Nelson Constant was born in 1914 and raised in Kramer, Louisiana. His childhood was unique because his mother was a teacher and made sure that he finished high school, even though it meant he had to live with several different aunts. He entered the oilfield after working in his daddy’s store for several years and getting to know a party chief who did business with the store. He began with a survey crew in the swamp and advanced quickly to surveyor and permit man, jobs which he kept for most of his 23 year career in the industry. When he left the industry, Nelson went to work planting soybeans for about 8 years and then built some crawfish ponds.