Benjamin Wilson (1747 - 1827)

Born 30 Nov 1747 in Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Ann (Ruddell) Wilson — married 24 Sep 1770 (to 18 Jun 1795) in Shenandoah Co., VA

Husband of Phoebe (Davisson) Wilson — married 15 Dec 1795 in Harrison Co., West Virginia

Descendants

Died 2 Dec 1827 at age 80 in Clarksburg, Harrison, Virginia, United States

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Biography

This profile is part of the Wilson Name Study.

Colonel Benjamin Wilson served with Monongalia County Militia, Virginia Militia during the American Revolution.

Benjamin Wilson is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A127301.

Benjamin Wilson is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P-321678
Rank: Colonel

Benjamin Wilson Sr. Birth: was born Shenandoah County, Virginia 30 Nov 1747 -Death: 2 Dec 1827 in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia, Burial: Old Brick Church Of Bridgeport, Near Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. Benjamin Wilson had 29 children. Twelve were with Ann Ruddell & 18 with Phoebe Davisson. His last child was born when he was seventy-three. His parents William and Elizabeth (Blackburn) Wilson, moved to Trout Run, near the South Branch of the Potomac, then in Frederick and now in Hardy County, when he was a small boy. He likely went with his father to Trout Run, Hardy County, where his early life was spent on his father's farm.

Spouses & Children

Benjamin married Ann Ruddell September 4, 1770. Ann, a daughter of Stephen and Mary Ruddell, was born September 20, 1754 in Lost River, Hampshire County, West Virginia and died in Harrison County June 15, 1795. They moved to Tygart Valley, in Randolph County. For a few years they lived on Cedar Creek in Shenandoah County but soon went further west.

Children of Benjamin and Ann Ruddell: Mary Bird Wilson b. 7 Jul 1771 in Cedar Creek, Shenandoah County, Virginia William Wilson b. 23 Jan 1773 in Randolph County, West Virginia Stephen Rudell Wilson b. 21 Oct 1775 in Tygart's Valley, Beverly Township, Randolph County, West Virginia Benjamin Wilson Jr. b. 13 Jun 1778 in Randolph County, West Virginia Sarah Wilson b. 11 Sep 1780 in Randolph County, West Virginia Elizabeth Wilson b. 17 Aug 1782 in Randolph County, West Virginia Ann Brice Wilson b. 17 Jan 1782 in Randolph County, West Virginia John Wilson b. 5 Jul 1788 in Harrison County, West Virginia Archibald Blackburn Wilson b. 25 Jul 1790 in Harrison County, West Virginia Cornelius Ruddell Wilson b. 7 Apr 1795 in Harrison County, West Virgin

Benjamin married Phoebe Davisson in Harrison County December 15, 1795. Phoebe was born in 29 Dec 1776 in Rockingham County, Virginia and died June 24, 1849, daughter of Daniel and Prudence (Izard) Davisson.

Children of Benjamin Wilson and Phoebe Davisson: Josiah Davisson Wilson b. 12 Oct 1796 David Wilson b. 18 Feb 1798 Edith Wilson b. 9 Nov 1799 Elizabeth Wilson b. 18 Oct 1801 Thomas W. Wilson b. 12 May 1803 Margaret Wilson b. 26 Mar 1805 Deborah Spencer Wilson b. 17 Oct 1806 in Harrison County, West Virginia James Pindall Wilson b. 9 Jun 1808 Daniel Davisson Wilson b. 30 Jan 1810 Phoebe D. Wilson b. 29 Aug 1811 Martha Martin Wilson b. 23 Jan 1813 Phillip Doddridge Wilson b. 29 Jun 1814 Noah Lindley Wilson b. 9 Mar 1816 Julia Ann Wilson b. 28 Sep 1817 Harriett Baldwin Wilson b. 13 Nov 1818 Rachel Wilson b. 20 Jul 1820 In 1770, Benjamin & Ann moved to Tygart Valley, in Randolph County. "In 1787, Colonel Wilson left Randolph County, and made his home in Harrison County, where he entered into business. In 1795, he built a mill on Simpson Creek and subsequently enlarged it to do spinning, weaving, coloring and cloth dressing.

In the fall of 1774, young Benjamin made his first appearance in official and military life, serving as lieutenant and later. He commanded the troops guarding the council when the treaty was made at Camp Charlotte. In 1772, Captain Benjamin Wilson led a group to the Beverly area and they built forts for protection from the Native Americans. Wilson was a famous Indian fighter and Revolutionary War soldier. He lived and built a fort three miles south of present-day Elkins. Wilson assisted in the building of three forts. In 1774, in an expedition against the Indians, he held the rank of Lieutenant; he was appointed a captain in the Virginia forces in the revolution, and in 1781 promoted to the rank of colonel. In 1774, he was attached as a Lieutenant to Lord Dunmore's army, and later served as aide on the staff of Lord Dunmore during the expedition against the Ohio Indians in the Scioto Valley in what was to become known as Lord Dunmore's War. He was a Lieutenant on Lord Dunmore's staff when the treaty was made with Chief Cornstalk. ^[1]

At the conclusion of hostilities the Virginia troops returned in small bands by different trails. Colonel Wilson led his group by way of Tygart's Valley in (now) Randolph County and stopped near the site of (present) Beverly to examine the land. It so pleased him that he bought the "tomahawk rights" of two settlers and later moved to the county with his family and built a fort in 1777 on his farm, as a place of refuge for the settlers during the bloody wars which began that year. He was captain of the militia and later was colonel. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War he equipped and maintained his own company of troops. During this time his family had narrow: escapes from the Indians as related in Maxwell's History of Randolph County.

When the Revolutionary War ended he served as the commander of the local militia. In 1781 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel. He also served in the state legislature for several terms. He had a key role in creating Harrison County from Monongalia County. Benjamin was Harrison County's first county clerk. He held the position for thirty years. He moved to Tygart Valley in 1788, when his Tygart Valley land was incorporated into the new Randolph County. He bought 400 acres along Simpson Creek, and built several mills. ^[2] He served in the VA assembly and was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1788. At the close of the Revolutionary War Colonel Wilson was delegate to the Virginia Assembly. In 1789 he and his brother John were delegates to the convention ratifying the Constitution of the United States. Upon the formation of Harrison County in 1784 he became justice of the peace and clerk of the county court, continuing to serve for thirty years. By the act of the Virginia Legislature, when Randolph County was formed in 1786, it was ordered that the first court be held in his house. Colonel Wilson then moved with his large family to Simpson Creek, near Clarksburg, in order to retain the position as clerk of Harrison County and his brother John became clerk of Randolph.

When the War of 1812 started, he was commissioned as Colonel of the third division, twentieth brigade, but owing to his advanced age he was soon given an honorable discharge. During his military visit to the Ohio he learned of the valuable land in Licking County and after the close of the War purchased a large tract near Newark. Several of his children and relatives settled in and around that city where many of their descendants still live. ^[3] His later years were spent in peaceful pursuits connected with the development of his community. He was one of the members named in the charter of Randolph College in Clarksburg.

Land Records in Virginia 21 Sep 1773 Wm & Eliz Wilson of Hampshire to Benjamin Wilson of Dunmore County, 297 acres in N Mt adj Benj and Eliz Blackburn ^[4]. 25 March 1777 - Benjamin Wilson, Yeoman and wife Anne, late of Dunmore County but now of East Augusta to Isaac Zane of Frederick County, ironmaster, 425 acre tract. Wit: Jonas Friend & Jno. Wilson of East Augusta. ^[5] Mar 1778 - Benj Wilson entry 400 acres TV adj Jno Pringle and Isaac Wood opposite Westfall claim; 400 acres entry opposite Lambert on W side of riv. [Bushman. Land comm]. 19 & 20 Aug 1777 - Benj Wilson and John Hamilton recommended Captains of Tygart Valley, William Robertson rec for West Fork ^[6] 17 Mar 1778 - Benj Wilson qualified as Capt.

Sources

1. ↑ Lord Dunmore's War began after some settlers in the northern panhandle killed several members of Mingo Indian Chief Logan's family. Logan revenged the killings by killing several frontier settlers. The Shawnee, and other Indian tribes residing in the area, upset over the increasing number of European settlers infringing upon their territory, allied themselves with the Mingo and began to attack various settlements throughout the state. The Governor of Virginia, John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, and General Andrew Lewis raised an army and devised a strategy to end the uprising. General Lewis was to march his portion of the army northwest through Virginia and drive the Indians westward, while Lord Dunmore marched his portion of the army across the Alleghenies and down the Ohio River, trapping the Indians between the two forces. During the war, General Lewis led the colonial militia to victory over the Shawnee and their charismatic leader Chief Cornstalk at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774. In the meanwhile, Lord Dunmore led troops into Ohio where he encountered the retreating Cornstalk, forcing him to sue for peace. Although western Virginia's settlers continued to experience some isolated Indian attacks for several years, Cornstalk's defeat at Point Pleasant was the beginning of the end of the Indian presence in western Virginia. The Indians agreed to give up all of their white prisoners, restore all captured horses and other property, and not to hunt south of the Ohio River. Also, they were to allow boats on the Ohio River and promised not to harass them. This opened up present-day West Virginia and Kentucky for settlement. Cornstalk was later killed at Fort Randolph near Point Pleasant in 1777 in retaliation for the death of a militiaman who was killed by an Indian.
2. ↑ Sutton's "History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia" identifies Benjamin as "Colonel Wilson".
3. ↑ WILSON-notes-Benj.pdf accessible at Wayback Machine at Archive.org.
4. ↑ Shenandoah County Deed Book A pg. 425
5. ↑ Shenandoah County Deed Book B, pg. 459
6. ↑ Augusta Order Bk XVI Chalkley 1/196

• Find a Grave, database and images, accessed 17 August 2021, memorial page for Col Benjamin Wilson (30 Nov 1747–2 Dec 1827), Find A Grave: Memorial #32805220, citing Bridgeport Cemetery, Bridgeport, Harrison County, West Virginia, USA ; Maintained by kin Keeper (contributor 47329684) .
• http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Benjamin_Wilson_%2820%29
• Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970, Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution SCRIBNER & TARTER, REV VIRGINIA; ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE, VOL 6, PP 19-20; WITHERS, CHRONICLES OF BORDER WARFARE, PP 234, 311
• Benjamin Wilson, in Miller, Thomas Condit, and Hu Maxwell. West Virginia and its people. (New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1913), 308.
• SAR Patriot Index Edition III (CD: PP2210, Progeny Publ., 2002) plus data to 2004
• Barbour County History County Commissioners' Association of West Virginia. West Virginia County Histories. Accessed 17 Aug 2021 at Wayback Machine at Archive.org.
• http://www.electricscotland.com/history/world/braxton.htm

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Wilson-5702 created through the import of MY_Forry_Johnson_Zeyen Family Tree_.ged on Aug 7, 2011 by Christy Forry. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Christy and others.