William Wilson

As printed in 1881

WILLIAM WILSON.

This gentleman was one of the company who sunk the first shaft for coal in Ray county. Wm. Wilson was born in Lawarkshire county, Scotland, in the year 1845. He has always been a miner. In the year 1865, he came to America, and spent a short time, after his arrival in this country, in the state of Pennsylvania, then coming west, he lived for a time in different states, until 1869, when he finally settled in Ray county, Missouri, and received naturalization papers from the circuit court here. Soon after locating in this county, Mr. Wilson began mining for coal, and, as has been stated, inaugurated the business by sinking the first shaft in is what now known as mine number six, on the railroad, one mile south of Richmond. This enterprise was highly successful, and the great coal beds of Ray county were opened to the world. There was a ready market at a good price, for all the coal that Mr. Wilson could get out, and he continued the business until now he is the possessor of a handsome income from mines and real estate. He is the owner of a beautiful place of seventy-three acres, in the western suburbs of Richmond, where he has of late, turned his attention to the raising of the best varieties of poultry. He has a patent incubator with which to hatch his fowls, and is prepared with every modern convenience and device to assist in raising them. If this venture proves a success, as no doubt it will under the management of Mr. Wilson, he intends to increase his facilities and enlarge the business. He now has the finest chickens of the white Brahma, Leghorn and Plymouth Rock varieties, and the Toulouse geese. He is now associated with Mr. Peter Wilson in the mining business, under the firm name of Wilson & Wilson. They have just sunk a new shaft on our subject's land, near the track of the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway. William Wilson was married at Richmond, in the month of March, 1873, to Miss Mary Blair, daughter of Mr. Robert Blair, formerly of that place, now dead. Five children were born of this union, and four of them are living at this time (April 1881). Mr. Wilson is a practical, energetic business man, and has now, by his own enterprise and industry, the property and good name which he now enjoys.

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