I'm happy to say that I've already received several responses, and this post represents the first such Guest Post on the MCH History Blog. It was written by Dave Olsen, who often runs across lost history, off the beaten path (literally). He's the one who showed me the Plumgrove Farm ruins last year. Here's what he came up with:
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| The David Wilson House |
While running earlier this
past winter, I happened to turn off of Brackenville Road Hockessin Valley
Falls 516 Wilson Drive
The site itself is really
quite remarkable, and the fact that it remains even though it is surrounded by an
upscale neighborhood makes it even more unique.
The farmhouse, with its many additions and upgrades over the years
(logs, stone, stucco and framing) is still in excellent condition and is by
all appearances still very much inhabited.
In addition, there are a number of out buildings and other structures
that still survive. The ruins of a
substantial barn and silo are also there with the dairy cow milking pens still
located in a portion of the barn. It
really gives one a great understanding of how many of the farms that make up
our area were probably situated. With a
little MCH inspired research here is what I found.
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| Wilson Family holdings, 1868 |
According to Mr. Lake, the
first of the Wilson clan was Christopher who was
born in Yorkshire , England New Castle
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| Aerial view of the Wilson Farm |
In 1762, James’ son Stephen
was born on the farm and he continued in the footsteps of his father and
grandfather. Of the six children he
fathered through two marriages, the eldest, David was born in 1795 and
inherited the farm upon Stephen’s death in 1823. David improved and enlarged the current house
around 1853, and furthered added to the family holdings as indicated on the
1868 map. During the course of the next
several decades, the Wilson Hockessin Valley
Falls
Great job, Dave! A great account of one of the Hockessin area's hidden pieces of history. I'll only add that Runks has
ReplyDeletepart of an entry about the Wilsons, too, if you wanted a few more tidbits.
Also, Lake mentions that (in 1976) the house was still owned by a member of the Wilson family. It was sold in the 1980's, and is now owned by someone else. The name, though, is one with an equally deep history in Hockessin, so it could still be in the family.
There are still a few properties like this tucked away inside a sprawling subdivision, and they are truly delightful to find.
ReplyDeleteI assume that Lake relied on Runk's Biographical Sketches, but Runk got some things wrong about the Wilsons. This particular property, 140 acres, was not acquired by James Wilson until 1763 (see NCC deed W1:24 and others). Previously, it was purchased by James Phillips, another prominent Quaker, in 1742. If that is truly the original date of the house, then Phillips was the builder. The tract is now Hockessin Valley Falls, but did not include Hockessin Greene.
As for the early Wilson family, the Quaker records tell us that Christopher Willson of Christiana Hundred married Esther Woodward of Thornbury Twp, Chester County (not MCH), at Center Meeting on 22-8-1719. Subsequent Wilson marriages through 1761 were at Center Meeting, except for one at Kennett, and all indicate Christiana Hd. as their residence. It is not until 1772 that one is recorded at Hockessin. (Records available at www.delawareroots.org.) There is also a 1735 deed (K1:448) that puts the family of Christopher Wilson in Christiana Hundred.
There is an indirect reference in 1734 to land owned by Thomas Wilson near Hockessin, but that property was north of Benge Road. Perhaps this was enough to create some confusion among the early historians.
It certainly appears the Wilsons were active in their Quaker society, and Christopher may have been helpful in establishing the Hockessin Meeting. But all evidence points to his homestead as near the Brandywine in Christiana Hundred, with no indication that he ever resided in MCH. The Wilson land dynasty in MCH began with James in 1763 and lasted more than 100 years.
- Walt C
Thank you for this blog and the comments as well. I am a direct decent of Christopher Wilson and I just love reading about them, history is so interesting so thank you again
ReplyDeleteHi I’m Bonnie Wilson Foley from Maryland. Christopher Wilson 1690-1740 was my 7 th Great grand father, I’ve been researching my ancestry for two years and was excited to trace my family from Scotland to Ireland then to Wilmington area. I’ve lived all my life in Warwick, Maryland which is only 30 minutes from Wilmington. Hoping to learn more information
ReplyDeleteBonnie. Christopher Wilson was my 6th great grandfather.
DeleteCan you tell me what road did this house have its driveway, before there were other houses around it, before 1980's?
ReplyDeleteHistorically, as the 1868 map shows, there was a private road connecting to Mendenhall Rd and Valley Road. More recently, it looks like there was a road connecting over to Mill Creek Road, about where the end of Peoples Way is
DeleteWhat year was this building originally built?
ReplyDeleteThe short answer is, I don't know for sure. Hockessin historian Joe Lake had written that the original stone portion was built around 1741. I don't know how he arrived at that date -- whether there was a date on the house somewhere or if he was going off of something else. As our friend Walt notes in the comment above, while some of what Lake had (probably going off of older histories) was incorrect, the property did change hands in 1742, which makes a c.1741 date seem plausible.
Delete