William Wilson, the pioneer ancestor of this family, emigrated from Stewardstown, County of Tyrone, Ireland, in 1732, when 19 years of age. The Town of Stewardstown is in the parish of Donagheny in the province of Ulster and eighty-two miles northwest of Dublin, long noted for its very superior linen cloth.
Zachariah Reser, a prominent retired farmer from Rossville, Kansas, was born on March 13, 1848, in Kentucky. He moved to Indiana with his family before settling in Kansas in 1866. Reser obtained a homestead in Pottawatomie County and later expanded his holdings to 400 acres in Shawnee County. Married twice, he had two children with his second wife, Mary Alice Lemon. A respected and independent citizen, Reser remained politically unaffiliated, focusing on his family and contributions to the Methodist Church and fraternal organizations.