Willis Wilson (abt. 1710)

Born about 1710 in Norfolk, Virginia Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Goodrich) Wilson — married 7 Jun 1728 in Norfolk, Virginia

Descendants

Died [date unknown] in Norfolk, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Patricia Thomas [send private message] and Travis Wilson [send private message]

Biography

Children: Benjamin and John P.

Death dates:

There is some discrepancy as to the death date of Captain Willis Wilson. There is some credence to him only living for 40 years, which would make his death around 1750, not 1794. His son, Benjamin, was only seven when his father Willis died. Benjamin was born in 1733.

As a result of his father, Samuel Wilson, dying before he was born, Willis came into the care of his Uncle Soloman, his father's older brother. Willis was raised in Norfolk, Virginia. Living thus in such close proximity to the sea, where he could watch the ocean-going vessels come and go, and where he could meet the old sea captains and listen to their tales of adventure, we are not surprised to find that young Willis soon developed quite a fondness for the sea, and the adventures about which he had heard so much. He received instruction in the art of navigation and became a sea captain, sailing his vessels between the James River points and the West Indies. Sometimes, in order to secure a full cargo for a trip he was accompanied by his intimate friend, Samuel Bousch (for whom Bousch Street in Norfolk, Virginia, was named). On this trip the two young men met Misses Elizabeth and Frances Goodrich, the daughters of Benjamin Goodrich, a prominent planter who lived at or near the mouth of the Chicahominy River. It is certain that these young men made many more such trips together, for Miss Frances Goodrich and Samuel Bousch were later married; and Miss Elizabeth Goodrich and Willis Wilson were married in 1728 and settled in Norfolk County, Virginia.

....find that young Willis soon developed quite a fondness for the sea, and the adventures about which he had heard so much. He received instruction in the art of navigation and became a sea-captain, sailing his vessels between James River points and the West Indies. Sometimes, in order to secure a full cargo for a trip, it was necessary for him to operate a smaller vessel up the James River and its tributaries, to bring the freight down to the seagoing vessels anchored further down the river. On one such trip he was accompanied by his intimate friend Samuel Boush (for whom Boush Street in Norfolk, Virginia, was named). On this trip these young men met Misses Elizabeth and Frances Goodrich, the charming daughters of Mr. Benjamin Goodrich (the spelling of this name was verified by wills on file in the Norfolk County Court House), a prominent planter who lived at or near the mouth of the Chickahominy River. It is certain that these young men made many more such trips together, for I find that Miss Frances Goodrich and Samuel Boush were later married; and that Miss Elizabeth Goodrich and Willis Wilson were married in 1732 and settled in Norfolk County, Virginia. Willis Wilson was a prominent man in his time, and commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens, for he was elected to represent Norfolk County in the famous House of Burgesses of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the “Assembly of 1748- 1749, Session of October 27th, 1748, Session of April 10th, 1749.” Stanard’s Colonial Virginia Register, also Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25. There were born to Willis and Elizabeth Goodrich Wilson two sons (family Bible of Benjamin and Ann Seay Wilson). Willis died in 1794 at the age of 84, having served his country well.

Benjamin, the first child of Willis and Elizabeth Goodrich Wilson, was born December 26, 1733, at the home of his grand¬ father, Benjamin Goodrich, at or near the junction of the Chickahominy and James Rivers. He married Miss Ann Seay a daughter of James Seay, a Huguenot family from the waters of the York River, in 1750, and established and settled the “Somerset” Plantation on the Willis River in Cumberland County, Virginia, where he and his faithful and devoted wife reared eight sons and five daughters, most of whom lived to be old people. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Wilson both died in 1814, having lived together as man and wife for more than sixty years.

John P., the second child of Willis and Elizabeth Goodrich Wilson, was born in 1736. He married and settled in West Virginia and became the father of one son, whom he named John P., Jr. This John P., Jr., married his second cousin, Maria Wilson (see page 33).

Sources

Ancestry.com, including

• Willis Wilson in the Virginia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1740-1850
• The Wilson Family of Princess Anne, Norfolk, etc., from Virginia Vital Records from The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, The William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tylers Quarterly. Published in 1984. Page 754.
• Historical Southern Families. Volume III, by John Bennett Boddie, 1959. Pages 61, 62 and 63.

Also:

• https://virginiapioneers.net/counties/countyelizabethcity.html
• Wedding date and location https://books.google.com/books?id=lYc36qT7PiIC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=Willis+Wilson+Elizabeth+Goodrich&source=bl&ots=girSRG_ejb&sig=WYfevTYlIMjv27ffCFwF1MIKEGM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNs5KHgcnMAhUJLmMKHRBFDtYQ6AEIPzAF#v=onepage&q=Willis%20Wilson%20Elizabeth%20Goodrich&f=false page 102
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/i/l/William-Allan-Wilson-GA/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0243.html
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=randyj2222&id=I53138
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/4244404?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Willis&searchText=Wilson&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3Ffc%3Doff%26amp%3Bacc%3Doff%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3BQuery%3DWillis%2BWilson%2B&ab_segments=0%2Ftbsub-1%2Frelevance_config_with_tbsub&refreqid=search%3A56bf0d635b456f34622f058cfc76815d&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
• https://books.google.com/books?id=lYc36qT7PiIC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=Elizabeth+Goodrich+and+Willis+Wilson&source=bl&ots=gjtUPHY9c8&sig=ACfU3U13eWfa8pdjy0f77kyNda6p5rDODQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiMxK6KiaLoAhWgl3IEHUHtDI4Q6AEwBHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=Elizabeth%20Goodrich%20and%20Willis%20Wilson&f=false
• https://archive.org/stream/wilsonfamilysome00mcle/wilsonfamilysome00mcle_djvu.txt
• https://www.ancestry.com/boards/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=7878&p=surnames.wilson

Profile History:

• Wilson-15748 was created by Paula Johnson in18 Oct 2013.
• Wilson-27674 was created by Travis Wilson on 23 Jul 2015.
• Merged Wilson-27674 into Wilson-15748 on 13 Jun 2016.
• Wilson-108683 was created by Denise Ganopole on 12 Aug 2023.
• Merged Wilson-108683 into Wilson-15748 on 21 Sept 2023.