Wilson's parents came from Duns moving to Tweedmouth just before Wilson was born, they were married in Duns on 10th December 1801, and before her marriage Mrs Wilson was Jean Mackay. She was apparently proud of her family connection to the writer Charles Mackay a Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter, remembered mainly for his book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. Unfortunately though so far, we have been able to confirm the family connection.

Wilson's father – William Wilson – was a sawyer and recent findings indicate he may have been one of a family of 23! His father apparently having married twice.

Wilson was married at the time of his death, to Sarah Gladstone, the fifth daughter of Robert Gladstone, agent to the Old Berwick Shipping Company which eventually became the Berwick Salmon Fisheries company. Sadly John and Sarah had no children. He did have brothers and sisters and what we know of his family tree is below. We have traced one of his distant great nephews to, appropriately enough, an English teacher based in Leeds, England. We have had contact from around the world from people with distant family connections to him and these are still being researched.

His widow, known as “a relic” in those days remarried in Glasgow in 1838 but was widowed again and returned to Berwick.

The research continues...