American socialite and member of a family known as "the marrying Wilsons". May was born on December 12, 1855 in Loudon, Tennessee. She was the oldest surviving child born to Richard Thornton Wilson and Melissa Clementine (née Johnston) Wilson. Her father, who has been referred to as a "war profiteer" for his actions during and following the Civil War, moved the family north after the War and became a prominent New York banker. May and her siblings were known in society as "the marrying Wilsons" due to their marriages to the wealthiest and most prominent families of the day. Among her siblings was sister Belle, who married Sir Michael Henry Herbert, the younger brother of the 13th Earl of Pembroke, and youngest sister, Grace, who became the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III. Her brothers were banker Richard Thornton Wilson Jr., who married Marion Steedman Mason; and Marshall Orme Wilson, who married Carrie Astor, youngest daughter of William Astor and Caroline Webster Astor (known as "The Mrs. Astor" of the Astor family). In 1877, May married Ogden Goelet (1846–1897). Ogden was the son of Sarah (née Ogden) Goelet and Robert Goelet, both of whom were from prominent New York families and among the wealthiest in America due to their vast real estate holdings. Together, they were the parents of two children. May's husband died in 1897 aboard his yacht in the town of Cowes in the Isle of Wight after over five years spent abroad. In his will, he left his entire estate to his wife and their two children. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx alongside her husband. She lived for another 32 years until her death in New York City on February 23, 1929.
American socialite and member of a family known as "the marrying Wilsons". May was born on December 12, 1855 in Loudon, Tennessee. She was the oldest surviving child born to Richard Thornton Wilson and Melissa Clementine (née Johnston) Wilson. Her father, who has been referred to as a "war profiteer" for his actions during and following the Civil War, moved the family north after the War and became a prominent New York banker. May and her siblings were known in society as "the marrying Wilsons" due to their marriages to the wealthiest and most prominent families of the day. Among her siblings was sister Belle, who married Sir Michael Henry Herbert, the younger brother of the 13th Earl of Pembroke, and youngest sister, Grace, who became the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III. Her brothers were banker Richard Thornton Wilson Jr., who married Marion Steedman Mason; and Marshall Orme Wilson, who married Carrie Astor, youngest daughter of William Astor and Caroline Webster Astor (known as "The Mrs. Astor" of the Astor family). In 1877, May married Ogden Goelet (1846–1897). Ogden was the son of Sarah (née Ogden) Goelet and Robert Goelet, both of whom were from prominent New York families and among the wealthiest in America due to their vast real estate holdings. Together, they were the parents of two children. May's husband died in 1897 aboard his yacht in the town of Cowes in the Isle of Wight after over five years spent abroad. In his will, he left his entire estate to his wife and their two children. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx alongside her husband. She lived for another 32 years until her death in New York City on February 23, 1929.
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