Events
Birth: 1895-11-22y0m0d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, On 01-02-1953 E.L. had a "delayed or special certificate of birth" issued for himself. He had to submit three documents to identify himself to the Missouri Division of Health. The documents were his record of graduation from the Hamilton School in Kansas City, his army discharge papers, and an affidavit of Russell Greiner. Russell was the brother of the second wife of E.L.'s uncle William Wilson. Russell was a member of the Kansas City city council. The notary public for the document was John Lodwick. John had been a friend of the Wilson family for many years. Also on the document E.L. listed the name and birth state of both his parents., ImageID: W__0219
Census: 1900 , Age:4y1m10d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, Role:census federal, Edwin age 4 born Nov.1895 in MO living with parents, ImageID: W__0651
Census: 1910 , Age:14y1m10d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, Role:census federal, Edwin H. [sic L.] age 14 born MO, parents born OH, he was a newspaper courier, ImageID: W__0500
Education: 1911-06-09, Age:15y6m18d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, Role:student, high, Original certificate for Edwin L. Wilson for graduation from the eighth grade of the Kansas City, Missouri public schools. It is dated Jun.09, 1911 and was signed by several persons from Hamilton School.
Dan Wilson high school graduation certificate from Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, class of 1949. Since his father was a school board member, his father signed Dan's certificate. Other signees included Clarence Snyder., ImageID: W__0095
Job: 1915-1916, Age:19y1m10d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, pharmacist, drug store clerk
Military: 1917-12-13, Age:22y0m21d, Riley county Kansas, Fort Riley, Role:soldier, army, World War I, enlisted at age 22 Several pictures exist of him in uniform while in Europe.
Married: 1918-02-23, Age:22y3m1d, ?Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, Role:groom, Edwin and Charlotte were married while Edwin was about halfway through his service in World War I. As far as is known, despite their eight years of marriage, E.L. and Charlotte had no children. It was said that when E.L. died, Charlotte called his house and said she was 'Mrs. E.L. Wilson' which means she was still alive and maybe never remarried.
Job: 1918-1930, Age:22y1m10d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, Cook Paint Company, Role:manager, Edwin worked for the Cook Paint Company after World War I. He traveled the four state area setting up new stores for the company and then turning it over to a local manager. While in Sioux City (Woodbury) Iowa he was talking with a local resident, Burton O. Searls, about his needing to hire someone as an artist to help with advertising. Burton called his daughter, Evon, who was at home canning jelly, and told her to drop everything and come down to the paint store immediately for an interview. She got the job then and a husband three months later.
Livedin: 1918-1930, Age:22y1m10d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, his mother-in-law's home, While still serving in World War I he was married to Charlotte. After his discharge, they lived with her mother in Kansas City.
Military: 1919-05-17, Age:23y5m25d, Riley county Kansas, Fort Funston, Role:private 1st class, army, World War I, discharged He was not wounded while in the service., ImageID: W__0106,W__0124
Census: 1920 , Age:24y1m10d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, Role:census federal, Edwin and Charlotte were living in the home of her widowed mother., ImageID: W__0475
Divorce: 1926-11-19, Age:30y11m28d, Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, As far as is known, despite their eight years of marriage, E.L. and Charlotte had no children. It was said that when E.L. died, Charlotte called his house and said she was 'Mrs. E.L. Wilson' which means she was still alive and maybe never remarried., ImageID: W__0220
Married: 1930-01-01, Age:34y1m10d, Le Mars, Plymouth county, Iowa, Role:groom, Witnesses to the marriage of Edwin and Yvonne were the bride's father Burton and sister Arlene., ImageID: W__0111,W__0340
Job: c1930 , Age:34y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Wilson Paint Store, Role:owner, paint store owner, Edwin eventually decided to open his own paint store and go into business for himself. He chose Excelsior Springs as the city in which to build his business. Earlier, Edwin had visited the city Excelsior Springs while setting up a store for Cook Paint.
Livedin: 1930-1971, Age:34y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Several houses in Excelsior Springs, which were on the following streets: Broadway (with the Haelbins family), Tracy (after his first child was born), Kimball, Wildwood, Old Orchard (the Pyle House, which burned down), Cypress (two different houses, a smaller one at 107 Cypress in 1936 and a larger one at 113 Cypress in the early 1950's) and in 1958 to 560 Kansas City Avenue. Most of the years for the two children were spent at the two houses on Cypress Street. They had several animals including a lamb named Schultz, a goat, a dog named Butch, ducks, rabbits and birds. Evon's parents stayed with the Wilson's during the summer months during the 1940's and were planning to move into one of the two houses on Cypress Street, but Burton died before they got a chance to move.
Census: 1930 , Age:34y1m10d, Missouri, Role:census federal, Unable to find Edwin on the 1930 census that was taken in April of 1930. He was married New Years Day 1930 but his new bride is living with her parents on the 1930 census and he is not listed there. He is not on the 1930 census for Iowa, Missouri, Kansas or Nebraska.
Census: 1940 , Age:44y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Role:census federal, Edwin Wilson family Edwin Wilson age 43 born Missouri occupation of salesman retail paint and wallpaper, Yvonne S. age 31 born South Dakota, Daniel M. age 9 born Missouri, Paul D. age 4 born Missouri., ImageID: W__0502
Military: 1942 , Age:46y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Role:draftee, ImageID: W__0653
Census: 1950 , Age:54y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Role:census federal, Edwin Wilson family 1950 census for Excelsior Springs Missouri, Edwin Wilson age 54 born Missouri occupation manager of mineral water springs system, Yvonne S. age 41 born South Dakota, Paul D. age 14 born Missouri, occupation newspaper delivery. This family lived at 112 Cypress St., ImageID: W__0503
Award: 1968 , Age:72y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Chamber of Commerce, Role:honoree, citizen of the year
Death: 1971-09-13, Age:75y9m22d, Riverside, Platte county, Missouri, Cliff Manor Nursing Home, arteriosclerosis, He died of myocardial infarction due to servalized [?] arteriosclerosis which he had had for twelve years, ImageID: W__0154
Obit: 1971-09-14, Age:75y9m23d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, The Daily Standard, ImageID: W__0585
Burial: 1971 , Age:75y1m10d, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Crownhill Cemetery, Masonic section, ImageID: W__0583
Church: ?, Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri, Barbee Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian
Physical: ?, Role:physical, had an artificial glass eye

From the Wilson family bible, births of the members of the Robert Stitt Wilson family: Robert Stitt Wilson Sep.13, 1856 [or Sep.15, 1856 both of which differ from the Sep.16, 1856 on another page] in Zanesville Ohio; Ida Melvin Jan.12, 1862 in Cedarville, Ohio; Matthew Meredith Wilson Jan.20, 1886 in Xenia, Ohio; Thomas Melvin Wilson May 13, 1888 in Zanesville, Ohio; Albert Chew Wilson Jun.24, 1891 in Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri [sic, Zanesville]; Janie Wilson Aug.22, 1893
in Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri; Edwin Lawrence Wilson Nov.22, 1895 in Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri; and, Celia Wilson Jan.22, 1900 in Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri. Two handwritings and two colors of ink appear on this page. All through Thomas Melvin Wilson were done by one person with one color ink. All others were done by a second person in another color of ink. This page was one of four found in the Wilson family bible.

Edwin loved history. He collected and read many books, magazines, newspaper articles, posters, Presidential campaign buttons and other memrobelia on the subject. He loved to read. His oldest child said that when he would come home late at night expecting to find everyone asleep, he would instead find his father sitting at his desk reading.

Original newspaper article about Edwin Lawrence Wilson begin chosen as Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri Citizen of the Year in 1969. His son Daniel Wilson won the same award in 1976.

Two original newspaper articles about Edwin Lawrence Wilson running for Excelsior Springs, Clay county, Missouri city council. The articles probably appeared in the Excelsior Springs newspaper sometime around 1934 or 1935 and list several interesting facts about E.L.
Edwin's children cannot remember their father ever wearing any kind of shirt other than a long-sleeve white shirt. Cluett C. Searls, Evon's older brother, told a story on Edwin's humor. Cluett said that Edwin and Evon were staying at Cluett's home for a few days. Cluett was about ready to go to work. Edwin was upstairs shaving and noticed the numerous bottles of aftershave that Cluett had accumulated over the years as presents for birthdays, Christmas, etc. So Edwin walked
downstairs and said to Cluett: "Question...do you expect to live long enough to use them all?" and walked back upstairs. Cluett said he laughed all the way to work that morning and it kept him chuckling the rest of the day. Edwin was very patriotic. The story that tells this best is the one told to the author at the memorial service for Edwin's funeral by a one-time neighbor of Edwin's and was backed up by Edwin's oldest child. Every night before going to bed the children would say
their prayers. Then they would stand at their bedroom window and sing "God Bless America". The neighbor often heard these two little boys singing.