(( )) = my notes.......((?)) = undecipherable by me.
I made a trip to the Charleston WV archives recently. The
SWISHER lines run into some WILSON lines [of which I have not
traced yet] I copied some information on this WILSON Family.
Don't know if it eventually ties into some of our related WILSON
lines, but at any rate, it IS someone's WILSON line! Without
further ado I'll give it to you as I copied it that day.
(( )) = my notes.......((?)) = undecipherable by me.
In 1729 William WILSON the founder of this WILSON family in America, then a young man, left Dublin Ireland to seek his fortune and new home beyond the braod water. On the ninth of Aug. he landed in New Castle DE. And recorded the fact and date with his own hand, in a book he brought with him. And which is the same old book above mentioned and now before me.
The family traditon is that he smuggled this book out of Ireland, it there being contrary to law to bring such books out of the country and to America.
William WILSON soon moved to Chester Co. PA where he married. His wife was an orphan who had been reared by an uncle. Whose property she inherited at his death, he being childless.
But little is now known of them after ((?)) while they remarried in Chester, except that they reared a family of two sons & three daughters, ((You'll notice there are 4 dtrs listed)) married as follows: John, William, Margaret, Elizabeth, Susan, and Barbara.
Early in 1753 the family removed to Augusta Co, VA where they at first located in the settlements while the sons John & William went into the wilderness some 20 miles or more from other settlements when they located on the head waters of Jackson River at a point now in Hardy Co. VA. Here they ((?)) and some land and planted and raised a crop of corn, thus securing what was known as a "corn-right title" to so much and, say 400 acres.
In the following year (1754) William WILSON Sr. and the remainder of the family all moved to this settlement, for a permanent home--- Here they lived in conformative peace and quiet with such comfort and contentment as a frontier settlement afforded until 1760. When the youthful Shawnee Brave Cornstalk afterwards to become so famous a historical character led his memeorable Indian raind against the fated Greenbriar and Jackson River settlements.
After exterminating the Muddy Creek and Big Level settlements about one hundred souls, all told, a portion of the raiding party (?) on up the Greenbriar river through what is now Pocahantas Co. and crossed over to attack the Wilson settlement and others on Jackson River.
Just at this time, the Wilson's were erecting a new and longer log house than the original cabin that had hitherto served them.
John had gone to Dickinson Fort, not far away to get some help for the house-raising. Next day while William had gone to little mill about a mile distant, to get some meal ground for the house-raising party.
Two of the sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth were out on the riverbank, washing some flaxton. Mrs. Wilson, who was in feeble health had walked out to where they were at work. An Irishman, who was a weaver, had a loom in the yard and was weaving, two of the sisters, Susan and Barbara were in the cabin ironing the family clothes. And the father, with some other men were at work on the new house logs. When the attack was made.
((st. p 12)) of life about the cabin.
Seeing none, they concluded, or feared, that the family had all been destroyed. In nearing the cabin, other danger, suggested themselves, the family had several very fierce dogs which had been restrained to great watchfulness, some were taught to sleep at the back door of the cabin and some at the front, so as to give warning of approacheers from either direction, it also occured to them that if any of the family survived, they would have sentries stationed out to wate for a possible return of the Indians during the night and that these sentries might ((?)) on them. In the uncertainty mistaking them for Indians John Wilson himself took the lead, cautiously approached the cabin and succeeded in reaching it without accident or alarm.
Upon entering the cabin he was rejoiced to find his father and sister, Susan alive, present and unharmed, but was at the same time fained to find his sister Barbara badly wounded and his mother, two sisters, his brother, William and the Irish weaver all missing and their fates unknown.
At early dawn next morning John and his party started our to search for the missing ones. He tracked his mother, by her blood, and about...((I had remembered reading the accounts of this incident in another book or excerpt so did not complete it here)).
((Pg 17)) John WILSON married Sarah ALEXANDER daughter of William ALEXANDER who was said to have been the first man to teach Latin in the Valley of Virginia and probably the first in America west of the Blue Ridge. ((Pg 18)) The children of John WILSON & Susan ALEXANDER were John, William, Sarah-Charolette, Susan-Ester & Margaret
John died in New York unmarried.
William married Sarah McCLUNG, d/o John McCLUNG, of
Bath County.
((p18 3/4))About this time John WILSON went into the Army. He became Col. of Cavalry and commanded a regiment during the Rev. War (He lived 'til Jan 24, 1821)
He never asked for, but declined to accept a pension forhis services. He said he did not think that anyone who was able to do without it should ever recieve pay for defending his country.
He (Col. John WILSON) was for many years a magistrate in Bath Co. under the old VA system.
At one time, on the occassion of an approaching presidential election, the Auditor of the State sent out the county magistrates, blank paper, upon which to make out election tickets with proper forms in which to make them out. There were no printing offices in Bath Co. in those days and to hire clerical force to srite out all these tickets would have cost money which the tax payors could ill afford.
Col. WILSON then 13 years old dtr, Margaret (Afterwards Mrs. HARRIS) wrote out for her father his portion of these tickets.
The election referred to was the one in which Mr. JEFFERSON was elected to his first Presidential term.
((Pg 18 7/8))They lived and died within 4 miles of the Old WILSON cabin on Jackson River.
At an early time, the date not now known, three brothers McCLUNG emigrated to America, two of them stopping in VA and one going on to ((?)).
The John McCLUNG above mentioned was a son of one of the VA brothers and he had following brothers and sisters--Edward, William, James, Joseph & Samuel and one sister name not known.
Edward McCLUNG was accidentally dtowned, intestate leaving several infant children, all except one o f whom have come to age, viz:
Jane M., John Groves, Sarah married John NEWSUM, Mary, Edward. Edward is still under age.
((p 20)) On the next day following the murder (1791) of Henry MORRIS' children on Peter's Creek McCLUNG and Henry MORRIS moved down on to Kanawha River where McCLUNG soon after accidentally drowned.
The widow of McCLUNG removed to Gallipolis, where she married a Mr. CHERINGTON by whom she left a large family.
The only sister of the McCLUNG'S married Gen. Andrew MOORE of Rockbridge Co. VA.
but I learn from family connections here that Madison McCLUNG son of Joseph above mentioned, married Margaret HANNA, d/o William & niece of Capt. David HANNA:their children were Eliza J., Joseph A., Mason M., Rebecca, William M., Charles, Virginia, Leeodla and Oscar.
((p 21)) Returning to the family of John WILSON his eldest dtr, Sarah-Charlotte, married Adam STEVENSON, a prominent gentleman of Highland Co., his second..Susan married a Mr. Frederick HULL of Pendleton, Co. She died leaving three children, the youngest of whom Susan-Esther married, Washington STEVENSON brother of Adam STEVENSON. He is deceased but his widow with an only son lives on the "old cabin farm".
William WILSON Sr. who lived to beyond 90 left this farm to his three unmarried dtrs and when they passed away it fell to the children of his son, John WILSON and his (Wm WILSON'S) eldest daughter Margaret or "Peggy" who had married Mr William GREEN. She left an only child a daughter who married Mr. John STEVENSON.
Col. John WILSON'S daughter Esther married Major John BALLER of Bath Co. they left one son and five daughters all of who died unmarried except the youngest dtr, who married a Mr. RIVERCOMBS of Bath Co.
Margaret the youngest daughter of Col. John WILSON married Capt David HARRIS of Greenbrier Co. They left 6 children, 3 sons, 3 daughters: John Wilson HARRIS, the eldest son married wife Rebecca DIETZ.
((THIS WAS APPARENTLY THE LAST OF THE REFERRALS THAT PERTAINED TO FAMILY INFORMATION, OR I RAN OUT OF TIME. I THEN SKIPPED IN MY NOTES TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH))
I shall preserve this book
carefully in my cabinet, along with other interesting relics
connected with the early history of this region and hereby return
((?)) to those through whose kindness and courtesy the book has
come into my possession.
J P Hale
**PLEASE..do NOT write me asking me which WILSON family
this pertains to 'cause I JUST DO NOT KNOW! SORRY!
For further info, you'll have to make a trip to
the Archives in Charleston WV to handcopy it. Be
sure to take pencils, they don't allow pens for notes!
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