Clarke County AlArchives Biographies.....Wilson, John Winfield March 15, 1844 - September 15, 1910
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Eric C. Watson ericwats@sbcglobal.net and Rebecca Wilson Presnall Presnall61@frontiernet.net April 30, 2007, 12:15 pm

Author: Tommie Dee Bradford Kennedy

John Winfield Wilson was born March 15, 1844 at Belle Landing, Monroe County, 
Alabama. His father was Robert Wilson and his mother was Rebecca Primm. John 
Winfield enlisted in the Confederate Army April 2, 2,1862 from Grove Hill, 
Alabama - Regiment 38 of Alabama, Company A. He served at Camp Holt near 
Mobile in 1862. He wrote a letter dated March 5, 1863 to his sister, Miss Lucy 
Wilson. He was at home on furlough when the Confederate States surrendered, 
and he was later discharged on May 20, 1865.

John Winfield married Mary Elizabeth Kennedy on January 18, 1870. Her father 
was Neil Kennedy and her mother was Martha Hicks. Mary Elizabeth was born 
August 29, 1843 near Grove Hill, Alabama in an area which would later be the 
Dickinson community. The first settlement at Dickinson was called Marianna. 
Records in Washington show that a Post Office named Gayle was established 
there on April 19, 1888 and that the name was changed to Dickinson on May 22, 
1888. Dickinson is thought to be named for the Dickinson family, early 
settlers of Clarke County.

Dickinson actually came into being in the 1880s with the coming to the area of 
the Southern Railroad. Dickinson became the shipping point for the plantations 
there and in Scyrene and North Grove Hill. John Winfield's daughter, Martha 
Alma, seven years of age at the time, rode the first passenger train through 
Dickinson in about 1886. She also rode the last passenger train in the 1950s.

John W. Wilson became first Postmaster of Dickinson, probably in the late 
1880s. He served until January 22, 1903. He died September 15, 1910 in 
Dickinson at age 66. Mary Elizabeth died August 21, 1.943 at age 101. John and 
Mary Elizabeth had 10 children, listed as follows: (1) Robert Vidmer, born 
October 9, 1870, married Mollie Welch, children Andy, Eugene, Bessie, 
Blanchard (2) Neil Eugene, born October 9, 1870 (twin to Robert Vidmer), died 
December 18, 1957, married Rebecca Allen, one child Wynema, after Rebecca's 
death married Leila Bolen, one child Russell (3) John W. Jr., born April 27, 
1872, died 1932, married Carrie Watkins in February 1900, children Nannye Rae, 
John, Thomas, Gayle, Elizabeth (4) Thomas A., born April 7, 1874, died 1946, 
married Nettle Hall December 1898, children Marie, Tommy, Bernice, Lucille (5) 
Ada, born October 16, 1875, died August 12, 1912, never married (6) Alice, 
born October 20, 1877, died January 3, 1971, married Walter Allen November 5, 
1902, children Bryant, Gainer, David (7) Martha Alma, born May 5, 1879, died 
May 4, 1964, married Thomas Marian Bradford February 25, 1900, children 
Hubbard, Gerald, Coma, Howard, Madge, Tommie Dee, Robert, Neil, Kenneth (8) 
Carol, born April 13, 1881, died January 29, 1940, married Arthur Lee Sigler 
July 22, 1903, children George, Arthur, Mary Lee (9) Walter Primm, born 
January 18, 1883, died July 2, 1970, never married (10) Fannie, born August 
10, 1885, died 1906, never married.


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