This article presents proof that Col. William Wilson is a qualifying ancestor for the Jamestowne Society and the Society of Colonial Wars, and proof of his lineage through his daughter Jane Wilson to the Mullins family.
Political and Military Service
Colonel William Wilson served as:
- Burgess in the Virginia House of Burgesses representing Elizabeth City County in 1684-1694 and 1700-1703 [1].
- Sheriff of Elizabeth City County in 1692 [2].
- Lieutenant and Commander-in-Chief of the Elizabeth City County Militia in 1699 [3].
- Naval Officer of the Lower District of James River from 1699-1710 [4,5].
Col. Wilson’s service as a Burgess before 1700 establishes him as a qualifying ancestor for the Jamestowne Society. His military service and service as a Burgess establish him as a qualifying ancestor for the Society of Colonial Wars.
Daughter: Jane Wilson
Colonel William Wilson and Jane [last name unknown] had a daughter, Jane Wilson (who was married to Nicholas Curle).
Evidence
Nicholas Curle’s Son, Wilson Curle: Grandson Of Col. William Wilson
Nicholas Curle’s will was dated August 12, 1714. An accurate but incomplete summary of the will is published [1]. A copy of the original will [2] names four children: Pasco, Wilson, Jane, and “the child my wife now goes with” (Mary Curle); and clearly states that the grandfather of Nicholas’s son, Wilson Curle, was Col. William Wilson:
“…my Sd. son Wilson Curle’s Land Given to him by his Grandfather Col. Willm. Wilson.”
The relationship was also recorded in Order Book 1704-1730 [3], p. 19:
“Wilson Curle, grandson and devisee of Col. William Wilson, born December 18, 1709.”
Nicholas refers to “my daughter Jane Curle” many times in the will, so it is clear that he was father to both Wilson and Jane. The question that remains is whether Wilson Curle’s mother, daughter of Col. William Wilson, was also the mother of Jane Curle.
The most straightforward interpretation of the will and other evidence presented:
- The legatee of Nicholas Curle’s will, his wife Jane, was the mother of Nicholas’s 4 children, including Wilson Curle, who was 4 years and 8 months old when Nicholas died’;
- the legatee Jane (Sr.) was the daughter of Col. William Wilson and his wife Jane, and was named for her mother; and
- the name “Jane” was passed in turn to Nicholas’s daughter, Jane Curle, who was the granddaughter of Col. Wilson and his wife Jane.
The Wives And Children Of Nicholas Curle
Nicholas Curle first married Elizabeth Gutherick [4] on June 14, 1700. Elizabeth was the daughter of Quintellian and Ann Gutherick and is mentioned in Quintellian’s will [5] of February 20, 1692/3. Elizabeth died young, but the date of her death is not known. There is no evidence of any children from this marriage.
The next definite date in Nicholas’s marital history is the birth of Wilson Curle on December 18, 1709. Because we know Wilson was the grandson of Col. William Wilson, we can conclude that Elizabeth Gutherick died before 1709 [6], and Nicholas remarried to a daughter of Col. Wilson before 1709.
The next and last definitive date in Nicholas’s marital history is the date of his will, August 12, 1714, when he was married to the legatee of his will, Jane [last name unknown], and had 4 living children: Pasco, Wilson (age 4 years 8 months when Nicholas died, based on his birth date cited in the previous paragraph), Jane, and a child as yet unborn.
As to the birth order of Nicholas’ children, his will provides evidence that Pasco was Nicholas’ elder son, because Nicholas bequeathed the majority of his land to Pasco. There are 5 bequests of land mentioned in the will:
- The farm “where I live and work with all Houses and orchards and other appurtenances” is left to Nicholas’ wife, Jane, for the rest of her natural life, and then was to pass to Pasco. But if he died in his minority, the farm would pass to daughter Jane.
- “…all my land at Fox Hills and all my Lotts of land in Hampton with all Houses orchards and other appurtenances whatsoever” were left to Pasco. But if he died in his minority, they were to pass to Wilson.
- “all my land at Scott’s Mill Dam of Eliz. City” was left to Nicholas’ unborn child if that child proved to be a son, but if the child was a daughter, the land was given to Pasco. If he died in his minority, it was to pass to Wilson.
- “…and my lands I bought of Chas. Cooley were left to my Daughter such my wife now goes with if it should Prove…” There are further instructions regarding this bequest that are on a missing fragment.
- Reference is made to “my Sd. Son Wilson Curles Land Given to him by his Grandfather Coll. Willm. Wilson.”
Nicholas clearly bequeathed the majority of his land to Pasco, according to the custom of primogeniture at the time in Virginia: One farm is given Pasco outright (in Hampton), plus additional land at Fox Hills, and the second farm (where the family lives) is to pass to Pasco upon his mother’s death. Further, he receives an additional bequest if the unborn child proves to be a girl.
We can conclude from these bequests that Pasco was an older brother of Wilson. The bequest by Col. Wilson to his grandson Wilson follows the pattern of relatives devising land to second and later sons, on the assumption that the eldest son would inherit his father’s estate.
There is no documentary evidence available to fix the birth date of Jane Curle. She was unmarried in 1733 when she was mentioned by her maiden name in the will of Susana Alkins [7], and was married by 1738 when she is mentioned on a deed with her husband George Walker [8]. If she had been born before Wilson, she would have been at least 25 in 1733, which is late for marriage in those times, but not impossible. It seems likely that she was born after, or at the earliest, just before, her brother Wilson, based on her marriage date in 1733 or later.
On the other hand, one might reasonably surmise, from the terms of Nicholas Curle’s will, that Jane was beyond very early childhood, for the following reason. The terms of the first bequest above were unusual: The family farm was to pass to a daughter (Jane) in the event of Pasco’s death, rather than to Wilson, or to an unborn son. This might suggest that Jane was old enough that her father had some sense of her as a person, and a maturing relationship with her, to make such a bequest.
The previous two paragraphs provide some justification to conclude that Jane Curle’s birth date was not far from the birth of her brother, Wilson, and therefore she was likely to have had the same mother.
Finally, there is no evidence in available records that Nicholas Curle’s second wife predeceased him, nor is there evidence that he had a third wife.
In summary, it seems likely that the 3 children (Pasco, Wilson, and Jane), born to Nicholas over the space of 5 years, were likely to have had the same mother, Jane Wilson, daughter of Col. William Wilson.
Documentation Of Birth, Marriage, And Death Places/Dates
The birth dates and death dates of Col. Wilson and his wife Jane are shown on his tombstone [9]: Col. Wilson died June 17, 1713, at age 67, placing his birth year about 1646; and Jane, his wife, died May 5, 1713, aged 58, placing her birth year about 1655.
© 2013 W. Mullins