Benjamin Willson was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. He assisted the British Navy at their base in Staten Island. He was captured by the Colonialists and imprisoned in Frederick, Maryland in 1777 in the “Hessian Prison” at Fort Frederick. This prison was built in 1756, and was pressed back into service by the Continental Congress to house captured British soldiers and Loyalists. Willson was returned to New Jersey in 1778 to face possible land confiscation by the Council on Safety.
This article details proof of the lineage of Benjamin Willson through Annie Willson to the Bonner family.
Benjamin Willson and Sarah Willson had a son, Gilman Willson. Gilman’s family Bible states that he was born in 1771 [1]. Proof that Benjamin was Gillman’s father is provided by 3 documents.
Documents Establishing Proof Of Gillman Willson’s Lineage
First, on February 1, 1810, Gilman traveled to York (present-day Toronto) to petition for an additional land grant by virtue of his father being on the United Empire Loyalists (U.E.) list. An affidavit that accompanied the petition states that Gilman was the brother of C. Willson, M.P. [2]
The original documents [3] from the 1810 petition are dated February 1, 1810. The petition reads:
“In Council The Petition of Gilman Willson of the Township of Ber- tie in the District of Niagara. Gentlemen Humbly Herewith That your Petitioner has resided in this Province Twenty Years and has drawn Two hun- dred Acres of the waste Lands of the Crown by virtue of his Father’s name being on the U.E. List.”
Gilman Willson was granted the additional 200 acres he petitioned for on February 6, 1810, after paying Patent and Surveying Fees [4].
The cover of the record shows the progress of the petition from the Lieutenant Governor’s office, to the Council, to approval. There is no indication of the location of the 200-acre land grant.
The petition is accompanied by affidavits of residence and character. The second affidavit states that Gilman is “Brother to C Wilson M.P.” Both affidavits state that Gilman had been a resident of the Province for 20 years and was a Captain in the Lincoln militia [5].
Thus, the 1810 petition did not name Benjamin Willson but did state that Gilman’s father was on the U.E. list, and Benjamin Willson was the only Willson on the list from Bertie. The petition does state that Gilman was the brother of Crowell Willson M.P.
To complete the proof that Gilman was the son of Benjamin Willson U.E., we cite two documents that establish that Gilman’s brother, Crowell Willson, was the son of Benjamin Willson U.E.:
1) Willson [6] cites a deed from June 4, 1806, in which lot 23 of concession 10 of Bertie was deeded by:
“Benjamin Willson of Bertie … for love, affection and goodwill which I have and do bear towards my loving grandson Benjamin Willson (son of my oldest son, Crowell Willson Esquire)”
2) Willson [7] cites a second document, a petition by Crowell Willson on January 20, 1809, for an additional land grant. The petition contains the following statement:
“…that he [Crowell Willson] has received three hundred acres of land from the Crown in the Township of Bertie as the son of the late Benjamin Willson, a U.E. Loyalist;”
These two documents incidentally establish that Benjamin Willson U.E. died between June 4, 1806, and January 20, 1809. His birth date can be placed before 1740, because he was presumably at least 21 on February 4, 1760, when he inventoried the estate of Joseph Willson of Wantage, New Jersey [8].
Land Grants To Benjamin Willson U.E.
Willson cites 3 separate land grants to Benjamin Willson totaling 1200 acres [9], an unusual quantity for Loyalist grants:
- 200 acres in Bertie on May 3, 1791;
- 350 acres in Wainfleet on October 8, 1796; and
- 650 acres in Blenheim on May 15, 1797.
Records of the third grant of 650 acres survive in Canadian Public Archives. The documents state [10]:
- “The Petition of Benjmn. Willson”; “…came into this Province in the year 1787”; “…two hundred for himself and 350 acres family lands…”; “…so as to make 1200 acres…”;
- “Benjmn. Willson”; “Ordered 650 acres to complete 1200 acres.”; “15th May 1797”;
- Affidavit attesting to good character; “…settled in the Township of Bertie Ten Years,”
Proof That Benjamin Willson Was A New Jersey Loyalist
Benjamin Willson is listed as an American Loyalist [11] as follows:
“Willson, Benjamin of Bertie”, and his son, “Capt. Gilman Willson of Dunwich”
Gilman Wilson’s 1810 land petition corroborates his father’s status with the following statement [12]:
“…by virtue of his [Gilman’s] father’s name being on the U. E. List.”
Willson states that there are many records showing that Benjamin Willson was a resident of Wantage, New Jersey [13]. He cites 2 documents that establish that Benjamin Willson was a Loyalist in New Jersey during the American Revolution:
- An order by the Council of Safety of New Jersey in March 1777 that Benjamin Willson and others be returned to New Jersey from prison in Frederick[sburg], Maryland. They had been imprisoned for boarding a British ship [14].
- A second document records the case of the State of New Jersey v. Benjamin Willson in May term 1778, when the Council of Safety was indicting Loyalists [15].