Samuel Wilson
| Samuel Wilson | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Wilson.
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| Born |
September 13, 1766 Menotomy, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | July 31, 1854 (aged 87) Troy, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Meat-packer |
| Spouse(s) | Betsey Mann (m. 1797; his death 1854) |
| Children | 4 |
Samuel Wilson (September 13, 1766 – July 31, 1854) was a meat packer from Troy, New York whose name is purportedly the source of the personification of the United States known as "Uncle Sam".
Samuel was born in the historic town of Arlington, Massachusetts (known as Menotomy at the time, township of West Cambridge), to parents Edward and Lucy Wilson. Samuel Wilson is a descendant of one of the oldest families of Boston, Massachusetts. Through direct heritance of his grandfather, Robert Wilson, originally from Greenock, Scotland, he was Scottish with a Massachusetts background. As a boy, he moved with his family to Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, at the age of 22, Samuel and his older brother Ebeneezer, age 27, relocated, by foot, to Troy, New York. The Wilson brothers were amongst the first pioneer settlers of the community. Troy, New York was attractive to earlier settlers for its proximity to the Hudson River. Samuel and his brother Ebeneezer partnered together and built several successful businesses. Both were employees of the city as well as successful entrepreneurs.
Samuel returned to Mason, New Hampshire in 1797, to marry Betsey Mann, daughter of Captain Benjamin Mann. Samuel and Betsey were parents to four children, Polly (1797-1805), Samuel (1800–07), Benjamin (1802–59), and Albert (1805–66).
Benjamin Wilson was the only child to have children. He married Mary Wood, and together they were parents to Sarah, Elizabeth, Emma, and Marion. Albert married Amanda but they had no children.
While living in Mason, New Hampshire, at the young age of fifteen, Samuel joined the Revolutionary Army on March 2, 1781. His duties while enlisted consisted of guarding and caring for cattle, and mending fences, as well as slaughtering and packaging meat. Guarding meat was a priority during the war. It was not uncommon for enemies to tamper with and poison food sources. Samuel’s service to the Revolutionary Army most likely came to an end around October 19, 1781 with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
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