David Wilson

David Wilson

Birth: Abt 1762, South Kingstown,Washington, R.I.

Death: Sep. 15, 1845

Father: Jeremiah Wilson, b: May 11, 1726, South Kingstown,Washington, R.I.

Mother: Abigail Wilkinson

Marriage (1)

Wife: Sarah Torrey, d. betw. Jul 1788 and Mar 1789

Marriage (2) Sept 26, 1791, Washington County, Ohio

Wife: Esther Convers, b. circa 1760, Connecticut; d. Jun. 13, 1833

Children:

• Rebecah Wilson
• Esther Wilson
• Polly Wilson
• Clarissa Wilson (CAUTION: Relationship has not been confirmed) Birth: 1801, Ohio
• Sarah T. Wilson b. Apr 15, 1803, Washington County, Ohio; d. March 26, 1877, Bloom Tp., Morgan, Ohio (Feb 27, 1877 on tombstone)

Burial: Round Bottom Cemetery, Coal Run, Washington County, Ohio

Inscription: 81 yrs

"Jeremiah Wilson and his sons George, William, and David were among the 85 men who with their families constituted the second party of settlers sponsored by the Ohio Company (History of Washington county, Ohio [n.p.,1881]. They arrived at camp Maritus (Marietta) in 1789 but soon moved up the Muskingum River to what is now Waterford Township and settled in the vicinity of the village of Beverly. They were among the very first white settlers in this exposed frontier area, and it was not till the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 that they felt completely safe from attack by Indians. Jeremiah and his sons are listed as heads of families in the 1790 census of Washington County, and their descendants remained in this area for many years."

"In 1789 David accompanied his father and brothers on the move to Ohio. He served there as sergeant in the local militia company. the 1790 Census list his household as himself, one adult female (probably a second wife), and a child."

"Descendants of Samuel Wilson of South Kingston RI" New England Historical and Genealogical Register, v144, p306.

From "Pioneer History; Being an Account of the First Examinations of the Ohio Valley, and the Early Settlement of the Northwest Territory" by Samuel Prescott Hildreth:

"On the 3d day of May the inhabitants were called together by a letter from General Putnam, notifying them of the murder of Captain King, at Belpre, by the Indians. They immediately organized themselves into a military company, choosing WiUiam Gray, captain, David Wilson, sergeant, and Andrew Webster, corporal. They also voted that a block house should be erected, near the center of the settlement, under the direction of Colonel Robert Oliver. It was ready by the 2d day of July, as their next meeting for business was held in it. The new settlement was called Plainfield by the inhabitants for one or two years, but changed to Waterford by the court of quarter sessions, in December, 1790. ('MSS. record of association.')" pg 422

"NAMES OF FAMILIES AT FORT FRYEE 1791

...George Wilson, wife, and two children ; Jeremiah Wilson, two sons, and two daughters;... David Wilson, wife, and one child... " pg 442

"The banks of these streams, in the vicinity of the settlers, had for a long period been destitute of any permanent inhabitants, and were only visited occasionally by the surrounding savages, who had their villages on the heads and branches of the tributary streams. Under this immunity, the fishes had increased at an astonishing rate. This store, which would seem to have been providentially accumulating for the use of the new settlers, afforded no inconsiderable portion of the animal food used by the inhabitants of Waterford, during the dark period of the Indian war. In the spring months, while the waters were turbid, great numbers were taken with the hook, on what were called "trot lines." In the summer and autumn, when the water was clear, the favorite mode was by spearing, and so plentiful were the fish, that in passing from Waterford to Marietta in a canoe, Allen Devoll and David Wilson have oftentimes taken from four to six hundred pounds. They were also taken in this way during winter, through a hole cut in the ice, where the water was deep." pg 467

The following account of the emigration to the West in which Benjamin Convers took part is from Miss Larned's History of Windham County, Conn.

Dr. Manasseh Cutler, Hamilton, Mass., a man of unusual breadth and solidity of character, deeply interested in the development of the Nation, assisted in the organization of the Ohio Company in 1788, served as one of its directors and counsellors, urged its claims before Congress,and, by his forcible arguments and commanding influence aided very greatly in securing the purchase of one and a half millions of land for the Ohio Company, and the famous Ordinance for the Government of the Territory northwest of the Ohio River. Emigrants were urged to take immediate possession. Dr. Cutler's son, Ephraim, then residing with his aged grandfather in Killingly, acted as agent for the company, and prevailed upon some twenty Windham County citizens to take shares in the purchase. Jervis son of Dr. Cutler, Captain Daniel Davis, Theophilus Larned, and Samuel Felshaw were with the party that left Hartford January 1, 1788, under the direction of General Rufus Putnam, crossed the Alleghenies by the old Indian pathway, descended the Youghiogheny by boats they paused to build, landed at the mouth of the Muskingum April 7, and there began the settlement of the township of Marietta and the future state of Ohio. They were followed when the spring opened, by other men from the same vicinity, i.e., Theophilus Knight, Benjamin Converse, John Leavens, George, Jeremiah, and David Wilson, Aaron Clough, and John Russell, who went out not as members of a company, but, as reported in the diary of Theophilus Knight, 'on our own hook, according to our own roving disposition and desire to see the world. We had a team of four horses and a baggage wagon for clothes, fanning tools, and provisions, and off we set and had a very merry journey through the country. Part of the way we had eleven of us in company, and sometimes we were as merry as people need to be. Some times we met with disagreeable things, bad luck, bad travelling, but upon the whole we did pretty well.' They were just forty days upon their journey, landing at Marietta May 18, 1788. Mr. Knight witnessed many interesting scenes during his sojourn in the territory the arrival of the first women and children; the funeral of the first white man; the organization of the first court; the celebration of the Fourth of July, when Dr. Cutler delivered the oration, and all partook of a twenty five pound pike barbecued for the occasion; the magnificent parade at the funeral of Judge Varnum escorted by the officers of the garrison and a company of United States troops, together with `old Revolutionary officers and Indian chiefs in abundance,---a very long procession to travel in a forest,'---and they also helped build the first houses in Ohio. Most of his companions made their homes in the new country, but two, after twenty months, returned with him to Connecticut 'not thinking it was so much better than any other country that it would pay a man for carrying a large family to such a wilderness inhabited by savages and wild beasts of the forest.' Their report and example had no apparent effect upou their fellow townsmen. So many other families emigrated westward from Killingly and adjoining towns that it seemed as if `New Connecticut' would drain the life blood of its namesake. Many of these Killingly settlers were strong intelligent men who had great influence in moulding the institutions and character of Ohio.

Page 93 - The Converse Family

Mary Willson and Nathan Kenne; Mary's brother David Willson and Easter Convis (Esther Convers); and most likely Esthers's sister Abigail Convis (Convers) and Benj. Biddle were all married on 26th of September 1791, and possibly in the same ceremony by Benjamin Tupper J.C.C.C. P. in the Territory of the United States Northwest of the River Ohio, Washington County.

Feb 12, 1798 census that was taken of Waterford by Joseph Frye lists David Wilson and his family: Esther Wilson, Rebecah Wilson, Esther Wilson, Polly Wilson.

It looks as if living in their household is also Simon Converse, Grovener Converse, Hannah Converse.

Sources:

http://awt.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:1034016&i...

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~converse/books/4....

NEHGR, v144, p306.

Feb 12, 1798 census that was taken of Waterford by Joseph Frye, housed in the College of Marietta special collections library, sent to me (D.W.) from Laurie Morris.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=wilson&GSiman...