he joined the faculty at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University) in 1901, the department had only one instructor and a couple of weaving machines. At his retirement as Dean of the School of Textiles in 1943, Nelson headed one of the largest and most successful textile schools in the country. In 1908, Nelson helped organize and was a charter member of the Southern Textile Association, and in 1943, he was chosen as the first president of the newly formed National Council of Textile School Deans. Between 1911 and 1922 he also served as a Commercial Agent for the Bureau of Manufacturers of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor, Special Agent for the United States Tariff Board, and consultant with the Tariff Commission. In the summers of 1934 and 1937, Nelson traveled to Europe to visit the leading textile schools in England, Ireland, and Scotland. He authored two books: Weaving: Plain and Fancy (1907) and Practical Loom Fixing (1917), which by 1949 had been published internationally and in five editions. He was active in scholastic, civic and religious affairs on campus and in the community throughout his life. Nelson died in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 11, 1953.
This collection contains material from the personal and professional life of Thomas Nelson, an internationally renowned textiles expert and educator. Thomas Nelson, the first Dean of the Textiles School of North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University), began his career as an instructor and later became the head of the Textiles Department. Included in this collection are correspondence, photographs, textile samples, clippings from print media, class and lab notes, and Nelson's various published works. Of special interest in this collection is correspondence with then-Democratic presidential nominee Franklin Delano Roosevelt, correspondence with an N.C. State alumnus serving in World War II, and a signed 4th edition of his book Practical Loom Fixing.
The collection is arranged into two series:
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries’ “Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Thomas Nelson Papers, MC 00002, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Gift of Thomas Nelson Jr., 1970 January 7, with additions from other sources, 1970-1984.
Jason Smith, 2005 April
The collection is organized into two principal series:
This series contains the personal papers of Thomas Nelson. It covers his family life, along with his involvement in civic organizations. Included in the letters are correspondence from Senator J. W. Bailey, and then-Democratic presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt.
This series is divided into three subseries: correspondence, clippings, and miscellaneous.
This subseries contains the personal correspondence, 1921-1951, of Thomas Nelson. It includes correspondence with Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States Senator J. W. Bailey, and North Carolina Governor J. Melville Broughton.
This subseries contains newspaper clippings that provide information from both the First and Second World Wars, until December 1939. It also includes newspaper clipping from throughout the state discussing Thomas Nelson's automobile accident in 1938, and includes his obituaries that ran in the Raleigh Times and the News and Observer.
This subseries contains various facets of Thomas Nelson's personal life. Its oldest document is his School Attendance Certificate, which dates to 1877. This subseries inludes income tax records for Nelson from 1917 until his death in 1953. It also covers other aspects of Dean Nelson's personal life, from his nuclear family to extended family. Information concerning Thomas Nelson's involvement with the Lions Club and freemasonry, as well as information concerning his wedding to Mary Andrews in 1902, is also found in this subseries.
This series contains the professional papers of Thomas Nelson. It covers his career in respect to North Carolina State College and external work with the federal government. This series also includes many publications of Thomas Nelson as well as various teaching materials and papers from the Textiles Department of the College of Textiles.
The professional correspondence subseries contains correspondence that relates to Thomas Nelson's career with the college and federal government. It contains correspondence from heads of textile companies as well as letters from alumni upon the retirement of Dean Nelson. This subseries also contains letters pertaining to Thomas Nelson's placement as an instructor in the Textiles Department in 1901 and correspondence about his eventual position as Director of the Textiles Department, and finally, as Dean of the Textiles School.
This subseries includes media clippings from Thomas Nelson's career at North Carolina State University. It contains clippings from newspapers throughout the state, which cover items such as the Textiles School specifically, or the activities of Dean Nelson. It also contains information concerning his text, Weaving Plain and Fancy Free.
This subseries contains published works of Thomas Nelson. Included in this series are his books, along with notes written by the author. It also contains articles written in Russia, along with articles written in Nelson's native language English. These publications touch on various technologies and techniques employed in the production of textiles.
This subseries highlights the development of textiles at North Carolina State College. It contains various class notes and teaching materials used by Thomas Nelson throughout his tenure at the university. Included are various fabric samples. In addition, there are notes for a Defense Course, which was sponsored by the United States Government during World War II. This subseries also includes information about the new textile building, Nelson Hall, and its naming.
This subseries provides information on the travels taken by Thomas Nelson in his official capacity with the college. It includes information about his various trips to New England, Canada, Europe, and the western United States. Dean Nelson took these trips in order to gain a better perspective on the textile industry and as a means of helping North Carolina State College's textiles program continue to develop and expand its reach.
This subseries contains various documents from the career of Thomas Nelson. Included is information concerning his work with the United States government along with various achievements during his career. It includes such information as speeches, and technical information about a general textile operation. It also includes information about his retirement in 1949 from North Carolina State University.
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
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[Identification of item], Thomas Nelson Papers, MC 00002, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries’ “Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.