William Neilson 
(1742 - 23 January 1831)
5th great-grandfather of Darrell Allen Martin.
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William was born in Erskine Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in 1742.
An alternate form of his name was William Nelson and his descendants used "Nelson" for the most part.
He married Jean Stewart in Scotland, circa 1765.
William died on 23 January 1831 in Ryegate, Caledonia County, Vermont.
He was buried in Ryegate Corner, Ryegate, Caledonia County, Vermont.
William Neilson came to America from Scotland in 1773 and arrived in Ryegate, VT 7 October 1774. He has had more descendants than any other man who ever lived in Ryegate. His mother died when he was an infant and he was raised by a Highland nurse. While working with David Allan he met the men who were forming a company to settle in America, and joined them. He could not be content to remain a tenant farmer all his life, even if relatively well-off. He was very active in forming the Scotch-American Company, and probably had more money to put in it than other colonists; his first drawing of land was larger than anyone else's. He was one of the first of the company to leave Scotland. His wife's parents opposed her coming to America, and had even persuaded her to remain with them. She and their three children accompanied him to Glasgow to see him off, but when parting time came, her affection for her husband prevailed, and she cast her lot with his. They sailed on the brig "Jean" for Portsmouth, NH. The ship was a leaky old tub; it was only by luck and hard work, in which his carpentry skills were often called into service, that it was kept afloat on what proved to be its last voyage. They made harbor one day ahead of a great storm. It seems it took them about a year before all five were in Ryegate. William was an energetic worker, and a natural leader; when the town was organized, 21 May 1776, William was one of four chosen constables1. In 1776, the whole "northern country" was in a state of anxious suspense during the spring. Rumors of a British invasion increased, and the defeat of the American army in Canada rendered the position of the Coös country (upper Connecticut River valley) very hazardous. When news came in early July that St. Johns was retaken by the Regulars, and that Indians would be sent to lay waste to the country, all the people of Ryegate moved to Newbury. A fort had been built there, and they looked for strength in numbers. After staying there about ten days, and seeing no appearance of danger, they all returned to their respective homes. William Neilson was the only one of the colonists who stood his ground. He was returning from Newbury, with a bag of meal on his back, when he met the Ryegate and Barnet people, men, women, and children. He accompanied his family to Newbury, where he spent one night, and then declaring that he had "not come all the way from Scotland to be driven off his land," returned to his cabin. The afternoon was spent in concealing his valuables, hiding his silver under hills of potatoes. Then he barricaded his cabin, loaded his pistols, and went to bed, expecting to be aroused by the attack of the Indians. The sun was an hour high when he awoke, the morning was beautiful, and no appearance of the savage enemy was to be seen. Neilson remained alone at his cabin till the people returned from Newbury, but afterward declared that the suspense, with no one within many miles, in momentary expectation of attack, was an experience which he never wished to repeat2. He was about five feet ten inches in height (tall for the times), very muscular, and remarkable for the powerful grip of his hands. Many anecdotes were told of his great strength. He was very successful in trade and business. He also held all the town offices and was town representative to the General Assembly in 1799 and 1800. His was a very religious family in which the Sabbath was kept with the utmost strictness. He read the Bible through once a year, and always found something new in it. He and his wife were among the earliest members of the Associate Presbyterian Church. He was a social man, hospitable, fond of fun and practical jokes, sometimes being thought to carry the propensity a little too far. He accumulated a great deal of property, estimated at his death to be between eighty and one hundred thousand dollars. That was a vast sum in those days, the equivalent of $1.6-$2.0 million in the year 2000, making him the richest man who ever lived in Ryegate. His will was contested by some of his heirs, and considerable money was spent in the resulting litigation. William and Jean Neilson had 7 children and 72 grandchildren. adapted from Wells' History of Ryegate. |
Appears on these charts:
10-generation pedigree for Darrell Allen Martin
- Children of William Neilson and Jean Stewart:
- William Neilson Junior (1767 - Sep 1830)
Robert Neilson (Apr 1770 - 20 Mar 1848) Mary Nelson + (Mar 1772 - 6 Oct 1825)
John Neilson (5 Feb 1776 - 5 Sep 1854)
James Neilson (Jun 1778 - 23 Jun 1840)
Thomas Neilson (4 Apr 1780 - 30 Nov 1860)
Isabel Neilson (ca 1786 - 14 Nov 1831)
Cited documentation:
- [S96] Ed. Abby Maria Hemenway, Ryegate, pg. 377-379, "on the 3rd Tuesday of May, 1776."
- [S96] Ed. Abby Maria Hemenway, Ryegate, pg. 377-379, with much variation in detail from other accounts.
Content and all unattributed graphics by: Darrell A. Martin
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Site updated on 26 April 2005