John Wilkinson (Syracuse pioneer)
| John Wilkinson Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 30, 1798 Troy, New York, United States |
| Died | September 19, 1862 (aged 63) Syracuse, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Postmaster, Lawyer, Assemblyman, Banker, Railroad president |
| Spouse(s) | Henrietta Wilhelmina Swartz. |
| Children | Joshua Forman Wilkinson (1829-1889) Alfred Wilkinson (1832-1886) |
| Parent(s) |
John Wilkinson (1858-1802) Elizabeth "Betsey" Tower (born 1764) |
John Wilkinson (September 30, 1798 - September 19, 1862) was a lawyer and first Postmaster of community known as Bogardus Corners, Cossit's Corners and Salina in Central New York. As a young man, Wilkinson took inspiration from a poem about an ancient city and named the new village, Syracuse just in time for the opening of the Erie Canal. Wilkinson was a prominent citizen in Syracuse and was an original town planner and helped lay out and name the village streets. He also served as an assemblyman and founded the Syracuse Bank in 1838.
He was a close friend of Unitarian minister, Samuel Joseph May, the fiery abolitionist. Wilkinson was an out-spoken advocate of the anti-slavery movement. His grandson, also named John Wilkinson (1868-1951), was chief engineer at Franklin Automobile Company where he invented the air-cooled motor used in the Franklin automobile which was manufactured in Syracuse for 35 years.
John Wilkinson was the son of John Wilkinson (1758-1802) and Elizabeth "Betsey" Tower (born 1764). Together, the couple settled in Troy, New York, where they had four children. Seventeen years later, with his wife and children, Wilkinson Sr. left Troy in the dead of winter leading a cow and hiked west 180 miles with ox-drawn wagon (sledge) along the corridor that today roughly corresponds to Route 20.
John Wilkinson Jr. was only five-months old in 1799 and was still being nursed by his mother when the family settled about a mile from Skaneateles Lake in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York where they built a farm. He was only three years old in 1802 when his father died after falling from the roof of the family's log barn. His mother remained on the "wilderness" farm and ran it with the help of her sons.
...
Wikipedia