Born William Nelson Owen, 1 January 1839, to James M. Owen and Martha Blair. He dropped the last name of Owen after accidentally killing a Union soldier. With the help of friends and family members, William made it safely into Arkansas where he married Nancy Jane Watson on the 15 February 1866. On the 2 November 1888, he established the Nelson township and the town of Datto. He was shot and killed by his son-in-law, Walter Mullins, on the 6 October 1897.
