A Wilson Family Tree
Notes for William Henry Wilson
James Hotchkiss did not have this child listed.
A letter from John Wilson to Abiel Leonard, dated 11 Apr 1852, quoted in "'General' John Wilson, Signer of the Deseret Petition: Including Letters from the Leonard Collection" by Frederic A. Culmer (California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 321-348, December 1947), includes the following:
I lost my son Wm. Henry last fall with Disentary, caught in the mines where the necessary mode of living leads to the encouragement of that disease.
End note 172 of “Bear Flag Lieutenant: The Life Story of Henry L. Ford (1822–1860), with Some Related and Contemporary Art of Alexander Edouart (Continued)” by Fred B. Rogers says that William attended Princeton.
The John Wilson Papers (BANC MSS C-B 420, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA) include a letter from W. H. Wilson to his father that looks like it is dated 5 May 1857. Based on the above, this can't be right. My thought is that the 7 must really be a 1, so that the date is 5 May 1851. At the time of the letter, William had given up on gold mining and was trying to set up a salmon-fishing business. I guess that must have fallen through. Here is my attempted transcription of the letter (punctuation added; the original has almost no punctuation):
Klamathport May 5th 1851
Dear Father
Some few days ago Mr Thompsons men all went down and took possession of there [sic] old Claim at the Bluff and for this Reason that the company had not settled with them according to contract. now our hope is blasted again by paying some mean [?] men to manage the Business of the company. if it had been carried on by good honest men [several words uncertain] out of it but as it has been managed so badly we are again Blown sky high and as this has happened I have concluded to have nothing more to do with it. I have taken up a very valuable Claim near the mouth of the River for fishing which I think will pay some 30 or 40 thousand dollars yearly if propperly [sic] managed by cachching [?] Salmon and salting them up in Barrels and sending them to San Francisco. I wish you to aid me in this by enquiring what they will be worth by the Barrel in your city. all that we will want will be a scin [? skein?] about 400 or 500 hundred [?] yards long and a few hundred Barrels and salt. it is an Island within 1/4 mile of the mouth. Salmon any quantity may be caught in a days work and of the finest stock. any Class of vessels can come in at this time. This is a good Business here and I hope you will give me all of the assistance you can. Business is very dull here as there is nothing to sell. applications made every day for goods. write me by the first opportunity. tell Mr [?name?] to send the [?word?] that I have written for you. make the contract with him for me what you think is [?word?] and I will be satisfied. [?I could?] have sold a great many goods If I had of had them. do all you can for me in this fishing business as it will pay a large fortune for all of us and [?word?] what you can do.
I am well. I am doing a littl [sic] in my office. your Son
W. H. Wilson
P.S. I will Refer you to Capt [?name?] of the Schooner Fayanary [?] and he will explain to you the chance I have and he will have an interest in it. write me as he owns two Schooners and will Run them and as all of our shipping. yours
W H Wilson
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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