John Thomas Wilson

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. That began his lifelong work with the agencies building power lines in rural area. He began with REA in PA and OH in 1938. Ten years later, after WWII, he began with TVA in 1948. He began as a lineman, but fell 30 ft. onto a concrete base and injured his back. After hospitalization and recovery, 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, in western Tennessee & Kentucky, and the northern-most tier of Alabama & Mississippi. 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.
See REA:http://newdeal.feri.org/tva/tva10.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Utilities_Service
See TVA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority

	Date	Location	Notes	Sources
Birth	10 Nov 1917	Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA
Marriage	2 Feb 1940	Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA	To Ella May Beals
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
Death	18 May 1985	VA Hospital, Birmingham AL
Burial	22 May 1985	Nickleville Presby. Cemetery, Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA

 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- )
 Sources: 

Children

(2 daughters with Ella May Beals

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

Places of Residence

Location	Dates	Notes	Sources
Birth & Childhood
Worth Twp., Butler Co. PA	1917-~1930	with parents
High School, work with REA during Great Depression
Nickleville, Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA	~1930 - 1938
OH, VT, NC	1938-1940	working for REA
Early Marriage
Laurens, SC	14 Feb 1940 - late spring	working for REA/ Miller Baxter; returned home to PA
Polk, Sandy Creek Twp., Venango Co. PA	1940	working for REA
Cornelius, SC; Lexington & Madison, NC	Oct 1940-1941	working for REA
Ellwood City,Lawrence Co. PA	late summer 1941	helped a cousin build a house
Monks Corner, SC	1941-42	REA or private power companies; leased Green Gables Cafe & gas station for 10 wks, $1000 profit
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
Pittsburgh, PA	Spring 1943
Military Training	14 Aug 1943, drafted
Greensboro NC	Aug 1943-?
Greenville SC	by Christmas 1943- 1944	Furman Univ.; accelerated officers training; entire class "washed out"
Midland TX	1944, after Mar	training as tail-gunner
Alexandria LA	1944, including Dec	training
Lincoln, NB	1944, including Dec	for shipment overseas
Military Service, WWII	14 Aug 1943, drafted
Camp Patrick Henry, VA	19 Jan 1945
Gibraltar	5 Feb 1945
Algiers, N. Africa	8 Feb 1945
Naples, Italy	12 Feb 1945
Foggia, Italy	17 Feb 1945	base of operation, 483 Bombardment Group, 815 Squadron Pilot, Harvey A. Mitchell
Lenti, Hungary	14 Mar 1945	taken POW
Bratislava	19 Mar 1945	POW
Vienna, Austria	20 Mar 1945	POW
Nurenberg, Ger.	22 Mar 1945	POW
marching, location unrecorded	23 Mar 1945	POW
Nurenberg, Ger.	25 Mar 1945	POW
Moosberg, Ger.	20 Apr 1945	POW , Liberated
Landshut, Ger.	4 May 1945
Reims, France	6 May 1945
St. Vallery, France	17 May 1945

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Patrick_Henry

Sources

Ref. Num.	Description	Image of original
1	1870 United States Federal Census,