Thomas Nelson History: A Firm Foundation |
|
|
In 1780, Thomas Nelson was born in a modest farmhouse in Throsk, Scotland. His hard-working parents raised him on their small farm in a lush plain at the foot of the rolling green highlands.
The faith of Thomas' parents and grandparents was strong and passionate, befitting their rugged Scottish character. Thomas would often accompany his father on journeys of forty miles to participate in communion services of the Covenanters. These fervent gatherings created a lifelong impression on the boy. By age sixteen, he had become a teacher. But teaching proved not to be his calling. Thomas soon planned to seek his fortune in the West Indies, but he changed his mind just short of boarding the ship and returned home. Several jobs followed, but none of them proved to be a good match for the young Scotsman. Ultimately, Thomas packed up what little he had and set out for London. After searching fruitlessly for work, he paid his landlady what he owed and was reduced to a single coin—which he gave to a beggar. Penniless, he finally heard about a job as a publisher's apprentice on Paternoster Row, a street prophetically bearing the Latin words for "Our Father." He got the job -- and loved it. After all, Thomas had always enjoyed books, particularly those concerning the Bible and the Christian life.
 While in London he established a weekly Bible fellowship meeting with friends. Before long the eighteen-year-old had saved enough money to return to Scotland and open a second-hand bookshop in Edinburgh. He could scarcely have imagined the road that lay ahead for him-and for the company that would forever bear his name.
|
NEXT |
|
The Nelson story begins
