Title: Scotch Wilsons from Western Massachusetts
First published: 1993
Description: Inaccurate, to say the least. While the author attempted to correctly identify family members, it lacks. To many people this is considered the "Bible" of John and Abigail Ward Wilson. But on my own branch, Ken has made a number of critical errors. First of all, he has 2 daughters for Festus and Waity Herington, "Probably" but Sarah and Elvira were born 6 weeks apart. Not possible, but they are being copied....  Mercy, daughter of Horace and Clarissa Hickock Wilson, did not marry Sylvanus Pike. She married Solomon Wesley McBride. Destemona married Gurdin Kenyon, Not Gordon.  Mary/Angeline born 1856, on the 1860/70 census with Horace and Clarissa, is not their daughter. She is just living with them, her parents are Henry and Serepta Wilson. Shall I go on??
Once mis-information is spread, it's almost impossible to prove the truth.  Especially with Sarah Wilson Billings. Ken has her born in 1819, married Walter Billings. When in fact Sarah Wilson who married Walter Billings, was born on 22 Feb,1822. This conflicts with Elvira Wilson, who married Jacob Clock, who was born 6 Jan, 1822.  Because Ken miscalculated birth dates, he has 2 daughters of Festus and Waity born 6 weeks apart. As there is no true documentation, it's hard to which is the correct one, if either. Elvira and Jacob moved to Allegan in about 1880, but she is buried near Festus and Waity. Sarah apparently married Walter Billings in 1838, died in Fennville, Mich. in 1881, but her records do not give names of her parents.
Also, he has Susan as the wife of Ward....wrong. Susan Wilson is actually Ward's sister. This is actually documented in the census records, IF he had bothered to look. Susan Wilson Hudson, is the daughter of Festus and Waity. Susan was the baby of Festus and Waity. 
When doing genealogy, "Probably" and "Possibly" are just big stumbling blocks, which just add to further deterioration of the true record. And as Michigan does not have records for the birth/marriage records for Elvira, or Sarah, marriage records for Sarah doesn't list parents.... death records don't list parents. Sarah's Obit says she has a bother Horace....I have found 5 Horace Wilson's living in Michigan in the 1890's. So, which one?
Clarissa Wilson, who joined the church with Waity....not Horace's sister, BUT his wife. So was there even a sister??  Just another incorrect entry.
Subjects: Genealogy, Family
Places: New England, Massachusetts
People: Wilson family, John Wilson (d. 1687)
LC classification: CS71.W75 1988a vol. L