Wilson, John and James

John Wilson (b.1850) and James Wilson (b.1852)

Nelson, NH

In 1860, two young brothers from Virginia resided in the home of a white couple, Luke and Lucy Richardson, farmers in Nelson, NH.  James (8) and John (10) Wilson appear in the 1860 census as ‘mulatto’ children residing in Nelson and attending school.  About 10 miles away in Dublin, NH, 13-year old Charles Wilson of VA, most likely their brother, was living with 70-year old Abijah Richardson– the brother of Luke Richardson.  

No historical records have been discovered, to date, to indicate how and why the Wilson children were living in New Hampshire with the Richardson family.  At the time of their stay in Nelson, the Tower Hazard family resided next door.  As the only other family of color in town, the Wilson children would have attended school with the Hazard children who were the same age.

When Luke Richardson died in March 1865, he left $50 each to the younger Wilson brothers. The will indicates that the children should find a guardian to support them and would receive the funds on their 21st birthdays.  The whereabouts of the Wilson children following the 1860 census is not known.

GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY

JOHN WILSON was born in Virginia in 1850. 

JAMES WILSON was born in Virginia in 1852. 

SOURCE MATERIALS

New Hampshire Wills and Probate Records, Nelson, 1865- Ancestry.com

U.S. Federal Census Records, 1850, 1860, 1870- Ancestry.com