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FILE: merchant; land speculator. Wilson owned a
mercantile house in Baltimore Town with his
brother-in-law Gerard Hopkins, which was trad-
ing as Wilson & Hopkins by 1780 and as Wilson,
Hopkins, & Moore by 1781. With Hopkins he
also bought, leased, sold, and sublet lots in Bal-
timore Town and Fell's Point during the 1780s.
By 1787 Wilson owned a brigantine and one-half
interest in a schooner, as well as an interest in a
wharf and warehouse on Fell's Point. Over-ex-
tended financially and unable to cover bonds given
in 1786, Wilson and Hopkins petitioned for relief
as insolvent debtors in 1787 and subsequently lost
their real and personal property. Wilson was jailed
for debt in 1796, but by 1800 was again described
as being a "merchant of Baltimore." PUBLIC CA-
REER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: 9th Convention,
Harford County, 1776; Lower House, Harford
County, 1777-1778, 1778-1779 (Claims 3, Man-
ufactories 1), Baltimore Town, 1781-1782 (Claims
1, 2; Manufactories 1, 2). LOCAL OFFICES: Com-
mittee of Observation, Harford County, Septem-
ber 1775-at least May 1777; justice, Baltimore
County, 1782, 1783. MILITARY SERVICE: captain,
company of Harford County Militia belonging to
the 23rd Battalion, commissioned May 16, 1776.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY:
6 slaves, 1 servant, 1776. ADDITIONAL COM-
MENTS: By 1786 Wilson and his partner, Gerard
Hopkins, owed at least £2,645.0.0 current money
to William West (ca. 1737-1791), William Haxall,
and "Charles Carroll Esq. & Co. in Ironworks."
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 238 acres in Harford
County, plus 1 lot in Baltimore Town (all by re-
cent purchase). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND
BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: sold the
238 acres in Harford County by 1779 and began
buying lots in Baltimore Town with Gerard Hop-
kins. By 1787 the two had acquired by purchase
or lease 17 lots and 95 acres in and adjoining
Baltimore Town and Fell's Point, and subdivided
their land near Pitt and Greene streets, Baltimore
Town. Although they attempted to cover their
debts by mortgaging part of their property in 1787,
by early 1788 they were forced to turn all of it
over to their trustee for sale under the provisions
of the Act for Insolvent Debtors. Wilson's father
had given and sold him 636 acres in Harford County
in 1782. At least part of this land was deeded to
William West (ca. 1737-1791) in 1786, and since
Wilson owned no land in Harford County in 1798
all of it had probably been sold to pay his cred-
itors. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED, on September 3,
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1800, of the "prevailing fever" at Fell's Point,
Baltimore City. LAND: probably none.
WILSON, JOSIAH (?-1717). BORN, in Calvert
County; probably eldest son. NATIVE second
generation. RESIDED: in Calvert County; Prince
George's County by 1702; Anne Arundel County
by 1705; and Prince George's County by 1708.
FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: probably James
Wilson, who immigrated in 1652 and was a Cal-
vert County planter. MARRIED ca. 1699 Martha,
daughter of George Lingan (?-1708). Her brother
was Thomas. Her sisters were Anne, who married
Edward Boteler; Katherine, who married Henry
Boteler. CHILDREN. SONS: Josiah; Lingan; James;
Joseph; and Joshua. DAUGHTER: Martha. PRI-
VATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION: Protestant. SOCIAL STATUS AND AC-
TIVITIES: no title before 1698; sons sat on St. Paul's
Parish Vestry, Prince George's County, but held
no other offices. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter;
merchant. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE:
Lower House, Prince George's County, 1715
(Elections and Privileges), 1716-1717 (Elections
and Privileges 1, 2; died before the 3rd session
of the 1716-1718 Assembly). LOCAL OFFICES: jus-
tice. Calvert County, 1698-1700, Prince George's
County, 1714-1716; sheriff. Prince George's
County, 1702-1705, 1708-1711, Anne Arundel
County, 1705-1708; alderman, Annapolis, 1708.
MILITARY SERVICE: captain, by 1698; major, by
1703. STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES. Op-
posed Revolution of Protestant Associators, 1689.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELEC-
TION: 1,246 acres in 1706. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED:
between November 11 and December 5, 1717.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £1,328.15.1 (includ-
ing 5 servants and 22 slaves); FB, £250.2.6. LAND:
3,268 acres.
WILSON, LEVIN (1735-1791). BORN: in 1735 in
Somerset County; eldest son. NATIVE: third gen-
eration. RESIDED: Great Annamessex Hundred,
District 4, Somerset County, 1783. FAMILY BACK-
GROUND. FATHER: Samuel Wilson (?-1748), a
captain and shipowner of Somerset County.
MOTHER. Martha, daughter of Levin Woolford
(1683-1721) and wife Sarah Jones. UNCLE: David
Wilson (1704-1750). AUNT: Mary Woolford (?-
1780), who married Henry Waggaman (?-ca. 1761).
BROTHERS: Thomas (1737-ca. 1766); George
(1739-1779); and Samuel (1747-?). SISTER: Eliz-
abeth (1745-?), who married Henry Jackson (?-
899
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