Descendants of John Monroe Wilson
FIRST GENERATION
1. John Monroe WILSON was born on 15 Oct 1849 in AR (Poss VT).
He was a Storekeeper/Post Master between 1879 and 1890 in Zephyr,
Brown, TX. He died on 30 Nov 1894 in Thurber, TX.
He was married to Lucinda Emma "Lucy" ABBOTT (daughter of Elisha or
Elijah ABBOTT and Mary VAN CLEAVE) before 1876.
John Monroe WILSON and Lucinda Emma "Lucy" ABBOTT had the
following children:
2 i. Leslie Ervin WILSON was born in Aug 1877 in Duffau, Erath
Co, TX. He died in Jan 1935 in Mingus, TX (Bur Strawn, TX).
He was a Coal Miner. Never Married; No Children; died of TB.
3 ii. Stillborn Boy WILSON was born in Jun 1880 in Zephyr, Brown
CO., TX. He died in Jun 1880 in Zephyr, Brown, TX.
Buried in Zephyr Cemetery.
+4 iii. WILLIAM RAY "WR" WILSON.
+5 iv. Estelle Marge WILSON.
+6 v. Talmadge DeWitt WILSON.
+7 vi. John M. WILSON.
SECOND GENERATION
4. WILLIAM RAY "WR" WILSON4 was born on 16 Oct 1882 in Zephyr,
Brown, TX.
He died on 2 Dec 1950 in St. Louis, MO.
He was married to MARY ALICE (Allie) WELLS (daughter of DAVID Brooten
WELLS and MARY ALICE MOORE) on 11 Nov 1905 in Dallas, Dallas Co., TX.
MARY ALICE (Allie) WELLS was born on 6 Aug 1885 in Iredell, Bosque, Texas.
She was buried after Aug 1932 in Llano Cemetery, Amarillo, TX.
She died on 29 Aug 1932 in Roswell, Chaves Co., NM.
WILLIAM RAY "WR" WILSON and MARY ALICE (Allie) WELLS had the
following children:
+8 i. Alice Ray WILSON.
+9 ii. WILLIAM Rutherford "Bud" WILSON Jr..
+10 iii. Margaret Jeane WILSON.
5. Estelle Marge WILSON was born on 23 Dec 1884 in Zephyr, Brown CO., TX.
She died on 26 Sep 1961 in Mineral Wells, TX. She was a Homemaker.
She was married to Jerome Vance WALLING about 1905.
Estelle Marge WILSON and Jerome Vance WALLING had the following
children:
11 i. Mabel WALLING.
12 ii. Justina WALLING.
13 iii. Jerome Vance WALLING Jr. was born in 1910 in Mingus,
Palo Pinto Co, TX. J.V. Walling has been in contact with Dotty Wilson,
daughter of Tal Wilson.
6. Talmadge DeWitt WILSON5 was born on 16 Feb 1887 in Zephyr,
Brown CO., TX.
He died on 20 Aug 1951 in Mineral Wells, TX. He was a Coal Miner.
He was married to Nora Emma LASSITER.
Talmadge DeWitt WILSON and Nora Emma LASSITER had the following
children:
14 i. Georgia Emma WILSON was born on 13 Oct 1917 in Mingus, TX.
Never married; Crippled as child - fell off porch age 2 and broke her leg.
+15 ii. Lillian Adella "Dell" WILSON.
16 iii. Thomas Paul WILSON was born on 14 Aug 1922 in Mingus, TX.
+17 iv. Dorothy Marie WILSON.
7. John M. WILSON was born in Jan 1890 in Zephyr, Brown CO., TX.
His middle initial may actually be W. He died in Lubbock, TX.
He was married to Octavia "Dotsy" ???.
THIRD GENERATION
8. Alice Ray WILSON was born on 27 May 1908 in Roswell, Chaves Co., NM.
She was married to William John GARRISON (son of John Dunham "JD"
GARRISON and Ethel Edna ANDERSON) on 12 Aug 1930 in Roswell,
Chaves Co., NM.6 Wilson-Garrison Wedding
Alice Ray WILSON and William John GARRISON had the following children:
+18 i. Roger Wilson GARRISON.
+19 ii. Paul Cornell GARRISON.
9. WILLIAM Rutherford "Bud" WILSON Jr. was born on 5 Jan 1912 in Roswell,
Chaves Co., NM.
He was married to Neleta FOX about 1937 in Amarillo, TX.
He was divorced from Neleta FOX about 1939 in Amarillo, Potter Co., TX.
He was married to Gretchen Rose MAY (daughter of George Edward MAY and
Josephine Martha NICHOLS) on 21 Oct 1939 in Oklahoma City, OK.
He was divorced from Gretchen Rose MAY in 1943 in Amarillo, Potter Co., TX.
Gretchen Rose MAY was born on 25 May 1914 in Marshfield, VT.
Divorced 3 Sept 1943. She m/2nd Marriage to Henry Hertner.
WILLIAM Rutherford "Bud" WILSON Jr. and Gretchen Rose MAY had the following
children:
+20 i. William Rutherford WILSON III.
He was married to Betty (----) about 1943 in Prob. TX. He was divorced from
Betty (----) about 1945 in Texas.
He was married to (?) about 1945. (?) died about 1945 in (Rumored to be
suicide).
He was married to Margaret Marie (Peggy) GARVER (daughter of William Clyde
GARVER and Marie Anna LAMONT) on 22 Feb 1946 in New Orleans, LA.
He was divorced from Margaret Marie (Peggy) GARVER in 1953 in Santa Fe,
Santa Fe Co., NM.
WILLIAM Rutherford "Bud" WILSON Jr. and Margaret Marie (Peggy) GARVER had
the following children:
+21 i. Peggy Sue WILSON.
+22 ii. Patti Ann WILSON.
10. Margaret Jeane WILSON was born on 28 Jun 1924 in Santa Fe, Santa Fe Co.,
NM. She was born at St. Vincents Hospital in Santa Fe, NM, on a Saturday.
She was married to Kenneth Lynn KELSO Jr. (son of Kenneth Lynn KELSO Sr. and
Jeanette Ellenwood CHAMBERLAIN) on 23 May 1945 in Marietta, OH.
Mr. and Mrs. William Ray Wilson announce the marriage of their daughter Jeane
to Lynn Kelso United States Army Air Forces Wednesday, May twenty-third,
Nineteen Hundred forty-five, Marietta, Ohio.
Miss Wilson is Bride of Lynn Kelso
On May 23 Miss Jeane Wilson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs W.R. Wilson, 1627 Ong
St., Amarillo, Texas, became the bride of Pfc. Lynn Kelso in the Presbyterian
Church at Marietta, OH. Rev. Walter C. Peters officiated at the double ring
ceromony.
She was divorced from Kenneth Lynn KELSO Jr. in Jul 1976 in Marietta, OH.
Kenneth Lynn KELSO Jr. was born on 4 Apr 1922 in Marietta, Washington Co, OH.
He was a Vice Pres Dils Bros WV. Retired and moved to Sun City West, AZ.
Also has a summer house on Lake Erie @ Van Buren PT, NY. Margaret Jeane
WILSON and Kenneth Lynn KELSO Jr. had the following children:
+23 i. Melinda Marshall "Mindy" KELSO.
+24 ii. Alan Wilson KELSO.
+25 iii. Stuart Wells KELSO.
+26 iv. Mark Chamberlain KELSO.
+27 v. Jane Ellenwood KELSO.
15. Lillian Adella "Dell" WILSON7 was born on 10 Apr 1920 in Mingus, TX.
She was married to T.E. MILBURN. Lillian Adella "Dell" WILSON and T.E.
MILBURN had the following children:
28 i. Matthew Talmadge MILBURN. Never married - lives in NC.
29 ii. Ina Lee MILBURN was born in Michigan.
30 iii. Mary MILBURN.
17. Dorothy Marie WILSON8 was born on 31 Oct 1925 in Iowa Park, TX.
She was married to Roy Eugene WILSON on 31 Aug 1947 in Amarillo, Potter Co.,
TX. Roy Eugene WILSON was born on 26 Jun 1924 in Amarillo, TX. When he was a
young child, his family moved to Santa Rosa, NM.
Dorothy Marie WILSON and Roy Eugene WILSON had the following children:
+31 i. Jeanene Marie WILSON.
+32 ii. Vicki Ann WILSON.
+33 iii. Roy Eugene "Geno" WILSON II.
INDEX
(----)
Betty . . . 1
(?)
. . . 1
???
Octavia "Dotsy" . . . 1
ABBOTT
Elisha or Elijah . . . 1
Lucinda Emma "Lucy" . . . 1
ANDERSON
Ethel Edna . . . 1
CHAMBERLAIN
Jeanette Ellenwood . . . 1
FOX
Neleta . . . 1
GARRISON
John Dunham "JD" . . . 1
Paul Cornell . . . 1
Roger Wilson . . . 1
William John . . . 1
GARVER
Margaret Marie (Peggy) . . . 1
William Clyde . . . 1
KELSO
Alan Wilson . . . 1
Jane Ellenwood . . . 1
Kenneth Lynn . . . 1
Kenneth Lynn . . . 1
Mark Chamberlain . . . 1
Melinda Marshall "Mindy" . . . 1
Stuart Wells . . . 1
LAMONT
Marie Anna . . . 1
LASSITER
Nora Emma . . . 1
MAY
George Edward . . . 1
Gretchen Rose . . . 1
MILBURN
Ina Lee . . . 1
Mary . . . 1
Matthew Talmadge . . . 1
T.E. . . . 1
MOORE
MARY ALICE . . . 1
NICHOLS
Josephine Martha . . . 1
O'CONNOR
Anna . . . 1
VAN CLEAVE
Mary . . . 1
WALLING
Jerome Vance . . . 1
Jerome Vance . . . 1
Justina . . . 1
Mabel . . . 1
WELLS
DAVID Brooten . . . 1
MARY ALICE (Allie) . . . 1
WILSON
Alice Ray . . . 1
Dorothy Marie . . . 1
Estelle Marge . . . 1
Georgia Emma . . . 1
Jeanene Marie . . . 1
John M. . . . 1
John Monroe . . . 1
Leslie Ervin . . . 1
Lillian Adella "Dell" . . . 1
Margaret Jeane . . . 1
Patti Ann . . . 1
Peggy Sue . . . 1
Roy Eugene . . . 1
Roy Eugene "Geno" . . . 1
Stillborn Boy . . . 1
Talmadge DeWitt . . . 1
Thomas Paul . . . 1
Vicki Ann . . . 1
WILLIAM RAY "WR" . . . 1
William Rutherford . . . 1
WILLIAM Rutherford "Bud" . . . 1
Notes for John Monroe Wilson:
John died in a one man Coal Mining accident in the "Thurber Coal Mines." These mines were considered state of art at
the time. The Thurber Mine was a self-contained community, providing for all the needs of the miners. It was one of
the first to have electricity.
Freemasonry probably began formally in the 1600s as an English gentleman's club, but by 1717 had evolved into an engine
of the European Enlightenment. Its members were committed to egalitarianism, civic participation and other ideals
expressed through tropes of the stoneworkers trade: the square for straightforward virtue; the compass to circumscribe
one's passions; the plumb line to stay upright. There was little religion but much ritual, which enraged churchmen and
engaged conspiracy theorists, who still flood the Web with Masonic villainies, but it posed no problem for the Deists,
who frequented the Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin joined in Philadelphia and later guided Voltaire through the
order's mysteries. Colonial lodges, says Masonic historian William Moore, offered "a civil space in which to play with
self-rule in a world where democracy was not yet a fact." The brotherhood helped unite the squabbling colonies and
primed them for that quintessential Enlightenment political enterprise, the Revolution. Grand master George Washington
eventually set the Capitol cornerstone attired in his ceremonial apron.
John Monroe Wilson was killed in a one man Coal Mine Accident in Thurber Mines, Thurber, Erath Co, TX. He was the 1st
Postmaster and 1st Merchant of both OLD and NEW Zephyr, Brown Co, TX. See books on Zephyr TX and Thurber (Back Road to
Thurber); JM Wilson was the 1st Worshipful Master of Zephyr Lodge Masonic Temple; Some family members believe that JM
was born in Vermont, while others say Arkansas. Census records have both, though none have been found, prior to his
death, where he might have told the Census taker himself.
The "family story" is that he made his way from Vermont to the West, teaching as he went. In Springfield MO he met and
married Lucinda Emma (Lucy) Abbott. Where they married has not been discovered. As of 10/96, records have not been found
for him prior to those of 1870 in Brown Co, TX. He is actually missing from the 1880 Census in Brown Co, TX, but
historians know he and his wife were in the area from about 1872 until 1890. A Zephyr cemetery record for a "stillborn
boy" son of JM and LE Wilson, died Jun 1880 was found.
When the Zephyr Historical Society was writing the book on Zephyr, considerable time was spent trying to discover his
origins. Inquiries to the Masonic Temples also failed to produce records other than those that verify his positions in
the Temple in Zephyr. In Zephyr at the same time, and involved with JM in his business was an E.K. Wilson. Nothing
further has been discovered about this Wilson either -- a sibling perhaps? JM and Lucy's oldest son was born in Duffau,
Erath Co, TX in 1878, so the possibility exists that family of either parent may have been in Erath Co at that time.
There is also some current speculation that he may have been related to the Monroe family in Brown Co. Maybe his
mother's line? One of his granddaughters, Dorothy Wilson of Amarillo, heard that there is a "Wilson Homestead" around
the Grant/Mingus/Thurber area of TX, but was unable to find it. There is also a Wilson Family Bible, the current
location of which is still unknown.
I wanted to tell you about Dr. Leo Bielinski in Thurber/Mingus, TX.... Ellen Jones, who helped me start this crazy and
fun genealogy "game" made contact with this guy in the Thurber, TX area. My gr grandfather Wilson was killed in a mine
accident in 1894 there at the Thurber Mines. Anyway, after a little snail mail back and forth the WELLS family was
mentioned. WELL, it turns out that Leo's Dad built the house that Leo still lives in on land right beside my gr
grandfather David B. Wells !! His sister is actually living on a part of DB's land now. AMAZINGLY small world... of
all the people we could have contacted?
Leo is a great guy. There was a PBS show on Thurber, TX and he was in it. Also, he wrote a couple of really good books.
One is a Historical Fiction (but based on his grandfather's life there... a Polish Immigrant) "The Back Road to
Thurber" which is the road that my gr grandfather DB Wells lived on. And the other is a more factual story about the
Thurber, TX Coal Mines.
Could John have been in the Civil War, and from ILLINOIS? This is where our
Moore and Wells families were during that time period:
WILSON, JOHN M C 143 INF NOKOMIS
Date of marriage is an estimate based on birth of Erwin. It is very probable they were married earlier in the 1870s,
because Zephyr, Brown Co., TX has records of JM & LE Wilson during that time period. Lucinda Emma "Lucy" ABBOTT2,3
was born on 17 Oct 1853 in Springfield, Greene Co., MO. She died on 7 Sep 1921 in Mingus, Palo Pinto Co, TX. Death
certificate number 26081. She was a Teacher. She has miscellaneous notes: was said to be 1/2 Cherokee. Cherokees
At the time of their first contacts with Europeans, in the mid-16th century, the Cherokee lived in the isolated hills
and valleys of the highest portions of the Southern Appalachians. Related linguistically to the Iroquois to the north,
it is believed by some scholars that successive groups of Cherokees were driven southwards in pre-Columbian times until
they settled in the Southern Appalachians. By the beginning of the 18th century, the Cherokee territory had expanded to
include Allegheny County in southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, eastern
Tennessee and northern Georgia and Alabama. An area abundant in natural resources provided over 800 species of plants
used for food, medicines, and crafts. A wide variety of trees in the dense forests was available for houses (framework
and coverings), for fuel, weaving fibers, twine, and medicinal barks, while plentiful animals provided food, clothing,
shelter, and medicine.
Part (1/2) Cherokee Indian; Teacher; Southern Methodist; Res: Springfield MO; Zephyr, Mingus/Thurber/Grant, TX. Her
grandson JV Walling, Jr. remembers spending time with his grandmother at the lake "learning the Indian ways".
Notes for William R. Wilson:
He was educated Pharmacist about 1905 in Dallas, Dallas Co., TX.
He was a Pharmacist before 1950 in NM and TX.
He had an obituary Amarillo Daily News after 2 Dec 1950
in Amarillo, Potter Co., TX.
Final Tribute:
William R. Wilson
Services Held For Druggist
Services honoring the memory of William Ray Wilson, Amarillo druggist, were scheduled to be held this afternoon at 4
o'clock in the Ivy Chapel of Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home with Rev. Eugene Slater, minister of the Polk Street
Methodist Church, officiating. Named as pallbearers were Paul Jones, Virgil Haskins, W.T. Leachman, Jr, Cecil
Hazlewood, J.C. Gibson and John Smithee. Mr. Wilson, former owner of the Wilson Drug Stores, died Friday night in
Washington, Mo., while en route home after visiting relatives in Ohio and West Virginia. He was 68 years old. The
family home is at 1627 Ong. Mr. Wilson was a member of the Methodist Church and was a past president of the Panhandle
Outdoor Sportsmen's Club. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Anna Wilson; two sons, W.R. Wilson, Jr., of Denver, and
Gaylord Gates, Albuquerque; and three daughters, Mrs. W.J. Garrison, Marietta, Ohio; Mrs. Lynn Kelso, Parkersburg, W.
Va., and Mrs. Joseph O'Connor, San Antonio. Burial was to be in Llano Cemetery.
He was buried after 3 Dec 1950 in Llano Cemetery, Amarillo, TX. Both of my grandfathers are buried in this cemetery.
He is the next oldest in his family, his older brother Ervin b. 1877, and apparently the only one to attend college.
He became a Pharmacist, after attending school in Dallas, TX. William Ray Wilson was the owner of several Drug Stores,
including Owl Drug Co., Roswell, N.M., and Wilson's Drug in Amarillo, TX - located at 316 E. 10th. He also purchased a
camera store which his son Bud Wilson managed called Wilson's Camera Store, also in Amarillo, TX. The store is now known
as Hertner's Camera Store, and was owned by Gretchen May Wilson Hertner after Bud and Gretchen's divorce. Everyone has
kind words to say about WR Wilson.
Daughter Alice Ray Wilson wrote about her Daddy in her scrapbook:
My Daddy - The best man in the world, the best looking man in the world, and
the smartest man in the world, and the best daddy a girl could have had.
Notes for William Ray Wilson:
The William Ray Wilson family lived in Roswell, NM and owned a Summer Home in Riudoso, NM. The cabin was called
"Toonootee" which means Riverview in the Cherokee Indian Language. WR's mother, Lucinda Emma Abbott Wilson is believed
to have been about 1/2 Cherokee.
I have found references to "living in Washington, DC" and had been puzzled as to why they might have been there. In
looking at Alice Ray Wilson's scrapbooks, I found that she went to George Washington University in 1926. The whole
family went with her for the winter. She transferred to the University of Arizona at Tucson the next year.
Her niece Dotty Wilson told me that W.R. and Allie were in love from the moment they met.
Notes for WILLIAM Rutherford "Bud" WILSON Jr.:
He was educated at and a Graduate of New Mexico Military Institute about 1924 in Roswell, Chaves Co., NM. He was
educated in Pharmacology about 1936 in Dallas, Dallas Co., TX. He was a Pharmacist - Wilson Drug Store between 1936 and
1939 in Amarillo, Potter Co., TX. He was a Manager and Owner of Wilson's Camera Store between 1939 and 1943 in
Amarillo, Potter Co., TX. He served in the military in 1943 in WW II United States Army - Calvary. Command and General
Staff School - United States Army: To All Who Shall See These Presents Greeting
Be it known that Captain William R. Wilson, Jr., Cavalry, having completed the General Staff Course at the Command and
General Staff School and having achieved the prescribed grade, has been declared a GRADUATE. In testimony whereof, and
by authority vested in us, We do confer upon him this DIPLOMA.
Given at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, this 11th day of November, 1943.
[signatures of Assistant Commandant, Class Director, Commandant, and Secretary]
He was a Salesman between 1946 and 1960. He died on 1 Sep 1960 in Santa Fe, Santa Fe Co., NM. Bud was buried on the
5th of Sept. 1960 in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM with Military Honors, presentation of a US Flag, and a 21 gun
salute.
The Roswell County Clerk failed to turn up a birth certificate, but their records indicate he was the first (White Male
?) child born in NM after it became a State. My Aunt Alice Ray Wilson Garrison said that his Christened name was
Marvin, which he mysteriously changed to "Rutherford". Bud is buried in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM, as he
was a Captain in the Army (Calvary) in WWII. After his divorce from Peggy Garver Wilson, he retained custody of his
daughters and reared them until his untimely death in 1960. He died in an auto accident in Santa Fe, NM in Sept of that
year when his daughter Peggy was thirteen and her sister Patti nine. Additionally, he was a Pharmacist, Photographer,
and lover of automobiles. Residences included Amarillo, Dallas TX; Albuquerque, Santa Fe NM; and Denver CO.
"Bud" was married five times, the last to Margaret "Peggy" Garver. His cousin Dotty Wilson tells me that W.R. (Bud's
father) used to just shake his head when asked how Bud was doing.
He was, from all accounts an incredible salesman, selling camera equipment for much of his life. Family records also
indicate he sold Real Estate in NM at one point in his life. I know he was one of the first Dictaphone salesmen. I
have his business card which is a Monk sitting at his table dictating into a Dictaphone while the other Monks sit with
their quills.
Gretchen has many Rev War Ancestors, and also qualifies for Magna Carta membership, and Colonial Dames. She and her
sisters authored a family book "YANKEE STOCK" about their MAY and NICHOLS ancestors.
notes for William Rutherford WILSON III.
According to Norris Norman, their divorce wasn't final until Jan. 1947.
He was divorced from Margaret Marie (Peggy) GARVER in 1953 in Santa Fe, Santa Fe Co., NM. I collected the 25 pages of
this divorce from Santa Fe County. It has many interesting and unsettling details of their divorce. Including details
as to why Bud ended up with custody of his two daughters.
Margaret Marie (Peggy) GARVER was born on 8 Mar 1922 in Amarillo, TX. She died on 23 Nov 1980 in San Diego, CA Mercy
Hospital. Peggy died as a result of Lung Cancer which spread to her brain. She had brain surgery about a month before
her death. Her Nephew Tom Latham was one of the last to see her alive. Her husband died about a year later. Tom and
Nancy say that her sister Eddie tried to reclaim some of her possessions, but was only given a few clothes and jewelry.
We have found no record of an Estate or Will.
Prepared by Peggy Sue Wilson, 4203 Summit Cir, Amarillo, TX 79109, 806-353-1308
