Birth Name: Bernhardt Luvig Nelson
Name preference: Bernie or Barney
Born: December 28, 1899, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Passed through the veil: July 11, 1983
Parents: Luvig Nelson and Jennie Nelson
Siblings: Kleng M. Nelson, Martha Nelson (?), and Nellie Nelson Christiansen
Grade school: (where?) 1905-1913
High School: none
College: none
Military Service: Served in civilian capacity at Brooklyn Army Base in the Transportation Corps, preparing materiel for shipment to the European Theatre, 1941-1945
Married: Jennie Anderson Nelson, April 16, 1921, (where?)
Children: Robert Andrew Nelson, Warren Bernhardt Nelson, Richard Louis Nelson, Allen Clifford Nelson, Marilyn Nelson Crossley, Eugene Ronald Nelson, and Howard Lawrence Nelson
NOTE: It is believed the original family name was Nielsen, and that the US Department of Immigration changed the name to Nelson when Bernie's parents, Jennie and Luvig passed through Ellis Island on their way to a new life in the U.S.
(The intent of the biography is to have each individual present his/her own story in his/her own words. It’s been twenty-six years since Bernie passed through the veil, so it is up to his children to fill in the blanks as best they can. I’ll jump-start Bernie’s bio.)
Bernie (sometimes called Barney) was born three days before the turn of the century in 1899, which made it easy to know his age because it was always the current year. He was raised without the benefit of paternal influence because his father Luvig left the family when Bernie was only eight or nine years old.
Bernie graduated from the eighth grade with the highest marks in the borough of Brooklyn. He never attended high school. At age twelve a piece of glass caused him to lose sight in his right eye, which eventually turned white. (Considering his accomplishments over the remainder of his life, he adjusted quite well with his vision limited to one eye.) His academic accomplishments earned him the required senatorial recommendation from his New York State Senator that would gain him admission to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. However, in a letter from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Secretary Roosevelt expressed regret that Bernie’s loss of sight in his eye would prevent him from being accepted into Annapolis. Some in the family recall him having served in the Merchant Marines before marrying Jennie Anderson Nelson.
Shortly after he and Jennie were married they both served as domestics. Bernie was a chauffeur and a butler, and Jennie a chambermaid. (Their daughter Marilyn has a photograph of Bernie in his butler uniform standing next to the old luxury car he drove as a chauffeur). Some in the family say they worked for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter before they had any children, which means it had to be before Frankfurter became a US Supreme Court Justice. Some time later Bernie was offered a job as a chauffeur for politicians out of Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine of the day, but he refused because he wanted nothing to do with politics.
At one point Bernie had a job driving a dump truck, hauling dirt out of tunnels for a construction company that was building part of the New York City subway system. He became so skillful at handling the truck that he was able to adjust the choke on the throttle to keep the engine running while he opened the door and stood on the running board to steer the truck backwards into the tunnel. So when any Nelson of this lineage sees the subway wallpaper décor at any modern-day Subway sandwich shop depicting the New York City subway system, he/she can claim an associated heritage to its history.
Some time during the tough Depression era Bernie borrowed $200.00 from his father-in-law Andrew Anderson to invest in a produce wagon. He then woke the two older boys Bob and Warren at 4:00 A.M. to drive with him to the Fulton Street Produce Market to load up for the day. Then he had the boys help him sell the produce door to door.
The employment picture for Bernie brightened somewhat when President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration went into effect. One of the projects was to replace a small lake in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn with a public park and three swimming pools. Bernie landed a job with the construction company, presumably driving a truck. He claims to have been the first one in the pool when it was officially opened. The park and the pools were a favorite hangout for the Nelson’s for decades.
When the United States was drawn into the war, forty-one year old Bernie became part of the work force gearing up to support the war effort. Using his truck driving experiences, he gained civilian employment at the Brooklyn Army Base Transportation Corps, where materiel was gathered for shipment to the European theatre. His boss was an Army officer. Bernie took advantage of the incentive program set up at the base for the purpose of maximizing efficiency. On at least three occasions, documented by official military records, Bernie was awarded an additional week’s pay for suggestions he made to improve operational procedures. In spite of his pride, it’s not something Bernie ever bragged about; it was only discovered through later research while looking for documentation relative to other areas.
After the war Bernie began his last job with Kenway Metals on 3rd Street in Brooklyn. He was the warehouse foreman, and it was his job to direct the loading and dispatching of the trucks delivering assorted metal shapes to various industries. Most of the material was aluminum. When Mr. Poppe, the owner of 367, died – circa 1948-1950 – Bernie made arrangements with son Warren to buy the building. Warren and Louise and their son Kenneth moved into the third floor of 367 as co-owners. In 1961, at age 61, Bernie bought his very first automobile – a 1961 Chevy Parkwood station wagon, which he kept in immaculate condition for ten years.
About 1963 the Nelson family Patriarch and Matriarch made the big move from the city to suburbia – Pinecliff Lake in West Milford, New Jersey, on Prospect Lane. For the next year Bernie commuted to Kenway Metals from Pinecliff Lake – about two hours each way. He drove his Parkwood to a bus stop, rode the bus into Manhattan, and then took the subway (that he helped build) to Kenway Metals. In December 1964 Bernie turned 65 and retired.
For the next twelve years Bernie and Jennie lived at the Pinecliff Lake home with most of their family nearby. Gene and Anne were right across Prospect Lane until their move to North Carolina in 1974. Warren and Louise were on Meadow Lane on Pinecliff Lake, Howie and Lily were right up the street, son Bob and his wife Dot were diagonally across the street next to Gene and Anne for a few years. Dick and his wife Pat were further south in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, and Allen and Alice were still upstate New York in Richmondville. Daughter Marilyn and her husband Tony were a short drive south in Wyckoff, Bergen County. In 1971 Bernie traded in his ten-year-old tan Parkwood for a new baby blue, four-door Chevy Malibu.
By the mid seventies Jennie’s health was declining. Marilyn and Tony converted their attached garage to a comfortable suite for Bernie and Jennie. In November 1976 they moved into their new quarters, and on December 10th, Jennie passed away, eighteen days before Bernie’s 77th birthday. They were married for 55 years. By then, Marilyn and Tony’s daughter Jennifer was four years old. For the next seven years Jennifer became a therapeutic, delightful comfort for Bernie. Every day he looked forward to Jennifer coming home from school so they could spend quality time together. The relationship had a lasting impact on Jennifer as well. She was a devastated eleven-year-old when her Grandpa died on July 11, 1983 – eighteen days before Jennie’s birthday. Marilyn sold Bernie's 13 year-old immaculate car, that had 18,000 miles on it, to pay for his funeral.
Name preference: Bernie or Barney
Born: December 28, 1899, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Passed through the veil: July 11, 1983
Parents: Luvig Nelson and Jennie Nelson
Siblings: Kleng M. Nelson, Martha Nelson (?), and Nellie Nelson Christiansen
Grade school: (where?) 1905-1913
High School: none
College: none
Military Service: Served in civilian capacity at Brooklyn Army Base in the Transportation Corps, preparing materiel for shipment to the European Theatre, 1941-1945
Married: Jennie Anderson Nelson, April 16, 1921, (where?)
Children: Robert Andrew Nelson, Warren Bernhardt Nelson, Richard Louis Nelson, Allen Clifford Nelson, Marilyn Nelson Crossley, Eugene Ronald Nelson, and Howard Lawrence Nelson
NOTE: It is believed the original family name was Nielsen, and that the US Department of Immigration changed the name to Nelson when Bernie's parents, Jennie and Luvig passed through Ellis Island on their way to a new life in the U.S.
(The intent of the biography is to have each individual present his/her own story in his/her own words. It’s been twenty-six years since Bernie passed through the veil, so it is up to his children to fill in the blanks as best they can. I’ll jump-start Bernie’s bio.)
Bernie (sometimes called Barney) was born three days before the turn of the century in 1899, which made it easy to know his age because it was always the current year. He was raised without the benefit of paternal influence because his father Luvig left the family when Bernie was only eight or nine years old.
Bernie graduated from the eighth grade with the highest marks in the borough of Brooklyn. He never attended high school. At age twelve a piece of glass caused him to lose sight in his right eye, which eventually turned white. (Considering his accomplishments over the remainder of his life, he adjusted quite well with his vision limited to one eye.) His academic accomplishments earned him the required senatorial recommendation from his New York State Senator that would gain him admission to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. However, in a letter from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Secretary Roosevelt expressed regret that Bernie’s loss of sight in his eye would prevent him from being accepted into Annapolis. Some in the family recall him having served in the Merchant Marines before marrying Jennie Anderson Nelson.
Shortly after he and Jennie were married they both served as domestics. Bernie was a chauffeur and a butler, and Jennie a chambermaid. (Their daughter Marilyn has a photograph of Bernie in his butler uniform standing next to the old luxury car he drove as a chauffeur). Some in the family say they worked for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter before they had any children, which means it had to be before Frankfurter became a US Supreme Court Justice. Some time later Bernie was offered a job as a chauffeur for politicians out of Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine of the day, but he refused because he wanted nothing to do with politics.
At one point Bernie had a job driving a dump truck, hauling dirt out of tunnels for a construction company that was building part of the New York City subway system. He became so skillful at handling the truck that he was able to adjust the choke on the throttle to keep the engine running while he opened the door and stood on the running board to steer the truck backwards into the tunnel. So when any Nelson of this lineage sees the subway wallpaper décor at any modern-day Subway sandwich shop depicting the New York City subway system, he/she can claim an associated heritage to its history.
Some time during the tough Depression era Bernie borrowed $200.00 from his father-in-law Andrew Anderson to invest in a produce wagon. He then woke the two older boys Bob and Warren at 4:00 A.M. to drive with him to the Fulton Street Produce Market to load up for the day. Then he had the boys help him sell the produce door to door.
The employment picture for Bernie brightened somewhat when President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration went into effect. One of the projects was to replace a small lake in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn with a public park and three swimming pools. Bernie landed a job with the construction company, presumably driving a truck. He claims to have been the first one in the pool when it was officially opened. The park and the pools were a favorite hangout for the Nelson’s for decades.
When the United States was drawn into the war, forty-one year old Bernie became part of the work force gearing up to support the war effort. Using his truck driving experiences, he gained civilian employment at the Brooklyn Army Base Transportation Corps, where materiel was gathered for shipment to the European theatre. His boss was an Army officer. Bernie took advantage of the incentive program set up at the base for the purpose of maximizing efficiency. On at least three occasions, documented by official military records, Bernie was awarded an additional week’s pay for suggestions he made to improve operational procedures. In spite of his pride, it’s not something Bernie ever bragged about; it was only discovered through later research while looking for documentation relative to other areas.
After the war Bernie began his last job with Kenway Metals on 3rd Street in Brooklyn. He was the warehouse foreman, and it was his job to direct the loading and dispatching of the trucks delivering assorted metal shapes to various industries. Most of the material was aluminum. When Mr. Poppe, the owner of 367, died – circa 1948-1950 – Bernie made arrangements with son Warren to buy the building. Warren and Louise and their son Kenneth moved into the third floor of 367 as co-owners. In 1961, at age 61, Bernie bought his very first automobile – a 1961 Chevy Parkwood station wagon, which he kept in immaculate condition for ten years.
About 1963 the Nelson family Patriarch and Matriarch made the big move from the city to suburbia – Pinecliff Lake in West Milford, New Jersey, on Prospect Lane. For the next year Bernie commuted to Kenway Metals from Pinecliff Lake – about two hours each way. He drove his Parkwood to a bus stop, rode the bus into Manhattan, and then took the subway (that he helped build) to Kenway Metals. In December 1964 Bernie turned 65 and retired.
For the next twelve years Bernie and Jennie lived at the Pinecliff Lake home with most of their family nearby. Gene and Anne were right across Prospect Lane until their move to North Carolina in 1974. Warren and Louise were on Meadow Lane on Pinecliff Lake, Howie and Lily were right up the street, son Bob and his wife Dot were diagonally across the street next to Gene and Anne for a few years. Dick and his wife Pat were further south in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, and Allen and Alice were still upstate New York in Richmondville. Daughter Marilyn and her husband Tony were a short drive south in Wyckoff, Bergen County. In 1971 Bernie traded in his ten-year-old tan Parkwood for a new baby blue, four-door Chevy Malibu.
By the mid seventies Jennie’s health was declining. Marilyn and Tony converted their attached garage to a comfortable suite for Bernie and Jennie. In November 1976 they moved into their new quarters, and on December 10th, Jennie passed away, eighteen days before Bernie’s 77th birthday. They were married for 55 years. By then, Marilyn and Tony’s daughter Jennifer was four years old. For the next seven years Jennifer became a therapeutic, delightful comfort for Bernie. Every day he looked forward to Jennifer coming home from school so they could spend quality time together. The relationship had a lasting impact on Jennifer as well. She was a devastated eleven-year-old when her Grandpa died on July 11, 1983 – eighteen days before Jennie’s birthday. Marilyn sold Bernie's 13 year-old immaculate car, that had 18,000 miles on it, to pay for his funeral.
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