Flora's date and place of birth were obtained from her 1904 US passport application. Her birthplace was recorded as Ayrshire, Scotland.

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Traer Star Clipper, Friday March 8th, 1935 page 1

Miss Flora Wilson, sister of "Tama Jim " Wilson who for sixteen years was secretary of agriculture at Washington in the cabinets of McKinley Theodore Roosevelt and Taft, one of the last remaining pioneers who came to north Tama county in the 1850's when this locality was opened to settlement, died about 9 p. m. Monday at the home of her sister, Mrs. L. H. Edwards, at Cedar Heights with whom she lived during the last nine years. She was 96 years old. The funeral was at 2 p. m . Wednesday afternoon in the United Presbyterian church in Traer, in charge of Dr. J. A. Laurie, pastor of the Cedar heights Community Presbyterian church, assisted by the Traer pastor, the Rev. B. M. Wallace. Burial was in Buckingham cemetery on the Wilson family lot.

"Aunt Flora," as she was tenderly called by scores of friends as well as her many relatives in Traer and community, one of the most universally beloved residents of Traer for thirty-five years, among old and young, was born June 18, 1838 at Ayrshire, Scotland. When she was 12 years old, she came with her parents, John and Jean Wilson, to the United States. They spent five years in Connecticut, and came west, settling in Perry township, Tama county, in 1856. Shortly after the family came to Iowa Miss Wilson entered the first class of the newly established Grinnell college at Grinnell. She left college as a junior because of poor health, and went abroad, touring Europe. After many years of teaching in Tama county schools and activity in Presbyterian church work, Miss Wilson joined a Mediterranean cruise of ministers and church workers about 1900. They visited many lands, and Miss Wilson, who had a letter of introduction from John Hay, secretary of state in the McKinley cabinet, met many prominent leaders in the far east, and was a guest in the palace of the sultan of Turkey, a courtesy at that time extended to few westerners.

Miss Wilson, besides being engaged in teaching, bought and sold land, and later was a merchant in Wright county and in Traer. Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. David McWhirter, of Vivian, South Dakota, are the only survivors of the family of seven sons and seven daughters. Besides the secretary of agriculture, there were Peter, John, Allan and Andrew, farmers and stockmen, and West W. and David Wilson, who established a commission house at the Chicago livestock terminal market and Miss Jean Wilson, one of the first teachers at the school for the blind in Vinton; Mrs. Jeanette Sloss, Mrs. Margaret Turnbull and Agnes Wilson died while a student at Grinnell. A nephew, Charles, operates a commission business in Chicago, and another nephew, James W. Wilson is a professor of agriculture and animal husbandry at the state college at Brookings, South Dakota. She also was an aunt of Margaret Wilson, noted writer now engaged in literary work in London England. Miss Wilson lived in Traer for thirty-five years. When Tama Jim retired as secretary of agriculture, he came to make his home with her.

Contributor: George (48419540)