A Wilson Family Tree
Notes for Robert Wilson
"A History of Northwest Missouri", ed. Walter Williams, Lewis Publishing Co., 1915, pp. 1462-1463 (obtained from Google Books):
GEN. ROBERT WILSON. Among the stalwart men who helped to shape the destinies of the state, few have played a more important part than Gen. Robert Wilson, who spent the latter years of his life on his farm in Andrew County, a short distance north of St. Joseph. Sympathetic with the needs and aspirations of the people, clear and fixed in his own ideas of expediency and right, and giving expression to his ideals both by precept and example with force and dignity, his was a character of inestimable usefulness during the formative and tempestuous years of the state's first half century.
Born near Staunton, Virginia, November, 1800, Robert Wilson lived there until he came to Missouri in 1820. Settling in Howard County, he taught school for a time and later found employment in the office of the Circuit Clerk. Subsequently he was appointed postmaster of Fayette and in 1823 was elected Judge of the Probate Court. In 1828 he was elected clerk of the Circuit and County Court, which office he continued to hold until 1840. Meantime he had studied law under his brother General John Wilson and had been admitted to the bar. In 1837 on the outbreak of the so-called Mormon war, he was appointed brigadier general of the state forces by Governor Boggs and was instrumental, by his firm and judicious conduct of affairs, in ridding the state of a population so generally obnoxious to its citizens. In 1844, Randolph County having been formed and he having removed to Huntsville, he was sent therefrom to the State Legislature. Removing thence to Andrew County in 1852, he was elected in 1854 to represent that district in the Senate and re-elected in 1858, although he was a whig and the district strongly democratic.
In the early part of 1861, General Wilson was chosen as a union delegate to the convention called by the state to determine its attitude regarding secession and at its first session, February 28th, he was elected vice-president with Sterling Price as president. Subsequently Price having fled to join the Confederacy, General Wilson succeeded to the presidency and presided over the convention's deliberations until its close. In January, 1862, he was appointed by Acting Governor Hall to the United States Senate to fill the unexpired term of Waldo P. Johnson expelled, and discharged the duties of that office for two sessions until the election of B. Gratz Brown.
After retiring from the Senate, General Wilson though keeping in close touch with public affairs devoted himself to agriculture, in which his interest was intense. While on a visit to his old surroundings in Central Missouri, he was stricken with pneumonia and passed away May 10, 1870, at the home of his nephew, Capt. Ben Wilson, at Marshall, leaving behind a record that was unblemished as to both public and private life and one that was unusually rich in evidences of the highest usefulness to his fellow-men.
In 1825 General Wilson was married to Margaret Snoddy who died in 1836, leaving him three children, John, who was graduated from Yale in 1847 and who died in St. Joseph in 1858; James, who was educated at Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, and who died in St. Joseph in 1906, and Mary Ann who in 1855 was married to Rufus L. McDonald of St. Joseph and who still survives.
Obituary from the New York Times, 18 May 1870 (obtained from https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/24332216/person/1507256492/facts):
Gen. Robert Wilson, of Missouri.
The St. Joseph (Mo.) Herald records the death in that City of pneumonia, on the evening of the 9th inst., of Gen. ROBERT WILSON, who was born in Virginia in 1803. His mother was a relative of the late Hon. WILLIAM L. YANCEY, of Alabama. At an early age he removed to Franklin, Mo., and subsequently to Fayette, in the same State, and of that town he was the first Postmaster. In 1838, being a Brigadier-General in the State Militia, he was directed by the Governor to hear and determine all the questions of dispute between the citizens and the Mormons, then residing in Caldwell County, and this difficult matter he accomplished to the entire satisfaction of the people and the authorities of the State. In 1840 he entered upon the practice of law, and although a Whig in politics, and living in a Democratic district, was elected to the Legislature in 1844, and again in 1845. In 1854 he was elected to the State Senate by a handsome majority over his Democratic opponent, though the district was strongly Democratic, and he was re-elected in 1858. He was a good stump speaker, and in 1860 he made many noble speeches in favor of BELL and EVERETT. While in the State Senate he was the acknowledged leader of the Whigs, and to his activity and vigilance was due, in great measure, the defeat of the bill for the sale of the free negroes in Missouri. In the last Legislature of which he was a member, while CLAIB. JACKSON was Governor, he opposed and fought to the end the Military bill and every other act of that body looking to the forcible secession of the State. As the contest waxed warm, he and JOHN SCOTT of St. Joseph, with Dr. MORRIS of St. Louis and Mr. GORDON of Boone were the only open, outspoken, fearless Union men in the Senate. In 1861 he was elected to the State Convention, called to consider the relations of Missouri with the Federal Government. This Convention was called by the Secessionists, but the Unionists elected a majority of the delegates. In the organization of that body--the most important one that was ever held in Missouri, for it deposed the Governor, turned out the State officials and installed a Provisional Government throughout, with HAMILTON GAMBLE for Governor, and WILLARD P. HALL for Lieutenant-Governor--the Unionists voted for STERLING PRICE, then an avowed Union man, for President, and Gen. WILSON for Vice-President. Both were elected. STERLING PRICE went off with CALIB. [sic] JACKSON into the rebellion, and Gen. WILSON became President of the Convention. That body was composed of the ablest men in the State, including Hon. John B. Henderson, Willard P. and Wm. A. Hall, Uriel Wright, James O. Broadhead, Hamilton Gamble, Samuel M. Breckinridge, and many others. Before adjourning, the country was plunged into civil war, and the two United States Senators, WALDO P. JOHNSON and TRUSTEN POLK, having wandered off into the Confederacy, were expelled, and the Governor appointed Gen. WILSON to fill one of the vacancies. He took his seat in the Senate of the United States in 1861 and served till his successor, Hon. B. GRATZ BROWN, was elected by the Legislature in December, 1863. Since that time Gen. WILSON has for the most part resided with his son-in-law, RUFUS L. MCDONALD, of St. Joseph. He owned a farm in Andrew County, but he never resided upon it after the commencement of the war. The rebels stole from him nearly $25,000 worth of horses, cattle and other personal property, and having never married again, he let the old farm go, and made his home with his daughter. The St. Joseph Herald, from which we glean the foregoing facts, continues: "In 1860 his friends throughout this part of the State were enthusiastic in the determination to run him for Governor against CLAIBORNE F. JACKSON, and many of the Bell and Everett joarnals [sic] hoisted the name of their favorite and praised the virtues of 'The Farmer of Andrew.' He has been President of the Northwestern Agricultural and Mechanical Society ever since its organization. As a presiding officer over a deliberative parliamentary body, he had very few equals--ever cool and calm, never thrown off his guard by excitement or passion, and prompt to decide every question which came before him. He was proverbially upright, and of the strictest honesty and integrity of character. Kind, gentle and very affectionate in his family, he bore the troubles and trials of life with a calm patience and resignation which gave him many warm friends, and not an enemy in the world. His early education and habits fitted him peculiarly for a certain kind of legal labor, and we have often heard our best lawyers say that no man in the State of Missouri could draw up a difficult contract or a complicated legal paper, with a correctness, conciseness and perfection which characterized every such act of his. He was a man of plain exterior, but gifted with most excellent judgment and the best practical sense. He was emphatically an honest man."
As can be seen in the two bios above, some sources show 1800 for his birth and some show 1803. The case for 1800 seems better to me, and this is what is given by family sources (the Adair Wilson family record from 1902 and Benjamin Harrison Wilson's letter from around 1895). There also is some uncertainty about his death date; I have seen May 8, 9, and 10 in different places. The case seems best for May 10, and once again this is what is given by the two family sources. Ben's letter also confirms what is stated in the first bio above -- that Robert died at Ben's home in Marshall. Note also that the two biographies differ on where Robert resided after he left the Senate. The first one says that he "spent the latter years of his life on his farm in Andrew County". However, the NYT obituary says that he "never resided upon it [his farm] after the commencement of the war", and instead lived with his daughter in St. Joseph. Robert is not listed with the McDonald family in the 1870 census, but I have been unable to find him in Andrew County, either. Perhaps the enumeration took place after Robert's death.
Another biography of Robert in "Reminiscences of the Bench and Bar of Missouri" by W.V.N. Bay (F. H. Thomas and Company, St. Louis, 1878; obtained from Google Books), on p. 561 says that he was familiarly known as General Bob Wilson. It also says that he moved to Missouri in the spring of 1820.
1830 census
Images 5 and 6 on Ancestry.com (Randolph Co., MO)
Listed as Robert Wilson. Household consisted of three males (one aged 20-29, two under 5) and two females (ages 60-69 and 20-29). The male aged 20-29 was presumably Robert, and one of the males under 5 was presumably son John. I don't know who the other under-5 male was; perhaps a child who died young? The female aged 20-29 was presumably wife Margaret, and the female aged 60-69 could have been Robert's mother, Catharine. Also, five slaves were listed, males aged 10-23 and under10, two females aged 10-23 and one female under 10. Can't be sure this is the right Robert, but it fits really well.
Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above. ...Mike Wilson
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