Person:Gower Wilson (1)

Earliest mention in New England on 28 Oct 1641 in the Court of Assistants, when Henry Waltham and James Brittain were bound for him. He ran a mill in Hingham from 1643 to 1645. By 1647, he was in Exeter, where his baby boy died in November. In 1649, he was hired to keep Exeter's cattle. By 1651 or 1652, he had moved to Kittery, Maine.

In 1657, he was brought before the town court for "frequenting the house of John Andrews suspitiously at unseasonable tymes & for his daly accompanying of hi self with Joane Andrews." He was enjoined from her company, upon the penalty of 10 pounds. She was also sentenced to 20 lashes, but paid a fine when she was found to be pregnant.

He served in various public offices and on juries until 27 May 1684. On 7 Jul 1674, he applied for an exemption to military duty "by reason of his age & weaknesse", although he was apparently still under 60. The court granted his request in return for an annual payment of six shillings to the military company. He is last found in the records on 2 June 184, when he conveyed land to his son in law Andrew Haley.^S1

1. ↑ Stevens, Ken. Gowen Wilson of Hingham, Exeter, and Kittery, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   Vol. 162:174, Jul 2008.

   "Gawen Wilsone", third son of "Johne and Jonat (Fall) Wilsone." "There is nothing to prove that the Gawen Wilson who was baptized at Prestopans in 1618 was the Gowen Wilson who by 1641 was living in New England. However, circumstantial evidence suggests it. Most important is his unique given name. In addition, he repeatedly gave his age in 1654 as 36 under oath in court. And early generations of this family claimed that their immigrant ancestor came from Scotland."

2. ↑ Stevens, supra.

   His youngest son gave a receipt for "my portion of my father's estate" on 6 Aug 1686.