Obed Willson
ID # 2819, (1811-1892)
| Father | Obed Willson (1776-1847) |
| Mother | Hannah Vasbinder (1780-1861) |
| Baptism | Obed Willson was baptized on 13 May 1811. |
| Marriage | He married Rachel Lawrason, daughter of John Purvis Lawrason and Amelia Simons, in February 1839. A very faded marriage bond exists for Obed and Rachel. The NAC dates it as 1839-02-02. Another transcription is being sought, but a marriage date of February 1839 seems likely, though where it was performed is unclear. It does state that Obed Willson is of Ancaster Township, Wentworth County, and Rachel 'Harrison' is of Dumfries Township in Halton County. The bride's name, Lawrason, is transcribed as Harrison. This will be caused by the fading on the document. Both Ancaster and Dumfries were in the Gore District. The counties of Wentworth and Halton were not in 1839 administrative entities. The earliest Gore District marriage register dates from 1842. There is speculation that an earlier one existed but was lost. Without a church record we can only approximate that time period of their marriage to February of 1839. |
| Death | He died on 14 March 1892 at Detroit, Michigan, at age 80. |
| Burial | He was buried at Drumbo Cemetery. |
| Note | The spelling of Willson varies with different records and times. Obed and Rachel have their name as Willson on the gravestone and, mainly though not absolutely, so do other family members. This tree uses the spelling that appears on Obed and Rachel's stone in Drumbo Cemetery. We know of Obed's death in Detroit by a short article under a section headed Drumbo that appeared in the Woodstock Weekly Sentinel on Friday, 18 March, 1892. It reads: Mr. O. Wilson, who has been a resident of this section for a great number of years, died at his son's residence in Detroit on Tuesday. The funeral will take place here on Friday morning on the arrival of the 9.42 train G.T.R. He was a man well advanced in years, being 83, and was very much respected in this neighborhood. The family have the sympathy of all about here. The 18th of March, 1892, was a Friday. Tuesday would have been the 15th. The stone in Drumbo, however, dates his death as the 14th and this is used here. Also, his age of 83 as shown in the article conflicts with what appears to be his age on the available photo of his stone, 80 years, 10 months and 1 day. His date of birth is calculated from this, but a transcription is being sought to confirm the figures. The 1900 census for Detroit shows John W. Willson in Detroit. His mother Rachel Willson, age 81, is present with the family. It is likely that Obed was living with John when he died. John W. Willson was a medical doctor. He came back to Drumbo for burial. Purvis Willson was also a physician and living in Owosso, Michigan, at the time of the 1900 census. He too is buried at Drumbo. At the time of the 1871 census in Blenheim, Obed is shown as a farmer, age 60, Rachel is 53. With them are John Wesley age 17, Purvis age 12, and Mary W. Forrest, widow (Matilda), age 20. |
Children of Obed Willson and Rachel Lawrason |
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| Last Edited | 14 Feb 2020 |