Difference between revisions of "John Thomas Wilson"

From MouserAncestry
Jump to: navigation, search
(create link for complete biography)
(→‎Sources: Added page 2 of the application for WWII compensation)
 
(38 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
__NOTOC__  
 
__NOTOC__  
−
John T. Wilson, born in 1917, was the third of seven children of [[Bert Winiford Wilson]] and [[Clara Mabel Wimer]].  He was born while his parents still lived with his Wilson grandparents, [[James Luther Wilson]] and [[Elizabeth Annabel Stoughton]], near West Liberty in rural Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA.  Eventually his parents moved to property across the road from his grandparents.  Both his father and grandfather worked at forestry and had a sawmill. Being around this activity resulted in John's having a life-long love of woodworking and carpentry.  They also worked at oil drilling.  Later his grandparents moved to Slippery Rock, and for a time.  His grandfather was a partner in a car dealership until the Great Depression ruined the business.    John Wilson's maternal grandparents, [[Isaac C. Wimer]] and [[Margaret Jane Robinson]], lived on a farm down the hill from the Bert Wilson place in Worth Twp.  John and his brothers and sisters would follow the creek down to the Wimer farm where his Grandpa Wimer raised field crops and had a barn full of cows.  The Wilson children attended the McClymonds school.  <br>(See [[John T. Wilson Biography|Complete Biography]])In West Liberty and Slippery Rock, several aunts and uncles and cousins lived.  The men enjoyed hunting, and one year they brought home a young bear cub.  Grandpa Wilson chained it to the barn and they raised it.  When John was a small boy, he wandered too near the bear and it grabbed him and wouldn't let go.  John's sister Ruth managed to pull him out of his coat and get him free from the bear.  Soon after, the bear was sold to Ringling Brothers Circus. <br>In about 1930, when John was 12 or 13 years old, the family moved north to a farm at Nickleville, Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA.  His father wanted to be nearer the oil fields.  John went to high school at the new Crawford High School in Emlenton, sometimes driving or carpooling with other kids from the area.  He met his future wife, [[Ella Mae Beals]], at the high school, and they started spending time together at school events in 11th grade. There was no money for dating or going anywhere.  John actually decided not to return to high school after 11th grade and dropped out for a year. His sister Ruth convinced him to return  by offering him a pocket watch if he would graduate. Thus Ella graduated a year ahead of him, she in 1935, he in 1936. <br> John  worked with his father for a couple years, dressing bits for oil drilling. Ella did housekeeping for a variety of families in the area, as well as in Washington D.C.  In 1937, he gave Ella a diamond ring, and a cedar chest he made, with the carved letters of her name fitted into a diamond shape on the front.  <br>On 15 Aug 1937, they took their first train ride, to the Cleveland Exposition.  Other weekends they went on picnics and rides; John bought his first car in July that year.<br> When REA (Rural Electrification Administration) came through Nickleville, PA in 1938, a lineman allowed him to try on the cleated boots and climb a pole. John hired on with the crew,and that began his lifelong work with the agencies building power lines in rural areas.  He began with REA in PA and OH in 1938. It would be ten years later, after WWII, that he found steady work with TVA in 1948. Meanwhile he did short jobs if various places for REA and for small private power companies, and whatever other work he could locate.  REA had work in Vermont and North Carolina; at one point to avoid going to Vermont in winter John accepted a posting to North Carolina.  He and Ella decided to be married before he left to go south.  Ella did her shopping in Washington where she was working, and the wedding took place in Venango County, at the parsonage, of 2 February 1940. John's brother Russell was his best man.  They took a honeymoon to Niagra Falls, and then both had to return to work, Ella to Washington.  On 14 February John stopped by Washington on his way to Laurens, North Carolina. In late spring the job ended, he returned to Venango Co. PA for a bit of work in Polk.  Being shuffled back and forth across the country doing jobs for REA set a pattern of his life of being comfortable with mobility, and later in life they would travel throughout the mid-west and the west coast visiting children and sightseeing.<br> When John was sent south again by REA, Ella's job in Washington had ended and she joined him, for a period of living in boarding houses in one small town and another. They put up with the occasional bedbugs and irksome neighbors. Occasionally she found work waitressing or babysitting, but largely it was a lonely time for her in a strange culture, where they were the "yankees".  Then in Monks Corner, SC, the lease became available on a cafe and gas station, the Green Gables, and as his job was ending, they took the lease.  It was always a close call whether they would earn enough to be able to refill the gas tanks before they went dry. They could only restock as much beer as they had bottles to return; if customers didn't return the bottle, local children would find and bring the discarded bottles in and sell them to the cafe.  Besides the shortage of cash, time was an issue.  The cafe was open 24 hrs a day.  John and Ella slept in shifts, but if a customer required a hot meal, Ella had to get up and fix it.  After ten weeks, they gave up the lease, but found that after the sale of whatever stock and equipment they had, they came out with  a thousand dollars.  They returned to Venango County with their profit, and soon used a small part of the earnings to buy their first trailer.  (It was probably 8 ft wide by maybe 12 ft long.  Over the years  with TVA they upgraded periodically to longer models, and wider. Their last trailer bought in the late 1950's was ten ft wide and forty ft long. This was a period when trailers were truly mobile, before the day of the stationary double-wide "mobile home".)  <br>They returned south to jobs in Tennessee and Kentucky, whether with REA or private companies is unclear. In 1943 their first daughter was born in Tennessee.  She was taken home to see the grandparents on Mothers' Day.<br> John worked for Holston Defense in Kingsport TN, trying to avoid the army draft by working in critical industry, but in August of 1943 he was drafted.  They took the trailer home and parked it at the Wilson farm, as Mrs. Wilson was ill and Ella was needed to keep house.  John went into training, then to officer training at Furman University in South Carolina.  As the war progressed, apparently a decision was made that officers were not what was needed.  His class had been pronounced the best that ever went through the accelerated training, but then the entire class was "washed out" without their commissions.  John went to Texas for training as a tail-gunner on a B-17 bomber.  Ella visited him occasionally in the different training locations, but gas rationing and crowded trains made travel difficult, especially with an infant.  On 23 March 1944 Mrs. Wilson died. John came home for the funeral; his brother Ray had already been deployed to Europe and couldn't come home. They moved the trailer to the Beals farm.  Ella and the baby moved into the "apartment" side of the farmhouse. (The apartment was added for Ella's grandmother [[Anna Elizabeth Frederick]] when her husband died and her daughter & son-iin-law, Ella's parents, bought the house and farm. <br>By January 1945 John was shipped out from Camp Patrick Henry in Virginia, and by mid-February was in Foggia, Italy with his crew.  On their first bombing assignment they missed their target on the first pass, so came around again.  By then the anti-aircraft fire was ready for them and they were hit so that a fire broke out in the bomb bay.  They tried to put it out, and failing that, tried to get the bombs to release over rural areas. The bombs were jammed and wouldn't release.  In the excitement of the emergency, the navigator lost track of where they were, or in trying to reach Russia perhaps they overflew the extent of their maps.  They were lost, and the bomb bay  fire worsened until the decision was made by the pilot to parachute the crew and ditch the plane.  Parachuting was not something they had rehearsed.  John tried to slide out  feet-first instead of the recommended head first dive, and wrenched his back in the process.  He also apparently pulled his parachute cord too soon, and found himself floating slowly downward in freezing cold atmosphere, with snow.  He'd lost one glove, and kept shifting the other one from hand to hand. When he reached the ground, it was a clear sunny day.  They had landed in Hungary and were one-by-one rounded up by farmers with pitchforks. Someone in the group could translate as it was discussed whether to kill them or not.  They ended up in German prison camp, and for the duration of the war, they were marched from one location to another trying to evade the advancing allied armies. Ella was notified by telegram that her husband was missing in action.  The pilot, Harvey Mitchell, had been injured and sent to a hospital, so he could communicate with his parents. Mrs. Mitchell then wrote the other POW families that the crew were all alive and well when Harvey last saw them.  John lost thirty pounds, and later recalled how good a bowl of barley soup could taste, when they could get it. His primary memory was of hunger, and of walking and walking. He was liberated at Mooseburg, 20 April 1945.  At his first good sufficient meal, his stomach couldn't handle it and he vomited.  Together, prisoners and liberators made their way back across Germany to France, on their own for food and lodging.  One of John's crewmates pulled a handmade red & black cross stitched white tablecloth from a German farm clothesline for carrying eggs taken from the barn. John brought the cloth home with him, with a yolk-stained corner, to give to Ella.  In France there weren't enough transport ships for all to return at once, so the offer of some spending money was made to those who would wait.  John figured it was his only chance for sight-seeing, and stayed.  He bought a small hand-painted Quimper dish to bring home. (Also among his souvenirs of the war were various European coins, a map of part of Germany, his prison camp armband with swastika, and a wooden shoe on which he wrote the dates and places of his war experience, and names and addresses of his crew members. He arrived back in Pennsylvania that spring. They continued to live in the farmhouse apartment.  There was no work.  Ella's brother, Loy Beals, who had a garage in Emlenton, let John work with him.  In August John and Ella's second daughter was born.<br> Finally in 1948 John secured a position as lineman with TVA.  The agency was organized into crews that built the dams on the Tennessee River, maintenance crews that maintained the dams, and construction crews that built the steel towers and power lines to carry electricity to the rural southern communities. John hired on as a construction lineman in the Western Division, headquartered in Jackson Tennessee, but building lines throughout western Tennessee, Kentucky, and northern Alabama and Mississippi.
+
John T. Wilson was six feet tall, of slender to medium build, blonde, blue-eyed, with fair complexion.  He enjoyed working outdoors, and thus found his eventual career working in the southern states agreeable. After his childhood and teenage years during the Great Depression, living on farms and helping his father and grandfather at work in the sawmill and at oil drilling, he married his high school sweetheart from a nearby farm.  He served in WWII, mainly as a POW, and afterward lived a very mobile life building power lines for TVA - the Tennessee Valley Authority.   His later TVA years and retirement were spent in Scottsboro, Alabama. <br>(See [[John T. Wilson Biography|Complete Biography]])
−
He began as a lineman, but fell 30 ft. from wone of the towers onto a concrete base and injured his back. After hospitalization, rather than being placed on permanent disability, he was promoted to foreman, so that he didn't have to climb.  His crews built steel towers and strung high voltage lines, changing location often as jobs were finished. One of these lines crossed the lower Mississippi River, and he pointed out in later years that a tall tower built on a large concrete base on the eastern bank of the river was by then in mid-river, the river's course having shifted. <br>See REA:http://newdeal.feri.org/tva/tva10.htm<br>
+
 
−
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Utilities_Service<br>See TVA:
+
−
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority<br> In 1948 John and Ella moved from place to place every few weeks.  In the fall of 1949 the older daughter started first grade in a two-room schoolhouse in Jackson, TN.  After that, during the school year, they moved less often.  John would commute home longer distances from work sites. Still, a typical school year included at least 4 and as many as 6 schools. In 1956 the job was in Scottsboro, Alabama. The oldest child was entering 8th grade, and the decision was made to stay there permanently, so that both children could complete the requirements of high school graduation.  Over the years John and Ella had saved enough to send both children to college.  <br>After retirement from TVA, they purchased a piece of hillside property and with the help of a good neighbor who owned a home construction company, they built a house.  John returned to Pennsylvania and cut the cherry trees from the woods on the Beals farm, and had it cut into paneling and flooring.  He bought and disassembled a two-story log house in Tennessee and transported it to the building site for reassembly. On both floors, a door opened at middle of house into what had been an open breezeway, but became an entryway and hall downstairs, and stair landing and hall upstairs. The doors opened onto porch and balcony that ran the length of the house.  A stone fireplace  anchored the living room. Cherry-wood floors and paneling warmed the dining room, which looked out over the valley. John added a laundry room beyond the kitchen, and a large garage. Upstairs three bedrooms provided for family visits and grandchildren. A "mountain" rose behind the house, and at the base of this ran a creek. In the creek's bottom land John planted a large garden, which he plowed with a tractor.  Enough produce was frozen each summer to deliver freezer chests of vegetables to both the children's families.  John removed the rear seat from an old Volkswagon, and would load it up with styrofoam chests full of frozen food, and drive to Wisconsin or North Carolina or wherever the children were living.  His other hobby was refinishing old furniture, some of which he purchased over the years from locations where he worked.  Other pieces were old family items from Pennsylvania.  When his first grandchild was born, he delivered a handmade cherry cradle to California. The next year he refinished a chest of drawers with mirror for her, strapped it onto the roof of his VW, and drove it to Arizona. In the back seat area, he carried  a handmade bookcase, ends the shape of a teddybear, made to fit a set of children's books. 
+
 
<br style="clear:both;"/>
 
<br style="clear:both;"/>
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
!  || Date || Location || Notes || Sources
 
!  || Date || Location || Notes || Sources
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''Birth'''    ||10 Nov 1917  ||Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA  || || <sup class="reference"></sup>  
+
| '''Birth'''    ||10 Nov 1917  ||Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA  || || <sup class="reference">[4][12]</sup>  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''Marriage''' ||2 Feb 1940  ||Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA || To Ella May Beals  || <sup class="reference"></sup>   
+
| '''Marriage''' ||2 Feb 1940  ||Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA || To Ella May Beals  || <sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>   
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''Military''' ||19 Jan -17 May 1945 Europe  ||WWII Army Airforce, Cpl.<br> B17 tail gunner, 483 Bombardment Group,<br> 815 Squadron, based in Foggia, Italy  || caputred near Lenti, Hungary;<br>POW, Austria & Germany  || <sup class="reference"></sup>   
+
| '''Military''' ||19 Jan -17 May 1945 Europe  ||WWII Army Airforce, Cpl.<br> B17 tail gunner, 483 Bombardment Group,<br> 815 Squadron, based in Foggia, Italy  || caputred near Lenti, Hungary;<br>POW, Austria & Germany  || <sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>   
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''Death'''    ||18 May 1985  ||VA Hospital, Birmingham AL || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| '''Death'''    ||18 May 1985  ||VA Hospital, Birmingham AL || || <sup class="reference">[6][12]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''Burial''' ||22 May 1985 ||Nickleville Presby. Cemetery,<br>Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA  || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| '''Burial''' ||22 May 1985 ||Nickleville Presby. Cemetery,<br>Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA  || || <sup class="reference">[6][12]</sup>
 
|}
 
|}
  
Line 30: Line 28:
 
   (1943- )              |                            (1891-1944)
 
   (1943- )              |                            (1891-1944)
 
                         +-- [[Ella May Beals]]
 
                         +-- [[Ella May Beals]]
−
                             (1917- )
+
                             (1917-2009)
−
   Sources: <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
   Sources: <sup class="reference">[4][6]</sup>
  
 
=Children=
 
=Children=
−
(2 daughters with [[Ella May Beals]]
+
(2 daughters with [[Ella May Beals]])
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
! Name || Gender || Date of Birth || Birthplace || Spouse || Notes || Sources
 
! Name || Gender || Date of Birth || Birthplace || Spouse || Notes || Sources
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Elizabeth Ann Wilson]]    || F||  || ||    || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|[[Elizabeth Ann Wilson]]    || F||  || ||    || || <sup class="reference">[6]</sup>
 
|-   
 
|-   
−
|  living Wilson    ||F ||  || ||    || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|  living Wilson    ||F ||  || ||    || || <sup class="reference">[6]</sup>
  
  
Line 50: Line 48:
 
! Location || Dates || Notes || Sources
 
! Location || Dates || Notes || Sources
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''Birth & Childhood'''  ||    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|'''Birth & Early Years'''  ||    ||  || <sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA  ||  1917-~1930  ||with parents || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA  ||  b.1917-~1930  ||with parents || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''High School, work with REA<br>during Great Depression''' ||     || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Nickleville, Richland Twp.,<br>Venango Co. PA || ~1930 -  1938 ||high school in Emlenton,<br> work with REA during Great Depression  ||<sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Nickleville, Richland Twp.,<br>Venango Co. PA || ~1930 - 1938 ||   ||<sup class="reference"></sup>  
+
|OH, NC ||1938-1940 ||line work for REA <br>or private power companies  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|OH, NC ||1938-1940 ||line work for REA <br>or private power companies || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|'''Early Marriage''' ||     ||  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''Early Marriage''' ||     || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Laurens, SC ||14 Feb 1940 - late spring||line construction, REA/ Miller Baxter  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Laurens, SC  ||14 Feb 1940 - late spring||line construction, REA/ Miller Baxter   || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Polk, Sandy Creek Twp.,<br>Venango Co. PA  || 1940|| REA<br>or private power companies   || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Polk, Sandy Creek Twp.,<br>Venango Co. PA  || 1940|| REA<br>or private power companies  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Cornelius, SC; Lexington  & Madison, NC  ||Oct 1940-1941||REA<br>or private power companies  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Cornelius, SC; Lexington  & Madison, NC  ||Oct 1940-1941||REA<br>or private power companies  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Ellwood City, Lawrence Co. PA  ||late summer 1941||helped a cousin build a house  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Ellwood City,Lawrence Co. PA   ||late summer 1941||helped a cousin build a house || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Monks Corner, SC   ||1941-42|| REA or private power companies; <br>leased Green Gables Cafe & gas station<br>for 10 wks, $1000 profit || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>[[Image:Green Gables Cafe.jpg|100px|left|thumb|Green Gables Cafe, Monks Corner, SC, April 1942]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Monks Corner, SC  ||1941-42|| REA or private power companies; <br>leased Green Gables Cafe & gas station<br>for 10 wks, $1000 profit || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Smyrna, NashvilleTN<br> Gallatin TN ("Green River Line"), <br>Scottsville TN;<br> Glasgow, Newport KY;<br>Kingsport TN (Nov 42- Mar 43)||1942||Bought 1st trailer<br> worked for REA or private power companies,<br> Holston Defense in Kingsport; laid off in March || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Smyrna, NashvilleTN<br> Gallatin TN ("Green River Line"), <br>Scottsville TN;<br> Glasgow, Newport KY;<br>Kingsport TN (Nov 42- Mar 43)||1942||Bought 1st trailer<br> worked for REA or private power companies,<br> Holston Defense in Kingsport; laid off in March  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Pittsburgh, PA  || Spring 1943||private employer, not recorded  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Pittsburgh, PA  || Spring 1943||private employer, not recorded  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|'''Military Training'''  || 14 Aug 1943, drafted    || || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''Military Training''' || 14 Aug 1943, drafted   ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Greensboro NC || Aug 1943-?   ||  || <sup class="reference">[3[]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Greensboro NC || Aug 1943-?    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Greenville SC || by Christmas 1943- 1944    ||Furman Univ.; accelerated officers training; <br>entire class "washed out" || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Greenville SC || by Christmas 1943- 1944    ||Furman Univ.; accelerated officers training; <br>entire class "washed out"  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Midland TX || 1944, after Mar     ||training as tail-gunner  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Midland TX  ||  1944, after Mar    ||training as tail-gunner  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Alexandria LA ||  1944, including Dec  ||training   || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Alexandria LA ||  1944, including Dec  ||training    || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Lincoln, NB ||  1944, including Dec  ||for shipment overseas  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Lincoln, NB || 1944, including Dec  ||for shipment overseas  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|'''Military Service, WWII'''  || 14 Aug 1943, drafted    || || <sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''Military Service, WWII''' || 14 Aug 1943, drafted   ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Camp Patrick Henry, VA || 19 Jan 1945   ||http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Patrick_Henry || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Camp Patrick Henry, VA || 19 Jan 1945    ||http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Patrick_Henry || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Gibraltar || 5 Feb 1945    ||  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Gibraltar  || 5 Feb 1945    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Algiers, N. Africa || 8 Feb 1945    ||  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Algiers, N. Africa || 8 Feb 1945    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Naples, Italy    || 12 Feb 1945    ||  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Naples, Italy   || 12 Feb 1945    || || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Foggia, Italy   || 17 Feb 1945    ||base of operation,<br> 483 Bombardment Group,<br> 815 Squadron <br>Pilot, Harvey A. Mitchell|| <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Foggia, Italy   || 17 Feb 1945    ||base of operation,<br> 483 Bombardment Group,<br> 815 Squadron <br>Pilot, Harvey A. Mitchell|| <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Lenti, Hungary   ||   14 Mar 1945    ||taken POW  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Lenti, Hungary   ||   14 Mar 1945    ||taken POW || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Bratislava   || 19 Mar 1945    ||POW   || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Bratislava  || 19 Mar 1945    ||POW  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Vienna, Austria    || 20 Mar   1945    ||POW  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Vienna, Austria    || 20 Mar    1945    ||POW  || <sup class="reference"></sup>  
+
| Nurenberg, Ger.  || 22 Mar    1945    ||POW  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Nurenberg, Ger.  || 22 Mar    1945    ||POW   || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|marching, location unrecorded    || 23 Mar    1945    || POW || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|marching, location unrecorded    || 23 Mar   1945    || POW || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Nurenberg, Ger.  ||25 Mar     1945    ||POW   || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Nurenberg, Ger.  ||25 Mar    1945   ||POW  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Moosburg, Ger.  || 20 Apr  1945 ;<br>Liberation 29 Apr 1945  ||POW <br>([http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/indeng.html camp history website]) <br>([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_VII-A Wikipedia's Stalag VII-A site]),<br> ([http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/14theng.html description of the events surround the liberation itself])<br>([http://www.303rdbg.com/pow-camps.html#stalag7a   303 Bomb Group website:description of camps, liberation])<br>([[ 1 May 1945 NY Times Moosburg Prison Camp Liberation]])|| <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Moosburg, Ger.   || 20 Apr  1945    ||POW ([http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/indeng.html camp history website]) ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_VII-A Wikipedia's Stalag VII-A site]), Liberated on 29 Apr 1945 ([http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/14theng.html description of the events surround the liberation itself])|| <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Landshut, Ger.   ||4 May    1945    ||  || <sup class="reference">[4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Landshut, Ger.   ||4 May    1945    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Reims, France   ||6 May    1945    ||  || <sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Reims, France    ||6 May    1945    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|St. Vallery, France    ||17 May    1945    ||  || <sup class="reference">[3][4]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|St. Vallery, France    ||17 May    1945    ||  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA  || 1945-1948    ||Depression Era persisted;<br>worked in brother-in-law's garage in Emlenton; <br>lived with Beals in-laws, <br>then rented Joe Rose house, Mariasville  || <sup class="reference">[3][6]</sup>
−
|-
+
−
| Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA  || 1945-1948    ||Depression Era persisted;<br>worked in brother-in-law's garage in Emlenton; lived with in-laws, then rented Joe Rose house, Mariasville  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
 
|}
 
|}
−
The following chart serves as a record of the work career of John T. Wilson with TVA; an indication of school locations for his daughters; and a guide to dates/locations for some of the photographs. Locations in parentheses indicate additional work locations while in one residence location.
+
The following chart serves as a record of the work career of John T. Wilson with TVA; an indication of school locations for his daughters; and a guide to dates/locations for some of the photographs. Locations in parentheses indicate additional work locations while in one residence location.  In 1967 he was working with the Rubin R Rubinson/Robinson crew, TVA Western Division, per wedding card to daughter Elizabeth.
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
{| class="wikitable"  
−
! Location || Dates || Notes || Sources
+
! TVA Career Location || Dates || Landlords || Sources
−
 
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''TVA Career'''  ||    ||Landlords || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Russelville, AL  ||4-28 Feb, 1948     ||Edward Pace || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Russelville, AL   ||4-28 Feb, 1948     ||Edward Pace || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Wilson Dam, AL ||28 Feb-8 Apr  1948   ||Dempsey Terry || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Wilson Dam, AL  ||28 Feb-8 Apr 1948  ||Dempsey Terry  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|West Point, MS  || 8 Apr-12 Apr 1948  ||Goat's Texaco Sta. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|West Point, MS   || 8 Apr-12 Apr 1948   ||Goat's Texaco Sta. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Mayfield KY   || 12 Apr - 9 May  1948 ||Richard Bagwell  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Mayfield KY  || 12 Apr - 9 May   1948 ||Richard Bagwell  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Paris TN  ||17 May-13 June    1948 || Dave Oliver || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Paris TN ||17 May-13 June   1948 || Dave Oliver || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Mayfield KY || 12 June-2 July  1948 || Mrs. Cleve Sanderson || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Mayfield KY  || 12 June-2 July  1948 || Mrs. Cleve Sanderson || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Mountain City TN  || 3 July-20 Aug   1948 ||Alf McQueen  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Mountain City TN  || 3 July-20 Aug  1948 ||Alf McQueen || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Mt. Pleasant TN  ||21 Aug - 20 Sept    1948 ||Mrs. Ethel Simmons || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Mt. Pleasant TN   ||21 Aug - 20 Sept   1948 ||Mrs. Ethel Simmons || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Murfreesboro TN ||20 Sept - 23 Oct    1948||Otto Green || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Murfreesboro TN ||20 Sept - 23 Oct    1948||Otto Green || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Woodbury TN   ||23 Oct -11 Dec     1948 ||Joe Stephens || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Woodbury TN   ||23 Oct -11 Dec     1948 ||Joe Stephens || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| McMinville TN ||11 Dec - 17 Jan  1948/49 ||Roy Newby || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| McMinville TN ||11 Dec - 17 Jan  1948/49 ||Roy Newby || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Nashville TN   ||17-21  Jan  1949  ||Pure Oil Sta. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Nashville TN   ||17-21  Jan   1949 ||Pure Oil Sta. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Chattanooga TN ||21-24 Jan     1949||Farniers Trailer Pk , Cherokee Blvd. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Chattanooga TN  ||21-24 Jan     1949||Farniers Trailer Pk , Cherokee Blvd. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Knoxville TN  ||24 Jan - 2 Mar  1949 ||King's Grocery, Southerland Ave  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Knoxville TN  ||24 Jan - 2 Mar   1949  ||King's Grocery, Southerland Ave  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Lenoir City TN  || 2 Mar - 16 Ma6  1949  ||C. E. Brachett || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Lenoir City TN || 2 Mar - 16 Ma6  1949 ||C. E. Brachett || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Elizabethton TN   || 16 May - 4 June  1949 ||Mrs. Bowen  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Elizabethton TN   || 16 May - 4 June  1949 ||Mrs. Bowen  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Nashville TN || 4 June - 25 July   1949 ||E. G. Davenport  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Nashville TN || 4 June - 25 July  1949 ||E. G. Davenport || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Jackson TN   ||30 July - 19 Nov   1949 || Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Jackson TN  ||30 July - 19 Nov   1949 || Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Cadiz KY  || 19 Nov - 29 Jan 1949/50  ||White Eagle Cafe || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Cadiz KY  || 19 Nov - 29 Jan 1949/50   ||White Eagle Cafe || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Memphis TN  || 29 Jan - 9 Feb 1950   ||Harbin's Cabins, Hwy 51 || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Memphis TN   || 29 Jan - 9 Feb 1950   ||Harbin's Cabins, Hwy 51 || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Tupelo MS   || 9 Feb - 11 Mar 1950   ||Rockway Inn, Hwy 45 || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Tupelo MS  || 9 Feb - 11 Mar 1950   ||Rockway Inn, Hwy 45 || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|West Point MS  ||11 Mar - 1 Apr 1950     ||Goat's Texaco St. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|West Point MS  ||11 Mar - 1 Apr 1950     ||Goat's Texaco St. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Tupelo MS  || 1 Apr - 27 May  1950   ||Rockway Inn, Cecil Cafe || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Tupelo MS   || 1 Apr - 27 May 1950  ||Rockway Inn, Cecil Cafe || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Corinth MS ||27 May - 3 July  1950  ||Randolph Yancy, 1411 Wick St. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Corinth MS ||27 May - 3 July   1950   ||Randolph Yancy, 1411 Wick St. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Jackson TN || 3 July - 15 July  1950 ||Mrs. W. B. Ranson  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Jackson TN  || 3 July - 15 July 1950 ||Mrs. W. B. Ranson  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| New Johnsonville/Camden TN  || 15 July - 18 July 1950   ||J'ville Trailer Pk  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| New Johnsonville/Camden TN  || 15 July - 18 July 1950   ||J'ville Trailer Pk || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Jackson TN  || 19 July - 24 July 1950   ||Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Jackson TN  || 19 July - 24 July  1950   ||Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Macon MS  ||24 July - 16 Dec  1950   ||Mrs. M. B. McLemore || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Macon MS   ||24 July - 16 Dec   1950   ||Mrs. M. B. McLemore || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| West Point MS ||16 Dec - 15 Jan 1950/51    ||Goat's Texaco Sta.  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| West Point MS ||16 Dec - 15 Jan 1950/51     ||Goat's Texaco Sta.  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Somerville TN ||15 Jan - 19 May 1951     ||H. G. Myers tourist home || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Somerville TN  ||15 Jan - 19 May 1951     ||H. G. Myers tourist home || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Memphis TN  ||19 May - 15 June    1951 ||J. C. Harbin's, Rt. 51 || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Memphis TN  ||19 May - 15 June    1951 ||J. C. Harbin's, Rt. 51  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Jackson TN  ||15 June - 24 July 1951   ||Mrs. W. B. Ranson  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Jackson TN ||15 June - 24 July 1951   ||Mrs. W. B. Ranson   || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Lexington ||24 July - 16 Aug  1951   ||  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Lexington  ||24 July - 16 Aug 1951  ||   || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Jackson TN  || 16 Aug-7 Sept 1951  || Mrs. W. B. Ranson  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Jackson TN   || 16 Aug-7 Sept 1951   || Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Benton KY   ||23 Sept - 23 Feb 1951/52    ||Herman Kanatzer || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Benton KY   ||23 Sept - 23 Feb 1951/52   ||Herman Kanatzer || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Fulton KY<br>(McKenzie, Martin,)  ||23 Feb - 31 May 1952   ||Star Cafe, <br>Hwy on state line || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Fulton KY<br>(McKenzie, Martin,)  ||23 Feb - 31 May 1952   ||Star Cafe, <br>Hwy on state line || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Benton KY   ||31 May - 16 Oct  1952 ||Ben Hunt, Rt.3 (till 16 Sept)<br>Will Eggner, Mrs. Farmer || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Benton KY  ||31 May - 16 Oct  1952  ||Ben Hunt, Rt.3 (till 16 Sept)<br>Will Eggner, Mrs. Farmer || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Jackson TN <br>(Lexington, Union City) ||16 Oct- 6 June   1952/53 || Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Jackson TN <br>(Lexington, Union City) ||16 Oct- 6 June  1952/53 || Mrs. W. B. Ranson || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Tupelo MS    ||6 June - 8 July   1953 ||Rockway Inn || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Tupelo MS   ||6 June - 8 July  1953 ||Rockway Inn  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| West Point MS ||8 July - 1 Sept   1953 ||T.J. Earnest, Prairie Jct. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| West Point MS  ||8 July - 1 Sept  1953 ||T.J. Earnest, Prairie Jct. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Louisville MS  ||1 Sept - 14 Nov   1953 ||Millers Trailer Pk, Mrs. Elva Roberts  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Louisville MS ||1 Sept - 14 Nov  1953  ||Millers Trailer Pk, Mrs. Elva Roberts || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Pontatoc MS   ||14 Nov - 2 Jan   1953/54 ||Houston & Jack ? (illegible),<br>across from Jerry's Drive In || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Pontatoc MS  ||14 Nov - 2 Jan  1953/54 ||(Houston & Jack)?,<br>across from Jerry's Drive In || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Corinth MS<br>(& Tiptonville)   ||2 Jan - 30 May   1954 ||Horton Groc. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Corinth MS<br>(& Tiptonville)   ||2 Jan - 30 May   1954 ||Horton Groc.  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Waverly TN   || 30 May - 21 Aug 1954  ||Wm. "Plunk" Gould || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Waverly TN  || 30 May - 21 Aug  1954  ||Wm. "Plunk" Gould || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Dickson TN  || 21 Aug - 27 Oct 1954  ||Ludy & Lorraine ___ || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Dickson TN   || 21 Aug - 27 Oct 1954  ||Ludy & Lorraine ___ || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Bolivar TN ||27 Oct - 2 Jan  1954/55   ||foster Motel,<br> Elgie & Inez || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Bolivar TN ||27 Oct - 2 Jan  1954/55   ||foster Motel,<br> Elgie & Inez || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Russellville AL ||2 Jan - 23 Feb   1955   ||Bendix Standard Sta. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Russellville AL ||2 Jan - 23 Feb  1955   ||Bendix Standard Sta.  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Holly Springs MS ||23 Feb - 18 Mar   1955   || LaFever Holly Courts || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Holly Springs MS ||23 Feb - 18 Mar  1955    || LaFever Holly Courts || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Covington TN ||18 Mar - 7/8 Apr   1955    ||Mrs Adams<br>(with Ruth & Dan Price)  || <sup class="reference"><[3]/sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Covington TN  ||18 Mar - 7/8 Apr   1955    ||Mrs Adams<br>(with Ruth & Dan Price) || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Sheffield AL    ||9 Apr - 21 June   1955    ||Tri-Cities Trailer Ct. || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Sheffield AL   ||9 Apr - 21 June  1955    ||Tri-Cities Trailer Ct. || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Huntsville AL   ||21 June - 2 July   1955    ||Whispering Pines || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Huntsville AL   ||21 June - 2 July  1955   ||Whispering Pines  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Benton KY   ||2 July - 20 July  1955   || Mrs. Eggner || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Benton KY  |2 July - 20 July|   1955  || Mrs. Eggner || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Huntsville AL  ||24 July - 7 Aug   1955  ||Mrs. Williams,<br>401 McKinley  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Huntsville AL ||24 July - 7 Aug  1955  ||Mrs. Williams,<br>401 McKinley || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Russellville AL   ||7 Aug - 3 Dec   1955  ||M. H. McMurray Cafe || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Russellville AL   ||7 aug - 3 Dec   1955  ||M. H. McMurray Cafe || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Athens AL || 3 Dec - 10 Mar  1955/56   ||Old Spinning Wheel Motel,<br>.Mitchell Wallace || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Athens AL || 3 Dec - 10 Mar 1955/56   ||Old Spinning Wheel Motel,<br.Mitchell Wallace || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
|Sheffield AL   ||10 Mar - 21 July  1956   ||Walter Kelly, 1701 High St.  || <sup class="reference">[3]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Sheffield AL   ||10 Mar - 21 July   1956   ||Walter Kelly, 1701 High St.  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Scottsboro, AL ||22 July 1956 - retirement after Sept.1967-1970 ||Hwy 72 ponds & bait shop || <sup class="reference">[3][6]</sup>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Scottsboro, AL  ||22 July 1956 - retirement after ~ 1965/70; died 1985  ||built house on Hwy 72  || <sup class="reference"></sup>
+
| Scottsboro, AL  ||after retirement; died 1985  ||built house on Hwy 72  || <sup class="reference">[6]</sup>
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
= Photo Gallery =
 
= Photo Gallery =
 +
[[Image:John T Wilson HS Grad.jpg|120px|left|thumb|1936 high school graduate]][[Image:John T Wilson July 1936 swimsuit.jpg|120px|left|thumb|31 July 1936, age 19]][[Image:John T Wilson July 31 1936.jpg|120px|left|thumb|31 July 1936]][[Image:John T Wilson July 1937.jpg|120px|left|thumb|20 July 1937, age almost 20]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>
 +
[[Image:John & Ella Wilson 1940.jpg|140px|left|thumb|John & Ella Wilson at Beals farm, 1940]][[Image:John & Ella Wilson ~1940.jpg|120px|left|thumb|John & Ella Wilson ~1940]][[Image:John T Wilson 1940 New River SC.jpg|120px|left|thumb|1940 at New River, SC]][[Image:John & Ella Wilson 1941 w car.jpg|120px|left|thumb|1941]]
 
<br style="clear: left"/>
 
<br style="clear: left"/>
−
 
  
 +
 +
[[Image:John, Betsy & trailer.jpg|120px|left|thumb|with daughter Betsy, possibly Kingsport TN]][[Image:John & Betsy Wilson June 43.jpg|140px|left|thumb|Fathers Day, June 1943]][[Image:John T Wilson & Betsy at Bert Wilson farm.jpg|120px|left|thumb|John with Betsy, 1943 at Bert & Clara Wilson farm, Nickleville, Venango Co. PA]][[Image:John T Wilson, Betsy, Jim & John Vergis.jpg|120px|left|thumb|14 Aug 1943, day of swearing-in; with dau. Betsy and nephews John & Jim Vergis]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>[[Image:John T Wilson & Betsy Oct 43 Greensboro NC.jpg|120px|left|thumb|Oct 1943 Greensboro NC]][[Image:John & Betsy Wilson June 1944 Greenville SC.jpg|200px|left|thumb|3 June 1944, Greenville SC]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>
 +
[[Image:B17 & Crew.jpg|180px|left|thumb|John Wilson at right, back row, with crew of B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber<br> (Click photo for names)]][[Image:John T Wilson flight suit.jpg|120px|left|thumb|in training, 1944]][[Image:John T Wilson in uniform.jpg|120px|left]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>
 +
[[Image:Betsy Wilson, trailer at Beals farm.jpg|120px|left|thumb|1944, 1st trailer, at Beals farm]][[Image:John T Wilson & Betsy.jpg|120px|left|thumb|~1945; lesson in "rub your tummy, pat your head"]][[Image:John T Wilson, Betsy, deer.jpg|110px|left|thumb|at Bert Wilson farm, ~1946-47]][[Image:John, Ella Wilson & Ray Wilson w trailer.jpg|150px|left|thumb|1948, new trailer for trip south; l. to r. Ray Wilson, Ella and John Wilson]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>
 +
[[Image:John T Wilson TVA portrait.jpg|140px|left|thumb|John T. Wilson in work khakis & TVA badge, ~late 1950's]][[Image:John T Wilson & ch, Xmas ~1949.jpg|120px|left|thumb|Christmas ~1949-50]][[Image:John T Wilson w beard 1954 Corinth MS.jpg|140px|left|thumb|with beard grown for 1954 centennial, Corinth MS]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>
 +
[[Image:John Wilson, backyard chef, Scottsboro ~1959.jpg|120px|left|thumb|weekly cookout, ~1959, at the minnow ponds, Scottsboro, AL]][[Image:John Wilson with Joubert, 1970's.jpg|120px|left|thumb|with Joubert, mid-1970's, log house in Scottsboro]][[Image:Russ, John, Allene & Ruth, 1984.jpg|120px|left|thumb|Russ, John, Allene & Ruth, ~1984, during John's final illness]]
 +
<br style="clear: left"/>
 
= Sources =
 
= Sources =
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
{| class="wikitable"  
−
! Ref. Num. !! Description !! Image of original
 
−
 
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
! '''1'''  
 
! '''1'''  
−
| '''1870 United States Federal Census''',  
+
| '''1920 United States Federal Census''', Worth Township, Butler County, PA, Enumeration District 66, Page 7, lines 84-88 lists ''Bert W. Wilson'', 28, married to ''Clara M. Wilson'', 28. Their daughter, ''Ruth M. Wilson'', 7, and two sons, ''Edwin D. Wilson'', 4, and ''John T. Wilson'', 2 years and one month, are listed as well.  Bert is listed as having been born in PA. His profession is listed as "Laborer" on a rented farm.  His census record is immediately followed by that of his father, [[James L. Wilson]], suggesting that they lived on adjacent property.  This census page is dated 23 and 24 January 1920.
 +
| [[Image:1920 census pa butler worth d66 pg7.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 
 +
|-
 +
! '''2'''
 +
| '''1930 United States Federal Census''', Richland Township, Venango County, PA, Enumeration District 61-40, Page 6, lines 65-73 lists ''Birt W. Wilson'', 39, married to ''Clara M. Wilson'', 38.  They live with six children and a live-in farm laborer: daughter ''Ruth M. Wilson'', 17; son ''Edwin D.'', 15; son ''John T. Wilson'', 12; son ''Russel W. Wilson'', 9; son ''Ray B. Wilson'', 6; daughter ''Allene N. Wilson'', 3 years and 10 months; and laborer ''Lester Lawrence'', 43.  When Birt W. Wilson and Clara M. Wilson got married, he was 20 and she was 19.  All of the children except Allene attended school within the census year.  Everyone but Allene can read, write, and speak English. Everyone and their parents were born in PA.  Birt W. Wilson's occupation is listed as "Farmer."  This census page is dated April 15th, 1930.
 +
| [[Image:1930_census_pa_venango_richland_d61-40_pg6b.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
|-
 +
! '''2A'''
 +
| '''1940 United States Federal Census''', Laurens Twp., Laurens Co. SC, date of census 2-3 April 1940.<br>Line 34: John Wilson, Lodger (with 19 others in apparent boarding house of Lou Bell Walker), married, age 22, finished 4 yrs high school, born PA. On Apr. 1 1935 place of residence: Nickleville, Venango Co. PA. Working; worked 31 hrs. during week of Mar. 24-30, 1940. Truck Driver for REA (Rural Electrification Administration). Weeks worked in 1939: 40 weeks; income in 1939 $750. No other income source.
 +
|[[File:1940 US census SC Laurens Laurens, Enum Dist 30-28, P.1A A.jpg|50px|left]]
 +
|-
 +
!'''3'''
 +
|'''Memoirs of Ella May Beals (Wilson)''' ,wife of John T. Wilson,  including the WWII training locations, and listing of TVA locations & landlords.
 +
|<div width="*" style="text-align: center">'''N/A'''</div>
 +
 
 +
|-
 +
!'''4'''
 +
|'''Research manuscript of John T. Wilson''', family history compiled by 1985, from family interviews, family records, Slippery Rock borough centennial history & Butler County histories. This manuscript transferred to daughter Elizabeth Wilson Williams in 1984. 
 
|
 
|
 +
 +
|-
 +
!'''5'''
 +
|'''WWII war record''' written on souvenir wooden shoe by John T. Wilson, now in the collection of grandson Richard Brady Williams. The inscription (in graphite) includes dates & places stationed & imprisoned during his war service
 +
|
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''6'''
 +
| '''Personal correspondence''' from [[Elizabeth Ann Wilson|Elizabeth Wilson Williams]], daughter of John T. Wilson, including transcription of WWII service locations and dates from the wooden shoe, and family photographs. Personal recollection includes living on the Beals farm in Venango Co. PA, the TVA locations, and high school in Scottsboro AL.  Her notes include John T. Wilson's war stories and his descriptions of his early life in Butler Co. PA.
 +
| <div width="*" style="text-align: center">'''N/A'''</div>
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''7'''
 +
| '''National Archives World War II Prisoners of War Data File 12/7/1941 - 11/19/1946''' has an entry dated 14 Mar 1945 for Sergeant [[John Thomas Wilson|John T Wilson]], serial number 33682366, of the Army Air Corps.  He is listed as a member of Heavy Bomber unit 0483 in the European theater: Hungary.  He is listed as "returned to military control, liberated, or repatriated" as of the "latest report date" of 17 Oct 1945.  The detaining power was Germany.  [http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=466&mtch=3&cat=WR26&tf=F&sc=11675,11660,11679,11667,11669,11676,11672,11673&bc=,sl,fd&txt_11660=WILSON+JOHN+T&op_11660=0&nfo_11660=V,24,1900&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=24927&rlst=24927,24928,24929]
 +
| <div width="*" style="text-align: center">'''N/A'''</div>
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''8'''
 +
| '''National Archives Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946''' has a record for [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]], serial number 33682366.  His residence is Venango County, PA.  He enlisted in Erie, PA on 30 Jul 1943.  His rank at enlistment was Private.  He was born in 1917 in PA.  He is listed as having had 4 years of high school education.  His occupation code (553) indicates "skilled linemen and servicement, telegraph, telephone, and power."  He is maried.  The record is stored in box #0694, film reel #1.211.  [http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=WR26&tf=F&sc=24994,24995,24996,24998,24997,24993,24981,24983&bc=,sl,fd&txt_24994=33682366&op_24994=0&nfo_24994=V,8,1900&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=4151204]
 +
| <div width="*" style="text-align: center">'''N/A'''</div>
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''9'''
 +
| '''Missing Air Crew Report''' dated 16 Mar 1945 from the Army Air Corp indicates that [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]] was on board B-17G serial number 42-32017 on 14 Mar 1945 at 15:00 when it went missing for unknown reasons.  The last known position was N45&deg; 10' E16&deg; 50' [southeast of Zagreb, present-day Croatia].  The aircraft was part of the 15th Airforce, 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 815th squadron (Heavy), based at Steparone, Italy.  It had been on a combat bombing mission with the target of Almasfuzito oil refinary, Hungary.  There were 10 persons on board at the time including pilot Harvey A. Mitchell, copilot James Sutton, navigator Roy Broome Jr., toggler John Nelson, top turret gunner Harold G. M. Strunk, left waist gunner Amburse J. Triplett Jr., radio gunner Mathew [sic] F. Thompson, ball turret gunner August D. Winnega, right waist gunner William F. Wilson, and tail gunner [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]].    John Wilson's serial number is listed as 33682366.  His rank is Sergeant.  His current status is Missing In Action (MIA).    His next of kin is listed as [[Ella May Beals|Mrs. Ella Wilson]], Wife, of Rt. 1, Box 137, Emlenton, PA. 
 +
| [[Image:MACR-12822-pg1.jpg|50px|center]] [[Image:MACR-12822-pg2.jpg|50px|center]] [[Image:MACR-12822-pg3.jpg|50px|center]] [[Image:MACR-12822-pg4.jpg|50px|center]] [[Image:MACR-12822-pg5.jpg|50px|center]] [[Image:MACR-12822-pg6.jpg|50px|center]] [[Image:MACR-12822-pg7.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''10'''
 +
| '''Hereos of the 483rd''', pgs. 173-174, book with crew profiles of most (all?) air crews within the 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) during World War II.  There is a two page section on the Harvey A. Mitchell crew that lists [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]] as the tail gunner of B-17 #42-32017, "Sweet 17."  They took a flak hit in the #3 engine on their first flight while over the target area of Almasfuzito, Hungary, and were forced to bail out.  The crew were all taken prisoner on the same day but were reunited the following day at a POW collection point.  John's hometown is listed as Emlenton, PA. 
 +
| [[Image:Heroes of the 483rd-Mitchell Crew Exerpt Scan.jpg|50px|center]][[Excerpt from Heroes of the 483rd|transcript]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''11'''
 +
| '''Social Security Death Index''' for [[John Thomas Wilson|John Wilson]], last residence 35768 Scottsboro, Jackson, Alabama.  He was born on 10 Nov 1917 and died in May 1985.  His SSN was issued in PA before 1951. 
 +
| <div width="*" style="text-align: center">'''N/A'''</div>
 +
|-
 +
! '''12'''
 +
| '''Funeral Program, John T. Wilson''' from collection of Margaret Kahle.<br>  John T. Wilson  b. 10 Nov 1917  d, 18 May 1985  Services at Criswell-Gardinier Funeral Home.  Interment at Nickleville Cemetery.  Rev. Darrell K. Knopp officiating <br>
 +
* note: Rev. Knopp was pastor at Nickleville Presbyterian Church
 +
|-
 +
! '''13'''
 +
| '''Obituary of John T. Wilson''', from the collection of Peg Kahle.  Oriinal source not given, probably Oil City Derrick.<br>John T. Wilson, age 67, brother of three area residents, died at 4:47 am Saturday at the VA Hospital in Birmingham, AL.  He had resided for 35 years in Scottsboro, AL.  Born 10 Nov 1917 at Slippery Rock, the son of Bert W. and Clara Wimer Wilson.  A veteran of World War II, having served in the Army Air Corps.  He was a prisoner of war in the European Theater.  Employed as  a foreman for the Tennessee Valley Authority for 45 years.  Member of Nickleville Presbyterian Church.  He enjoyed gardening, carpentry and hunting.  Surviving are two daughters: Mrs. Brady (Elizabeth Ann) Williams of St. Paul MN and Mrs. John (Carolyn Lucille) Harris of Florence AL; three brothers: Edwin D. Wilson of Las Vegas, NV; Russell W. Wilson of Oil City and Raymond B. Wilson of Fredonia, PA; two sisters: Mrs. Ruth McClelland of Franklin and Mrs. William (Aileen M.) Heeter of Kennerdale; and four grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant sister.  Services at Criswell-Gardinier Funeral Home 11 am Wednesday with Rev. Darrell Knopp of Nickleville Presbyterian Church officiating.  Interment at the Nickleville Cemetery.<br>Margin notes by Mrs. Kahle: 18 May 1985.
 +
| [[Image:Wilson, John T. obit.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''14'''
 +
| '''Missing-in-Action report-John T. Wilson''', from collection of Peg Kahle.  Original source not given.<br>"In a message from the War Department, Mrs. Ella B. Wilson, of Emlenton R.D.1, has been informed that her husband, Sgt. John T. Wilson, is missing in action in Hungary since March 14.  Sgt. Wilson, son of Bert Wilson, of Nickleville, was a tail gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress.  He had been stationed in Italy for almost a month."<br>  Margin note from Mrs. Kahle:  1945
 +
| [[Image:Wilson, John T. missing report.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''15'''
 +
| '''Certificate of Military Service''' from the National Archives and Records Administration (form 13038) for [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]], serial number 33 682 366.  He was a member of the Army of the United States from 13 Aug 1943 to 20 Oct 1945.  His service was terminated by an honorable discharge at the rank of Staff Sergeant.  His active service dates were 13 Aug 1943 to 20 Oct 1945.  He was born on 10 Nov 1917 in Slippery Rock, PA.
 +
| [[Image:John-t-wilson-honorable-discharge.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''16'''
 +
| '''Honorable discharge paperwork''' for [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]], army serial number 33 622 366. He is a Staff Sargeant in the Air Corps, component "AUS" (?).  His organization is listed as "Co. ??? S?p. Base Andrews Field, D.C."  He separated from the army on 20 Oct 1945 at ??? Separation Base ?????, D.C.  His permanent mailing address is "???? ???, ??? 137., Trenton Pa."  He was born on 10 Nov 1917 in Slippery Rock, PA.  He has blue eyes, blond hair, is 5' ?" tall, and weighs 1?0 pounds.  He has three dependents.  He is white, married, and a US citizen.  His civilian occupation is "Lineman Power 5-53.420" [NB: 5-53.420 is officially "Lineman IV (light, heat, & power)"].  He was inducted into the army on 30 Jul 1943 and entered into active service on 13 Aug 1943. At the time of entry into service, he lived at the same address given above.  His military occupational specialty and number is "A? Arm-Gun. 612." [NB: 612 is officially "Armorer-Gunner."]  Military qualification and date is listed as "AA? Air Crew Member Badge."  Battles and campaigns reads, "No. App???????, ????and, Campaigns."  Decorations and citations reads, "European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/2 Bronze Battle Stars; Good Conduct Medal."  Wounds received in action reads, "????."  He was immunized for smallpox, typhoid, and tetanus on Jan 1945 and ??? 35.  His service outside the continental U.S. began with a departure on 17 Jan 1945 for Italy, arriving on 8 Feb 1945.  He departed back for the U.S. on 13 Jun 1945, arriving on 1 Jul 1945.    He had no prior service.  His reason and authority for separation reads, "????? ????? ?? 613-365 as changed and ?? 1-1."  Service schools attended reads, "???? ???., Kingman, Ariz."  His education includes 8? years of grammar school, ? years of high school, and no college.  His longevity for pay purposes was 2 years, 3 months, and 21 days.  His mustering out pay was $300 total, $100 this payday.  He received travel pay of $7.70.  His total amount received was $130.70, from ???? ?????, Capt., AC.  His insurance information is illegible.  The remarks section reads, " ???? ???? ????.  ??????? 45 (2 Sep 45).  ?? time ??? ????? ?? 1??.  Inactive Serv. ??? 30 Jul 1943 to 12 Aug 1943 incl.  Typ??? 1? Jun 1943;"    The form is signed by John T. Wilson, and also by his personnel officer, Edward C. Sto???, 1st. Lt., AC ??? ?? (???). <br><br>
 +
This photocopy was received from the National Personnel Records Center after a request for records of separation for John Thomas Wilson.  Unfortunately, they indicated that the original records were lost in a fire on 12 Jul 1973 so they provided this copy of records stored elsewhere as the best available. 
 +
| [[Image:John-t-wilson-military-record.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''17'''
 +
| '''Gravestone''' at Nickleville Cemetery, Nickleville, Venango Co., PA reads [[John Thomas Wilson|John T. Wilson]], Born Nov 10 1917, Died May 18 1985. 
 +
| [[File:Gravestone John T Wilson.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|-
 +
! '''18'''
 +
| '''Application for WWII Compensation''' for John T. Wilson at Rt. 1 box 137 Emlenton, Venango Co., PA, dated 3 Jun 1950 and marked as received on 10 Jun 1950. He was born on 10 November 1917 in Slippery Rock, Butler Co., PA. His full name is listed as [[John Thomas Wilson]]. He lists two periods of domestic service: 30 Jul 1943 - 16 Jan 1945 and 1 Jul 1945 - 20 Oct 1945, however an auditor has corrected the starting dates in red ink such that the date ranges read 13 Aug 1943 - 16 Jan 1945 and 2 Jul 1945 - 20 Oct 1945.  He lists one period of foreign service from 17 Jan 1945 - 1 Jul 1945.  He entered active service on 13 Aug 1943 at Cumberland Gap, PA.  His serial number was 33682366.  He was separated from active service on 20 Oct 1945 at Andrews Field, Washington D.C. At the time of the application, he was not serving on active duty.  His service was in the Army Air Force.  His address at the time he entered the service was R.D. 1, P.O. Box 137, Emlenton, Venango Co., PA. He was registered under selective service with draft board #2, Franklin, Venango Co., PA. He was approved for a payment of $300 on 16 Jun 1950. His beneficiary is [[Ella May Beals|Ella Beals Wilson]] at RT.1 Box 137 Emlenton, Venango, PA. His children are [[Elizabeth Ann Wilson|Elizabeth A. Wilson]], age 7, and [[Carolyn Lucy Wilson|Carolyn L. Wilson]], age 5, at the same address. The line for information about his mother is left blank.  His father is listed as [[Bert Winiford Wilson|Bert W. Wilson]] of Nickleville, Venango Co., PA. The form was signed by a Notary Public with Mr. Wilson in person in Aleorn Co., Mississippi, on 3 Jun 1950.
 +
| [[File:WWII App for compensation John Thomas Wilson.jpg|50px|center]] [[File:WWII App for compensation John Thomas Wilson_pg2.jpg|50px|center]]
 +
 +
|}
 +
 +
 +
==Research Notes==
 +
* 1940 US census, John Wilson working for REA in South Carolina, is consistent with memoir writings of his wife [[Ella May Beals]] Wilson:<br>"1940: John had been working for the REA in Pennsylvania; they also had jobs in Vermont and North Carolina.....On Valentines Day he went through Washington on his way south to his job  in Laurens, S.C.  Robert Simpson was with him.  He called me from Friendship Ave. on the outskirts of town and I took busses till I got to the restaurant where they were waiting  They had put their truckload of REA material in a garage and we walked to a tourist home.  I think he was working for Miller Baxter but it was REA work.
 +
* [http://www.2ndbombgroup.org/5th%20Wing%20planes.xls Unattributed XLS document showing B-17G in the 483rd with serial number 42-32017 with the nickname "Sweet 17"]  This matches with the "Sweet 17" engraving on the wooden clog, though the model of aircraft on the clog is listed as a B-17F.  However, all official AAF records indicate that 42-32017 was a B-17G; this is likely an error on the part of JTW.
 +
* [http://www.accident-report.com/world/europe/yugoslavia.html USAAF accident list for "Yugoslavia" shows B-17G 42-32017  of the 815th/483rd having an accident on 3/14/1945]

Latest revision as of 20:17, 15 July 2016

John T. Wilson was six feet tall, of slender to medium build, blonde, blue-eyed, with fair complexion. He enjoyed working outdoors, and thus found his eventual career working in the southern states agreeable. After his childhood and teenage years during the Great Depression, living on farms and helping his father and grandfather at work in the sawmill and at oil drilling, he married his high school sweetheart from a nearby farm. He served in WWII, mainly as a POW, and afterward lived a very mobile life building power lines for TVA - the Tennessee Valley Authority. His later TVA years and retirement were spent in Scottsboro, Alabama.
(See Complete Biography)


Date Location Notes Sources
Birth 10 Nov 1917 Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA [4][12]
Marriage 2 Feb 1940 Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA To Ella May Beals [3][4]
Military 19 Jan -17 May 1945 Europe WWII Army Airforce, Cpl.
B17 tail gunner, 483 Bombardment Group,
815 Squadron, based in Foggia, Italy 		caputred near Lenti, Hungary;
POW, Austria & Germany 		[3][4]
Death 18 May 1985 VA Hospital, Birmingham AL [6][12]
Burial 22 May 1985 Nickleville Presby. Cemetery,
Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA 		[6][12] 


 Generation 1               Generation 2             Generation 3
 
                                                 +-- Bert Winiford Wilson
                                                 |   (1891-1971)             
                        +-- John Thomas Wilson --+
                        |   (1917-1985)          |
 Elizabeth Ann Wilson --+                        +-- Clara Mabel Wimer
 (1943- )               |                            (1891-1944)
                        +-- Ella May Beals
                            (1917-2009)
 Sources: [4][6]

[edit] Children

(2 daughters with Ella May Beals)

Name Gender Date of Birth Birthplace Spouse Notes Sources
Elizabeth Ann Wilson F [6]
living Wilson F [6]


[edit] Places of Residence

Location Dates Notes Sources
Birth & Early Years [3][4]
Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA b.1917-~1930 with parents [4]
Nickleville, Richland Twp.,
Venango Co. PA 		~1930 - 1938 high school in Emlenton,
work with REA during Great Depression 		[3][4]
OH, NC 1938-1940 line work for REA
or private power companies 		[3]
Early Marriage [3]
Laurens, SC 14 Feb 1940 - late spring line construction, REA/ Miller Baxter [3]
Polk, Sandy Creek Twp.,
Venango Co. PA 		1940 REA
or private power companies 		[3]
Cornelius, SC; Lexington & Madison, NC Oct 1940-1941 REA
or private power companies 		[3]
Ellwood City, Lawrence Co. PA late summer 1941 helped a cousin build a house [3]
Monks Corner, SC 1941-42 REA or private power companies;
leased Green Gables Cafe & gas station
for 10 wks, $1000 profit 		[3]
Green Gables Cafe, Monks Corner, SC, April 1942
Smyrna, NashvilleTN
Gallatin TN ("Green River Line"),
Scottsville TN;
Glasgow, Newport KY;
Kingsport TN (Nov 42- Mar 43)		 1942 Bought 1st trailer
worked for REA or private power companies,
Holston Defense in Kingsport; laid off in March 		[3]
Pittsburgh, PA Spring 1943 private employer, not recorded [3]
Military Training 14 Aug 1943, drafted [3]
Greensboro NC Aug 1943-? [3[]
Greenville SC by Christmas 1943- 1944 Furman Univ.; accelerated officers training;
entire class "washed out" 		[3]
Midland TX 1944, after Mar training as tail-gunner [3]
Alexandria LA 1944, including Dec training [3]
Lincoln, NB 1944, including Dec for shipment overseas [3]
Military Service, WWII 14 Aug 1943, drafted [3][4]
Camp Patrick Henry, VA 19 Jan 1945 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Patrick_Henry [4]
Gibraltar 5 Feb 1945 [4]
Algiers, N. Africa 8 Feb 1945 [4]
Naples, Italy 12 Feb 1945 [4]
Foggia, Italy 17 Feb 1945 base of operation,
483 Bombardment Group,
815 Squadron
Pilot, Harvey A. Mitchell		 [4]
Lenti, Hungary 14 Mar 1945 taken POW [4]
Bratislava 19 Mar 1945 POW [4]
Vienna, Austria 20 Mar 1945 POW [4]
Nurenberg, Ger. 22 Mar 1945 POW [4]
marching, location unrecorded 23 Mar 1945 POW [4]
Nurenberg, Ger. 25 Mar 1945 POW [4]
Moosburg, Ger. 20 Apr 1945 ;
Liberation 29 Apr 1945 		POW
(camp history website)
(Wikipedia's Stalag VII-A site),
(description of the events surround the liberation itself)
(303 Bomb Group website:description of camps, liberation)
( 1 May 1945 NY Times Moosburg Prison Camp Liberation)		 [4]
Landshut, Ger. 4 May 1945 [4]
Reims, France 6 May 1945 [3][4]
St. Vallery, France 17 May 1945 [3][4]
Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA 1945-1948 Depression Era persisted;
worked in brother-in-law's garage in Emlenton;
lived with Beals in-laws,
then rented Joe Rose house, Mariasville 		[3][6]

The following chart serves as a record of the work career of John T. Wilson with TVA; an indication of school locations for his daughters; and a guide to dates/locations for some of the photographs. Locations in parentheses indicate additional work locations while in one residence location. In 1967 he was working with the Rubin R Rubinson/Robinson crew, TVA Western Division, per wedding card to daughter Elizabeth.

TVA Career Location Dates Landlords Sources
Russelville, AL 4-28 Feb, 1948 Edward Pace [3]
Wilson Dam, AL 28 Feb-8 Apr 1948 Dempsey Terry [3]
West Point, MS 8 Apr-12 Apr 1948 Goat's Texaco Sta. [3]
Mayfield KY 12 Apr - 9 May 1948 Richard Bagwell [3]
Paris TN 17 May-13 June 1948 Dave Oliver [3]
Mayfield KY 12 June-2 July 1948 Mrs. Cleve Sanderson [3]
Mountain City TN 3 July-20 Aug 1948 Alf McQueen [3]
Mt. Pleasant TN 21 Aug - 20 Sept 1948 Mrs. Ethel Simmons [3]
Murfreesboro TN 20 Sept - 23 Oct 1948 Otto Green [3]
Woodbury TN 23 Oct -11 Dec 1948 Joe Stephens [3]
McMinville TN 11 Dec - 17 Jan 1948/49 Roy Newby [3]
Nashville TN 17-21 Jan 1949 Pure Oil Sta. [3]
Chattanooga TN 21-24 Jan 1949 Farniers Trailer Pk , Cherokee Blvd. [3]
Knoxville TN 24 Jan - 2 Mar 1949 King's Grocery, Southerland Ave [3]
Lenoir City TN 2 Mar - 16 Ma6 1949 C. E. Brachett [3]
Elizabethton TN 16 May - 4 June 1949 Mrs. Bowen [3]
Nashville TN 4 June - 25 July 1949 E. G. Davenport [3]
Jackson TN 30 July - 19 Nov 1949 Mrs. W. B. Ranson [3]
Cadiz KY 19 Nov - 29 Jan 1949/50 White Eagle Cafe [3]
Memphis TN 29 Jan - 9 Feb 1950 Harbin's Cabins, Hwy 51 [3]
Tupelo MS 9 Feb - 11 Mar 1950 Rockway Inn, Hwy 45 [3]
West Point MS 11 Mar - 1 Apr 1950 Goat's Texaco St. [3]
Tupelo MS 1 Apr - 27 May 1950 Rockway Inn, Cecil Cafe [3]
Corinth MS 27 May - 3 July 1950 Randolph Yancy, 1411 Wick St. [3]
Jackson TN 3 July - 15 July 1950 Mrs. W. B. Ranson [3]
New Johnsonville/Camden TN 15 July - 18 July 1950 J'ville Trailer Pk [3]
Jackson TN 19 July - 24 July 1950 Mrs. W. B. Ranson [3]
Macon MS 24 July - 16 Dec 1950 Mrs. M. B. McLemore [3]
West Point MS 16 Dec - 15 Jan 1950/51 Goat's Texaco Sta. [3]
Somerville TN 15 Jan - 19 May 1951 H. G. Myers tourist home [3]
Memphis TN 19 May - 15 June 1951 J. C. Harbin's, Rt. 51 [3]
Jackson TN 15 June - 24 July 1951 Mrs. W. B. Ranson [3]
Lexington 24 July - 16 Aug 1951 [3]
Jackson TN 16 Aug-7 Sept 1951 Mrs. W. B. Ranson [3]
Benton KY 23 Sept - 23 Feb 1951/52 Herman Kanatzer [3]
Fulton KY
(McKenzie, Martin,) 		23 Feb - 31 May 1952 Star Cafe,
Hwy on state line 		[3]
Benton KY 31 May - 16 Oct 1952 Ben Hunt, Rt.3 (till 16 Sept)
Will Eggner, Mrs. Farmer 		[3]
Jackson TN
(Lexington, Union City) 		16 Oct- 6 June 1952/53 Mrs. W. B. Ranson [3]
Tupelo MS 6 June - 8 July 1953 Rockway Inn [3]
West Point MS 8 July - 1 Sept 1953 T.J. Earnest, Prairie Jct. [3]
Louisville MS 1 Sept - 14 Nov 1953 Millers Trailer Pk, Mrs. Elva Roberts [3]
Pontatoc MS 14 Nov - 2 Jan 1953/54 Houston & Jack ? (illegible),
across from Jerry's Drive In 		[3]
Corinth MS
(& Tiptonville) 		2 Jan - 30 May 1954 Horton Groc. [3]
Waverly TN 30 May - 21 Aug 1954 Wm. "Plunk" Gould [3]
Dickson TN 21 Aug - 27 Oct 1954 Ludy & Lorraine ___ [3]
Bolivar TN 27 Oct - 2 Jan 1954/55 foster Motel,
Elgie & Inez 		[3]
Russellville AL 2 Jan - 23 Feb 1955 Bendix Standard Sta. [3]
Holly Springs MS 23 Feb - 18 Mar 1955 LaFever Holly Courts [3]
Covington TN 18 Mar - 7/8 Apr 1955 Mrs Adams
(with Ruth & Dan Price) 		<[3]/sup>
Sheffield AL 9 Apr - 21 June 1955 Tri-Cities Trailer Ct. [3]
Huntsville AL 21 June - 2 July 1955 Whispering Pines [3]
Benton KY 2 July - 20 July 1955 Mrs. Eggner [3]
Huntsville AL 24 July - 7 Aug 1955 Mrs. Williams,
401 McKinley 		[3]
Russellville AL 7 Aug - 3 Dec 1955 M. H. McMurray Cafe [3]
Athens AL 3 Dec - 10 Mar 1955/56 Old Spinning Wheel Motel,
.Mitchell Wallace 		[3]
Sheffield AL 10 Mar - 21 July 1956 Walter Kelly, 1701 High St. [3]
Scottsboro, AL 22 July 1956 - retirement after Sept.1967-1970 Hwy 72 ponds & bait shop [3][6]
Scottsboro, AL after retirement; died 1985 built house on Hwy 72 [6]

[edit] Photo Gallery

1936 high school graduate
31 July 1936, age 19
31 July 1936
20 July 1937, age almost 20


John & Ella Wilson at Beals farm, 1940
John & Ella Wilson ~1940
1940 at New River, SC
1941



with daughter Betsy, possibly Kingsport TN
Fathers Day, June 1943
John with Betsy, 1943 at Bert & Clara Wilson farm, Nickleville, Venango Co. PA
14 Aug 1943, day of swearing-in; with dau. Betsy and nephews John & Jim Vergis

Oct 1943 Greensboro NC
3 June 1944, Greenville SC


John Wilson at right, back row, with crew of B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber
(Click photo for names)
in training, 1944
John T Wilson in uniform.jpg


1944, 1st trailer, at Beals farm
~1945; lesson in "rub your tummy, pat your head"
at Bert Wilson farm, ~1946-47
1948, new trailer for trip south; l. to r. Ray Wilson, Ella and John Wilson


John T. Wilson in work khakis & TVA badge, ~late 1950's
Christmas ~1949-50
with beard grown for 1954 centennial, Corinth MS


weekly cookout, ~1959, at the minnow ponds, Scottsboro, AL
with Joubert, mid-1970's, log house in Scottsboro
Russ, John, Allene & Ruth, ~1984, during John's final illness


[edit] Sources

1 1920 United States Federal Census, Worth Township, Butler County, PA, Enumeration District 66, Page 7, lines 84-88 lists Bert W. Wilson, 28, married to Clara M. Wilson, 28. Their daughter, Ruth M. Wilson, 7, and two sons, Edwin D. Wilson, 4, and John T. Wilson, 2 years and one month, are listed as well. Bert is listed as having been born in PA. His profession is listed as "Laborer" on a rented farm. His census record is immediately followed by that of his father, James L. Wilson, suggesting that they lived on adjacent property. This census page is dated 23 and 24 January 1920.
1920 census pa butler worth d66 pg7.jpg
2 1930 United States Federal Census, Richland Township, Venango County, PA, Enumeration District 61-40, Page 6, lines 65-73 lists Birt W. Wilson, 39, married to Clara M. Wilson, 38. They live with six children and a live-in farm laborer: daughter Ruth M. Wilson, 17; son Edwin D., 15; son John T. Wilson, 12; son Russel W. Wilson, 9; son Ray B. Wilson, 6; daughter Allene N. Wilson, 3 years and 10 months; and laborer Lester Lawrence, 43. When Birt W. Wilson and Clara M. Wilson got married, he was 20 and she was 19. All of the children except Allene attended school within the census year. Everyone but Allene can read, write, and speak English. Everyone and their parents were born in PA. Birt W. Wilson's occupation is listed as "Farmer." This census page is dated April 15th, 1930.
1930 census pa venango richland d61-40 pg6b.jpg
2A 1940 United States Federal Census, Laurens Twp., Laurens Co. SC, date of census 2-3 April 1940.
Line 34: John Wilson, Lodger (with 19 others in apparent boarding house of Lou Bell Walker), married, age 22, finished 4 yrs high school, born PA. On Apr. 1 1935 place of residence: Nickleville, Venango Co. PA. Working; worked 31 hrs. during week of Mar. 24-30, 1940. Truck Driver for REA (Rural Electrification Administration). Weeks worked in 1939: 40 weeks; income in 1939 $750. No other income source.
1940 US census SC Laurens Laurens, Enum Dist 30-28, P.1A A.jpg
3 Memoirs of Ella May Beals (Wilson) ,wife of John T. Wilson, including the WWII training locations, and listing of TVA locations & landlords.
N/A
4 Research manuscript of John T. Wilson, family history compiled by 1985, from family interviews, family records, Slippery Rock borough centennial history & Butler County histories. This manuscript transferred to daughter Elizabeth Wilson Williams in 1984.
5 WWII war record written on souvenir wooden shoe by John T. Wilson, now in the collection of grandson Richard Brady Williams. The inscription (in graphite) includes dates & places stationed & imprisoned during his war service
6 Personal correspondence from Elizabeth Wilson Williams, daughter of John T. Wilson, including transcription of WWII service locations and dates from the wooden shoe, and family photographs. Personal recollection includes living on the Beals farm in Venango Co. PA, the TVA locations, and high school in Scottsboro AL. Her notes include John T. Wilson's war stories and his descriptions of his early life in Butler Co. PA.
N/A
7 National Archives World War II Prisoners of War Data File 12/7/1941 - 11/19/1946 has an entry dated 14 Mar 1945 for Sergeant John T Wilson, serial number 33682366, of the Army Air Corps. He is listed as a member of Heavy Bomber unit 0483 in the European theater: Hungary. He is listed as "returned to military control, liberated, or repatriated" as of the "latest report date" of 17 Oct 1945. The detaining power was Germany. [1]
N/A
8 National Archives Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946 has a record for John T. Wilson, serial number 33682366. His residence is Venango County, PA. He enlisted in Erie, PA on 30 Jul 1943. His rank at enlistment was Private. He was born in 1917 in PA. He is listed as having had 4 years of high school education. His occupation code (553) indicates "skilled linemen and servicement, telegraph, telephone, and power." He is maried. The record is stored in box #0694, film reel #1.211. [2]
N/A
9 Missing Air Crew Report dated 16 Mar 1945 from the Army Air Corp indicates that John T. Wilson was on board B-17G serial number 42-32017 on 14 Mar 1945 at 15:00 when it went missing for unknown reasons. The last known position was N45° 10' E16° 50' [southeast of Zagreb, present-day Croatia]. The aircraft was part of the 15th Airforce, 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 815th squadron (Heavy), based at Steparone, Italy. It had been on a combat bombing mission with the target of Almasfuzito oil refinary, Hungary. There were 10 persons on board at the time including pilot Harvey A. Mitchell, copilot James Sutton, navigator Roy Broome Jr., toggler John Nelson, top turret gunner Harold G. M. Strunk, left waist gunner Amburse J. Triplett Jr., radio gunner Mathew [sic] F. Thompson, ball turret gunner August D. Winnega, right waist gunner William F. Wilson, and tail gunner John T. Wilson. John Wilson's serial number is listed as 33682366. His rank is Sergeant. His current status is Missing In Action (MIA). His next of kin is listed as Mrs. Ella Wilson, Wife, of Rt. 1, Box 137, Emlenton, PA.
MACR-12822-pg1.jpg
MACR-12822-pg2.jpg
MACR-12822-pg3.jpg
MACR-12822-pg4.jpg
MACR-12822-pg5.jpg
MACR-12822-pg6.jpg
MACR-12822-pg7.jpg
10 Hereos of the 483rd, pgs. 173-174, book with crew profiles of most (all?) air crews within the 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) during World War II. There is a two page section on the Harvey A. Mitchell crew that lists John T. Wilson as the tail gunner of B-17 #42-32017, "Sweet 17." They took a flak hit in the #3 engine on their first flight while over the target area of Almasfuzito, Hungary, and were forced to bail out. The crew were all taken prisoner on the same day but were reunited the following day at a POW collection point. John's hometown is listed as Emlenton, PA.
Heroes of the 483rd-Mitchell Crew Exerpt Scan.jpg
transcript
11 Social Security Death Index for John Wilson, last residence 35768 Scottsboro, Jackson, Alabama. He was born on 10 Nov 1917 and died in May 1985. His SSN was issued in PA before 1951.
N/A
12 Funeral Program, John T. Wilson from collection of Margaret Kahle.
John T. Wilson b. 10 Nov 1917 d, 18 May 1985 Services at Criswell-Gardinier Funeral Home. Interment at Nickleville Cemetery. Rev. Darrell K. Knopp officiating
  • note: Rev. Knopp was pastor at Nickleville Presbyterian Church
13 Obituary of John T. Wilson, from the collection of Peg Kahle. Oriinal source not given, probably Oil City Derrick.
John T. Wilson, age 67, brother of three area residents, died at 4:47 am Saturday at the VA Hospital in Birmingham, AL. He had resided for 35 years in Scottsboro, AL. Born 10 Nov 1917 at Slippery Rock, the son of Bert W. and Clara Wimer Wilson. A veteran of World War II, having served in the Army Air Corps. He was a prisoner of war in the European Theater. Employed as a foreman for the Tennessee Valley Authority for 45 years. Member of Nickleville Presbyterian Church. He enjoyed gardening, carpentry and hunting. Surviving are two daughters: Mrs. Brady (Elizabeth Ann) Williams of St. Paul MN and Mrs. John (Carolyn Lucille) Harris of Florence AL; three brothers: Edwin D. Wilson of Las Vegas, NV; Russell W. Wilson of Oil City and Raymond B. Wilson of Fredonia, PA; two sisters: Mrs. Ruth McClelland of Franklin and Mrs. William (Aileen M.) Heeter of Kennerdale; and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant sister. Services at Criswell-Gardinier Funeral Home 11 am Wednesday with Rev. Darrell Knopp of Nickleville Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment at the Nickleville Cemetery.
Margin notes by Mrs. Kahle: 18 May 1985.
Wilson, John T. obit.jpg
14 Missing-in-Action report-John T. Wilson, from collection of Peg Kahle. Original source not given.
"In a message from the War Department, Mrs. Ella B. Wilson, of Emlenton R.D.1, has been informed that her husband, Sgt. John T. Wilson, is missing in action in Hungary since March 14. Sgt. Wilson, son of Bert Wilson, of Nickleville, was a tail gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress. He had been stationed in Italy for almost a month."
Margin note from Mrs. Kahle: 1945
Wilson, John T. missing report.jpg
15 Certificate of Military Service from the National Archives and Records Administration (form 13038) for John T. Wilson, serial number 33 682 366. He was a member of the Army of the United States from 13 Aug 1943 to 20 Oct 1945. His service was terminated by an honorable discharge at the rank of Staff Sergeant. His active service dates were 13 Aug 1943 to 20 Oct 1945. He was born on 10 Nov 1917 in Slippery Rock, PA.
John-t-wilson-honorable-discharge.jpg
16 Honorable discharge paperwork for John T. Wilson, army serial number 33 622 366. He is a Staff Sargeant in the Air Corps, component "AUS" (?). His organization is listed as "Co. ??? S?p. Base Andrews Field, D.C." He separated from the army on 20 Oct 1945 at ??? Separation Base ?????, D.C. His permanent mailing address is "???? ???, ??? 137., Trenton Pa." He was born on 10 Nov 1917 in Slippery Rock, PA. He has blue eyes, blond hair, is 5' ?" tall, and weighs 1?0 pounds. He has three dependents. He is white, married, and a US citizen. His civilian occupation is "Lineman Power 5-53.420" [NB: 5-53.420 is officially "Lineman IV (light, heat, & power)"]. He was inducted into the army on 30 Jul 1943 and entered into active service on 13 Aug 1943. At the time of entry into service, he lived at the same address given above. His military occupational specialty and number is "A? Arm-Gun. 612." [NB: 612 is officially "Armorer-Gunner."] Military qualification and date is listed as "AA? Air Crew Member Badge." Battles and campaigns reads, "No. App???????, ????and, Campaigns." Decorations and citations reads, "European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/2 Bronze Battle Stars; Good Conduct Medal." Wounds received in action reads, "????." He was immunized for smallpox, typhoid, and tetanus on Jan 1945 and ??? 35. His service outside the continental U.S. began with a departure on 17 Jan 1945 for Italy, arriving on 8 Feb 1945. He departed back for the U.S. on 13 Jun 1945, arriving on 1 Jul 1945. He had no prior service. His reason and authority for separation reads, "????? ????? ?? 613-365 as changed and ?? 1-1." Service schools attended reads, "???? ???., Kingman, Ariz." His education includes 8? years of grammar school, ? years of high school, and no college. His longevity for pay purposes was 2 years, 3 months, and 21 days. His mustering out pay was $300 total, $100 this payday. He received travel pay of $7.70. His total amount received was $130.70, from ???? ?????, Capt., AC. His insurance information is illegible. The remarks section reads, " ???? ???? ????.  ??????? 45 (2 Sep 45).  ?? time ??? ????? ?? 1??. Inactive Serv. ??? 30 Jul 1943 to 12 Aug 1943 incl. Typ??? 1? Jun 1943;" The form is signed by John T. Wilson, and also by his personnel officer, Edward C. Sto???, 1st. Lt., AC ??? ?? (???).

This photocopy was received from the National Personnel Records Center after a request for records of separation for John Thomas Wilson. Unfortunately, they indicated that the original records were lost in a fire on 12 Jul 1973 so they provided this copy of records stored elsewhere as the best available.

John-t-wilson-military-record.jpg
17 Gravestone at Nickleville Cemetery, Nickleville, Venango Co., PA reads John T. Wilson, Born Nov 10 1917, Died May 18 1985.
Gravestone John T Wilson.jpg
18 Application for WWII Compensation for John T. Wilson at Rt. 1 box 137 Emlenton, Venango Co., PA, dated 3 Jun 1950 and marked as received on 10 Jun 1950. He was born on 10 November 1917 in Slippery Rock, Butler Co., PA. His full name is listed as John Thomas Wilson. He lists two periods of domestic service: 30 Jul 1943 - 16 Jan 1945 and 1 Jul 1945 - 20 Oct 1945, however an auditor has corrected the starting dates in red ink such that the date ranges read 13 Aug 1943 - 16 Jan 1945 and 2 Jul 1945 - 20 Oct 1945. He lists one period of foreign service from 17 Jan 1945 - 1 Jul 1945. He entered active service on 13 Aug 1943 at Cumberland Gap, PA. His serial number was 33682366. He was separated from active service on 20 Oct 1945 at Andrews Field, Washington D.C. At the time of the application, he was not serving on active duty. His service was in the Army Air Force. His address at the time he entered the service was R.D. 1, P.O. Box 137, Emlenton, Venango Co., PA. He was registered under selective service with draft board #2, Franklin, Venango Co., PA. He was approved for a payment of $300 on 16 Jun 1950. His beneficiary is Ella Beals Wilson at RT.1 Box 137 Emlenton, Venango, PA. His children are Elizabeth A. Wilson, age 7, and Carolyn L. Wilson, age 5, at the same address. The line for information about his mother is left blank. His father is listed as Bert W. Wilson of Nickleville, Venango Co., PA. The form was signed by a Notary Public with Mr. Wilson in person in Aleorn Co., Mississippi, on 3 Jun 1950.
WWII App for compensation John Thomas Wilson.jpg
WWII App for compensation John Thomas Wilson pg2.jpg


[edit] Research Notes

Retrieved from "http://mouser.org/projects/genealogy/index.php?title=John_Thomas_Wilson&oldid=23117"
Personal tools