Continuing with the exploration of A. Max Wilson’s descendants, we meet the second child, the Rev. Dr. Francis Childria Wilson. Because there’s now two Dr. Francis C. Wilsons to reference in this family, I’ll refer to Emmett’s father as Dr. FCW, and Emmett’s nephew as Rev. FCW.
We first see Rev. FCW in the 1910 Census. Apparently, his mother Belle (who was the informant for the census) called him “Childria.” (Do you think she actually called him “Childria?” I’m imagining her yelling out the back door, calling 10 kids in for dinner, yelling “Chill-dreee-aaaa….”)
1910 U.S. Census, Blountstown, Florida. Source: Ancestry.com
According to his obituary, the Rev. FCW, he didn’t earn the Doctor of Divinity until 1969 — at age 60. As a teacher and huge advocate of lifelong learning, the thought of Emmett’s nephew in a classroom, probably the oldest person in the room, working alongside 20-somethings, just makes me feel good. It’s a hopeful thing when I see older adults in my classes. Most of them are in the class because the LOVE learning, and they want to continue to be active participants in life. I hope I’m like my older students when I grow up.
Anyway. The Rev. FCW came to the ministry after an extensive journalism career. He started out in newspapers, and then, moved over to religious publications while exploring his vocation. The Rev. FCW was the one responsible for publishing his mother’s genealogy.
Belle Fannin Wilson’s genealogy. The original document is in the archival holdings at the Miami-Dade Library.
The Rev. FCW published the genealogy in 1985, privately (he likely financed it, and there are only a few copies around). Notice it was published at least a decade after Belle’s death, and only a few years before his own. Source: Worldcat.com
The Rev. FCW was married to Margaret Grove Wilson.
The obituary of Margaret Grove Wilson, from Ancestry.com
They had one son, who also became a Methodist minister. He’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery. It doesn’t look as if he was married; I cannot find record of a spouse.
The Rev. Theodore J. Wilson. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Source: Ancestry.com
What I thought interesting was that, according to his tombstone, Theodore was born in 1930, but he is not enumerated in either the 1930 or 1940 Census for the Wilson family…which makes sense: Margaret Wilson was 16 in the 1930 Census. She could have had a child at that time, of course, but, he’d be enumerated with them on the 1940 Census — because Margaret and the Rev were married as of the 1940 Census.
This made me think that Theodore J. was adopted by The Rev. and Margaret Wilson.
And indeed, further research shows that Theodore J. Wilson was born Theodore Jungas in Lynn, Massachusetts. Far away from Margaret and the Rev, who were in Alabama.
Theodore’s last name was still Jungas in 1948 on Social Security records, and then, in 1960, he was listed as Theodore Jungas Wilson. He was 30 years old at that point. When was he ‘adopted’ by the Wilsons?
Well, apparently, it was sometime in the 1950s. The Wilsons and Theodore’s paths crossed when the Rev was in seminary in Boston, and Theodore was a young man, working as a clerk in 1952 in Boston.
City Directory for Boston, 1952. Source: Ancestry.com
And then, listed as a student, at least from 1957-1959.
Worcester, Mass. City Directory, 1959. Source: Ancestry.com
Sure enough, here he is in a photo from the West Virginia Wesleyan Seminary in Buckhannon, in 1955.
Theodore Jungas Wilson, in the red box. From the West Virginia Wesleyan Seminary in Buckhannon, WV. Source: Ancestry.com
But — AHA — I find this listing in the 1959 Worcester, Mass. City Directory:
The Rev. FCW and Margaret Wilson, living at the same address as Theodore Jungas. Source: Ancestry.com
Here, I am reminded of how Emmett was taken in by the J. Walter Kehoe family in 1910. Emmett, too, became a member of that family, as Theodore became a member of the Wilson family.
I wonder what the backstory is — how did Theodore meet the Wilsons? How did they become so important to him that he became their son?
It appears that The Rev. FCW and Margaret Wilson had no other children. The Rev. was likely working on his Doctorate at this time. Perhaps he met young Theodore at the University?
Those questions will have to be explored another day. The look into this branch has taken a lot of time away from my main project — Emmett — and I have a boatload of papers to grade tonight.
I’ll take a look at rest of A. Maxwell Wilson’s family over the next several days, and give you all an update on the book progress.
Categories: Family Interesting & Odd
jsmith532
Professor,
Communication, Arts, and the Humanities
The University of Maryland Global Campus
Tell my story. 
Leave a Reply