Lord Nelson "Nels" Roney (September 2, 1853 – November 24, 1944) was a building contractor and carpenter working primarily in the U.S. state of Oregon.

He designed and built many of Oregon's early covered bridges, often using the Howe truss.

The Roneys moved to Missouri where Nels began a three-year apprenticeship as a carpenter, earning 17 cents per day his first year.

[1] Eugene Skinner had operated a ferry crossing the Willamette River near his Donation Land Claim, but Roney arrived at a time when the growing town of Eugene City needed a bridge.

[1] When many Oregon bridges washed out in the floods of January 1881, Roney was often hired to rebuild.