“The Wilson Family,” authored by R. E. Wilson and published in 1931 by the Courier Company in Zanesville, Ohio, delves into the history of the Wilson family, tracing its roots from Scotland to America. The genealogical study begins with David Wilson, born around 1650 in Scotland, and follows the lineage through his descendants who settled in West Virginia. The narrative, shaped by old family records, correspondence, and county histories from West Virginia, covers several generations up to the third American-born generation of Wilsons. This account emphasizes the family’s migration and settlement due to historical conflicts like the Scotch Rebellion of 1715, and it also notes the acquisition of land by the family in areas now known as Hampshire, Hardy, and Grant Counties. The documentation is marked by asterisks to denote the availability of additional information on certain family members, serving as a crucial resource for descendants seeking to understand their heritage.
This brief history has been gleaned from old family records, correspondence with other members, and histories of Ritchie, Barbour, Harrison and Randolph Counties, West Virginia.
The first known ancestor was David Wilson, who was born in Scotland about 1650; he had a son David, born about 1685, who was forced to flee from Scotland to Ireland owing to his being on the losing side in the Scotch Rebellion of 1715. His son William (b. Nov. 19, 1722; d. June 12, 1801) came to America about 1736; married Elizabeth Blackburn, also of Scotch-Irish descent, about 1746, and settled on Trout Run near Moorefield, Hardy County, W. Va. The Land Office at Richmond shows that he and his sons patented many tracts of land in what is now Hampshire, Hardy, and Grant Counties. Nothing further is known of him as to where he lived and died.
The following history of his descendants up to and including the third generation born in America includes all of such as are known at this time. Since the second and third generations are only known for three of the branches of the family and then only in part, it must be clear to those who cannot find the name of an ancestor among the list given to which to tie up their connection, that there will be plenty of opportunities among the names of the other descendants when they have been found. An asterisk (*) preceding a name indicates that other information is on file; where a name is not so marked very little or nothing further is known.
Notes:
- No Index.
- No copyright page.
- No table of contents.
- Booklet is in a box.
- Foldout included.
- Some over-cropping to capture all content.
- Handwritten notes inked throughout
- 10p ; 22 cm
Source
Wilson, R. E. The Wilson family. Zanesville, OH : Courier Co., printers and binders, 1931.
