John A Wilson (March 9, 1789 – February 27, 1833) was a prominent American

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

and

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

in the 19th century. His son, W. Hasell Wilson (1811–1902), was a civil engineer for the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

Early life and works

Wilson was born on March 9, 1789, in Stirling, Scotland to Eliza Gibbes and James Wilson (d. 1798), a Lieutenant in the

71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, raised in 1777. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in 1881. History ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

.ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Contemporary Biography OF PENNSYLVANIA, Vol II, 1890, Atlantic Publishing, pg 46–48 Throughout the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the elder Wilson (James) served as an engineer in the British forces, under Major Moncrief of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

. James Wilson was severely wounded at the siege of

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, in 1780. Wilson remained in Charleston until the close of the war, and married there a daughter of Dr. Robert Wilson, a local physician of prominence. The elder Wilson returned to Stirling where his son, John was born in 1789. John Wilson attended the University of Edinburgh and at the end of his studies traveled to the United States to rejoin his family in South Carolina circa 1807. He found work as an engineer and surveyor, preparing a map of South Carolina.

War of 1812

In the early part of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, John Wilson, who had become a naturalized citizen of the United States, volunteered his services to the city of Charleston, as an engineer for the construction of works of defense. Wilson died on February 27, 1833, on board ship in the harbor of

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Cuba.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, John A 1789 births 1833 deaths American militiamen in the War of 1812 American civil engineers American surveyors Scottish emigrants to the United States