A Wilson Family Tree

Notes for Ferdinand Oscar Wakeman

First name of Ferdinand is from "Bear Flag Lieutenant: The Life Story of Henry L. Ford (1822-1860), with Some Related and Contemporary Art of Alexander Edouart (Continued)" by Fred B. Rogers (California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 49-66, March 1951); James Hotchkiss only had his initials. Middle name is from notes to a photograph of his wife, Mary Eliza Wilson, at http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf1n39n5jz/?query=wakeman&brand=calisphere .

Mary E. Wakeman (Ferdinand's wife) is listed as a widow in the 1880 census. Ferdinand is also not listed with the family in the 1870 census.

Some harsh words in an 1871 letter written by John Wilson (Ferdinand's father-in-law), as quoted in the Hotchkiss manuscript:

He had the reputation of being a moral businessman and had been well raised in Philadelphia. He came here with two brothers who then were also clever moral businessmen. Both afterwards became drunkards. Of course, the family remained with us. Mary Eliza never left us.

Gradually, all three brothers took to drink to excess. One of them is already dead as a drunken vagabond. The third is on the verge of the grave from the same cause. F. O. continued to get worse and worse till about three years ago I told him he could not stay here at my charge any longer. He left then and has been some times in the police stations, sometimes in the Home of Inebriate, and is now in prison on a charge of forgery. I have just been to see some influential friends to see if they can not aid in getting him out that he may leave the country. His crime, if he really committed it, was his drunkenness.

Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above. ...Mike Wilson

Page generated on 31 October 2023; see http://wilsonfamilytree.org/ for further updates