Lake County Ohio GenWeb

George Wilson

This biography is taken from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio, Embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake; Lewis Publishing Company, 1893.

Transcribed and submitted by Becky Falin, 1996.

George Wilson, a prominent and successful farmer on the lake shore in Willoughby township, Lake county, Ohio, was thrown upon is own resources at the early age of eleven years, and by patient and honest toil had worked his way up to his present prosperity.

Mr. Wilson was born in Yorkshire, England, April 26, 1828, son of William and Mary Wilson, both natives of Yorkshire. His father, a farmer by occupation, died in 1875. His mother died in 1885. George is the oldest of their five children and is the only one who came to America. He attended school from the time he was six until he was eleven years old. At the age of eleven he began working out, doing farm work, and at first receiving five pounds per year. He continued thus employed for nearly eleven years, his wages being increased from time to time, and the last two years receiving twenty pounds per year. From this meagre earning he saved a little each years, and in 1850 started for America, sailing from Liverpool April 11, and landing in New York, May 16. He came direct from New York to Cleveland, and thence to Willoughby, Lake county. Here he hired out to a farmer and worked by the month nearly two years. In the spring of 1852 he began farming for himself, having purchased forty-four acres of land in the northwest part of Willoughby township. This land was partly cleared at the time of the purchase. For forty-one years he has made his home here, and during this period he has cleared and developed considerable land, adding to his original purchase from time to time as his means allowed. He is now the owner of 242 acres of land, twenty acres of which are in vineyard. He has about 500 peach trees and a variety of plums, pears and other fruits. The buildings on his place are all substantial and in excellent condition. September 23, 1885, he had a fine barn and contents burned, entailing a loss of fully $5,000.

Mr. Wilson was married in 1854 to Lydia Jones, a native of Willoughby township, this county, and a daughter of Ransome and Ann Jones, who came from New Yrok to this State. She died in 1862, leaving five children, namely: William, deceased; Vine; Esbon; Frank, deceased; and one that died in infancy. In 1868 Mr. Wilson was again married, this time to Emily J. Barnes, a native of this township. Her parents, Parish and Ann Barnes, were natives respectively of New York and Wales. They were married in this county and passed their lives and died here, the father dying in 1878, at the age of sixty-one years, and the mother in 1878, at the age of fifty-eight. Five of their eight children are still living. Mr. Wilson and his present wife have five children, - Seth, Mary, Frank, Bertha and Raymond.

He and his wife are members of the Disciple Church.

Since the time of securing the date for this sketch, Mr. Wilson has disposed of his fine farmstead, selling the same, on July 10, 1893, to the Shaker society, for a consideration of $34,225.