The Wilson Surname

The Recent Wilsons 

John B. Wilson, son of Samuel Dixon Wilson and Mary Pierson, was born on 30 August 1835 in Delaware. He had many siblings including Sarah Pierson Wislon (b. 1830), William Wilson (b. 1832), Amos Wilson (b. 1833), John Pierce Wilson (b. 1836), Thomas Jacob Wilson (b. 1840), and Ross W Wilson (b. 1842). 

John B. Wilson married Charlotte Isabella Fitz Randolph on 6 August 1856 in Scott County, Iowa. They had several children including William Elba Wilson (b. 1861), McCausland Wilson (b. 1869), Charlotte Elizabeth Wilson (b. 1873), Maria Jane Wilson (b. 1875), and Marion Francis Wilson (b. 1882). In 1880, John and his family lived in Butler, Scott County, Iowa. 

1880 U.S. Census 

Name                                 Role         Age         Birthplace         Occupation      Father/Mother Birthplace   

John B. Wilson                 Head         44           Delaware             Farmer                 Ireland/Delaware

Charlotte Wilson              Wife          40             Illinois          Keeping house       New York/New York

Elba Wilson                      Son           18              Iowa             Works on farm        Delaware/Illinois

Marion Wilson                  Son          16               Iowa             Works on farm        Delaware/Illinois

John Wilson                      Son          14               Iowa             Works on farm         Delaware/Illinois

McCausland Wilson         Son           11               Iowa           Attending school       Delaware/Illinois

Laura Wilson                 Daughter      9                Iowa                                             Delaware/Illinois

Charlotte Wilson           Daughter      7                 Iowa                                             Delaware/Illinois

Maria Wilson                 Daughter     5                 Iowa                                             Delaware/Illinois

Zaremba Wilson                Son          2                 Iowa                                             Delaware/Illinois 

John B. Wilson died at age 89 on 22 April 1925 in Craig, Holt County, Missouri. He is buried at New Liberty Cemetery in Mound City, Holt County, Missouri.  

 

photo from Find a Grave by Cynthia Kenny

 

The Wilson Surname Meaning 

The origin of this name: 

1. Middle English personal name Will and the patronymic -son meaning "son of Will", a very common medieval short form of William 

I traced the Wilsons through Missouri, Iowa, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Wilson family name goes back to England in the late 1600s and Scotland in the mid 1600s. 

With love, 

Autumn Rose Surratt 

The Ancestor Witch 

Sources 

• Wilson surname meaning search on Ancestry 
•  "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKD-1GPQ: 11 August 2026), John B. Wilson, death 22 April 1925, memorial ID # 40800763. 
• "Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJHF-PZZ: 11 August 2026), John B. Wilson and Charlotte E. Randolph, 6 August 1856. 
• "United States Census, 1880", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDLX-81K: 11 August 2026), John B. Wilson and Charlotte Wilson, 1880.