Talk:Benjamin Davis Wilson

Misinformation Please
There is so much misinformation floating around about Don Benito Wilson, despite the fact that he was one of the most significant pioneers of Los Angeles, and unfortunately much of the Wikipedia entry on the man is inaccurate. One cannot blame the authors, because Wilson's biography had never been written, and so there was no authoritative overall source of information. One has had to snatch information from here and there, without knowing how it might be contradicted in another, more authoritative, source. Now, 130 years after his death, there is at last a biography, Don Benito Wilson: From Mountain Man to Mayor: Los Angeles 1841 - 1878, published by Angel City Press. I spent years studying every scrap of paper in Wilson's 50 boxes of material at the Huntington Library and tried to read every local newspaper he would have read in his lifetime. Wilson deserves more attention than he has gotten in the past. I hope you read the book. Nat B. Read —Preceding unsigned comment added by Natbread (talk • contribs) 15:32, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Benjamin D. Wilson declared Start-icle
I was a little surprised to see the Wilson article declared a Start. This article pretty much says all that there is to be said of Wilson. Does Ronbo76 think or know something is missing?--Magi Media 04:07, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Merge with Benjamin D. Wilson
This article has more content than Benjamin D. Wilson, so it should probably be the basis of the merged article. However, the name Benjamin D. Wilson is probably a better name for the article. I have already created Benjamin Wilson (disambiguation), so Benjamin Wilson can redirect there if the merged article ends up at Benjamin D. Wilson.

The other article has little more than a brief account of Wilson's political career. The one thing it has that this article doesn't is that Wilson came from Tennessee and was a fur trapper by trade. I have done other cursory research that has shown that he was also a fur trader in addition to a trapper and that he emigrated to California in 1841 with the intention of traveling on the China. A picture of his grave site shows his birth date and death, indicating that he was born in Wilson County, Tennessee and died at Lake Vineyard House, his estate in Pasadena. He was married to Ramona Anselma Yorba, the daughter of Bernardo Yorba, a member of the prominent California Yorba family. This connection and the resulting prominence in the California community are part of why he is considered an "honorary" Californio. Mike Dillon 02:31, September 12, 2005 (UTC)

I could not find any mention of Wilson being involved with the formation of the "Los Angeles Rangers", the precursor to the LAPD, but there is indirect evidence. The Los Angeles Police Historical Society site and others mention Alexander W. Hope as one of the principal organizers of the Rangers. In an article in the Los Angeles Star from August 1851, Hope mentions Wilson by name: "Editors, there have been some individuals who have been making an attempt to get up an excitement concerning the ticket upon which my name appears as candidate for the State Senate. ... It is that the ticket is a Whig ticket, and will be run on Whig principles. I deny most positively any intention, either upon the part of any gentleman whose name appears on the ticket, or of the Whig party, to draw any party lines; and as for two persons, Benjamin D. Wilson and myself are concerned, we will not agree to run as party men. ... The question, upon which the ticket is brought out, is the question of a division of the State; upon that question alone we all pledge ourselves to run." .

I did find one mention of Wilson in connection to the Rangers on a San Diego history site. In talking about a Judge Lewis Franklin, the page mentions an August 1853 correspondence with "Benjamin D. Wilson, Captain of the Rangers (vigilantes) in Los Angeles" (reportedly in the Wilson Papers collection at the Huntington Library).

Another page mentions Wilson in connection to his election to the State Senate. It doesn't mention Wilson in connection with the Rangers, but it does mention a report he made as an Indian agent in 1852 in a footnote.

Wilson was also involved in the "discovery" of the Bear Valley, present location of Big Bear City, California. A page about Big Bear history claims he was a naturalized Mexican citizen before the Mexican-American War, among other things. Mike Dillon 06:48, September 13, 2005 (UTC)

Middle name
I've seen B. D. Wilson's middle name as either David or Davis. I've left the article as "Benjamin D." until an authoritative source can be found. Mike Dillon 14:53, 13 September 2005 (UTC)


 * George S. Patton's bio at www.pattonhq.com says Wilson's middle name was "Davis". Patton was Wilson's grandson, through Wilson's daughter Ruth from his second marriage. Patton was born at Wilson's home, Lake Vineyard, in what is now San Marino, California. Mike Dillon 15:50, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

I believe that the Pattons considered San Gabriel as their home town. Magi Media 00:02, 6 April 2006 (UTC)Magi Media

Hastings Ranch
Hastings Ranch really isn't a suburb since it is within the city limits of Pasadena. At one time it may have been, before that subdivision was annexed, but no more. I suggest calling it a "neighborhood." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.148.127.223 (talk • contribs)


 * Done. Mike Dillon 21:45, 30 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Correct, Hastings Ranch is a neighborhood.--Magi Media 03:18, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Bear hunt numbers vary but is citable
The number of men sent out and the number of pelts brought back vary from article to article. Please see History. This article describes Wilson as having a party of 20 men that were divided up into two teams who each brought back at least eleven bears that were in the camp at one time. Ronbo76 03:51, 30 January 2007 (UTC)


 * The story as I had received it from the Big Bear Historical Society in a Tom Core publication said that Wilson had a posse of 44 men which were headed up the Cajon Pass to chase Chief Wakara of the Utes. He sent 22 men up the Pass and took 22 men toward Big Bear. At Big Bear he sent hunting parties out in twos each returning with a kill. The math was done from this. It may be inaccurate and moot.--Magi Media 14:44, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


 * If you could please provide a reliable source, I would like to add one to the bear hunt numbers. This article needs some more references. Ronbo76 14:50, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

References.
This article uses Find a Grave in the reference section that is an inappropriate reference. Otr500 (talk) 01:00, 6 February 2011 (UTC)
 * In this case, I think we can leave it up to the reader to decide if the source is Reliable or not. There is a photo on the target page that seems to be a good source that he was really buried there. GeorgeLouis (talk) 03:26, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Same source?
The change here, with no edit summary, has been reversed. Is the new information taken from the same cited source or a different one? If it is a different source, it should be cited; if it is the same source, it can be noted in the Edit summary or here in this conversation. Thank you. BeenAroundAWhile (talk) 01:54, 18 August 2016 (UTC)

Inclusion of common name "Don Benito"
The sources speak for themselves. Across academic and popular sources, Wilson is referred to as Don Benito. demanding there be a discussion on something so clearly apparent is an abuse of the process and a lack of good faith. Especially given that prior to the inclusion of my sources, the only source completely dedicated to Wilson present on the page was Don Benito: From Mountain Man to Mayor. There is clearly an overwhelming portion of sources referring to him by his popular name. I will include the examples below as a courtesy to BeenAroundAWhile, despite the lack of good faith shown in spite of credible sources.


 * Excerpts:
 * "...commonly known as Don Benito Wilson..."; (Hart, James. Companion to California (1987); University of California Press.)
 * "Wilson Avenue - which was named for Don Benito Wilson who founded the city of Alhambra"; Alhambra Historical Society. Historical Places (1996); Alhambra Historical Society)
 * "Wilson, now known as Don Benito, became a Californio-that group of Mexicans and Angols who thought of themselves as Californians rather than Mexicans or Americans"; (Farrar Hyde, Anne. Empires, Nations, and Families: A History of the North American West, 1800-1860 (2011); University of Nebraska Press.)
 * "He was familiarly known as Don Benito"; (Macfarland, John C. Don Benito Wilson (1949); Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly Vol. 31, No. 4)
 * "His transformation from Yankee to Californio was so complete that he soon became known as Don Benito."; Garner, Scott. Neighborhood Spotlight: Alhambra quietly shows off its assets (2017); Los Angeles Times.)
 * "Benjamin Wilson, best known as “Don Benito Wilson”"; Diroll, Pat. ''Patt Diroll: 20 Years of the Arts in Whittier (2010); Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)
 * "known as Don Benito, having married into a Spanish family"; Bachrach, Eve. Los Angeles's First Real Estate Whales: 4 Rancho-Era Bigshots (2013); Curbed)
 * "Wilson, often called Don Benito"; Torres-Rouff, David Samuel. Before L.A.: Race, Space, and Municipal Power in Los Angeles, 1781-1894 (2013); Yale University Press)
 * "B.D. Wilson, affectionately called Don Benito"; Stonehouse, Merlin. John Wesley North and the Reform Frontier (1965); University of Minnesota Press)
 * "Often referred to as "Don Benito", Wilson was elected the second mayor of the city..."; The Huntington Library. Cultivating California: Founding Families of San Marino Ranch (2013). The Huntington Library)
 * "Alhambra has a proud tradition of military service including General George S. Patton, the grandson of city founding father Don Benito Wilson"; Schiff, Adam. Schiff Secures Funding for Alhambra's Veterans Freedom Plaza (2005); Office of U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff)
 * "honoring Don Benito Wilson, San Gabriel Valley pioneer and second Mayor of Los Angeles"; Social calendar, Nov. 11 (2010); San Gabriel Valley Tribune)


 * Other sources:
 * KPCC - The Life and Times of Don Benito Wilson
 * Rotary Club of Arcadia - Who Is Don Benito Wilson?
 * Rotary Club of Arcadia - Who Is Don Benito Wilson?