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The story of the Woolson family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The name Woolson was derived from the personal name William. The name literally was derived from the patronymic expression son of William or son of Wil. 1
"The family are said to be descended from a Prince of Denmark, and were established at a very remote period in the Orkney islands, intermarrying with the clans of Monro, and others. After a long continuance in the north, alliances taking place with some of the principal Lowland families, the Wilsons moved southward. " 2
The surname Woolson was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where John Wulson was a merchant in the service of Sir John of Montgomery in 1405. Michael Wilsoun was Burgess of Irvine in 1418, and John Wilson was Burgess of Berwick in 1467. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woolson research. Another 237 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1567, 1603, 1662, 1667, 1680, 1685, 1704, 1750 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Woolson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Standards used to judge the accuracy of spellings and translations did not yet exist in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations in names dating from that era, are thus, an extremely common occurrence. Woolson has been recorded as Wilson, Willson, Wilsone, Wulson, Wilsoun and others.
Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Margaret Wilson (died 1685), one of the Wigton martyrs, a young Scottish Covenanter from Wigtownshire executed by drowning for refusing to swear an oath declaring James VII; and John Willison (1680-1750), an evangelical minister of the Church of Scotland and a writer of Christian literature.
Margaret Wilson (1667-1685), the 'martyr of the Solway,' and the eldest daughter of Gilbert Wilson (d. 1704), a yeoman of Penninghame, Wigtownshire, was born at Glenvernock in that parish in 1667. " Though her parents conformed to episcopacy, Margaret and her younger sister Agnes refused to do so. On...
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woolson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The New World was far from the oppressive regime of the old country. It was a place where there was more land than people and political and religious freedom were far easier to come by. Many Scots even got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. In recent years, interest in this heritage has been generated by Clan societies and regular highland games in North America. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Woolson name: