From "Genealogical History of the Families of McConnells, Martins, Barbers, Wilsons, Bairds, McCalls and Morris", by Newton W. McConnell, 1913

Pages 137 to 142:

The Wilson Family.

John Barber, my great grandfather, had a half sister, Mary Wray, who married John Wilson. The descendants of these two are related to my family; therefore, according to the rule I have laid down, I will give the history of the descendants of Mary Wray and also the pedigree of her husband, John Wilson.

The first Wilson of our family of whom we has positive knowledge, says Dr. Glenn, was one of the defenders of Londonderry in 1690. Uncertain tradition says that his name was John.

John Wilson, son or possibly grandson, of the defender of Londonderry, came to this country and married Nancy Brackenridge, who came to America from Londonderry, when she was twelve years of age, with her brothers, her parents dying on the voyage over.

John Wilson lived in Letterkenny Township, Cumberland, (since 1784 Franklin, and originally, Lancaster) County, Pennsylvania. It is said that he settled in the Cumberland Valley as early as white men could live there. After Braddock's defeat in 1755, the country was over‑run by the Indians and many settlers fled and never returned to their homes.

The records at Harrisburg show "A draught of a tract of land situated in Letterkenny Township in the County of Cumberland, containing two hundred and two acres and one hundred and fifty three perches and the usual allowance of six per cent for roads, etc., surveyed for John Wilson the 11th day of September 1767, in Pursuance of the Honorable the Proprietaries Warrant Bearing Date the 5th day of June, 1766."

The land above described lies immediately adjacent to the old Rocky Spring Presbyterian Church located about five miles northwest of Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The congregation was organized in 1737. John Wilson was an elder in this church. The present church building was erected in 1794 and is in an excellent state of preservation. With its high‑backed pews, brick aisles, and sounding pulpit board, it is an object of great interest.

John Wilson survived his wife and died July 9th, 1773. In his will made August 23, 1768, he mentions the following children, John, Hugh, James, William, and Samuel Wilson.

Of these sons, John was born in 1742, married Mary Wray, and died January 4, 1799. He moved to North. Carolina about 1764, and fought in the Revolutionary War either at Kings Mountain or at Cowpens, probably the latter.

Of the union between John Wilson and Mary Wray, there were born Sarah, June 17, 1763, who never married.

Mary (Polly), February 25, 1765, who married Mr. Denny, and moved to Bond County, Illinois. They have descendants.

John, March 6, 1767, married Hannah Baird, daughter of Adam and Mary Adams, Baird.

Robert, December 30, 1768, married Elizabeth Gilleland, daughter of Alexander and Frances Baird, Gilleland. Robert Wilson was a Presbyterian minister, was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Chillicothe, Ohio; also Athens, Ohio; also President of the University of Ohio, at Athens.

James, April 5, 1771, who married Polly Gilleland, same family into which his brother Robert married.

Isabella, February 20, 1773.

A son, name not known, January 6, 1775.

William Joseph, September 24, 1777, who married Sarah Baird, October 22, 1799, who was a daughter of Adam Baird and Mary Adams Baird.

C. Isabella, September 29, 1779, and Samuel Vane, Wilson, March 17, 1783, who married in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was president of Union Theological Seminary.

Of the union between John Wilson and Hannah Baird Wilson, there were born Adam, who went to Ohio, married there and of this union there were born the following children: John, Ebenezer, James Leighton, William H., Sarah Amanda, who married Reason Sheppard, Samuel, Silas, and Harriet, Wilson, who married Dr. Patterson.

Ebenezer, the second child, left no children.

Robert married and moved to Indiana.

John left no heirs.

Lewis, who died April 14, 1864.

Mary, (Polly), married and had four children, John Samuel, Elizabeth and Fannie.

Fannie married, and had eight children, James, John, Clarissa Jane, Caroline, Susan, Mary Ann, Willie, and Lewis.

Hannah married, had five daughters and two sons. Robert, her youngest son is a lawyer in Missouri.

Narcissa was an imbecile from birth, caused by fright of her mother.

James N. married, had three children, John, Joseph N., and Narcissa, Wilson. This family reside at Washington Courthouse in Ohio.

Margaret married, and had two sons.

Amanda Wilson married and lived in Rockford, Illinois.

Of the union between William Joseph Wilson and Sarah Baird Wilson, there were born ten children, as follows: Zimri, who never married, was accidentally killed by a fall from a horse; Ezra Baird, who married Ann Hill, and of their union there were born Sarah E., who married Dixon Carroll Loveman; Samuel M., who married first Sarah Jane Love, second Sarah Ann Love; Mary Jane, who married Will Davis; Joseph J. Wilson, who married Isabella Leslie.

Edwin, the third child, married first Elizabeth Furgerson, of this union there was born Martha Anne, who married Rufus Barber, son of Robert Barber, son of Colonel John Barber, and moved to Water Valley, Mississippi. The second wife of Edwin was Marjorie Bradley.

Samuel McEwin, the fourth child, died single.

Eliza, the fifth child, died single.

Lawson, the sixth child, married Mary D. Patterson.

Polly, seventh child, married Ephraim Torrence.

Sarah, (Sally) Ann, married William Torrence. Of this union there were born Clementine, Sarah Priscilla, who married W. D. Glenn, and of this union there was born L. C. Glenn, who be noticed later.

Leonidas, William, and Junius, Torrence, and a son, name not known.

Priscilla Ruth, who married Franklin Holland.

L. C. Glenn, who is the son of Sarah Priscilla Torrence and W. D. Glenn, and descended from John Wilson and Mary Wray, who are his great great grandparents, was born September 9, 1871, at Crowder's Creek, N. C., raised on a farm, graduated with highest honors in. 1891, at the University of S. C., with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, taught five years in secondary schools in South Carolina, then went to John Hopkins University, and took the degree of Ph. D. in geology and was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa scholarship society.

He was Professor of Geology and Biology in the South Carolina College in 1899‑1900 and in the fall of 1900 came to Vanderbilt University, at Nashville, Tennessee, and took the Chair of Geology. He has worked summers on the N. Y., Md., N. C., Ky. and Tenn. Geological Surveys and on the U. S. Geological Surveys.

His father was William David Glenn, Scotch‑Irish.

He married Nellie Louise McCullough in Darlington, S. C., in 1900.

They have two sons, William David, and Hugh Wilson Glenn.

Professor Glenn is at present filling the Chair of Geology in the Vanderbilt University.

John Wilson is buried at Ulney Church, and the following is the inscription upon his tomb, "Sacred to the memory of John Wilson, Esq., who departed this life, January 4, 1799, in the 57th year of his age."

The following is the inscription upon the tomb of Mary Wray Wilson, to‑wit: "In, memory of Mary Wilson, who departed this life the 3rd day of April, 1830, in the 93rd year of her age."

The following is the inscription on the tomb of Robert Patterson, who was the husband of Ibby Barber, daughter of Colonel John Barber, "In memory of Robert Patterson, who died November 16, 1818, age fifty‑one years.

The following inscription is upon the tomb of the wife of William Joseph Wilson, "In memory of Sarah Baird Wilson, wife of William Joseph Wilson, and daughter of Adam and Mary Baird, who departed this life the 18th of September, 1851, in the 79th year of her age."

The following is upon the tomb of William Joseph Wilson, "In memory of William Joseph Wilson, Esq., who departed this life February 5, 1854, age 76 years, 4 months, 12 days."