Humphrey Nelson Humphrey Nelson Old-time oysterman “Hump" Humphrey Nelson always said those scrumptious shellfish were his life. To Hump’s way of thinking, Mason County was paradise where all folks needed for a good living was at their fingertips Hump shared his treasured growing secrets and local folklore with plenty of folks around these parts before he died in Shelton on Sunday, April 23. In fact, he wrote his life story “The Little Man and the Little Oyster," and though it was never published, it was dis- tributed among the county’s oystermen. “The people of today I don’t think, can hardlybelieve that such a paradise ever existed,” Hump said, referring to the pristine area of New Kamilche, where he lived as a youngster and got his start in the oysters. Always a businessman, Hump’s first job as a 15-year-old was run» ning the mail route from New to 91d Kainiléhe, a.dis , Ice of about ‘ VI miles that he crossed‘hy p‘ony. He and El buddy had several other ventures and by 1900 Hump was working in a logging campt From n as a oc goth: goods, Hump moved on to 2 neighbor’s oyster beds. l3y the :13;- he’ was 30 he owned his own i o ster reanngl he‘slsahgroyyster business was a, pretty big thing in them daysgt Hump said in an intemew {Pb rior to his 100th birthday w1 1c7 he celebrated last year on zloty 1d (Hump was born in _Wmte8 )ie Township, Michigan, m 18‘8 , d “I sold mussels, too. They re g2: eatin,’ 'bout as good as the oys r. About the richest seafoodwthere i: , in the world is the oyster, he sex at the time of the interview:“ h In the tale of Hump s h 9 he wrote about the natural places“: favorite little gems grew. sle largest beds were in Hamm'lerwey Inlet or Big Skookom and Lettle Inlet comm§r饣§§3 l kum an s . Sk‘gesides oysteriog, Hump 5561?: time in Alaska (in about 1 ial dredging for gold and commerc “1 fishing up in the Sekiu wa‘fcers.ne could sit and fish all day or“l’ve fish,” he recalled last year: aw caught every:lhinwg‘frogrzlfia1 mmn n er, e to 1:: gdgartner Ben Welch also owned two freight boats, The Done and The Lark, which ran from Oys- ter Bay to Olympia. Hump had resided in the Kamil- che area in a home nearhis son and daughter»in-law, Lee and Coila Nelson, for many years. Surviving Hump Nelson, be— sides Lee and Coila, are a grand- son, Jan Nelson of Shelton; a granddaughter, Tana Vara of Sun- nyvale; 13 great—grandchildren; and 13 greatgreat-grandchildren. Funeral services were held yes- terday, April 26, at McComb and Batstone Funeral Home. Hump was buried at Shelton Memorial Park. Arrangements were under the direction of McComb and Eat- stone mineral Home, , OCR Text: Humphrey Nelson Humphrey Nelson Old-time oysterman “Hump" Humphrey Nelson always said those scrumptious shellfish were his life. To Hump’s way of thinking, Mason County was paradise where all folks needed for a good living was at their fingertips Hump shared his treasured growing secrets and local folklore with plenty of folks around these parts before he died in Shelton on Sunday, April 23. In fact, he wrote his life story “The Little Man and the Little Oyster," and though it was never published, it was dis- tributed among the county’s oystermen. “The people of today I don’t think, can hardlybelieve that such a paradise ever existed,” Hump said, referring to the pristine area of New Kamilche, where he lived as a youngster and got his start in the oysters. Always a businessman, Hump’s first job as a 15-year-old was run» ning the mail route from New to 91d Kainiléhe, a.dis , Ice of about ‘ VI miles that he crossed‘hy p‘ony. He and El buddy had several other ventures and by 1900 Hump was working in a logging campt From n as a oc goth: goods, Hump moved on to 2 neighbor’s oyster beds. l3y the :13;- he’ was 30 he owned his own i o ster reanngl he‘slsahgroyyster business was a, pretty big thing in them daysgt Hump said in an intemew {Pb rior to his 100th birthday w1 1c7 he celebrated last year on zloty 1d (Hump was born in _Wmte8 )ie Township, Michigan, m 18‘8 , d “I sold mussels, too. They re g2: eatin,’ 'bout as good as the oys r. About the richest seafoodwthere i: , in the world is the oyster, he sex at the time of the interview:“ h In the tale of Hump s h 9 he wrote about the natural places“: favorite little gems grew. sle largest beds were in Hamm'lerwey Inlet or Big Skookom and Lettle Inlet comm§r饣§§3 l kum an s . Sk‘gesides oysteriog, Hump 5561?: time in Alaska (in about 1 ial dredging for gold and commerc “1 fishing up in the Sekiu wa‘fcers.ne could sit and fish all day or“l’ve fish,” he recalled last year: aw caught every:lhinwg‘frogrzlfia1 mmn n er, e to 1:: gdgartner Ben Welch also owned two freight boats, The Done and The Lark, which ran from Oys- ter Bay to Olympia. Hump had resided in the Kamil- che area in a home nearhis son and daughter»in-law, Lee and Coila Nelson, for many years. Surviving Hump Nelson, be— sides Lee and Coila, are a grand- son, Jan Nelson of Shelton; a granddaughter, Tana Vara of Sun- nyvale; 13 great—grandchildren; and 13 greatgreat-grandchildren. Funeral services were held yes- terday, April 26, at McComb and Batstone Funeral Home. Hump was buried at Shelton Memorial Park. Arrangements were under the direction of McComb and Eat- stone mineral Home, , Mason County Genealogical Society,Obituaries,Obituaries for Shelton Cemetery,N Last Name,Nelson, Humphry ''Hump''.tif,Nelson, Humphry ''Hump''.tif, Nelson, Humphry ''Hump''.tif