The Wilson Family of Love began in Ville Platte, Louisiana on August 3, 1871 when Willis Wilson united in holy matrimony to Marcelite Ardoin.

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Willis was the son of Braham Wilson and Marie Dune.  Marcelite was the daughter of Jueon Ardoin and Marianne Dautre.

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Willis and Marcelite had four children, three sons and a daughter.  The children were Theodore, Buddy, Francis and Austin.  The children were all born five years apart.  

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Theodore was born May 18, 1827.

Buddy was born July 14, 1877.

Francis was born January 25, 1882.

Austin was born January 4, 1887.

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The children grew up in Ville Platte; they married and started families of their own.

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Theodore married Lucille Manuewl and they had ten children.  Their children were Florice, Alice, Theordore Jr., Mary, Sandow, Mae, Lincoln, Woodrow, Andrew, and Lensley.

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Buddy married Emma Franks and they had ten children plus two.  Their children were Hester, Ludie, Lester, Lela, Ealey, Ophelia, Lula, Louise, Elsie, and Effie.  After the death of Emma's cousin Ezola, her sons were adopted into the family.  They were Leonard and Bentey Dixon.

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Francis married Otis Thomas and they had eleven children.  Their children were Ezola, Melvin, Odessa, Cleveland, Wilbert, Marsaleigh, Maqeline, Arlene, Calvin, Alvin, and Edolia.

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Austin married Cedonia Fonteno and they had eleven children.  Their children were Carrie, Gladys, O'Neal, Lawrence, Ernest, Landis, Fairy, Rogers, Marie, Austin Jr., and Martha.

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After the death of Willis, Marcelite wanted a better life for her children and families; so they started making plans to leave Ville Platte.

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In 1910, the two oldest sons, Theodore and Buddy and their families left Ville Platte for a "new beginning."  They heard that Oklahoma was the place to be so they loaded up the family and moved to "Okmulgee" in Oklahoma that is.

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They arrived in Oklahoma by train.  They had farm machinery, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, a buggy, furniture and everything for the house down to the silverware.  The move would have been impossible without the help of Marcelite's master.

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They first settled in Okmulgee County around the Beggs area.  Later they moved on the Prairie, just northeast of Okmulgee.

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Lincoln was the first of Theodore's children to be born in Oklahoma and Lula was the first of Buddy's children to be born in Oklahoma.

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For some unknown reason, Marcelite and the two youngest children, Francis and Austin and their families, remained in Ville Platte for a few more years before joining the rest of the family in Oklahoma.

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-adopted from Wilson Family History

Wilson:1910 - 2010 - Celebrating 100 Years ... and Still Going Strong

compiled by Shirley Ellis Alexander