The Newtown bee., 1900-02-16
Fairfield County
BETHEL.
ISRAEL HUsoN WILSON.

The salubrious air of this favored re-
| gion is certsiAly conductive to longevity
and we are fortunate in having among
us many to whom old age has brought its
distinctive blessings of wisdom and
| ripened character.
The subject Vt this sketch, we'll
known resident Of Bethel, was born No
| .emoer 6, 1916, in Danbury, then called
| Bethel society, and his life has been
spent In this section. Samuel Wilson,
| his grandfather, was farmer in Putnum
| cC unty, N. Y, and Jeremiah Wilson, the
father of our subject, was born in that
county, In the town of Southeast, on
April l, 1895. and remained there until
he attained mis- maj ority. He learned the
details of paper manufacturing at Put
mum Corners, and at the age of twenty
one went TO Danbury, where he was en-
ployed for some years In the paper mill
belonging to Maj n Comstf ok. Later he
settled upon farm In the town Of Dan
bury, and the last half of his life was oc-
cupied with agricultural work. He was
married in the city of Danbury to Miss
Mary Hurd, who was born July 10, 1894,
and died November 26, 1864. Her father,
Israel HuTd, was born August 6, 177l,
and her mother, whose maiden name was
Mary Wood, was born August IA, 1870, a
daughter of BeT amin Wood. jeremiah
Wilson died Aug ast II, 1879, at the age
OF eighty-four, leaving an honorable rec
ord as a citizen. Ten children comprised
his family. Israel Huson, our subject,
died at Waterbury, January 1, 1895;
Milo %, born October 13, 1921, died in
infancy; Milo (2) born May IL, 1928. is a
| resident OF Waterbury; Sarah, born
April 80, 1925, died NAV Is, 1886; Albert
b orn September 4, 1928, resides at Mill
Plain, this county; Marietta, born De-
cember %, 1881, married George Bradley
Of Danbury George. born April 80, 1888,
died May 6, 1886; Emily, born August
| 81, 1885, married Albert Edwards of Dam
| bury and Samuel, born July %, 1887, is
| resident of Waterbury.
Mr. Wilson's boyhood was spent in
Danhury, and at the age Of fourteen he
began to learn the business of cabinet
making and underts king with the firm of
Goedsell 6 Starr, of Br 3okfield, remain.
ing there until he was twenty-one. 10
1886. he settled at Bethel, where he at
| frat conducted an undertaking business,
but after sixteen gears, he sold out and
| opened his temperance hotel, which he
carried on successfully for about forty
years. The temperance cause has always
had q strong advocate in Mr. Wilson, and
! in 1862 he built a temperance hall IN
Bethel, providing it with pulpit and bell
In 1886 he discontinued bis hotel business
and after spending some time in farming
retired to his pleasant home in Bethel,
which Is the cid home of Phineas Taylor,
the grandfather of 2. T. Barnum, and
was built over one hundred years ago.
On October Is, 1886. Mr.. Wilson was
married to Miss Sarah Lockwood, daugh-
ter Of Joseph Lockwood of Rsdding. She
was born born April 10, 1908, and died
May A. 1874. Mr. Wilson formed second
matrimonial union, this time with Mise
Betsy Bsrnum, who was born May z,
1916, dauehter.of Asel Barnum, and
died june ID, 1892. As Mr. Wilson had
no children OF his own be adopted q
daughter, Helen A., who was born July
%, 1S45 abe was markedly to Arthur
Q. DuraDt, and W TO David B. Cary of
| Stamford, Conn, who for 80 years has
been an agent Of the New York, New
Haven and Hartford railroad at that
town.
As citizen Mr. Wilson is heldin high
esteem, his excellent qualities of char.
acter, winning him the regard of those
whose good opinion ia worth having.
Since 1874 he has been a member of the
/ Congregational church at Bethel, and
throughout his life he bias been firm
friend TO temperance and other reforms.
he belongs to the Sons of Temperance
and lie also Unidentified with the /. o. O.
r. at Bethel Fairfield County Com
memorative Review.