Nelson's Funeral Home records

Collection

Identifier: Ms-0513

Staff Only

Content Description

Contains 15 bound volumes of funeral records kept by Nelson's Funeral Home, Las Cruces, NM, 1935-1965. Volumes 1-10 and 12-15 are arranged in chronological order, with an alphabetical surname index in the front. Volume 11 is indexed and arranged by last name, not in chronological order. Each record contains information such as: age, residence, occupation, date of funeral, place and cause of death, name of individual who ordered funeral services, name of individual who paid for services and a ledger of payments made. Other death record information is also noted. Some record entries have a newspaper death notice or obituary pasted in. Other records include a copy of the official death certificate.

Dates

1935-01-07 - 1965-05-24

Biographical / Historical

John Herbert "Herb" Nelson came to Lake Valley, New Mexico in 1905, at age 12, after the death of his mother. He had been educated in public elementary school at Candia, New Hampshire and as an adult he returned to attend Bryant-Stratton Business College at Manchester, New Hampshire before deciding upon a career as a funeral director. He then enrolled at Worsham Embalming School in Chicago, graduating in 1918. He served an apprenticeship with the U.S. Navy at the Great Lakes Training Center north of Chicago. Upon graduation, Nelson returned to New Mexico and became the first embalmer in the village of Hurley. He remained in Hurley until 1920, then relocated to the vicinity of Long Beach, California. In 1926, he returned to New Mexico and joined the staff of the Santa Rita Store Company as embalmer and pharmacist.

In 1929, he met and married Gertrude Ann Keough, an elementary school teacher from the nearby Santa Rita Elementary School. She was originally from Illinois, but was lured to the West in 1918 to seek a higher paying teaching job. She first went to Cimarron, New Mexico, where she taught along with her younger sister, then moved to Santa Rita where she taught children of workers from the Kennecot Mines. Her living quarters were in a company owned rooming house. Soon the Nelsons were working together in the funeral home business. Two daughters, Alice and Blanche, were born in 1929 and 1931.

In reminiscences published in the Las Cruces Sun News in 1977, she recalled parking on a hill overlooking Las Cruces and discussing with Herbert the possibility of opening another funeral home in the city. At the time there were two other funeral homes in Las Cruces. By April 1933, they had decided it was worth the investment and they relocated their family, opening Nelson's Funeral Home at 419 South Main Street. Herbert made the trip to Sterling, Illinois to purchase his first hearse and drove it back to Las Cruces. Nelson’s Funeral Home occupied a building that had been the home of the first mayor, Martin Lohman. It had 13 rooms built in a horseshoe shape around an outdoor patio, and was constructed of traditional adobe bricks, with viga ceilings and a tin roof. Two more daughters, Clara and Mary Jo, were born to the Nelsons soon after their relocation to Las Cruces. Since the growing Nelson family lived at the funeral home, a couple of rooms were added to the south side of the building as well as garages on the north side of the property.

Ann Nelson became the first woman in New Mexico to receive a funeral director's license. The two ran the Nelson's Funeral Home in Las Cruces from 1933 until 1965, Ann kept the books and helped dressed the bodies of deceased children. When their health began to fail, they sold the business and rented the building to the new owner. With the arrival of the urban renewal movement in Las Cruces, the historic building was demolished around 1968.

The Nelsons were active in many community groups. He served on the board of directors of the New Mexico Funeral Directors Association for many years; was a member of Lodge 1119 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Las Cruces, and was a life member of Hurley Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He also was a member of the Scottish Rite Consistory at Santa Fe, holding the 32degree in that rite, and belonged to Ballut Abyad Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Albuquerque. Locally he was a member of the Kiwanis Club. Politically he was a member of the Republican party. He was raised and remained in the Congregational Faith. Ann was active in the Catholic Church and was a member of Christ Child Society and the Catholic Ladies Social Club in St. Genevieve's Parish prior to its renovation. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. She was a charter member of Altrusa Club, an international service organization for business women, and was a life member of the Woman's Improvement Association.

John Herbert Nelson died on May 7, 1971. Ann died January 3rd, 1979. They are buried side by side in the first mausoleum at Hillcrest Cemetery, Las Cruces.

Extent

15 Volumes : Bound volumes ; 15x10 inches

2.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Nelson’s Funeral home was one of three Las Cruces funeral homes in the mid 1930’s. The funeral home was in the same building that had been the home of the first mayor, Martin Lohman. The Nelsons retired and sold the business in 1965. The building was demolished during the Urban Renewal project in 1968.

Funeral records from 1935 to 1965 are in 15 bound volumes. Information of the deceased includes: age, residence, occupation, date of funeral, place and cause of death, name of individual who ordered funeral services, name of individual who paid for services and a ledger of payments made. Other death record information is also noted. Some record entries have a newspaper death notice or obituary pasted in. Some records contain an original death certificate.

Condition Description

Good to fair. All content is clear and legible. Some bindings are starting to split. Book 11, July 7, 1954 - December 16, 1955, lost its original binding and has been rebound with post binding. Donor said some of the content from this book was lost.