James Wilson
Bryan, Brazos County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1821-1904) Ireland native James Wilson immigrated to the United States in 1842. He graduated in 1847 from Lafayette College in Boston, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1850, the year he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. Wilson was sent to Texas in 1856 as a missionary in Brazos County. During his 53 year ministry, he served as a circuit preacher and organizer of many Brazos Valley Presbyterian congregations, including those at Wheelock, Bryan and Centerville. He married Laura Barnes, a published poet, in 1866. They are buried near the site of a church he founded. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Ireland in 1821, James Wilson immigrated to the United States in 1842 and trained for the ministry, graduating from Lafayette College and Princeton Theological Seminary before his ordination as a Presbyterian minister in 1850. Sent to Texas in 1856, he spent 53 years as a circuit-riding missionary, organizing Presbyterian congregations across the Brazos Valley. He and his wife Laura, a published poet, are buried near a church he founded.
Why it matters
Immigrant circuit preachers like Wilson planted the churches and institutions that gave frontier Texas communities a spiritual and civic anchor.
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Related people
- · James Wilson
- · Laura Barnes
Themes & tags
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