1. William1 Wilson was born circa 1490 at Penrith, Cumberland.
Children of William1 Wilson and an unknown spouse were:
2. William2 Wilson (William1) was buried at St Georges Chapel, Winsor Castle. He was born in 1515 at Wellsbourne, Lincolnshire, England. He died on 27 Aug 1587.
Children of William2 Wilson and an unknown spouse were as follows:
3. Rev. William3 Wilson (William2, William1) was buried at St George Chapel, Winsor Castle, Winsor. He was born in 1542. He married Isabel Woodhull, daughter of John Woodhull and Elizabeth Grindell, in 1575. He died on 15 May 1615.
Children of Rev. William3 Wilson and Isabel Woodhull were as follows:
4. Rev. John4 Wilson (William3, William2, William1) John Wilson
Wilson - John, Boston 1630, born at Windsor where his father. Rev William had a prebendal stall, in 1588, from Eton School and went to the University of Cambridge in 1602, as Mather tells, much of the story of the early days has an apocryphal sound, there of Christs College had his A.B. 1605-6 and A.M. 1609 as by me in the registry of the University seen, though Mather would have it Emmanuel; and Farmer writes at Kings, where indeed as Magnalia tells, may have been the administration. After serving as Chaplain in several houses he was inducted at Sudbury in the south border of Co. Suffolk; there continued for ten to twelve years, but disgusted with worship of forms and vestments growing in the church, he encouraged the colonization of the Mass. Bay, and came in 1630 with the Gov. and Company, bringing the charter in the " Arabella " . His wife Elizabeth, whose name is not distinct, read in Mather, though in his usual roundabout way says, Maganlia III - cap 3 - page 42, that Wilson was designated to marry a daughter of the Lady Mansfield, widow of Sir John Mansfield, remained in England, probably with the care of the child Edmund, first born, ( so named for his Uncle, Edmund Grindall, the Puritan archbishop of Canterbury 1575-83 . John; and others if there were more; but when he went back to England and came again 1632, and brought her and son John, but the oldest son perhaps never was on this side of the ocean. The wife was the sister of the wife of Robert Keayne, and her brother John got over to Boston, two years later in poverty, and tormented Keayne , very much, if his will be evidence, as may partly be read in the Genealogical Register VI page 156, he made a second voyage to England 1634 and came again in the summer of 1635, which led me to the mistake formerly, to the time of the wife's coming as she did not join our church before 20 March 1636, whereas we see that the daughter, Mary was baptized 8 Sept. 1633, unless the church record means a week later, the copy of the town record says that she was born 12 Sept. He had requested admission as a Freeman 19 Oct. 1630 and was sworn 3 July 1632, and died 7 Aug. 1667 and was buried the Sunday following. Of the good desert of this first Minister of Boston, abundant proof is found in Magnalia III cap. 3 with some few lamentable. Characteristics of the author, perhaps little to be regarded in derog. from the character of Wilson. Yet one of the traits in him, the zeal for the glory of God, is exhibited in " III Newes from New England." Where the testimony of Obidiah Holmes, the Baptist Confessor, is fully given, we must regret that it is surpassed the limits of self respect, as well as common decency. He tells after his sentence to imprisonment and cruel scourge. " as I went from the Bar, I expressed myself in these words; I bless God as I am countless worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus, where upon John Wilson ( their Pastor as they call him ) strook me before the judgement seat, and cursed me, saying, the curse of God or Jesus go with thee". For the imprecation upon the heretic lenity may be extended as we hope, by the final judge, when he cometh in the clouds of heaven; but at the tribunal of gentleman, the assault on a defenseless prisoner, even though convicted by his own confession of the crime of preaching, what he thought meets no indulgence. Gratitude has always been expressed for this founder of the Boston Church, no doubt in some disregard arising from the munific contribution of 1000 pounds by his brother, William in England, and the most judicious investment of that sum as in Colonial Records 128, alluded to and may by any minute antiquary may be seen in 2 Mass. Historical Collections VHI 228, all assistants keeping active the generous emotion. The eldest son traveled in Holland and Italy where he gained the honor of M.D. but I doubt whether he ever came across the sea, I do not inquire for much detail as to his mother or who was his wife, nor can I tell more than he lived at London as a physician and he died in 1658, leaving son John and daughter Bridget who married Nicholas Prideaux, merchant in Barbados. His daughter married 5 Nov. 1651, Rev Samuel Danforth of Roxbury, and next a buck of Boston ( whose baptized name eludes my search ) and died 13 Sept. 1713. Mathers life is, perhaps, the best part of any in his catalog of Ministers. In line 19 of that third chapter, in proof of the " certain prophetic afflatatus, who often directs the speeches of " men like Wilson, he refers to the success of John Hull, as foretold by Wilson, because of his attention to his mother, " weak in body and poor in estate. Mather had no intention of casting ridicule upon prophecy, for he was given to showing his ability in the same way, but his fancy as usual, outran his judgement, and his memory, great as it was, forever calls on intervention to come to the aid of truth. Hulls mother, Elizabeth who died above 16 years before Mather was born not to be specially marked as " poor in estate" and if the writer meant Judith, the second wife of his father and the mother of the young mans wife ( as is most probable) the panegyric is even less necessa, but indeed this second wife died nine years before the birth of the historian. More or less accommodating of fact to theory is observed in other authors in him whose Magnalia is the monument to delineate his character no less than his desire though probably to few, it is ascribed in equal extent. Savage IV pages 583-6
Excerpts from Winthrops Boston - A Portrait of a Puritan Town by Darrett B. Rutman
The Rev. John Wilson, for example, had accepted the call of the Boston Church with reservations. Born into English hierarchy, he had as a young man given up all oppourinity of a life of preferment and ease for one of religious enthusiasm and sudrey suspensions for non conformity; yet in 1630, he could not bring himself to surrender his English ordination and maintained that he held the ministry by virtue of it and only his office by the call of the Boston Church - Page 100
Concerning the Hutchinson Controversy
At one interruption, Wilson shouted, " Should one mans scruple or doubt hinder all the rest of the congregation, which are sastifyed to crye out, that the Lord is God, the Lord is God and the Lord is the only Lord? " In the end Anne was excommunicated, the majestic, but horrible phrases rolling from Pastor Wilson: " In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the name of the church -1 doe cast yow out --1 doe deliver you up up Sathan -1 doe account yow from this time forth to be heathen and a Publican -1 command yow in the name of Jesus Christ and in the name of this church as a leper to withdraw your selfe" Page 124
John Wilson was born in 1585 at Winsor, England. He married Elizabeth Mansfield, daughter of Sir John Mansfield, in 1617 at England. He died in 1699 at Boston.
Children of Rev. John4 Wilson and Elizabeth Mansfield were as follows:
5. Mary5 Wilson (John4, William3, William2, William1) was born on 12 Sep 1633 at Boston. She married Rev Samuel Danforth, son of Nicholas Danforth and Elizabeth (--?--), on 5 Nov 1651. She died on 13 Sep 1713 at Boston at age 80.
Children of Mary5 Wilson and Rev Samuel Danforth were as follows: