Nelson Bradford Lightfoot ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8}

  General Notes:

Brothers Nelson, Andrew, and Edward Lightfoot worked for the New Jersey, Indiana and Illinois Railroad Company. The NJI&I was originally created by the Singer Sewing Machine Company in order to transport their products from South Bend, IN to a connection with the Wabash Railroad in Pine, Indiana. The line began service in 1905 and officially operated on only 11.4 miles of track. The line ran between South Bend and Pine, Indiana, where it met the Wabash Railroad.

Up until and through World War I the line offered two passenger trains round trip daily to Detroit. In the 1930s passenger service was discontinued. The Wabash had purchased the line in 1926 but continued to operate it as a separate railroad. The major customers included Singer Manufacturing and The Studebaker Company. The NJI&I continued in service until 1982 when the Norfolk Southern absorbed the line. Despite both manufacturers going out of business in the early 1960s and early 1970s, the line continued to operate for several other smaller customers.

The name is derived from the three states Singer had plants in at the time of charter. The railroad was eventually taken over by the Wabash and operated through the Norfolk and Western takeover. The line continued to service several customers until the NS-Conrail takeover allowed NS to access their customers via the former New York Central Chicago line. The line was abandoned and removed in the late 1990s.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1900 US Census in Union Township, Saint Joseph County, IN on 4 June 1900. ³

Page 4B, District 138, Dwelling 72, Family 74
Union Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
house rented
Nelson Lightfoot...Son..May 1894..6..IN
(Living with parents.)
.

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Union Township, Saint Joseph County, IN on April 1910. ⁴

Sheet 3A, District 195, Family 47
Union Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Nelson Lightfoot...Son..15..IN
(Living with widowed mother.)
.

• His occupation in June 1917 was a Laborer for New Jersey & I & I RR Co. In Lakeville, IN. ⁷

• He resided at R. R. 1 In June 1917 in Lakeville, IN.
⁷

• On 5 June 1917, he registered for the World War I Draft at South Bend, IN.

Name: Nelson Lightfoot
Birth Date: 10 May 1894
Birthplace: Lakeville, Indiana, United States
. ⁷

• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in South Bend, IN on January 1920. ⁶

Sheet 7B, District 231, Household 155
South Bend, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Serephin Krill...Head..72..IN
Dora Krill...Wife..64..Hamburg Germany
Elmer Veith...Grandson..12..IN
Freman Clark...Boarder..38..IN
Nelson Lightfoot...Boarder..25..IN

NOTE - Nelson was enumerated twice for the 1920 census. Once was with his widowed mother and a second time when he was living with the Krill family along with his uncle Freeman Clark.
.

• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in Union Township, Saint Joseph County, IN on January 1920. ⁵

Sheet 1A, District 215, Family 2
Union Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Nelson Lightfoot...Son..25..IN
(Living with widowed mother and maternal grandmother.)
.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Lincoln Township, Saint Joseph County, IN on April 1930. ¹

Sheet 4A, Roll 627, District 0065, Family 67
Lincoln Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Nelson Lightfoot...Head..35..IN
(Living with wife and 2 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1940 US Census in Greene Township, Saint Joseph, IN on 17 April 1940. ²

Sheet 11A, Roll 1092, District 71-8, Family 184
Greene Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Residence in 1935: Same House
house rented
Nelson Lightfoot...Head..45..IN..8th grade..farmer
(Living with wife and 3 children.)
.

• He resided at Pierce Road in 1942 in Union Township, Saint Joseph County, IN.
⁹

• Nelson Bradford Lightfoot registered for WW II Draft: 1942, Union Township, Saint Joseph County, IN.

⁹ Name: Nelson Lightfoot
Birth Date:10 May 1894
.

Nelson married Cecile R. Day about 1923.^{1 2} (Cecile R. Day was born on 3 November 1900 in Illinois ^{1 2 10} and died in December 1987 ¹⁰.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Lincoln Township, Saint Joseph County, IN on April 1930. ¹

Sheet 4A, Roll 627, District 0065, Family 67
Lincoln Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Nelson Lightfoot...Head..35..IN
Cecile R. Lightfoot...Wife..29..IL
Helen R. Lightfoot...Dau..6..IN
Robert Lightfoot...Son..2..IN
.

• They appeared on the 1940 US Census in Greene Township, Saint Joseph, IN on 17 April 1940. ²

Sheet 11A, Roll 1092, District 71-8, Family 184
Greene Township, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Residence in 1935: Same House
house rented
Nelson Lightfoot...Head..45..IN..8th grade..farmer
C**Le Lightfoot...Wife..39..IL..8th grade
Helen R. Lightfoot...Dau..16..IN..10th grade..Clerical School
Robert N. Lightfoot...Son..11..IN..5th grade
Richard D. Lightfoot...Son..8..IN..1st grade
.

  Marriage Notes:

Both Nelson and Cecile most likely died in or around Lakeville, IN and are probably buried in the Lakeville Cemetery where Nelson's parents and several of his siblings were buried. Records from this somewhat rural cemetery are incomplete, missing, and inaccurate. As of 2013, volunteers have located and documented all the visible Lightfoot gravestones but the names of Nelson or Cecile are not on those lists. Either they were buried without any visible markers or they were buried in a different, yet undisclosed location.
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