Soldier Information
Name: Rufus Willson
Alias:
Place of Birth: Nelson KY Year of Birth: 1839
Occupation: Farmer
Eyes: Hair: Complexion:
Height in Feet: Inches:
Enlistment Information
Enlistment Date: November 27, 1863
Enlistment Place: Columbia
Enlistment State: TN
Compiled Military Service Record
Document: View
Congressional District:
Company: A Regiment(s): 15th USCI
Mustered Where: Columbia, Tennessee, USA
Mustered Out Date: April 7, 1866
Rank at Muster Out: Private
Notes:
Page nine of the soldier’s CMSR, January-February 1865 Muster Roll card stated the soldier was in the military prison at Nashville by sentence of court martial. One month’s pay and allowance to be dropped. The specific cause for the court martial was not noted. By September-October 1865 Muster Roll, the soldier was detailed in regimental band, at least until January-February 1866.
Many thanks to the Robert Bell and the Oldham County Historical Society for providing us with basic information about this soldier upon which our additional research is based.
Soldier Death Information
Died in war? No
Military Death Date:
Military Death Location:
Military Cause of Death:
Death Date: March 7, 1908
Cause of Death: Cardiac Dropsy
Death Certificate
Soldier Pension Information
Pension Card Link: Pension Card
Pension Application Date: December 9, 1880
Application No.: 413768 Certificate No.: 666767
Alternate First Name: Alternate Last Name:
No widow pension card found
No other family pension card found
Pension File Information
Pension File: Pension File
Pensioners: Rufus Wilson
Pensioner County: Henderson Pensioner State: KY
Number of Pages:272
Pension Notes:
28 February 1907 was also listed on pension index card for invalid benefits.
Pension file was obtained directly from NARA, and is not posted online.
Soldier believes he received these 4 things from serving: Gunshot wound in right ankle, cut on right arm, large tumor on his back and rheumatism.
This is the timeline of places he lived until his last statement in 1907:
abt 1866-1868 in Nashville, TN while working in Hillman’s Furnace
abt 1869-1872 in Hillmans, KY
abt 1872-1873 in Laurel Furnace, Trigg County, KY
abt 1874-1875 in Nashville, TN
abt 1874-1889 in Henderson, KY
abt 1888-1899 in Cedar Hill, Robertson County, TN
abt 1900-1907 in Henderson, KY
Soldier states in his pension file that 5 years prior to the war, he was living with his enslaver, Archibald Wilson in Bardstown, Nelson County, KY. He also mentions Archibald’s wife (Nancy) and son (Isaac) as people who knew him back then. From some questions answered in 1898, I found out that his current wife was Elizabeth Wilson, maiden name Turner and they were married in Jan 1868 by Marcellus Burgess in Trigg County, KY. He also says he was previously married, but doesn’t list the name of his previous spouse, just that her death was in 1867 in Nashville, TN. He also lists his one child, Mildred Ann Wilson, born Aug 18th, 1872. In a statement made in 1899, he says that he and his wife have both been married twice and both spouses had died before they married each other. He had no children under 16 and his wife was 63 years old (which matches up with the wife, Elizabeth Wilson, found in the 1880 census). In 1887, a statement was made by a Mildred Bowman, age 72, living in Henderson County, KY. I believe this is his mother due to the age and that in her statement, she says she has known him his whole life.
Freedman’s Bank/Freedmen’s Bureau Information
No Freedman’s Bank information found
No Freedmen’s Bureau Documents found
Family Information
Mother First Name: Mildred Mother Maiden Name:
Father First Name: Father Last Name:
Siblings: Angeline Wilson
Wife #1 First Name: Maiden Name:
Wife #2 First Name: Elizabeth Maiden Name: Turner
Wife #3 First Name: Maiden Name:
Children: Charley Wilson 1860
Jeff Wilson 1861
Mildred Ann Wilson 1872
Family Notes:
Wife No. 1 field is blank since Rufus stated in his pension file he was married prior to Elizabeth and she had died in 1867 in Nashville, TN. He did not give any details about his first wife other than her year and place of death. I believe Charley and Jeff are children of his first marriage, although I could not find any records of them other than the 1880 census.
Family Tree:
1870 Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Profession: N/A
1870 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1870 Real Estate Value: 0 1870 Personal Estate Value: 0
1870 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1870 Census Notes:
The information in the fields is for the soldier’s mother, Mildred. They did not reside together, but I know this is his mother due to the name in the pension file, a marriage declaration found for Mildred (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-Q95V-1?cc=1804888), and this census with a matching age from the Lemons database.
I believe I found his wife Elizabeth in Davidson County, TN, but there is not enough evidence for me to definitely say that it is her. In the soldier’s pension file, an Esquire Watkins was interviewed in 1895. Esquire states that he had soldier work for him 2 years directly after his discharge and they had lived in the same neighborhood and/or he was seeing him at frequent intervals ever since. I found Esquire in the 1870 census with a dwelling number of 773. At dwelling number 778 was a family with a black female living with them by the name of Mary Wilson, age 42, born in TN, working as a cook. There are too many things that don’t match up as well as things just not there (like no Rufus or his children) for me to say this is her, but with Esquire’s statement, it could be. (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4276590_00533?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=11925351&lang=en-US)
1880 Census
1880 Census Link: View
1880 Profession: Works on Farm
1880 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1880 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1880 Census Notes:
Rufus Wilson was enumerated with wife, Elizabeth and three, reported children in Henderson County, KY.
1890 Census
1890 Census information not found
1900 Census
1900 Census information not found
1910 Census
1910 Census Link: View
1910 Profession: N/A
1910 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1910 Own/Rent: Rent 1910 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1910 Farm/House: Unknown
1910 Census Notes:
Rufus had died in 1908, but he was living with is sister, Angeline, the year he died in Louisville, KY. I found her still living in Louisville in the 1910 census. I believe this to be his sister, Angeline Richards, for the reasons that her age is around a similar age to the Angeline in the Lemons database, her married name matches the name in the 1908 U.S. City Directory (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/776103034:2469?ssrc=pt&tid=186428146&pid=362443497588) and that Angeline is a unique enough name.
1920 Census
1920 Census Link: View
1920 Profession: Cook for a Private Family
1920 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1920 Own/Rent: Rent 1920 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1920 Farm/House: Unknown
1920 Census Notes:
Rufus had died in 1908, but his daughter Mildred Langley continued to live in Louisville, KY. This is the info for her. I know this to be his daughter because there was a marriage license and certificate from Indiana (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6PT9-D3P?i=82&cc=1410397) where she lists Rufus and Elizabeth as parents and her married name as well as age matches.
Enslaver Information
Name: Archibald Cameron Wilson Location: Nelson County, Kentucky, USA
Previous Enslaver: Isaac Wilson
Enslaver Notes:
Real estate and personal property values listed in the federal census for Archibald Cameron Wilson, from 1850 through 1870, he was a wealthy individual in Nelson County, KY.
1850 Enslaver Census
1850 Census Link: View
1850 Slave Schedule Link: View
1850 Number of Enslaved: 35
1860 Enslaver Census
1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: 86000 1860 Personal Estate Value: 58000
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 55
1870 Enslaver Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Real Estate Value: 60000 1870 Personal Estate Value: 25000
1880 Enslaver Census
Compensation Information
Compensation Application not found