Contains records of Nelson's family from Denmark as well as Brigham City, Utah; Nelson's education in Box Elder County, Salt Lake Schools, Weber College (Ogden, Utah), BYU, and New York University. The collection also includes papers concerning his early career as an engineer, his work for Bell Laboratory (New Jersey), and his World War II records related to his work in the control of optical and precision instruments industries in Berlin. Also included are professional files related to the development of microfilm (this series includes professional documentation, newsletters, etc., all related to the microfilm industry's standards and publicity). This collection includes the following record and genre types: personal and professional papers; correspondence; reel to reel and cassette tapes; plaques; certificates; photographs; 35mm. slides from his family, professional and recreational travel; mementos; diaries; published sheet music (Nelson wrote some published music); audio/visual and photographic equipment (this is completely unprocessed) that he used both for recreation and professional research. Also contains some selected military artifacts, including a window from Berchtesgaden, the personal retreat of Adolph Hitler in Obersalzberg, Germany.