Today in Wheeling History: September 14 — Parson Nicholson, professional baseball player who played for Wheeling’s minor league team before joining Major League Baseball, made his MLB debut with the Detroit Wolverines (1888).
Thomas Clark "Parson" Nicholson was born April 14, 1863, in Blaine, Ohio, becoming one of the most respected baseball players of his era with significant connections to Wheeling, West Virginia. He earned the nickname "Parson" because he refused to play baseball on Sundays, preferring to observe the Sabbath. In 1887, at age 24, Nicholson played for the Wheeling team in the Ohio State League, where he compiled an impressive .357 batting average combined between Steubenville and Wheeling, catching the attention of major league scouts. After Steubenville folded in late June 1887, Nicholson was signed by Wheeling's club, where he played alongside future Hall of Famer Sol White, who had been his teammate and friend with the Bellaire Globes.
Nicholson's professional baseball career spanned from 1887 to 1899, including three seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Wolverines (1888), Toledo Maumees (1890), and Washington Senators (1895). His best major league season came in 1890 with Toledo, where he appeared in 134 games at second base and compiled a .268 batting average with 11 triples, four home runs, 72 RBIs, and 46 stolen bases. Nicholson concluded his playing career in 1899 as player-manager for Wheeling in the Interstate League, initially joining as an umpire before taking over as manager in July when the club changed ownership.
Throughout his baseball career, Nicholson operated a shoe business called Nicholson and Ball in Bellaire, Ohio, just across the Ohio River from Wheeling. He eventually owned shoe repair shops in both Bellaire and Wheeling. After his playing days ended, he was elected mayor of Bellaire in 1903, serving through 1905, and was superintendent of Trinity Lutheran Church for 25 years. He died February 28, 1917, at age 53 from bronchial pneumonia caused by tuberculosis, survived by his wife Elizabeth and five children. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Bellaire, Ohio.
To learn more: Wikipedia – Parson Nicholson (https://tinyurl.com/3znvuaw9), Baseball Reference (https://tinyurl.com/ybpxa25k), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/yjz9hydp), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/rjrem7uj), Society for American Baseball Research (https://tinyurl.com/2nhat94r), Find a Grave Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/2kd4ny77)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Wheeling Intelligencer, Find a Grave
Thomas Clark "Parson" Nicholson was born April 14, 1863, in Blaine, Ohio, becoming one of the most respected baseball players of his era with significant connections to Wheeling, West Virginia. He earned the nickname "Parson" because he refused to play baseball on Sundays, preferring to observe the Sabbath. In 1887, at age 24, Nicholson played for the Wheeling team in the Ohio State League, where he compiled an impressive .357 batting average combined between Steubenville and Wheeling, catching the attention of major league scouts. After Steubenville folded in late June 1887, Nicholson was signed by Wheeling's club, where he played alongside future Hall of Famer Sol White, who had been his teammate and friend with the Bellaire Globes.
Nicholson's professional baseball career spanned from 1887 to 1899, including three seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Wolverines (1888), Toledo Maumees (1890), and Washington Senators (1895). His best major league season came in 1890 with Toledo, where he appeared in 134 games at second base and compiled a .268 batting average with 11 triples, four home runs, 72 RBIs, and 46 stolen bases. Nicholson concluded his playing career in 1899 as player-manager for Wheeling in the Interstate League, initially joining as an umpire before taking over as manager in July when the club changed ownership.
Throughout his baseball career, Nicholson operated a shoe business called Nicholson and Ball in Bellaire, Ohio, just across the Ohio River from Wheeling. He eventually owned shoe repair shops in both Bellaire and Wheeling. After his playing days ended, he was elected mayor of Bellaire in 1903, serving through 1905, and was superintendent of Trinity Lutheran Church for 25 years. He died February 28, 1917, at age 53 from bronchial pneumonia caused by tuberculosis, survived by his wife Elizabeth and five children. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Bellaire, Ohio.
To learn more: Wikipedia – Parson Nicholson (https://tinyurl.com/3znvuaw9), Baseball Reference (https://tinyurl.com/ybpxa25k), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/yjz9hydp), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/rjrem7uj), Society for American Baseball Research (https://tinyurl.com/2nhat94r), Find a Grave Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/2kd4ny77)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Wheeling Intelligencer, Find a Grave
RSS Feed