BLUFORD WILSON. - Great-grandson of Isaac Wilson, a soldier of the war of the Revolution, serving for three years in the Virginia State Line as a sergeant. Grandson of Alexander Wilson, a member of the first council of the territory of Illinois and speaker of the house. Son of Catherine Schneider Wilson and Harrison Wilson, a soldier of the war of 1812. While in the Black Hawk war he was captain of a spy battalion.
Colonel Bluford Wilson was born near Shawneetown, Gallatin county, Illinois, November 30, 1841, and for a short period was a student in the public schools there. He afterward conducted the ferry which has always been in possession of the family and with money earned in this and other ways he was enabled to continue his education as a student in McKendree College, which he entered in 1859. Desirous of becoming a member of the bar he entered the University of Michigan, but after the outbreak of the Civil war he could no longer content himself to continue his studies while the preservation of the Union was in doubt and in 1862 he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twentieth Illinois Infantry, becoming a member of the company commanded by Captain P. B. Pillow. However, before the regiment took the field he was made adjutant and in May, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of captain and became assistant adjutant general on the staff of Brigadier General Michael K. Lawler. He bore an active part in the Vicksburg campaign, participating in the battles of Champion Hills, Black River and the siege of Vicksburg, and he served on the staffs of Generals Dana and Eugene A. Carr, in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. During the Red River campaign he was adjutant general of the Thirteenth Corps, then commanded by General Lawler, and for gallant conduct he was breveted major, in pressing the siege and assault of Spanish Fort, continuing to serve on General Carr's staff until the close of the war.
When hostilities had ceased Major Wilson returned to the north with a most creditable military record and continued the study of law in the University of Michigan until his admission to the bar in Shawneetown, in 1867. The following year he was made the candidate of the Republican party for the office of state's attorney and in 1869 he was appointed by President Grant United States district attorney for the southern district of Illinois, acting in that capacity until the re-election of General Grant, when in May, 1874, he was made solicitor of the treasury. The position was a very responsible one and he a young man of but thirty-three years of age, but the same loyalty, determination and comprehensive understanding of duty that marked his military services were also manifest in his official career. In Washington he was the main support of General B. H. Bristow, secretary of the treasury, in the famous contest against the Whiskey Ring, which was the most powerful and extensive combine of public plunderers that ever disgraced the civil service of the country.
In the meantime Major Wilson had become actively connected with his brother, General Wilson, in the development and building of railroads in the southern portion of Illinois and as the result of their efforts the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad, from East St. Louis to Shawneetown and to Evansville, Indiana, came into existence. The brothers also constructed the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad, In this regard the work of Major Wilson is deserving of special commendation.
On resigning his official position in Washington in 1876, Major Wilson became a resident of Springfield, and has gained distinction as a member of the bar of this city. He is particularly well known as a practitioner in the United States courts and as a corporation lawyer. He is now general solicitor for the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway Company, general counsel for the Illinois Southern Railway Company, in which he is a stockholder, and is controlling an extensive private practice as a member of the firm of Wilson & Warren, his partner being his son-in-law, Philip Barton Warren.
On the 3d of July, 1865, occurred the marriage of Colonel Wilson and Miss Alice Warren Mather, a daughter of Captain James Mather, of Louisville, Kentucky, and they became the parents of five children: Harry, who died in infancy; Jessie, the wife of Philip Barton Warren; Luc, the wife of Ralph Vance Dickerman; Bluford, who was the champion wrestler and wing shot at Yale as well as an excellent student during his senior year; and Arthur Harrison, who is now a cadet at West Point. The family attend the services of Christ church, protestant Episcopal, at Springfield, which Major Wilson aided in organizing in 1888, since which time he has served as senior warden. He is also a member of the standing committee of the diocese and of the board of trustees. He was a delegate to the general convention in Washington in 1898, while in 1901 he was a delegate to the convention which met in San Francisco.
PAST AND PRESENT OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AND SANGAMON COUNTY ILLINOIS, Joseph Wallace, M. A., S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1904
Colonel Bluford Wilson was born near Shawneetown, Gallatin county, Illinois, November 30, 1841, and for a short period was a student in the public schools there. He afterward conducted the ferry which has always been in possession of the family and with money earned in this and other ways he was enabled to continue his education as a student in McKendree College, which he entered in 1859. Desirous of becoming a member of the bar he entered the University of Michigan, but after the outbreak of the Civil war he could no longer content himself to continue his studies while the preservation of the Union was in doubt and in 1862 he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twentieth Illinois Infantry, becoming a member of the company commanded by Captain P. B. Pillow. However, before the regiment took the field he was made adjutant and in May, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of captain and became assistant adjutant general on the staff of Brigadier General Michael K. Lawler. He bore an active part in the Vicksburg campaign, participating in the battles of Champion Hills, Black River and the siege of Vicksburg, and he served on the staffs of Generals Dana and Eugene A. Carr, in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. During the Red River campaign he was adjutant general of the Thirteenth Corps, then commanded by General Lawler, and for gallant conduct he was breveted major, in pressing the siege and assault of Spanish Fort, continuing to serve on General Carr's staff until the close of the war.
When hostilities had ceased Major Wilson returned to the north with a most creditable military record and continued the study of law in the University of Michigan until his admission to the bar in Shawneetown, in 1867. The following year he was made the candidate of the Republican party for the office of state's attorney and in 1869 he was appointed by President Grant United States district attorney for the southern district of Illinois, acting in that capacity until the re-election of General Grant, when in May, 1874, he was made solicitor of the treasury. The position was a very responsible one and he a young man of but thirty-three years of age, but the same loyalty, determination and comprehensive understanding of duty that marked his military services were also manifest in his official career. In Washington he was the main support of General B. H. Bristow, secretary of the treasury, in the famous contest against the Whiskey Ring, which was the most powerful and extensive combine of public plunderers that ever disgraced the civil service of the country.
In the meantime Major Wilson had become actively connected with his brother, General Wilson, in the development and building of railroads in the southern portion of Illinois and as the result of their efforts the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad, from East St. Louis to Shawneetown and to Evansville, Indiana, came into existence. The brothers also constructed the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad, In this regard the work of Major Wilson is deserving of special commendation.
On resigning his official position in Washington in 1876, Major Wilson became a resident of Springfield, and has gained distinction as a member of the bar of this city. He is particularly well known as a practitioner in the United States courts and as a corporation lawyer. He is now general solicitor for the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway Company, general counsel for the Illinois Southern Railway Company, in which he is a stockholder, and is controlling an extensive private practice as a member of the firm of Wilson & Warren, his partner being his son-in-law, Philip Barton Warren.
On the 3d of July, 1865, occurred the marriage of Colonel Wilson and Miss Alice Warren Mather, a daughter of Captain James Mather, of Louisville, Kentucky, and they became the parents of five children: Harry, who died in infancy; Jessie, the wife of Philip Barton Warren; Luc, the wife of Ralph Vance Dickerman; Bluford, who was the champion wrestler and wing shot at Yale as well as an excellent student during his senior year; and Arthur Harrison, who is now a cadet at West Point. The family attend the services of Christ church, protestant Episcopal, at Springfield, which Major Wilson aided in organizing in 1888, since which time he has served as senior warden. He is also a member of the standing committee of the diocese and of the board of trustees. He was a delegate to the general convention in Washington in 1898, while in 1901 he was a delegate to the convention which met in San Francisco.
PAST AND PRESENT OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AND SANGAMON COUNTY ILLINOIS, Joseph Wallace, M. A., S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1904
BLUFORD WILSON. - Great-grandson of Isaac Wilson, a soldier of the war of the Revolution, serving for three years in the Virginia State Line as a sergeant. Grandson of Alexander Wilson, a member of the first council of the territory of Illinois and speaker of the house. Son of Catherine Schneider Wilson and Harrison Wilson, a soldier of the war of 1812. While in the Black Hawk war he was captain of a spy battalion.
Colonel Bluford Wilson was born near Shawneetown, Gallatin county, Illinois, November 30, 1841, and for a short period was a student in the public schools there. He afterward conducted the ferry which has always been in possession of the family and with money earned in this and other ways he was enabled to continue his education as a student in McKendree College, which he entered in 1859. Desirous of becoming a member of the bar he entered the University of Michigan, but after the outbreak of the Civil war he could no longer content himself to continue his studies while the preservation of the Union was in doubt and in 1862 he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twentieth Illinois Infantry, becoming a member of the company commanded by Captain P. B. Pillow. However, before the regiment took the field he was made adjutant and in May, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of captain and became assistant adjutant general on the staff of Brigadier General Michael K. Lawler. He bore an active part in the Vicksburg campaign, participating in the battles of Champion Hills, Black River and the siege of Vicksburg, and he served on the staffs of Generals Dana and Eugene A. Carr, in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. During the Red River campaign he was adjutant general of the Thirteenth Corps, then commanded by General Lawler, and for gallant conduct he was breveted major, in pressing the siege and assault of Spanish Fort, continuing to serve on General Carr's staff until the close of the war.
When hostilities had ceased Major Wilson returned to the north with a most creditable military record and continued the study of law in the University of Michigan until his admission to the bar in Shawneetown, in 1867. The following year he was made the candidate of the Republican party for the office of state's attorney and in 1869 he was appointed by President Grant United States district attorney for the southern district of Illinois, acting in that capacity until the re-election of General Grant, when in May, 1874, he was made solicitor of the treasury. The position was a very responsible one and he a young man of but thirty-three years of age, but the same loyalty, determination and comprehensive understanding of duty that marked his military services were also manifest in his official career. In Washington he was the main support of General B. H. Bristow, secretary of the treasury, in the famous contest against the Whiskey Ring, which was the most powerful and extensive combine of public plunderers that ever disgraced the civil service of the country.
In the meantime Major Wilson had become actively connected with his brother, General Wilson, in the development and building of railroads in the southern portion of Illinois and as the result of their efforts the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad, from East St. Louis to Shawneetown and to Evansville, Indiana, came into existence. The brothers also constructed the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad, In this regard the work of Major Wilson is deserving of special commendation.
On resigning his official position in Washington in 1876, Major Wilson became a resident of Springfield, and has gained distinction as a member of the bar of this city. He is particularly well known as a practitioner in the United States courts and as a corporation lawyer. He is now general solicitor for the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway Company, general counsel for the Illinois Southern Railway Company, in which he is a stockholder, and is controlling an extensive private practice as a member of the firm of Wilson & Warren, his partner being his son-in-law, Philip Barton Warren.
On the 3d of July, 1865, occurred the marriage of Colonel Wilson and Miss Alice Warren Mather, a daughter of Captain James Mather, of Louisville, Kentucky, and they became the parents of five children: Harry, who died in infancy; Jessie, the wife of Philip Barton Warren; Luc, the wife of Ralph Vance Dickerman; Bluford, who was the champion wrestler and wing shot at Yale as well as an excellent student during his senior year; and Arthur Harrison, who is now a cadet at West Point. The family attend the services of Christ church, protestant Episcopal, at Springfield, which Major Wilson aided in organizing in 1888, since which time he has served as senior warden. He is also a member of the standing committee of the diocese and of the board of trustees. He was a delegate to the general convention in Washington in 1898, while in 1901 he was a delegate to the convention which met in San Francisco.
PAST AND PRESENT OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AND SANGAMON COUNTY ILLINOIS, Joseph Wallace, M. A., S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1904
Colonel Bluford Wilson was born near Shawneetown, Gallatin county, Illinois, November 30, 1841, and for a short period was a student in the public schools there. He afterward conducted the ferry which has always been in possession of the family and with money earned in this and other ways he was enabled to continue his education as a student in McKendree College, which he entered in 1859. Desirous of becoming a member of the bar he entered the University of Michigan, but after the outbreak of the Civil war he could no longer content himself to continue his studies while the preservation of the Union was in doubt and in 1862 he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twentieth Illinois Infantry, becoming a member of the company commanded by Captain P. B. Pillow. However, before the regiment took the field he was made adjutant and in May, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of captain and became assistant adjutant general on the staff of Brigadier General Michael K. Lawler. He bore an active part in the Vicksburg campaign, participating in the battles of Champion Hills, Black River and the siege of Vicksburg, and he served on the staffs of Generals Dana and Eugene A. Carr, in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. During the Red River campaign he was adjutant general of the Thirteenth Corps, then commanded by General Lawler, and for gallant conduct he was breveted major, in pressing the siege and assault of Spanish Fort, continuing to serve on General Carr's staff until the close of the war.
When hostilities had ceased Major Wilson returned to the north with a most creditable military record and continued the study of law in the University of Michigan until his admission to the bar in Shawneetown, in 1867. The following year he was made the candidate of the Republican party for the office of state's attorney and in 1869 he was appointed by President Grant United States district attorney for the southern district of Illinois, acting in that capacity until the re-election of General Grant, when in May, 1874, he was made solicitor of the treasury. The position was a very responsible one and he a young man of but thirty-three years of age, but the same loyalty, determination and comprehensive understanding of duty that marked his military services were also manifest in his official career. In Washington he was the main support of General B. H. Bristow, secretary of the treasury, in the famous contest against the Whiskey Ring, which was the most powerful and extensive combine of public plunderers that ever disgraced the civil service of the country.
In the meantime Major Wilson had become actively connected with his brother, General Wilson, in the development and building of railroads in the southern portion of Illinois and as the result of their efforts the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad, from East St. Louis to Shawneetown and to Evansville, Indiana, came into existence. The brothers also constructed the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad, In this regard the work of Major Wilson is deserving of special commendation.
On resigning his official position in Washington in 1876, Major Wilson became a resident of Springfield, and has gained distinction as a member of the bar of this city. He is particularly well known as a practitioner in the United States courts and as a corporation lawyer. He is now general solicitor for the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway Company, general counsel for the Illinois Southern Railway Company, in which he is a stockholder, and is controlling an extensive private practice as a member of the firm of Wilson & Warren, his partner being his son-in-law, Philip Barton Warren.
On the 3d of July, 1865, occurred the marriage of Colonel Wilson and Miss Alice Warren Mather, a daughter of Captain James Mather, of Louisville, Kentucky, and they became the parents of five children: Harry, who died in infancy; Jessie, the wife of Philip Barton Warren; Luc, the wife of Ralph Vance Dickerman; Bluford, who was the champion wrestler and wing shot at Yale as well as an excellent student during his senior year; and Arthur Harrison, who is now a cadet at West Point. The family attend the services of Christ church, protestant Episcopal, at Springfield, which Major Wilson aided in organizing in 1888, since which time he has served as senior warden. He is also a member of the standing committee of the diocese and of the board of trustees. He was a delegate to the general convention in Washington in 1898, while in 1901 he was a delegate to the convention which met in San Francisco.
PAST AND PRESENT OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AND SANGAMON COUNTY ILLINOIS, Joseph Wallace, M. A., S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1904
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