Talk:William "Amos" Wilson

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Biography

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Conflicting information on "Early Life."[edit]

I recently read an academic journal article by Meredith Peterson Tufts[1] on the case of Elizabeth Wilson (William's sister), in which the author adjudicates a number conflicting claims about the family's history, noting that "research in previously unaccessed materials provides a more accurate picture" (pp. 153). The account in Tufts' research differs on a number of fronts from the details provided in this Wikipedia entry. I suggest changing the conflicting section of the entry to conform to the account given in the article.

The entry states that William and Elizabeth were the sole children of John and Elizabeth Jackson Wilson (e.g., "There is no record of other siblings, and some accounts specify that William was his parents' only son and Elizabeth their only daughter."), however Tufts' article notes that William and Elizabeth were two of four children born to the couple, the others being John Jr. and Ephraim. The Tufts article also comes down on the side of William being the older brother of Elizabeth.

The entry states that the Wilson family "was a farm family of modest means but solid reputation." This is also repudiated by the Tufts article, which notes that while Elizabeth Jackson Wilson remained a Quaker in good standing throughout her life, her husband John Wilson Sr. was only provisionally accepted, and later officially disowned, by the local Quaker Meeting on account of his issues with alcoholism. This led to "some degree of economic uncertainty and social isolation" that ultimately reduced marriage opportunities for the family's children — something that clearly bears on the events surrounding Elizabeth Wilson's death and William Wilson's isolation into old age.

According to Tufts, it is also not clear when Elizabeth Jackson Wilson died and she does not mention John Wilson Sr. remarrying.

Tufts notes that the facts around Elizabeth Wilson's case were sensationalized at the time, and in the years following her death. She was executed under an unpopular and unjust law that was being reconsidered along with the status of women more broadly in that historical moment. A number of historical inconsistencies and outright fabrications were introduced by those retelling her story, making her — intentionally or otherwise — into a more sympathetic character.

Since Elizabeth's and William's early life was intertwined these distortions also bear on his story. I think the Wikipedia entry is correct to highlight the blurring of fact and legend with respect to William Wilson's personal history, but I think the entry would also benefit from the addition of aforementioned facts from the Tufts article and the corrective they provide. Should any editors prove enthusiastic about updating the entry, there are many additional facts in the Tufts article about Elizabeth Wilson's circumstances, trial, stays, and subsequent execution that might also be helpfully incorporated into this entry on William.

[1]: Tufts, Meredith Peterson. “A Matter of Context: Elizabeth Wilson Revisited.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 131, no. 2 (2007): 149–76. Professed (talk) 20:51, 20 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]