Robert Nelson came in to existence August 8, 1930 on Bear Creek Road near I35.  The area now is DeSoto but back then was listed as Cedar Hill.  Robert was the 9th child and the 7th boy from a family of 13.  Five of his brothers served in the military during WWII.  When he was three his family moved near Joe Wilson and Parkerville and at age five they moved to the Tindle home located at the end of Ramsey St.


In 1947, they moved to a brand new home on Hickerson St. that his older brother built for the family.  Robert began school in Cedar Hill in 1936 and graduated in 1948.  He married Virginia Ann (Jinx) Lusk and has two stepsons, six grandchildren and four great grand children.

Robert worked for Sears and the National Battery Co a while before he was employed by Federal Pacific Electric Co. where he was Manufacturing Engineer for 35 years.  The Dallas plant closed and he then worked for American Circuit Breaker in North Carolina for 7 years.  He retired at age 66 and moved back to Texas on Joe Wilson Road.

As a hobby he started doing his Family Tree and has over 3400 names.  His great,great, great grandfather George Nelson died in the battle of the Alamo.  Alexander Hamilton is his first cousin nine times removed.  His great, great, great grandmother Jane Hamilton married his great, great, great grandfather Captain Robert Cooper in South Carolina, ca. 1770.

About 1971 while living in Arlington he started a hobby of Bee Keeping.  In 1974  he moved to Irving to be closer to his FPE job so downsized giving several hives to his brother Vinus and brother-in-law Roy Vincent.  Just prior to his move to North Carolina he gave Vinus the rest of his bees.  Moving back to Texas in 1996 he bought more bees and hives naming the hobby, "Honey From Robert".  He currently has 10 hives, but has had up to 20 hives at one time in recent years.

In 1998, Robert, Leon Mobley and J.R. Hickman met to have a 50 year class reunion and decided to make it the beginning of an annual school reunion.  In 2000 the 1950 graduating group signed on the project and it has developed into the Annual Cedar Hill 1931-1981 Reunion which meets on the 2nd Saturday in September.  Robert is also actively involved with the Cedar Hill Museum/Historical Society.

Robert is proud of his family heritage and can tell you all about the Cooper's, Wisdom's and Nelson's all the way back.  Cedar Hill is proud to have Robert and his family call Cedar Hill home.