William Wilson (1866-1947)
Served as Alton City Attorney, elected in April 1899.
Died in Alton, 1947; Buried in the Alton City Cemetery.
The following letters were written by Alton City Attorney, William Wilson; some of them written during the Great Depression. His wife is Jennie Wilson.
William Wilson, Attorney at Law
Faulstich Building, Alton, Illinois
March 4, 1927
Dear Sadie and Mary,
We are still living, don’t worry, but so busy we never get time to
write.
William is the only one in the race for Mayor so far, but I
think next week after the judge election, you will see them all
coming out. No such good luck as him having it all to himself.
Tomorrow is the judge election.
How is everybody up there? We are all well down here now, some some
are grunting a little, but all up and going.
We are sure having lots of mud. Our street is a fright. Someone call
up about your empty house. I hope they rent it. It’s about ten
o’clock, and I am so tired. I can hardly write. William and Hallie
are in bed asleep. I hope you can read this. I can hardly read it
myself. Tell Mary she can correct all the misspelled words for me.
I have my incubator set, and one hen. That is all I am going to set
this spring. Well, I am so tired, I will have to stop and let
William write a few lines tomorrow. I washed today.
We get lonesome to see you, Sadie. I wish you could come down
sometime.
Love from Jennie
William Wilson, Attorney At Law
Faulstich Building, Alton, Illinois
March 15, 1928
Dear Sadie & all,
We received your letter. Glad to hear from you. I paid the taxes on
the farm for you today. It was $42.21. Today was the last day to pay
the taxes in Godfrey Township. The books for Alton are not opened
yet. As soon as I can find out what the taxes are on the houses, I
will let you know. One of the houses are still empty, and one has
not paid the 10th of this month. The fellow on the farm is a month
behind. Things are slack here just now. I will get at things and see
him as soon as the roads are so I can get there. I am so busy I
don’t have time to breathe hardly. There is several trying to get in
the race for Mayor. If they do, it will elect Butler. If they keep
out, I will have a good chancer, but it will be another week before
I can tell much about it, and I don’t care a whole lot about it. I
get more disgusted every day. I tell the people if they ever want to
vote for me, to do it this time, as they will never get another
chance. It is a real March evening, so I will close and go home.
Willie
William Wilson, Attorney At Law
Faulstich Building, Alton, Illinois
November 17, 1928
Dear Sadie & all,
Well, I will write you a few lines and send you the money I have
collected. $10.00 from Shake, which paid him up to November 24. Mrs.
Rhoads, $13.00, paid to December 4. Ben Martz, $211.00, paid to
December 01. Sylvester Blackwell, paid $14.00 to December 01, which
makes $62.00 after paying B. & L. dun (sic) of $5.00, leaves balance
of $57.00 amount of draft enclosed. Breckwell wanted to know your
price and terms you ask for the place where he lives. He said he
might buy the other place if not ranked(?) yet, but will keep on
trying to rent it. They are all afraid(?), as usual Ellen is much
better. I have the foundation of my new house about up. It rains so
much it seems we will never get anywhere. Well, it is time to go
home, so will close. We enjoyed your letter and also Mary’s.
Goodbye, Willie.
William Wilson, Attorney At Law
Faulstich Building, Alton, Illinois
April 13, 1929
To Sadie and all,
We received your letter some time ago, but have been so busy that I
have not had much time for anything, but am pretty well caught up
again. Election is over, and I got beat by 185 votes, so they say. I
don’t know, but we are going to have the votes counted over, and
then we will find out. It will be perhaps a month yet before we know
just what effect the recount will have. If he got the most votes, I
am satisfied, but I won’t let them count me out. If Davis had been
out the race, I would have skinned him alive, but I met lots of new
friends, got lots of advertising out of it, got a good kick out of
it, and really it has been a good hit all around, for my clean-up
platform sure did me lots of good here, and it has forced Butler to
a clean-up for a while anyway. Of course, it won’t last long, but
both him and the Telegraph has had to admit that my platform was
what the people wanted.
Now Sadie, I took care of your taxes for you. The farm taxes were
$42.21, and the taxes on the houses and lots were $67.08, besides
your Building and Loan dues and the Alton Mutual Society dues, which
I have all paid up. I have not taken in enough rent to pay it all
up, but I will soon, I expect, and as soon as I do I will send you a
statement. Now Mary, I have not received your check for your April
dues in the Building and Loan, which was due last Monday. I wish you
could get it in a little soon if you can, as I always pay mine
promptly, and if I had yours in time, I could always attend to it at
the one trip, and would not have to keep it in mind.
We had a wonderful month in March here this year, and the first week
in April, but this week in April has been very disagreeable – cold.
Thursday night if it didn’t frost it came mighty near it. We have
had rain most every day, is cloudy and cold, the river if away up,
looks like we might be going to have high water. It is kind of
misting now. I believe it is fixing for a rain tonight. Well, if it
does, we can rest all day tomorrow. Aunt Net is with us again. She
was up with Katy and Annie most all winter. Ellen keeps very poorly,
is up and around, but has hard times with her lungs most
continuously. Katheryn is still out at the State hospital. She likes
it out there. Hope she will be able to keep the position there, and
I suppose she will. We have 71 little chickens, two weeks old. They
are fine. I haven’t my house finished yet. Expect to start lathing
Monday, and will give the outside a coat of paint next week. I had
to neglect it some during election, but will push it to a finish now
it is going to be a pretty place. Wish it was done, and I had it
sold. I don’t want to bother with property, it has only been a
nuisance to me ever since I started it. Well, I will not stop to
write more now, we are all pretty well at my place. I got the other
house rented, but some are a little behind with their rent. I looks
like taxes and improvement assessments about eat up the rents. Well,
goodbye. Write when you can.
Willie
William Wilson, Attorney At Law
Faulstich Building, Alton, Illinois
November 01, 1929
Dear Sarah, Mary, & Jeannette,
Your flower came in perfect condition, and we are going to take it
out to the grave the day before his birthday.
You will be surprised to hear Mrs. Perkins is living with us now.
She gave me her little place, and I am having it fixed so I can rent
it.
Now Mary, the little bird has never stopped moulting, and is not
singing at all now, but if he picks us, I am going to send him to
you. I would not want you to have a bird that would not sing, for
they are too much care to not get a song for your work.
How do you like your school, Jeannette? I hope you will be so you
can come and see us next summer, for it seems ages since we saw you.
Hallie likes it at the telephone office fine. She says for Mary to
get busy and answer the two letters she owes her. Hallie says if she
needs a secretary, just look around Chicago and you can find Kane(?)
somewhere up there. Do you take the Alton paper? If you do, I guess
you saw where our preacher left us. We have a man by the name of
Duncan. He is from Chicago. He is fine. I like the northern preacher
best.
I am trying to clean house, and make pickles. I wish you folks had
some of the green tomatoes I have. You told us about the new baby,
but never its name, but I wish they had named it Wilmette. How are
all the kiddies?
William is writing, so I guess I will have to close. I don’t write
enough to keep in practice. It’s hard for me to write a letter. I
forget what I want to say. Love to all, Jennie.
William Wilson, Attorney At Law
Faulstich Building, Alton, Illinois
January 13, 1932
Dear Sadie and all,
I received your letter this morning, and was sure sorry to hear the
news of banks failing. I would sure not put any money in a little
country bank, or a bank in any suburb. They are too shaky in these
times, and I would be afraid of Chicago banks under the conditions
there. I believe the Alton National Bank and the First Trust and
Savings Bank here in Alton are perfectly safe, but I like the
fellows in the First Trust and Savings Bank the best. That is where
I do most of my banking business.
Now Sadie, I have collected in all about $110.00; have paid out as
per receipts inclosed, special assessments $115.02; water $11.25;
building and loan $5.00; making in all $131.27, but I will get the
shortage, which is about $21.27 collected in. Soon, I suppose, you
can let that go, and I can take it out as I collect it
in. The taxes
will be due, and payable in February this year, so you see we won’t
get much of a rest before we have them to pay, and by that time, I
don’t suppose I will have any collected in towards the taxes. Your
verse was good, but if these times keep up, if the Lord or someone
else don’t keep us, I am afraid we will all be kept in the
poorhouse. I thought I would write you right away, and send you the
receipts so you could see everything was all paid up, as you might
be uneasy. I had the water bill changed, as it was a mistake. The
man on the farm told me he was going to stay his year out, which is
to March 1, and he thinks he will want to stay another year. He is
to let me know by the first of February. He was in yesterday, and
paid the January rent, so he is all paid up now. Did the girls have
much in the bank that closed? I am very busy all the time, but I
hardly take in enough money to get by on. I never seen money so
scarce, and you just can’t do a thing to make it come your way. I
sometimes get on track of $25.00 or $50.00, but before you get your
hands on it, it has faded away. Maybe when spring opens up, it might
be some better. I hope so. It sure was like spring today, the sun
shone and the thermometer stood at 60. Some flowers still in bloom
out in the yards, and nothing unusual to see the yellow dandelions
shining up through the green grass. My lawn looks just like summer.
It was too bad you did not put the pig in the bank and brought the
money to Alton. It wouldn’t been so much trouble, and would have
been more profitable. Well, it is all in a lifetime, but I wouldn’t
take any more chances in the banks there. All the folks in and
around Alton, so far as I know, are able to be about. I will not
stop to write more now, as it is time to go home, and I don’t like
to be out in the dark with the auto. Well Sadie, when you and the
girls catch your breath and get settled down again, write us and
give us all the news.
Goodbye, Willie
William Wilson, Attorney at Law
Alton, Illinois
February 02, 1932
Dear Mary and all,
We received your mother’s letter, and was glad that you were all
able to be around, and when you take the Old Lizzy out again, you
want to have the taillight burning, as well as the headlights, so
you cana ss letter home, so just told them the news, but I forgot to
tell them that Jeannette had a birthday. Really forgot it myself
until I was reading the letter over today, so there you are.
Jeannette, you didn’t get a birthday card, but Mary’s will be very
appropriate for you, so you can take a slant at it, and next year we
will send you two. I was at Delhi Sunday. Katy is quite poorly, and
Tom is on crutches, has rheumatism. I really don’t believe Tom will
ever be able to do much work again, if any. I would like to see him
get off the farm, for I don’t believe he will ever be able to run
it, and there is not enough to hire a man to run it. Donald Boker is
up with them now. He had no work, and I don’t know what Tom would do
without him. Well, Sadie, as to the taxes, you had better take care
of the farm first. They are collecting the taxes in Godfrey Township
now. The collector is in North Alton today, and will be back there
next Tuesday. The 20th of this month is the last day to pay the
taxes on the farm. I got the tax collector on the phone this a.m.,
and he says the taxes on the farm are $46.38. Now, Sadie, I have not
collected any rents since I paid the paving assessments, so that I
have no money on hands for the taxes, so if you will send me a check
for $46.38, I will take care of the taxes on the farm with it. If
you could have it here by Tuesday, the 9th, it would make it handy
to pay it while he is here in Alton, but of course any time before
the 20th will do. I don’t know just when we can pay the taxes here
in Alton, but I think it will be about between the 20th of February
until about the 15th of March, and I don’t know yet how much they
will be, but will let you know as soon as I can find out. I suppose
it will be a little higher than last year, it usually is. This is a
good Ground Hog Day. It has been cloudy all day, rather foggy with
no prospects of it clearing up. I don’t care about the Ground Hog,
just so we don’t have any winter. We only had three cold days, and
it only got to about 5 or 6 above zero, and the sun shone bright in
the daytime, so it was not so bad. We have not had a snow so far
this winter, and here we are into February. Can’t have very much
winter now, and the less we have the happier I will be. I can hardly
wait for spring. I have not seen the man on the farm yet this month,
but am looking for him any day now, and will find out what he
expects to do about another year. Of course, if he don’t take it, I
will advertise for a tenant. It looks like we might get mixed up in
the war now, but you girls wont have to worry about your husbands
being drafted. Hope you are all well by this, and doing well. Now,
Mary, don’t let them give you any wooden nickels, so goodbye.
Love to all, Willie.
William Wilson, Attorney at Law
Alton, Illinois
March 13, 1934
Dear Sadie and all,
I received your letters, and Mr. Wilson was in my office yesterday,
and I told him if it was a fairly good day next Sunday morning, I
would go out there and look the situation over. No, he don’t mean
the big creek, but one of the revines running north of the big
creek. By your figures you sent me, the coal amounted to about
$18.00 per month on an average for the time he has been digging on
your place. Well, that is better than nothing. I wish he could have
gotten out the coal without sinking a pit on your place, but I will
go out and look the place over careful, and will write you and show
you a homemade plat of the layout, and will not do anything without
your instructions in the matter. We had quite a snow this month, and
it got pretty cold, about to zero, but it is fine today. Thermometer
stood at 50 when I got up this morning. The sun is shining just like
spring, and the robbins are hopping about the yards like spring was
here. It won’t be long now until I will get into the garden. I can
hardly wait. I get so anxious to get working outside. Jennie,
Hallie, and I were out riding in the country Sunday. We seen little
lambs, little pigs, and little chickens. It made me feel like
farming again. I see the Governor is trying to raise some money for
the schools. I hope he will succeed in raising some for Mary and
Jeanette. Oh yes, you asked about room for more graves on our lot.
Yes, there is room for several more than we will need, unless our
family grows faster in the future than it has in the past. The
things are still out at the house. I will call Henry some of these
days, and ask him to drop around that way and take them out to his
place. I intended to do that some time ago, but it seems I just
don’t think of it, but will some of these days. All the relation
around here is up and going so far as I know. Jennie keeps going
most of the time, but her strength is gradually failing slightly.
Each time she has one of those sinking spells, it takes just a
little longer to get over it, but when the weather gets nice so she
can get out in the sunshine and fresh air again, I believe she will
pick up again. At least, I believe she will, and hope so. Pirk is
able to get around her room some, but Aunt Net’s eyes are failing
her. It is about all she can do is to see to get around nicely,
can’t read much anymore. Well, we are all getting older. Just think
I will be 68 on the 28th of this month, and you are struggling hard
to catch up with me, but you know I don’t feel like I was getting
old. I still feel young, almost as active as I ever was, but of
course I can’t quite stand the gait that I need to. I am absolutely
not going to slice myself to feel old, it is really not a pleasant
thought. I am going to work a little Christian Science on it. Well,
Sadie, after I get out on the farm and look things over, I will
write you. I would not write Wilson about the proposition until
after you hear from me, then you will know better what it is all
about. Tell the girls I am looking for that big long letter with
lots of news and more nonsense. Hope we can have a vacation
somewhere together again this summer. We had such a good time
before. Well, I will not stop to write more. I believe I have gone
over all the business and told all the news, so goodbye.
Willie
William Wilson, Attorney at Law
Alton, Illinois
July 6, 1934
Dear Sadie and All,
Well Sadie, it has been so long since I wrote you, that I can’t
remember, but my work is so heavy, and I am not as fast as I used to
be. It seems I just can’t keep up, and get so little for what I do,
a person hardly has the courage and pep to do anything. Well, I
suppose Mary and Jeanette understand how that is. Now Sadie, I will
give you an idea of how we stand:
Money Collected
22% on money in closed bank $21.88
From Mrs. Shake $24.70
Mike Klopfer $12.00
Gus Lyons $16.00
Irene Mayweather $16.00
August Burkard $10.00
Total collected $100.58
Minus $42.62
Amount I owe you - $58.96
Money Paid Out
Paint brush $.25
Nails $.70
Paint, oil, & turpentine $35.07
Siding $1.61
Paint brush $.25
Roof tar $.40
State tax $.34
To Fred Meneke $2.75
To water company $11.25
Total pain out $52.62
You advanced me -$10.00
Balance paid out $42.62
Now, I believe that is about the way we stand. They are not working
much at Principia, so that Burkard has had but very little
plastering there to do, and none elsewhere, except a little
patching, and has had nothing to sell off the farm so far. I believe
I wrote you that Wilson had finished digging the coal mine 32 feet
deep. It is a fine looking mine. He did not have it quite finished
when I was there, then he had the cage to make. Expected to have it
ready for work about this time, but I have not seen him since I
wrote you last, but I expect to go out some evening next week, and
see what he is doing. I want also to see Burkard, and see what his
prospects are. I told him last time I saw him that we could not
build the barn until we collected it from the rent. After I get out
to see how things look out there, I will write you again. I suppose
you will soon be going out to the Dunes. I would like so well to go
for a few days, but the prospects don’t look good. I just can’t get
things lined up right. I suppose I will be like Jim, will have to
work until I come to my last few kicks. Oh well, whats the
difference. When it is all over, we will have plenty time to rest,
where the telephone won’t both us, so why get impatient.
Aunt Janet keeps about as usual, but very thin and weakly, and her
eyes are bad. It is with difficulty that she can see to get about,
but she keeps bright. She never gets discouraged, and Pirk, her and
Twig, are the happiest ones in the family. Harry Coleman is getting
along slowly, will not be able to do much this summer, and I don’t
believe before next spring. Jennie keeps about the same, feeling
fine one day, and about to pass out the next, but take it in all, I
believe she is just about holding her own. The extremely hot days
are very hard on her, still I dread the winter for her. I was so
anxious to go to Florida this winter, but I am afraid I will not get
things fixed so that I can go. She is so anxious to go, but I am
afraid to let her go without me. Besides, I wanted to be gone about
thee months when I did go.
It was 36 years last Wednesday when we started sharing our joys and
sorrows, and while we have had lots of ups and downs, taking it all
in all, the way has not been so bad. I believe we have succeeded
much better than the average, with no better start in life than we
had, all we had to start with was health, courage, and plenty of
pep. I wish we just had the health now that we had to start with. I
would be too happy for words. I just wish that we both live for the
next 10 or 15 years to enjoy the harvest of our efforts. I am
anxious to see the girls, and see how they are making it. Hallie
says Mary’s home is fine. I would like to see it, but I hope Mary
will not have to loose her lots entirely. It would be a big loss,
for I believe real estate will come back to a certain extend. I am
holding on to mine for a while, and I believe that while I won’t
make anything on it. I will be able to come out even.
The weather has been pretty warm here for a while, as hot as 5
above. Hallie thinks she had a fine time up there. I am glad she
enjoyed herself, as she has stayed so close to home for so long. I
appreciate you folks showing her such a good time. She hasn’t got
through talking about it yet. Of course, young folks can get
extravagant, but I believe they just as well get a little pleasure
out of life as they go, if we had taken a little more time for
pleasure, we would have been better off, I suppose. Hallie thought
the girls would be down sometime this summer. I hope they will, we
have not seen them for a good while. I will try my best to get all
the money I can from the fellow on the farm, for I am anxious to get
the barn built before cold weather, as that has always been an awful
drawback in renting the place to a good renter.
Well, I have worked hard in the office ever since a little after six
this a.m., and now it is about time to go home, and I am sure tired
enough to quit. Well, tell the girls when they are not too tired to
write. We will be glad to get a good, spicy letter from them. From
what Hallie says, I suppose they are still laughing at my teeth
going out after the ice cream. Well, after all, it showed their good
judgment. I couldn’t get along without them. I was eating corn off
the cob the other night. We have corn out of our garden now for over
two weeks. Will not stop to write more tonight. Hope you are all
well. Awaiting a good newsy letter. Will say bye bye.
Love to all, Willie
James Mathie Wilson was born November 11, 1848, in Glasgow City, Scotland. He was the son of William Wilson (1820-1894) and Janet Mathie Wilson (1880-1915). William and Janet Wilson are buried in the Asbury Cemetery in Brighton, Illinois.
James Mathie Wilson married Sarah Pilcher (1868-1940), and they had the following children: Mary "Tia" Duncan Wilson (1892-1980); Walter Leroy Wilson (1895-1954); Jeanette "Aunt Skeet" Pilcher Wilson (1902-1995); George William "James" Wilson (1889-1981).
James Mathie Wilson had a brother - William "Uncle Bill" Wilson (1866-1947).
Children of James M. Wilson and Sarah Pilcher Wilson:
1. George William "James" Wilson (1889-1981): Married Olene Peterson (1893-1982). Children of "James" and Olene: Edward "Norman" Wilson (1916-2010).
2. Walter Leroy Wilson (1895-1954): Married Annette "Nettie" Elsie Lehman (1895-1961). They had the following children: Annette Elsie Wilson (1918-1990); Sarah Jeanette "Jannie" Wilson (1920-1984); Walter Leroy "Bud" Wilson Jr. (1922-1986); James Arthur Wilson (1925-2003; Mary Edna Helen Wilson (1927-2003); Ruth Wilma Wilson (1929-1970.