Wilson family found in a tiny treasure

I am beginning to believe that coincidences in genealogy, like misspelled names, are the rule rather than the exception.

More than once I have been researching one family, will stumble upon another, and have gone flying off in a totally different direction.

Such was the case a week or so ago when I received an e-mail message about my Wilson-Fowler connection. I had been seeking the reason that the name George Wilson Fowler popped up in the family, purely out of the blue, back in 1852. Logic would tell me that there had to be a maiden name of Wilson back there somewhere. I had left several messages in various places on the net (Lord knows how long ago) and someone had picked up on it.

Betty Wilson Bray who lives in Ormond beach, Fla., is not really "into" genealogy, but she was curious about her Fowler connection through Otis Eugene Wilson (b. 1872) of the Heard County Wilsons, who married Nona Roscilla Fowler (b. 1888) of the Coweta County Fowler-Powledge line.

Well, I knew that the date was far too late to be my Wilson-Fowler connection, but when Betty began telling me about her Wilsons, I got very excited. She was opening up a door to the Wilsons on my maternal side ... a door that had abruptly slammed shut with a James Wilson born about 1802, my maternal GGGggrandfather. Her source was a little family history book that had been passed down to her by her mother. I call these items "tiny treasures" because they usually are small, paperbound books done by a relative and include things you won't find in the "official" history books ... family stories, legends and, of course, those blasted nicknames. Limited printings of these books are done and most are sent only to direct family members.

After we established the connection, I guess Betty could almost see me drooling, because, bless her heart, she mailed me the book to copy.

I immediately searched all the online family trees to see if there were more people out there connected to this line and, indeed, there were. But most of them stopped with a William Walker Wilson (b. 1802) and most concerned the descendants of a Pleasant Daniel Wilson, son of William Walker, who was buried in Heard County. Betty's book went all the way back to "the boat" in 1635 and I knew I had something special ... new information that other people needed.

The book is entitled, "The Edward Wilson Family: Ascendants and Descendants of William Walker Wilson," by Eleanor Wilson Parker, published in 1977 by MRW Printing, Fort Valley, Ga. Betty had written to the publisher hoping to obtain other copies, but the letter was returned.

I'm not going to take you all the way back to the initial immigration of these Wilsons, but I will tell you that Mrs. Parker gives an Eduart Wilson as the progenitor of this Wilson family in America, stating that he came to Virginia May 15, 1635, at the age of 22. The family made its way from Virginia, through North Carolina, to Georgia, as many other families did in the migrations of the 1700s and 1800s. I will pick up with an Edward Wilson Sr., of Orange County, N.C., who made his will May 13, 1812, and named as his heirs his wife, Rachael, and his children Polly, Nancy, Rachael, Edward Jr., Hugh and William. Another son, Mathias, never married, but mentions in his will in 1811 (one year before his father made his will), his sister Rachael and brothers Edward and William. Apparently Mathias preceded his father in death.

We next pick up with Edward Wilson Jr., b. 1772, d. after 1850, who is said to have married Mary Mathews in N.C. about 1800. Their children were William Walker Wilson (1802-1888), James Wilson (1804-bef. 1860), Cherry Wilson (b. 1810), Peggy Wilson (b. 1812), Fanny Wilson (b. 1814), Ann Wilson (b. 1816) and possibly another son named Pleasant.

William Walker Wilson , oldest son of Edward and Mary Mathews Wilson, was bo rn in 1802 in Mebane, Orange Co., N.C., and died in 1888 in Randolph County, Ala. He married (1) Winnifred B. Scott and (2) Mrs. Julia Ann Coker (nee Mitchum). William Walker's children with Winnifred were: Pleasant Daniel Wilson (1835-1914), m. Sarah Temperance Burgess; Mary Jane Wilson (1838-1929), m. Wright Handley Bartlett; Margaret Wilson (1841-); William E. Wilson (1843-1862), never married; Frances H. (Fannie) Wilson (1846-), m. W.B. James; and James A. Wilson (1847-1924), m. Unknown Almand; Many of these children lived in Heard Co. William's children with Julia were A.M. (Emma) Wilson (1856-), Mebane Eldrege Wilson (1858-1939) and Benjamin Franklin Wilson (1863-). Julia had three children by her previous marriage: George D. Coker (b. 1844), Elizabeth Coker (b. 1850), and John S. Coker (b. 1854). You can find the descendants of William Walker Wilson on the family trees at Rootsweb and Ancestry.com. Many also appear in the Heard Co. cemeteries book by Lynda Eller.

James Wilson, second son of Edward Wilson Jr., married Elizabeth Toler. They are found in the 1850 census of Heard County. Their children were James E. Wilson (1844-), thought to have died young; Martha Wilson (1846-1923), m William Wren; William Wilson (1838-); Celia Elizabeth Wilson (1840-), m. Newton Alexander McWhorter; Nancy Ann Lucinda Wilson (1843-1921), m. (1) D. Franklin McWhorter and (2) Moral Stroud; and Cordelia Clementine Wilson (1845-), m. B. F. Simpkins.

James Sr. died before the 1860 census and is said to be buried in an unmarked grave at Macedonia Baptist Church cemetery in Heard Co. Elizabeth moved to Carroll County, as did many of her children, and is found there as a widow in 1880. She is said to be buried at Salem Baptist Church cemetery in Carroll County.

There is much, much more on the descendants of Edward Wilson in the book. If anyone is connected to this Wilson family, I will be happy to share the information with you.

I have received some more information on the south side Cochrans which I'll tell you about next week.

Looking for your Georgia ancestors? Got a genealogy tip? Got a local family history to share? Write to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

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