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William Painter Wilson

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Birth	:	11 Jul 1811 Kitzmiller, Garrett County, Maryland, USA
Death	:	22 Mar 1898 Barbour County, West Virginia, USA
Burial	:	Valley River Brethren Cemetery, Junior, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate	:	38.9876800, -79.9442900
Description	:	Because of an extraordinarily bad event in his life, around 1848 William Painter Wilson decided to pack up his family in MD and start out for CA and the much talked about gold strikes. Along the way they stopped to visit some of his wife Eliza's family in what is now Belington, WV. It seems the location appealed to him, as he changed the plans and they made it their new home. Early Barbour county and census records show that he was a merchant and a farmer. He owned a stagecoach Inn, blacksmith shop, and he was a distiller.... Read More	Because of an extraordinarily bad event in his life, around 1848 William Painter Wilson decided to pack up his family in MD and start out for CA and the much talked about gold strikes. Along the way they stopped to visit some of his wife Eliza's family in what is now Belington, WV. It seems the location appealed to him, as he changed the plans and they made it their new home. Early Barbour county and census records show that he was a merchant and a farmer. He owned a stagecoach Inn, blacksmith shop, and he was a distiller. His faith was German Baptist Brethren, and by Oct. 1858 he is known to have held one (if not the first) recorded night meeting of church services in his "large log barn". In that barn subsequent meetings followed, including a recorded communion. Thus he played a very instrumental role in establishing what would become The Valley River Brethren Church in the neighboring community of Junior, WV. It's not known the exact dates, but is written about in a publication called West Virginia History (volume 50, 1991), titled "Loyalties In Conflict: Union and Confederate Sentiment In Barbour County", by: John W. Shaffer. "William P. Wilson and his sons, all of whom served in the Federal Army or the WV government, were directly engaged in the underground railroad, hiding runaway slaves in their cellar." But despite all of the good things he had done for others, with the coming of the Civil War his life took the turn back to extraordinarily bad. In the spring of 1863, he confronted some Confederate troops about a string of his horses that they had confiscated from one of his sons, who had been in the process of hiding them as William had feared just such an event. The confrontation ended with him being charged and arrested for being a Union sympathizer, after which they loaded him on a rail car sending him to Libby Prison in Richmond, VA. The conditions there were horrendous, with filth, disease, and malnutrition being the norm at all prison camps of the day. By the spring of 1864, William was 53 yrs. old and very near death. Either out of sympathy, or most likely just not wanting another body to bury, he was released. Far too weak to walk, they carried him outside and just left him. It is said that he crawled under some bushes and started nursing himself back from death's door by eating roots and berries. Little is known of how long it took him to regain enough strength to make the long trek home, or how he made it without the use of a horse or a gun. But luckily he did, and lived out the remainder of his days peacefully on his farm until March 1898, just a few months shy of his eighty eighth birthday.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is William Painter Wilson's memorial?
William Painter Wilson's memorial is located at: Valley River Brethren Cemetery, Junior, Barbour County, USA.
When did William Painter Wilson death?
William Painter Wilson death on 22 Mar 1898 in Barbour County, West Virginia, USA
Where are the coordinates of the William Painter Wilson's memorial?
Latitude: 38.9876800
Longitude: -79.9442900

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Eliza Anne Simmons Wilson

(1820 - 1892)

Siblings

Elizabeth Wilson Harvey

(1802 - 1875)

Thomas Wilson IV

(1803 - 1872)

Sarah Wilson Harvey

(1809 - 1884)

Hester Ann Wilson Harvey

(1813 - 1893)

Rachel Nelson Wilson Harvey

(1816 - 1905)

Children

Josiah S. Wilson

(1838 - 1923)

Solomon Thomas Wilson

(1842 - 1922)

Martha V. Wilson Day

(1843 - 1897)

Susana Wilson Steerman

(1851 - 1937)

Lucie Jane Wilson Swick

(1854 - 1945)

Elmira “Almira” Wilson Gainer

(1856 - 1879)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Shomo Family Cemetery
Junior, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9713950, -79.9426890

2. Knights of Pythias Cemetery
Junior, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9708700, -79.9405710

3. Hillyard-Corley Cemetery
Junior, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9704460, -79.9379810

4. Hedrick Vandevander Cemetery
Cherry Grove, Pendleton County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9843300, -79.9206700

5. Trinity Cemetery
Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9901570, -79.9690850

6. Wilmoth Family Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9973080, -79.9700830

7. Concord Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0044380, -79.9762630

8. Coffman-Harding Cemetery
Harding, Randolph County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9613320, -79.9678550

9. Laurel Hill Battlefield Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0084890, -79.9084750

10. Old Right Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0214600, -79.9269900

11. Selmon Cemetery #94
Cherry Grove, Pendleton County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9481200, -79.9376800

12. Elliott Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0264780, -79.9320850

13. Belington Fraternal Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0363880, -79.9530200

14. Stringtown Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0338920, -79.9118590

15. Scott Cemetery
Randolph County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9343690, -79.9565230

16. Whitman Ward Family Cemetery
Elkins, Randolph County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9444900, -79.8822330

17. Talbott Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9673360, -80.0263930

18. Faith Way Baptist Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0587590, -79.9683190

19. George H. Phillips Burial Ground
Randolph County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9315033, -80.0070724

20. Durrett Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9627991, -80.0350037

21. Sugar Creek Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0610840, -79.9218200

22. Valley Bend Cemetery
Belington, Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0611310, -79.9674900

23. Saint Michael's Church Cemetery
Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0256950, -80.0284300

24. Greenbriar Cemetery
Barbour County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0223000, -80.0313370