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VT Special Collections and University Archives Online

Timeline

1843

  • Born

1853

  • Stepfather sold, family moves to Norfolk

    pg. 200

1855

1856

  • Buying his stepfather’s freedom

    pg. 278

1858

1861

  • Battle of Bull Run, Richmond Va.

    pg. 274

1862

  • May 20, released from jail in Richmond, 19 years old

    pg. 210

  • Body servant for A. P. Grice. who was an officer in Cohoon's Battalion C.S.A. encamped on "Dunn's Hill," near Petersburg.

    pg. 204

  • Jan. Monroe VA against my will, but I was contented.

1863

  • Feb. Waiter at the Exchange hotel & Ballard House Richmond.

    pg. 127

  • “I was a slave of Geo W. Grice living temporarily — from a military standpoint — at Company shop N.C. R.R. Alamance Co N.C.”

    pg. 314

1866

1867 

  • “I was in Cherbourg France, a lousy sailor in the US Navy”

    pg. 272

1868

  • Delegate at the first Republican state convention in Richmond

    pg. 190

  • June 9 discharged from the Navy, marries his first wife

    pg. 230

1870

  • January 5, marries second wife, Imogene

    pg. 73

  • May 10, First black man, Samuel Davis, elected to Portsmouth city council

    pg. 200

  • October 7, first child born

    pg. 354

1871

  • May 22, Election riot

    pg. 212

  • November, Black police officer murdered

    pg. 274

1872

  • first vote 212

    pg. 212

  • Began work in the Navy Yard, until 1884

    pg. 304

  • August 26, 1st daughter Emily born

    pg. 310

  • September 7, “the great revival began at Immanuel”

    pg. 324

  • October 12, religious conversion

    pg. 357

1873

  • Member of the City Council

    pg. 342

1874

  • Becomes a Sunday School teacher

    pg. 178

1876

  • the Virginia Guards. the first militia company ever organized in the city. was mustered in by Capt John Gibson, Jas. E. Manning was Captain. I was 1st Lieut. and Geo W. Gordon, was 2nd.

 1881

  • R.G.L Paige, was assistant postmaster at Norfolk, and Capt. John Gibson, was delivery clerk, both of them were colored 348
  • Daughter Mary Emily Ophelia dies age 9. 

1888

  • John C. Asbury, was commonwealth atty. of Norfolk County the only colored man that have ever held it.

    pg. 304

 1889

1893

  • June, ran for election “Legislative honors” and lost

    pg. 246

1910

  • Son Jeffery Wilson Jr. moves to CA

1911

  • Blanch arrives in Norfolk they are married 3 days later 

1912

  • Wendell Wilson is born.

1913

  • Sept 23 “Educational Congress”
  • Sept 24 segregation ordinance

1924 

  • Wilson begins opinion column for the Portsmouth Star. 

1929

  • Wilson is struck by a car
  • Wilson dies Aug. 29th 1929