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Below is a family biography included in The History of Hickman County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1886.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Walter S. Nunnelly, merchant, farmer and stock raiser, was born where he now resides April 12, 1851, son of Lawson H. and Elizabeth (Sandels) Nunnelly, and is of English-Irish extraction. Lawson Nunnelly was born in North Carolina October 31, 1801, and immigrated to Tennessee about 1815, and was one of the most energetic and hardest working men of Hickman County. He was known far and wide as the “friend of the poor man.” He was very charitable, and his death, which occurred September 7, 1885, was lamented by all. His wife was born in the Emerald Isle June 11, 1841, and came to America in 1843, locating in Knox County, Ohio. She came to Tennessee in 1847, and is a resident of Old Vernon. She is a sister of Prof. John Sandels, who for a number of years was a professor at Kenyon College, Ohio. He was born in Ireland, came to America in 1843, and died in Louisiana in 1878. Our subject is the elder of two children. The other, Annie B. (now Mrs. M. H. Meeks) was married December 31, 1880, and is a resident of Savannah, Tenn. Our subject acquired a fine business and literary education, and owns the old Nunnelly homestead. He owns 1,600 acres of land, and is extensively engaged in rearing stock. He began merchandising at Old Vernon in 1882, and has since continued. January 12, 1875, he married Nettie Phillips, who was born in Hickman County in 1853. They have four children: Elise, Harry, Kate and Annie. Mr. Nunnelly is a Democrat, and he and wife are members of the Episcopal Church.

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This family biography is one of 20 biographies included in The History of Hickman County, Tennessee published in 1886.  The History of Hickman County was included within The History of Lawrence, Wayne, Perry, Hickman & Lewis Counties of Tennessee. View the complete description here: History of Lawrence, Wayne, Perry, Hickman and Lewis Counties of Tennessee

View additional Hickman County, Tennessee family biographies here: Hickman County, Tennessee

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