Francis Wilson was born in Nicholas County, Virginia, which, in 1863, became a county of West Virginia.
He was the sixth of 10 sons born to Rev. Francis Wilson and Elizabeth Kountz Wilson.
In 1839, the Wilson Family moved to The Republic of Texas from Ohio. The Wilson Family lived in Shelby County before moving to San Augustine in 1840.
Francis married Harriet Brown on Aug. 26, 1843, in San Augustine, The Republic of Texas. They were the parents of eight children: three sons and five daughters--three of their daughters married Oates brothers. Francis and Harriet lived in San Augustine until moving to Newton County in 1848 with Frank's parents and brothers.
Rev. Frank Wilson enlisted August 10, 1863, in Liberty, Texas, for six months as a private in COMPANY C, 1ST TEXAS INFANTRY REGIMENT, TEXAS STATE TROOPS. He was stationed at Camp Woods, West Liberty (now Dayton), Texas.
In 1865, Frank and Harriet Wilson and their children were moving to Bosque County with the Nelson Henry Rice Family. The families, traveling in separate wagons, arrived in Moscow, Texas, on Christmas Day 1865 during a terrible snowstorm. They took shelter in Hobdy Adams' cotton gin. The group became stranded when some of their horses broke loose and wandered away.
While searching for the horses, Frank Wilson and Nelson H. Rice found 1,185-acres of good farmland available in the Ollie Community of Polk County. Nelson H. Rice bought this property from I. T. Wood on January 27, 1866. The Wilson Family lived on this property with the Rice Family. The Wilson and Rice Families were such close friends that they built a double-pen log cabin, and the Wilson Family lived in one part and the Rice Family lived in one part for several years. Rev. Frank Wilson organized a Methodist Episcopal Church in Ollie which became known as Wilson's Chapel. On Sept. 24, 1870, Nelson H. Rice deeded the two acres of land where the Wilson's Chapel was located to the Methodist Episcopal District of East Texas. On May 13, 1871, Nelson H. Rice sold Rev. Frank Wilson 567-acres of land for $925.00. The Wilson Family built a home of their own on their property. The double-pen log house that the Wilson and Rice Families had shared was sawed in half. The Wilson Family had their part of the house moved about a half-mile to their property.
On January 5, 1886, Rev. Frank Wilson sold 200-acres of land to his son-in-law, Stephen M. Oates.
After the death of Harriet Wilson in March 1886, Francis returned to Newton County where he courted the widow of Dr. John Alston--Elizabeth "Betty" Horger Alston. Francis and Betty married Oct. 2, 1886, in Newton Co. They returned to the Ollie Community in Polk County where they lived until Francis's death.
The Polk County Deed Records show that on February 28, 1887, Rev. Frank Wilson purchased 100-acres from W. H. Turner.
The Polk County Deed Records show that on September 29, 1888, Rev. Frank Wilson, along with seven of his children, Margaret Oates, Olivia Oates, Elizabeth Josey, Jennie Waldrep, Mollie Oates, Ed H. Wilson and William A. Wilson, sold 300-acres of land to Samuel A. Rice for $800.00. (Rev. Frank Wilson's oldest son, Francis "Frank" Wilson, had moved from Polk County several years earlier). On May 3, 1890, Rev. Frank Wilson, and these same seven children, bought these 300-acres back from Samuel A. Rice at a price of $679.89. On November 28, 1892, Rev. Frank Wilson deeded these 300-acres to his five daughters, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Josey, Margaret Oates, Olivia Oates, Jennie Waldrep, and Mary "Mollie" Oates.
Rev. Francis "Frank" Wilson died in the Ollie Community at the age of 69 years. His mortal remains were buried in the Rice Cemetery by the grave of his first wife, Harriet, and the grave of his good friend, Nelson Henry Rice.
After Rev. Francis Wilson's death, his second wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Wilson moved from Polk County. The 1900 census shows Elizabeth Wilson, aged 73 years, as living in a boarding house in Beaumont, Texas.