My Genealogy Hound

FRANCIS WILSON, farmer, post office White Ash, is a grandson of Thomas Wilson, who emigrated from Ireland to America in 1767 and three years later built the first cabin in Penn—then part of Pitt—township. Here he cleared land, but was obliged to leave it on account of Indian hostilities about the time of the Declaration of Independence. For seven years he remained at Pittsburgh without seeing his land, and while there his son George, father of Francis, was born, in 1779. After peace was proclaimed with Great Britain he returned to his farm, and remained until his death, in 1825, when he was eighty-four years old. He was an elder in Beulah Presbyterian Church, and collected the tax when Penn was a part of Pitt township, Westmoreland county. His widow died in 1832, aged ninety-eight. They had seven children, three of whom were born in Ireland: Mary (Wakefield), Betsey (Shaw), James, Wilson, Jane (Baird), Thomas and George. Thomas was killed by a runaway team when a boy, but the others lived to good ages. George remained on the home farm, and was a member of the same church as his father. He was a democrat, and served as overseer of the poor. He married Mary Morrow, born in Baltimore, a daughter of Henry Morrow. George Wilson died July 14, 1850; his widow in 1865, at the age of eighty. Their children are Elizabeth (Breniman), Francis, Henry Morrow, Nancy (Swallow), Jane (Duff), Sarah (Donaldson), Mary (deceased) and Thomas. Francis Wilson was born in October, 1812, and like his father has always lived on the home farm. In 1858 he built the brick residence he now occupies, on the site of the original log cabin. In 1860 he married Elizabeth May, born in Fairview, a daughter of Robert and Mary M. (Duff) May, the former a native of Ireland, the latter of this county. Mr. Wilson has two sons: Francis Mirvin and George Ellis. He is a member of Hebron U. P. Church; politically he has always been a democrat, has held every township office except constable, and has been justice of the peace twenty-one years.