BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO
Its People, Industries and Institutions
Judge Evan P. Middleton
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Second Sub-Division of Second
Judicial District of Ohio.
Supervising Editor
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With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families
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Vols. I & II
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Illustrated
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B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana
1917
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CHARLES WILLIAM WILLIAMS.
The late Charles William Williams, for
years one of the best-known
and most progressive merchants of Mechanicsburg, who died at his
home
in that city on May 6, 1905, and whose widow is still living
there, was a native of the state of Ohio, born at Mechanicsburg
on May 4, 1841, son of Richard Duxal and Jane (Cleggett) Williams. He early became
engaged in the mercantile business, continuing in that business
at Mechanicsburg until his death, which occurred on May 8, 1905.
He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was for
years regarded as one of the most active supporters of the work
of the local congregation, his father before him also having
been an active worker in the church. Politically, he was a
Republican and had ever given a good citizen's attention to
local civic affairs, interested in all movements having to do
with the general upbuilding of his home community.
Mr. Williams was twice married. His
first wife, who before her marriage was Rebecca Guy,
died, leaving three children, Edwin, now of New York
City; Alta Rebecca, wife of Charles W. Martin,
of Mechanicsburg, and Frances G., a music teacher at
Columbus, this state. On Sept. 26, 1878, C. W. Williams
married Mary H. Horr, who was born at Mechanicsburg, in
the property now owned by Milton Cheney, Mar. 7,
1854, daughter of William and Alary (Cone) Horr.
Both William Horr and his wife were born
in the village of Denmark, not far from Carthage, in Lewis
county, New York, where they grew up and were married. Not
long afterward they drove through to Ohio and located at
Mechanicsburg, where William Horr bought a farm in
the vicinity of the same, in Goshen township, and there
established his home, he and his wife spending the remainder of
their lives there, useful and influential members of that
community. They were members of the Methodist Protestant
church and were active in good works. Mr. Horr was
a Republican, but was not particularly active in political
affairs. He and his wife were the parents of eight
children of whom six grew to maturity; those besides Mrs.
Williams being Pierce, who died on the old home place
in Goshen township, which place is still in the possession of
the family; Jacob, who died at Mechanicsburg; Anna,
wife of V. S. Magruder, of Mechanicsburg; Lewis,
of St. Joseph, Missouri, and William, of Richmond,
Indiana. Mary H. Horr completed her schooling in
the Mechanicsburg high school and grew to womanhood on the home
farm, where she was living at the time of her marriage to Mr.
Williams. To that union were born four children,
namely: Richard, who died at the age of two years and six
months; May, wife of E. W. Johnson, who is making her
home with her mother in Mechanicsburg; Helen J. B.,
wife of J. B. McConica, of Luceland, Canada, and
Howard H., a May, 1917, at New York City, in the Reserve
Engineering Corps, now in France, a first sergeant.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 943 |
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BENONI R. WILSON.
Benoni R. Wilson, a veteran of the Civil War and one of
Champaign county's best-known and most substantial farmers, now
living practically retired at Urbana, which has been his place
of residence since 1902, is a native son of this county and has
lived here all his life. He was born on a farm two and
one-half miles southwest of St. Paris, in Jackson township, Aug.
24, 1843, a son of John and Margaret (Johnson) Wilson,
the former of whom was born in this state and the latter in
Virginia, whose last days were spent on their farm in Jackson
township.
John Wilson was born on Buchanan's Hill,
in Butler county, this state, Dec. 8, 1804,. a son of Andrew
and Jemima (Robins) Wilson, the former of whom was born in
the old fort at Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and the latter in Butler
county, this state. In 1807 Andrew Wilson
came up into Ohio and settled on Lost creek, ten miles east of
Troy, in Miami county, and remained there five years, at the end
of which time he went over into Indiana and settled on a half
section of land he had traded for in Owen county. He later
returned to Ohio with his family and settled on a farm at the
head of Honey creek, one mile north of Christianburg, in Jackson
township, this county, and there he and his wife spent the
remainder of their lives. They were the parents of nine
children, Benoni. Sarah, John, Samuel, Abigail. Robert K..
Ann, Elizabeth and Andrew.
By the time he was seventeen years of age John
Wilson had cleared five acres of land and had thus earned
his father's permission to leave home and start out on his own
account, and in 1821 went over into Indiana and in Owen county,
that state, began working in the general store and still-house
of a Mr. Bigger. While thus employed he was
required to make a trip of twenty-five miles with an ox-team to
a salt-works in the middle of winter and on the trip both of his
feet were severely frozen. He later made a trip to New
Orleans on a flatboat with stuff for the Southern market and
while in that city saw oysters for the first time. He was
told that for twenty-five cents he could have all the oysters he
could eat and he tackled the proposition, but after downing the
first oyster concluded that he had had his money's worth and
from that day forward never again ate an oyster. In 1825
he returned to this county and located at St. Paris, where he
remained until his marriage in 1831 to Margaret
Johnson, who was born in Giles county, Virginia, Nov. 13,
1804. After his marriage he located two and one-half miles
south of St. Paris and there entered on a contract to split
rails for twenty-live cents a hundred. He later bought a
tract of land near there, paying live dollars an acre for the
same, and on that tract established his
home and spent the remainder of his life. He was a
Republican and he and his wife were members of the Honey Creek
Baptist church. They had two children, the subject of this
sketch having had a sister, Elizabeth Jane, who
died at the age of eleven years.
Benoni R. Wilson was reared on the home farm in
Jackson township and received his schooling in the schools of
that neighborhood. From the days of his early boyhood he
was a valued assistant to his father in the labors of developing
and improving the home farm. On May 2, 1864, then being
but twenty years of age. he enlisted for service in the Union
army, a member of Company T. One Hundred and Thirty-fourth
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served for three months,
that command being then stationed at Point of Rocks, on the
James river in Virginia. Upon the completion of his
military service he returned home and after the death of his
parents came into possession of the home farm, where he
continued to live until 1902, when he retired from the active
labors of the farm and moved to Urbana, where he and his wife
are now living, though most of their winters are spent in
Florida or California. Mr. Wilson has been
successful in his farming operations and has a well-improved
farm of three hundred and two acres. He has also given
considerable attention to the raising of tine horses and a good
grade of cattle, long having been recognized as one of the
leading stockmen in the southwestern part of the county.
He is a member of the board of directors of the Urbana Canning
Company and has other interests. Mr. Wilson
is a Republican and has served as a member of the county central
committee of that party, as well as a frequent delegate to the
county conventions of his party.
On Feb, 21, 1867, Benoni R. Wilson was united in
marriage to Mary Frances Maxey, who was born near South
Charlestown, a daughter of John and Charity (Starr) Maxey,
the former of whom also was born at South Charlestown and the
latter at Xenia, this state. John Maxey, who was
born in 1814, was a farmer and extensive stockman at South
Charlestown and lived there all his life. He was a
Republican and served for some time as a member of the board of
county commissioners from his district. He died in 1877
and his widow, who was born in 1821, survived him for about five
years, her death occurring in 1882. They were earnest
members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their children
were reared in that faith. There were six of these
children, of whom Mrs. Wilson was the second in
order of birth, the others being as follow: Stephen
William, of South Solon, this state: Elizabeth, who
for more than thirty years served as a missionary in Calcutta,
Indiana; Laura, who is living at London, this state,
widow of George Cannon; Charles S., of
Fresno, California, and John W., deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have one daughter, Laura
Jane, who married Dr. C. B. Forward, of Urbana, and
has one child, a daughter, Frances Lottie. Mr.
and Mrs. Wilson retain their membership in the Honey Creek
Baptist church and have for years have been active in church
work, as well as in all neighborhood good works. Mr.
Wilson is a member of Brand Post No. 98, Grand Army of the
Republic, and takes an active interest in the affairs of that
patriotic organization.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 148 |
John D. Wilson |
FORRY WILSON.
Forry Wilson, farmer of Concord township,
Champaign county, was born just west of where he now resides,
Jan. 1, 1860. He is a son of John D. and Sarah (Forry)
Wilson. The father was born on the same farm where the
subject of this sketch first saw the light of day, and he was a
son of John and Miah (Dickey) Wilson. John
Wilson was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where
he spent his boyhood, but when a young man, in 1817, he threaded
the wilderness trails in Champaign county, Ohio, and entered the
land from the government on which John D. and Forry
Wilson were born, in what is now Concord township. The
country was at that time very sparsely settled and vast woods
prevailed, but the elder Wilson, like all the pioneers,
was a man of grit and courage, and he carved out a home in the
midst of the forest, where he spent the rest of his life.
He married a Miss Runyan. In whom two
children were born. She died in early life and he then
married Miah Dickey, a native of Fayette county,
Ohio, and to their union three children were born, of whom
John D. Wilson was the youngest. John Wilson
became one of the leading farmers and influential citizens of
Champaign county in his day.
John D. Wilson grew to manhood on the home farm
in Concord township and there he married Sarah Forry, who
was born in Logan county, Ohio. She was a daughter of
Randolph and Sarah Forry and of Pennsylvania stock. He
enlisted during the Civil War in the one-hundred-day service in
the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under
Capt. Miles Wilson. They saw active service in
Virginia and around Cincinnati, Ohio (where they were known as
the "Squirrel Hunters"), to stop Morgan on his famous
raid. He contracted typhoid fever and never was strong
thereafter. After his marriage John D. Wilson
remained on the homestead, following general farming the rest of
his life there. He was, a Republican, and he and his wife
belonged to the Presbyterian church at Spring Hills, in which he
was an elder for many years and active in church work all his
life. His family consisted of six children, two of whom
died in infancy; those who grew up were named as follow: Emma,
now deceased, was the wife of William Daniels:
Forry, subject of this sketch; Walter S. lives on the
home farm in Concord township; Miah Jane, now
deceased, was the wife of James McCroskey.
Forry Wilson grew up on the home farm and
received his education in the district schools. He lived
at home until his marriage, on Mar. 9, 1886, to Flora V.
Journell, a daughter of Crocket and Margaret (Taylor)
Journell. After his marriage he located in Harrison
township, but remained there only a short time, then returned to
the home place, where he continued to reside until 1907, when he
bought his present farm, nine miles northwest of Urbana, Concord
township. He owns two hundred and seventy acres in his
home farm and ninety-seven acres in Salem township. His
land is well improved and well cultivated and he has been very
successful in general agricultural pursuits. He makes a
specialty of feeding cattle and hogs, preparing large numbers
annually for the market. He has a modern home and
substantial outbuildings, everything about his place denoting
good management and thrift.
Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson
namely: Alta Fern, died aged one month; Otto M.,
married Lenora Colbert and they live on the home farm,
which he helps his father operate; Leo B. is also at home
and helping with the farm work. The mother of these
children died on May 4, 1911.
Politically, Mr. Wilson is a Republican.
He is active in local public affairs and has served two terms as
township assessor. He is a member of the Presbyterian
church at Springs Hills and has been an elder in the same for a
member of years. His wife also belonged to that church.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 104 |
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FRANK E. WILSON.
Frank Earl Wilson, farmer of Salem township, Champaign
county, was born in Concord township, this county, Jan. 28,
1879, and while yet a young man he has won definite success at
his chosen life work. He is a son of Henry Page Wilson
and Emma (Couchman) Wilson, who established their home on a
farm in Concord township. A history of this family is
found on another page of this work.
The subject of this sketch, known to his acquaintances
as Earl Wilson, was reared on the home farm in
Concord township, and there he received a common school
education, then attended high school at Urbana. After
leaving school he continued farming on the home place with his
father for four years, then began farming for himself on the
place where he still lives. He first farmed one hundred
and ten acres belonging to his father, which he added to by a
purchase later until the farm now contains one hundred and
ninety acres. His land is well cultivated and well
improved and he is making a success as a general farmer and
stock raiser. He feeds most of his grain to live stock,
preparing large numbers annually for the markets. He has a
silo with a capacity of one hundred and forty tons. He
feeds about one hundred head of hogs and forty head of cattle
each year.
Mr. Wilson was married in 1900 to Edna
Craig, a daughter of E. Clay and Louise Craig, and to
their union two children have been born, namely: Elizabeth
and Robert, both of whom are attending school in Salem
township.
Politically, Mr. Wilson is a Republican.
He belongs to the Masonic order, also the Salem Grange. He
was a member of the local school board for a period of eight
years. He belongs to the Concord Methodist Episcopal
church in which he was formerly deacon. He is active in
the affairs of the church.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 532 |
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HARRISON A. WILSON.
Harrison A. Wilson, former trustee of Harrison township,
vice-president of the Farmers Banking Company of West Liberty
and the proprietor of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty-eight
acres where he is now living in Harrison township, was born on
that farm and has lived there all his life, one of the
best-known and most substantial citizens of the northern part of
Champaign county. He was born on Dec. 1, 1862, son of
Andrew and Elizabeth Jane (Wright) Wilson,
the former of whom also was born in that neighborhood and the
latter in the state of Virginia, whose last days were spent on
the farm on which their son, Harrison, is now living.
Andrew Wilson was born on Dec. 3, 1813,
son of pioneer parents, whose home was on the farm adjoining the
present Harrison Wilson farm on the east,
and there he grew to manhood and married a neighbor girl,
Elizabeth Jane Wright, who was born in Virginia on Apr. 4,
1829, and who was but a girl when her parents, Benjamin and
Peggy (Ruddell) Wright, who were married in Virginia in
June, 1828, came to Ohio and settled in Clark county, presently
moving from there up into Champaign county and settling on the
farm just east of the present Ben Wilson farm
in Harrison township. In later years Benjamin
Wright and his wife moved to Illinois, where their last days
were spent, the latter dying there on July 3, 1866, and the
former surviving for many years, his death occurring on Sept.
29, 1894. After his marriage Andrew Wilson
settled on the quarter section of the old home place now owned
and occupied by his son, Harrison, and there he and his
wife spent the remainder of their lives, influential and useful
residents of that community. He was a Republican and in
his younger days took an active part in local politics, serving
for several years as trustee of his home township. He was
one of the leaders in the local Grange in the early days of that
organization and did much to promote the cause of the same.
His wife was a member of the Spring Hill Presbyterian church and
their children were reared in that faith. Andrew
Wilson and wife were the parents of ten children, of whom
the subject of this sketch was the eighth in order of birth, the
others being as follow: Sarah Jane, born on Jan.
22, 1847, who is the wife of A. S. Nelson, of
Noblesville, Indiana; Rebecca V., Oct. 3, 1848, who died
in March, 1913; William H., Feb. 27, 1851, now deceased;
Margaret, Apr. 11, 1853, who married E. D. Robinson
and is now deceased; Martha J., Apr. 7, 1855, wife of
Henry Lee, of Thackery, this county; Mary Ann, Feb.
11, 1857, now a resident of West Liberty; Benjamin W.,
Jan. 27, 1860, also a resident of West Liberty; Ellen E.,
Jan. 19, 1867, who married T. C. Hines and is now
deceased, and Charles F., Apr. 11, 1869, who died on June
19 of that same year.
Harrison A. Wilson grew to manhood on the farm
on which he was born and on which he is now living. He
received his early schooling in the district schools in the
neighborhood of his home and was later graduated from the
Capital City Commercial College at Columbus. From the days
of his boyhood he was a valued assistant in the labors of
improving and developing the home place and after his marriage
in the spring of 1888 established his home there and has ever
since made that his place of residence. Mr.
Wilson has a fine farm of one hundred and fifty-eight acres
and has done well in his farming operations. For several years
he has been identified with the Farmers Banking Company of West
Liberty, a member of the board of directors of the same, and is
now one of the company's vice-presidents. An earnest
Republican, he has ever given his thoughtful attention to local
civic affairs and for several years served as trustee of his
home township and for several years as a member of the local
board of education. In addition to his general farming,
Mr. Wilson has given considerable attention to the
raising of high-grade stock and has some fine Shorthorn cattle,
Poland China and Duroc hogs and one of the best flocks of sheep
in the northern part of the county.
On Mar. 13, 1888, Harrison A. Wilson was united
in marriage to Julia A. Carr, who was born on a farm in
the vicinity of Degraff, in the neighboring county of Logan,
daughter of Frederick Carr and wife, and to this union
seven children have been born, namely: Darcy A., born on
Jan. 7, 1889, who died on May 14 of that same year;
Herman W., Aug. 16, 1890, who is now living six miles east
of West Liberty; Ivan C., Feb. 7, 1892, who died on Apr.
1, 1893; Bertha, Feb. 11, 1895, who is at home; Helen,
Dec. 27, 1896, also at home; Ruth, Dec. 14, 1898, at
home, and Warren A., Jan. 26, 1901. All the members
of this family are members of the Spring Hill Presbyterian
church with the exception of Herman, who is a member of
the Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal church. The
Wilsons have a very pleasant home and have ever given their
interested attention to the community's general social
activities.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 448 |
Mr. & Mrs.
Henry Page Wilson |
HENRY PAGE WILSON.
Henry P. Wilson, a farmer of Concord township, this
county, was born in Salem township, June 3, 1853, a son of
Ebenezer and Lucinda (Muzzy) Wilson. The father was
born in Harrison township, this county, Mar. 10, 1821. He
was a son of Joseph and Eleanor (Fullengton) Wilson, who
came to Ohio in pioneer days, locating in Harrison township, and
there they spent the rest of their lives. He was first a
Whig, later a Republican. He belonged to the Presbyterian
church, in which he was an elder, an active worker and liberal
contributor. His family consisted of the following
children: Miles, Henry, Ebenezer, Joseph, James F.,
Elizabeth J., and Ellen. All these children but
the eldest were born after the family came to Champaign county.
Ebenezer Wilson was reared on the farm in
Harrison township. He was a son of Joseph Wilson
and his first wife. The father was married a second time
and the following children were born to his last union:
Nancy, Thomas Sarah, Mary, Price and David.
Ebenezer Wilson was married in Salem township, and nine
children were born to him, three of whom are living in 1917,
namely: Henry Page, the subject of this sketch;
Jennie, who has remained unmarried and lives in Urbana, and
Nellie, also single, who also lives in Urbana.
Henry P. Wilson was reared on the home farm and
attended the district schools until he was nineteen years old.
He remained on the farm, assisting his father with the work on
the same until he was married, in March, 1877, to Harriet E.
Couchman, by whom he had four children, namely: Frank
Earl, born on Jan. 28, 1879, who married Edna Craig
and is now living on a farm in Salem township, this county;
Lucinda E., who married Leroy Craig and who died in
1910; Blanche, also deceased, and Helen,
also deceased. Mrs. Harriet E. Wilson died on Jan.
22, 1903, and in August, 1904, Mr. Wilson married Alta
Delma Fidler, by whom one child was born, which died in
infancy.
Mr. Wilson has been very successful as a general
farmer. He owns one-third interest in a
two-hundred-and-forty-acre farm, also owns two-thirds interest
in another farm of one hundred and ten acres in Salem township.
He raises graded stock of all kinds.
Mr. Wilson is a Republican. He belongs to
Urbana Lodge No. 46, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He
belongs to the Methodist church of Concord, of which he is
treasurer and a member of the official board. He has been
active in politics and is now serving his second term as trustee
of Concord township. He also has served on the school
board and on the county fair board, of which latter organization
he was for twenty years treasurers.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 936 |
|
J. T. R. WILSON.
J. T. R. Wilson, a well-known substantial farmer and
president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank at Christiansburg,
this county, was born near Lexington, Rockbridge county,
Virginia, on Aug. 31, 1845. He was the son of Hugh and
Mary (Robinson) Wilson, the former of whom was born in the
state of Virginia in June, 1815, and the latter in the province
of Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1819.
Hugh and Mary (Robinson) Wilson grew up together
on neighboring farms in the state of Virginia, where Mrs.
Wilson's parents had taken her when she was one year old.
The Robinson and Wilson families lived on
adjoining farms and the friendship formed between the young
couple culminated in marriage, which took place in 1840.
Hugh and Mary Wilson, following their marriage, continued
to live in Virginia until 1855, in which year they arrived in
Ohio and located in Miami county, west of Christiansburg, where
they lived until his death. Mrs. Mary Wilson,
following the death of her husband, moved to Troy, Ohio, where
she died.
When Hugh Wilson came to Ohio he settled
in Miami county where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of
fine land on which he carried on general farming for several
years. He and his wife were the parents of nine children,
three of whom are living at the present time: J. T. R.,
the subject of this sketch; H. M., of St. Louis,
Missouri, where he is engaged as an optician, and Frank,
an insurance man, of Troy, this state. Hugh Wilson
was a member of the Presbyterian church, in the good works of
which he was warmly interested and in which he served as a
deacon for several years. He was a Democrat, but never
sought public office.
J. T. R. Wilson was reared on the farm in Miami
county and went to the district schools. After finishing
school he remained at home working on the farm until he was
twenty-one years old. Some time later he went to the state
of Nevada and to the Pacific coast, where he remained for about
three years, at the end of which time he returned to Champaign
county. In August, 1873, he was married to Nancy J.
Furrow, who was born in Miami county. They had been
playmates from early childhood and attended the same schools,
the acquaintanceship thus formed later terminating in marriage.
After their marriage they settled on a farm in Miami county, on
which they continued to reside until 1900.
Mr. Wilson was one of the organizers of the
Farmers and Merchants Bank at Christiansburg and was elected its
first president, which office he still holds. The other
officers are J. R. Marshall, vice-president, and R. L.
Powers, cashier. In addition to his banking interests
Mr. Wilson is the owner of one hundred and twenty-five
acres of prime land in Jackson township. Mr.
Wilson is a member of the Presbyterian church and also
attends the services of the Christian church. His wife
died on Apr. 21, 1916. They were the parents of five
children as follow: Blanch, who married O. S. Walker,
of Dayton, Ohio; Eva, deceased: Osie, the wife of
W. H. Coble, of Christiansburg; Grace, a graduate
of the Troy high school, who married Howard Ellis,
of Lancaster. Ohio, and Josie, a high school graduate,
wife of Frank Grove, and lives with her father.
Mr. Wilson is a member of the Addison Lodge No.
139, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Addison Encampment
No. 75. He is a past noble grand and past chief patriarch.
In politics he is a Democrat, but has never sought public
office.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 97 |
W. W. Wilson |
W. W. WILSON.
W. W. Wilson, president of the Citizens National Bank of
Urbana and an honored Veteran of the Civil War, is a native son
of this county and has lived here practically all his life.
He was born on a farm in Concord township on May 1, 1842, son of
Elias R. and Mary (Russell) Wilson, both of whom were
born in that same township. Elias R. Wilson died in
1846, leaving his widow and two sons, the subject of this sketch
having a brother, John R. Wilson. The widow
Wilson later remarried, but this fact did not materially
increase the prospects of the boys and when eight years of age
W. W. Wilson found himself face to face with the serious
responsibilities of life, beginning then practically to look
after himself. He took up farming and was thus engaged when the
Civil War broke out. Later he worked his way through
school and was graduated from the Urbana high school.
Upon the first call to arms in April, 1861, W. W.
Wilson became a member of a company of Home Guards, of which
A. F. Vance, Sr., was captain, and in September of that
year he enlisted for a period of three years as a member of
Company G, Sixty-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and in
the following January went to the front with his command,
bearing the rank of sergeant. In the following June, at
the battle of Port Republic, Virginia, Mr. Wilson
received an injury to one of his legs which totally disabled him
from further service and which later necessitated three
different stages of amputation. While thus suffering Mr.
Wilson was captured by the enemy and for four months was
held prisoner, being confined successively in the Weier's cave
prison at Waynesboro, in the prison at Lynchburg and in Libby
prison, until he finally was exchanged, and in December, 1862,
he received his honorable discharge on a physician's certificate
of disability.
Upon the completion of his military service Mr.
Wilson returned to Urbana. During the sessions of the
Ohio Legislature in 1866 and 1867 he served as journal clerk for
the House of Representatives and in the latter part of 1867 was
appointed United States revenue collector for this district.
That position he held for eleven years, or until the time of his
appointment to the position of cashier of the Citizens National
Bank of Urbana, a position he held until his promotion, in 1916,
to the presidency of the bank, which position he now occupies,
one of the best-known and most influential fitures in financial
circles in this part of the state. Mr. Wilson is an
active member of W. A. Brand Post No. 98, Grand Army of
the Republic, at Urbana, and has for years taken a warm interest
in the affairs of that patriotic organization.
In 1868 W. W. Wilson was united in marriage to
Anna Virginia Russell, who died in 1898, leaving three
children, William R., Carrie V. and Frank C.
In 1900 Mr. Wilson married, secondly, Mrs. Mary B.
Murray, widow of Rev. James Murray. Mr. and
Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church,
of which Mr. Wilson has been a steward for fifty years.
He also for years was superintendent of the Sunday school and
for many years has been and is still a teacher in the same.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
publ. 1917 - Page 384 |
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WALTER S. WILSON.
Walter S. Wilson, farmer of Concord township, Champaign
county, was born on the farm where he now lives, Sept. 23, 1864.
He has been contented to spend his life at home, rather than
seeking uncertain fortune in some remote county or city.
He is a son of John D. and Sarah D. (Forry) Wilson.
The father was born on the same farm as his son, the subject of
this sketch. He was a son of John Wilson, who came
to Ohio, from Pennsylvania, entering the land from the
government, where Walter S. Wilson now lives. He
was one of the pioneer settlers here, and he carved out a home
from the wilderness and spent the rest of his life here. His
son, John D. Wilson, remained on the home place all his
life. The latter kept the land well improved and was a
successful general farmer. He was a Republican. He
was a member of the Presbyterian church at Spring Hill, in fact,
was for many years an elder and a pillar in the same. He
was always active in church affairs. His family consisted of
four children, namely: Emma, deceased, was the wife of
William Daniels of Harrison township, this county; Forry
lives in Concord township; Walter S., of this sketch;
Jennie, deceased, was the wife of James McCoskey, of
Urbana.
Walter S. Wilson grew to manhood on the
homestead. He attended the public schools in his district.
He assisted with the work on the farm until his marriage on Nov.
20, 1885, to Emma Abbott, a daughter of W. J.
Abbott and wife, who formerly lived in Concord township, but
are now residing in Urbana.
Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson,
namely: Marie is the wife of George Russell
and they live in Harrison township, this county, and have three
children, Lloyd Russell, Raymond and
Ruth; Adrie is at home.
Mr. Wilson owns a well improved and well managed farm
of one hundred and sixty acres in Concord township, near the
line of Harrison township. In connection with general farming,
he raises hogs on an extensive scale, preparing large numbers
annually for the market, selling about two hundred head
annually. He built the present barn and other improvements
on the place.
Politically, he is a Republican. He and his wife
belong to the Methodist church at Concord.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II -
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