Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-06-19
The Wilson Family

Ihe following interesting ldCt ABOUT
the ancestors of President Woodrow
Wilson are quoted from a recent work
by Henry Jones Ford, entitled Wood
row Wilson, the Man and His Work"
Among the emigrants to America in
1907 was County Down youth, James
Wilson, who was bound for Philadel-
phia, always a fayorite port with the
Ulster people, He obtained employ
ment at the printing trade, in the office
Of William Duane's newspaper, the
Aurora, with such good prospects that
he felt able to wed Anne Adams, an
Ulster girl who had come over in the
same ship with him. They were mar
ried November 1, 1903. With the re-
storation of peace after the war of 1872,
the movement of population to the
West was renewed with great vigor,
and James Wilson was caught by it.
He went to Pittsburgh, cast about for
an Opening, and finally found one to
his mind at Steubenville, a river town
in the new State of Ohio. Here he
founded the Western Herald, and in
it's office every one of his seven sons
was taught the printers trade. In
1882 he founded a paper in Pittsburgh,
the Pennsylvania Advocate, which was
under the immediate charge of his eld-
est son. James Wilson retained edi-
torial supervision over both papers I'M
til :. 1867. He was a Justice Of the
peace and hence was commonly known
as Judge Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson'S father was the
youngest son of James Wilson, Joseph
Ruggles. Instead of adopting the
printing craft, like all his brothers, he
applied himself to scholarship. and af-
ter a good preparatory training at an
academy in Steubenville, went to JEFF
ferson College at Canonsburg, Pa,
where he was graduated in 1914 as vale
dictorian. After years experience
in teaching at Mercer, Pa, he turned
toward the Presbyterian ministry. He
attended the Western Theological
Seminary at Allegheny for :, year, and
then went for year to Princeton
Seminary. Although now licensed
to preach, he Continued for years there
after to labor chiefly as an educator.
After receiving a r. d degree from
Princeton in 1876, he taught for two
years in the Steubenville Made Aca-
denny. While there lac became ac-
quainted with Miss Janet Woodrow
of Chillicothe, o., a pupil of the Steub
enVilie Academy fer girls. They were
married on June Z, 1849. Her father
was the Rev DR. Thomas Woodrow,
originally a Scotch Presbyterian min
lister, who had settled at Carlisle, Eng
land, for sireen years. Thence he
removed to Canada, and was ngaged
in missionary work there when, in
1887, he was invited to the pastorate
of the First Presbyterian Church of
Chillicothe. Two weeks after Joseph
Wilson'S marriage to DR. Woodrows
daughter, he was ordained by the
Presbytery of Ohio, but his occupa-
ton still continued to be chiefly edu-
catinnal. . For year he served in
Jefferson College as professor extra
ordinary Of rhetoric. In 1855 he
took pastoral chai ge of church at
Staurton, Va, and here, December 2S,
1856, there was born to linn a son who
received the family names, Thomas
The Wilson family did not remain
long in Staunton but removed thence
to Augusta, Ga, while their son
Woodrow was in his second year. The
Rev Joseph Wilson had distinguish
ed career in the Presbyterian Church,
South. He was pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church of Augusta, pro-
fessor of pastoral and evangelistic
theology in Columbia {. c. Theologi-
cal Seminary, pastor of the First Pres
byterian Church of Wilmington, N.
c. and professor of theology in the
Southwestern Presbyterian University,
GAINESVILLE, Tenn. . He retained the
Professors chair at Clarksville until
he retired from active labor and
went back to Columbia tC reside.