In one of the Wilson family genealogies, there’s a curious statement recorded by Emmett’s nephew. It says: “…my mother always said that Emmett fell in with some rich Northern lumberman who started him drinking, and he drank himself to death.” Hm. A rich Northern lumberman. Who could that be? Over […]
One of the reasons why Emmett left Florida and moved to Illinois in January of 1906 (in the middle of a blizzard) is because he was desperate. He wanted to get away from his family, because his loved ones were in his face about his life — and especially his drinking. Emmett […]
When Emmett lived in Sterling, Illinois from January to June, 1906, he boarded at the home of Mrs. Luella Snow Anning, widow, 802 West Third Street. Emmett’s best friend in Sterling was Nicholas Van Sant; a wealthy, prominent 50-something who considered Emmett the son he never had. Emmett’s closest-age friend […]
Good news: I’m nearing the end of the first installment of Emmett Wilson’s biography. There is definitely some light shining in the tunnel, even though I still have quite a way to go before the journey is complete. In January, I decided to break the story of Emmett’s life into […]
In the quest to find intimate details about Emmett, I’d always thought that the person who would have known him best, the person who would have been closest to Emmett was his twin brother, Julian Anderson Wilson. Julian was named for Elizabeth Maxwell Wilson’s stepmother, Julia Anderson Hawkes Maxwell. He […]
One of the hardest lessons in life — and, about sobering up — is that we have to revisit the lessons often, remain teachable all our lives, in order for the learning to sink in. Rarely is life, or sobriety, a one-shot deal, like getting a polio vaccine. I wish […]
The quest for the Wilson family Bible continues. Earlier this month, I proposed that the Wilson family Bible probably wound up with Cephas Love Wilson, and, most likely handed down to the oldest child, Cephas Love Wilson, Jr. Because I’m certain it wasn’t passed on to Cephas’ second child, Kathleen […]
In Sunday’s online edition of The Washington Post, we find this interesting item: The survey doesn’t go back to Emmett’s time, but from what I’ve observed in the contemporary literature and media from his day, social drinking among those in his profession was ‘normal’, expected, typical. A man had a few […]
The following was read from a copy of the AA Grapevine at a meeting. It was something I needed to hear today. It was also something I believe Emmett needed to hear too, back in the day. You see, Emmett knew he had to stop drinking. It wasn’t just his […]
Tell my story. 