My Genealogy Hound

Elias C. Wilson, a substantial farmer and stock man of Pulaski County, has been a resident of that county since 1856, and was born in South Carolina on March 19, 1825. His parents were Jesse and Margaret (West) Wilson, the father born in Virginia and moved to South Carolina with his parents when only three years old. Shortly after their arrival in that State the parents, Isaac and Melanie Wilson, died, and their children were bound out. Jesse was reared on a farm and married in South Carolina. In 1853 he moved with his family to Arkansas, where he commenced farming and became a prosperous and well-known resident until his death in 1882. The Wilson family are of English descent, their forefathers settling in Jamestown, Va., at a very early day. Isaac Wilson was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and won golden opinions from his superior officers in the struggle against the mother country. Nine children were born to Jesse Wilson and his wife, all of whom lived to maturity and were married, and six yet living: Elias C., Major, Magness, Thomas and John. Elias was the oldest, and was reared and educated in South Carolina, where he was also married in 1846 to Miss Jane Pierce. His wife died in 1862, after their removal to Arkansas, leaving four children, of whom two are yet living: John F. (a prominent merchant in Little Rock) and William W. (who resides in San Antonio, Texas.) In 1866 Mr. Wilson was again married, his second wife being a pleasant and attractive widow lady of Pulaski County, Mrs. Tennessee (McCraw) Bell, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McCraw, of South Carolina, who were among the early settlers of Arkansas. By this marriage Mr. Wilson and his wife had nine children, of whom seven are yet living: Bettie, Randolph, Elias, Joseph, Hattie, Thomas and Nannie. Mr. Wilson’s first settlement was about ten miles above his present residence, where he has a large farm, and three years later he bought the land upon which he now resides. He owns 1,080 acres altogether, and has placed 450 acres under cultivation. This has all been accumulated by his own industry and good management, and his experience in farming has enabled him to select the finest soil in that locality. It is well watered by springs, besides several good wells that he has built himself, and is well adapted for stock-raising purposes. In 1861 Mr. Wilson enlisted in Company C, of the Fourth Arkansas Infantry, and gave three years’ active service to the Confederacy. He accompanied Gen. Price in his raids through Missouri and took part in many engagements. In all of his battles he was never wounded, although exposed to the hottest fire, and he was equally as fortunate in escaping from sickness. In March, 1864, his company was disbanded, and he returned to his home and family to enjoy the peace a soldier loves so well after a long and arduous campaign. In politics Mr. Wilson is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote for Buchanan. He is one of Pulaski County’s most enterprising citizens, and a man of integrity and truth, and enjoys a wide spread popularity. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson both attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.