Michael Wilson

As printed in 1881

MICHAEL WILSON, Sn. (deceased). The stroke of the mallet chisels the firm marble block into a shaft of beauty, and artistic skill fashions the letters that tell of the birth, years and death of the silent sleeper beneath; but time covers the monument with the misses of decay, and defaces the inscription. As we well know, change is constant and general; generations are rising and passing unmarked away; and as it is a duty to the child and parent, as well as a gratification to the descendants of him who now “sleeps the last sleep,” we place on record a brief sketch of the life and character of one of the leading pioneer farmers of Clark Co. Michael Wilson, Sr., was born in Harmony Township, Clark Co., Ohio, March 15, 1814, and was the youngest in a family of three children, viz., Washington, Josiah and Michael. His parents, Michael and Temperance (Judy) Wilson, were natives of Kentucky, who settled in Greene Co., Ohio, in an early day. On the breaking-out of the war of 1812, his father went into the army, where he served a short time, then returned home, procured a substitute and shortly afterward took sick and died. The widow, with her two oldest boys, came to Clark Co., and soon after settling in Harmony Township the subject of this sketch was born. It is unnecessary for us to speak of the hardships and privations to be endured by the widow with her three small children. Settling in the woods of Harmony Township, suffice it to say that she watched over them with loving care, and lived to see them become leaders of the township in which she settled, as well as large land-owners and respected citizens. Michael grew up in his native township, and was there married, by John Judy, April 12, 1835, to Lavina Henry, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Johnson) Henry, natives of Kentucky, who came to Clark Co. about 1814, settling in Harmony Township. There Mrs. Wilson was born Jan. 23, 1815, and has never lived outside of her native township. To Michael and Lavina Wilson were born the following children: Jasper N., Temperance (deceased), James T., Elizabeth, Jefferson (who was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, and there died), Johnson M., Michael B., Lavina (the deceased wife of Edmund West), Washington H., Emma D. (deceased), Martha Ann (deceased), John. F. and Francis S. All of the children are settled on farms of their own with the exception of two, who reside at the old homestead with their mother. Mrs. Wilson is the eleventh in a family of thirteen, as follows: Polly (deceased), John (deceased), Johnson (deceased), Willie (deceased), Martha, Jonathan (deceased), Nancy, Sarah, Benjamin (deceased), Lavina, William (deceased) and Betsey. From childhood Michael Wilson was noted for his quiet demeanor and steady, industrious habits, and his success in life was due to those leading characteristics which he inherited from his sturdy parents, and which were fostered under the care of a good mother. Beginning in life poor, he began at once to practice economy, and this, coupled with steady, persevering industry, caused him to rise. step by step, and fortune.to smile upon him, until at the time of his death, which occurred Feb. 10, 1879, he owned over 1,100 acres of land, all in his native township with the exception of 100 across the line in Madison Co. From the age of 30 until his death, he belonged to the Christian Church, of Plattsburg, and a Deacon of the same for several years previous to that sad event. Politically a Republican, he never took a very active part in politics, but was always an earnest advocate of schools, churches and public institutions generally, and his death was a serious loss to the community of which he was an acknowledged leader. He was a quiet, modest, retiring man, who attended strictly to his own affairs, leaving his neighbor to do the same; but no man was more firm and rigid in upholding a just cause when necessity impelled him to take sides. His life was an upright one, free from those imperfections that are so common among business men; and his character was strongly marked by those noble traits of honesty and charity toward all men which won for him the unlimited confidence and respect of all good citizens.

As printed in The History of Clark County Ohio, (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.