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Byron Forceythe Willson was born April 10, 1837, in Little Genesee, Allegany County, New York. He was the eldest son of Hiram and Ann Colvin (Ennis) Willson. His parents addressed him as "Byron," which he did not like. He chose to go by his middle name, Forceythe. In 1846, his father loaded the family and their belongings on a raft and floated down the Allegany and Ohio Rivers to Maysville, Kentucky. A year later, the family moved again, this time to Covington, Kentucky, where they lived for six years, before moving to New Albany, Indiana. This would be the last move of Hiram Willson's life. He died in 1859, and was preceded in death by his wife in 1853.
Willson's father had been a Unitarian, and his mother was a Seventh Day Baptist, but Forceythe developed his own unique beliefs about spirituality. He believed that the living could communicate with the dead, and that he was a medium through which this could be accomplished. He claimed to have had a conversation with his late father some years after his death. He also maintained that he was clairvoyant, and was able to divine the contents of unopened letters, as well as some information about their authors, by placing the envelope to his forehead.
In 1863, Willson married Elisabeth Conwell Smith, a poet from New Albany, Indiana. She died the following year, after the loss of their baby. Both Elisabeth, and the child are buried in Laurel, Indiana. From that time until his own death, many who were with him observed him having conversations with the spirit of his dead wife. Shortly following her death, he told a friend "It has left me neither afflicted nor bereaved... And strangest of yet all, the blessed Presence is at times so plain that I can scarcely believe the tender tie of her embodiment is broken."
Careeredit
Willson attended Antioch College in Ohio and Harvard University but was prevented from finishing a credential by the onset of tuberculosis. Instead, he became an editorial writer for the Louisville Journal (later part of the Louisville Courier-Journal.) His missives often defended the Union cause in the Civil War. He also published some of his early poetry in the Journal, including his most famous work, "The Old Sergeant", which told a real account of actual people.
In 1864, Willson moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to oversee the education of his brother Augustus. On a return trip to New Albany, he was stricken with a pulmonary hemorrhage. Though he eventually recovered enough to make the return trip, he died February 2, 1867.
Piatt, John James (March 1875). "Forceythe Willson". The Atlantic Monthly. 35 (209): 340–352. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
April 18, 2024
forceythe, willson, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, relies, largely, entirely, single, source, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, p. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Forceythe Willson news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2023 This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations May 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Byron Forceythe Willson April 10 1837 February 2 1867 was a nineteenth century American poet He was the brother of Kentucky governor Augustus E Willson Byron Forceythe WillsonBorn 1837 04 10 April 10 1837Little Genesee New YorkDiedFebruary 2 1867 1867 02 02 aged 29 Alfred New YorkGenrePoetrySpouseElizabeth Conwell Smith Contents 1 Personal life 2 Career 3 Selected works of Forceythe Willson 4 ReferencesPersonal life editByron Forceythe Willson was born April 10 1837 in Little Genesee Allegany County New York He was the eldest son of Hiram and Ann Colvin Ennis Willson His parents addressed him as Byron which he did not like He chose to go by his middle name Forceythe In 1846 his father loaded the family and their belongings on a raft and floated down the Allegany and Ohio Rivers to Maysville Kentucky A year later the family moved again this time to Covington Kentucky where they lived for six years before moving to New Albany Indiana This would be the last move of Hiram Willson s life He died in 1859 and was preceded in death by his wife in 1853 Willson s father had been a Unitarian and his mother was a Seventh Day Baptist but Forceythe developed his own unique beliefs about spirituality He believed that the living could communicate with the dead and that he was a medium through which this could be accomplished He claimed to have had a conversation with his late father some years after his death He also maintained that he was clairvoyant and was able to divine the contents of unopened letters as well as some information about their authors by placing the envelope to his forehead In 1863 Willson married Elisabeth Conwell Smith a poet from New Albany Indiana She died the following year after the loss of their baby Both Elisabeth and the child are buried in Laurel Indiana From that time until his own death many who were with him observed him having conversations with the spirit of his dead wife Shortly following her death he told a friend It has left me neither afflicted nor bereaved And strangest of yet all the blessed Presence is at times so plain that I can scarcely believe the tender tie of her embodiment is broken Career editWillson attended Antioch College in Ohio and Harvard University but was prevented from finishing a credential by the onset of tuberculosis Instead he became an editorial writer for the Louisville Journal later part of the Louisville Courier Journal His missives often defended the Union cause in the Civil War He also published some of his early poetry in the Journal including his most famous work The Old Sergeant which told a real account of actual people In 1864 Willson moved to Cambridge Massachusetts to oversee the education of his brother Augustus On a return trip to New Albany he was stricken with a pulmonary hemorrhage Though he eventually recovered enough to make the return trip he died February 2 1867 Selected works of Forceythe Willson edit The Old Sergeant 1863 In State Archived 2007 09 26 at the Wayback MachineReferences editPiatt John James March 1875 Forceythe Willson The Atlantic Monthly 35 209 340 352 Retrieved 2007 09 07 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Forceythe Willson amp oldid 1179764871, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
