Perquimans County, NC - Willson/Wilson Family Hypothetical Reconstruction of the Willson Family Benjamin Willson, son of Isaac and Ann Willson, was born in Perquimans County, North Carolina on 1 Dec 1694 (or on the 16th of some month in that year). On 15 Feb 1721/22 he was married to Judith Docton, daughter of Thomas Docton. He was living in August 1776, but probably died soon after. Children of Benjamin and Judith Willson: i. William, of whom hereafter ii. Jacob, born 5 Oct 1726, died 20 Sep 1793; married in 1748 to Peninah Pritchard; married in 1763 to Rachel Copeland iii. Isaac, born 8 Mar 1728/29 iv. Sarah, born 19 Jun 1731; married in 1753 to John Anderson v. Abraham, born 19 Mar 1733; died 1795; married in 1753 to Lydia Sanders vi. Moses, born 20 Dec 1735; died about 1794 vii. Ruth, born 28 May 1739 viii. Benjamin, born 11 Sep 1741, died 20 Sep 1762 ix. Thomas, born before 1747, living in 1772, married Mary x. Zachariah, born before 1752, died about 1788 William Willson may be a son of Benjamin Willson, although complete proof has not been found. Tax records and militia rolls provide he must have been born after 1694; as he married in 1743, he was probably born about 1723 or earlier. (A date of 1723 would be appropriate for his birth if he were the eldest son of Benjamin Willson). William was married in 1743 to Mary Moore, who was probably related in some way to that William Moore who died in Perquimans about 1752. William Willson lived in the Ballahack area (now part of Hertford township) and acquired several tracks of land. In 1765 he married Elizabeth (Pearson) Babley Munden, a widow with several children by her two previous husbands. William moved to the Little River area (now part of Parkville township) where Elizabeth had property. Although that part of Little River vicinity was in Perquimans County, the Friends living there were under the jurisdiction of Pasquotank Monthly Meeting. William sold his lands in Ballahack and was still living in 1771; he does not appear in the 1778 tax list for Perquimans, perhaps because he had died between 1771 and 1778. Elizabeth Willson lived until 1801. Re: William and Christopher Willson Perquimans County records and Quaker records show that Christopher Wilson was the only son of Willaim Wilson and wife Elizabeth (nee Pearson). No record has been found to show when or where this William Wilson died; he left no will or estate records in this county and the extant minutes of Perquimans County Court for the period 1774-1801 do not record the appointment of any person to settle his estate. There are references to William Wilson in numerous North Carolina counties. Our only certain knowledge of Christopher Wilson's father William is that (1) he was a Quaker, (2) he married the twice-widowed Elizabeth Pearson Bagley Munden in 1765, (3) after his marriage he moved his church membership from Perquimans Monthly Meeting to Pasquotank Monthly Meeting, and (4) he had two children by Elizabeth. It is just short of impossible to believe that Quaker William Wilson of Perquimans went the many miles to Mecklenburg County to engage in revolutionary activities. Further, modern scholars believe the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence never existed; it was a hoax or fraud or pious fiction invented in the nineteenth century. There was a William Wilson who married Mary Moore in Perquimans in 1743. Deeds suggest he was still living in the county in 1771. Comparison of tax lists (which do not show two Williams in Perquimans in any year) leads me to believe this man is the same who married Elizabeth (Pearson). Tax lists and Quaker records point to his having several children by his first wife. At the approximate time of his birth (between 1694 and 1723) there seem to have been only two Wilsons in Perquimans who could have been William's father: (1) Robert Wilson and (2) his brother Benjamin Wilson. Both Robert and Benjamin were Quakers, as was William. Robert Wilson's will does not name a son William, nor does such a child appear in the list of Robert's children found in Quaker records. William's land and associations definitely connected him with Benjamin Wilson's family. Benjamin Wilson, however, did not make a will; it also appears he gave property to his children in his lifetime and that he might have outlived some of his children. It is also clear that Quaker records do not contain a complete list of Benjamin's children. Considering the available evidence, I am inclined to believe that Children of William and Mary Willson: i. Thomas, married in 1777 to Elizabeth Newby; died in 1785 in Perquimans ii. William, married in 1776 to Eunice Worth; living in 1786 in Randolph County iii. Morning, married in 1782 to Elijah Powel iv. Jesse, married in 1782 to Elijah Beeson; died about 1814 in Randolph County Children of William and Elizabeth Willson: v. Christopher, born between 1765 and 1775; married in 1789 to Pharaby Sanders, daughter of John Sanders; died 11 Dec 1823 in Perquimans vi. Sarah, married in 1793 to William Johnson ------------------------------------------------------------------ Elizabeth (Betty) Pearson, daughter of Peter and Rachel Pearson, was born on 16 Jun (the year is torn from the original record but was probably about 1725.) She was married (1) in 1747 to William Bagley, (2) in 1754 to Benjamin Munden, and (3) in 1765 to William Willson. She had children by each husband. She died in Perquimans in 1801. Children of Elizabeth Pearson Bagley Munden Willson: i. John Bagley, born 1747 ii. Nathan Bagley, born 1751; married in 1776 to Mary Low iii. Ephraim Bagley, born 1752 iv. Zilpha Munden, born 1755; married -?- Low v. Hannah Munden, born 1757; married in 1779 to Thomas Ratliff vi. Elisha Munden, born 1759, died about 1821; married to Ann -?- vii. Christopher Willson viii. Sarah Willson, married in 1793 to William Johnson ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Wilson White III - wwwwwilson@aol.com ______________________________________________________________________