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ROBERT L. WILSON - Another of the "Long Nine" was Robert L. Wilson, who was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, September 11, 1805. His parents were Scotch-Irish, their ancestors having emigrated from Scotland and settled near the city of Belfast, soon after the conquest of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell, in the sixteenth century. In 1778 they sailed for America, settling in York county, Pennsylvania. In 1782, they moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania, on pack horses, as there had not then been any roads made across the Allegheny mountains. From Washington county, where the subject of our sketch was born, the family moved in 1810 to Zanesville, Ohio, where his father died in 1821, and Robert L., then sixteen years of age, determined to educate himself. He first qualified himself for teaching a country school, and taught until he laid up some money, with which he entered Franklin College, Ohio. He sustained himself during his college course in the same way, and graduated in four years. In the fall of 1831 he went to Kentucky, where he taught an academy and studied law. He was married March 28, 1833, in Sharpsburg, Bath county, Kentucky, to Eliza J. Kincaid, and admitted to the bar as an attorney at law. They soon after moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving in the fall of 1833, at Athens. That not now being a part of Sangamon county, he would not properly be included as an early settler of this county, but his having been one of the "Long Nine" is sufficient reason for including his sketch here. Mr. Wilson was elected in August, 1836, as one of the seven Representatives of Sangamon county, who, with the two Senators, made up what was known as the "Long Nine" who served in the legislature of 1836, '37, and secured the removal of the capital of Illinois from Vandalia to Springfield. He moved with his family from Sangamon county in 1840, to Sterling, Whiteside, county.

Soon after Mr. Wilson moved to Sterling, he was appointed clerk of the Circuit Court, to which office he was elected five times, serving continuously until December 1, 1860. Eight years of that time he served as Probate Judge. He was in Washington, D.C., when Fort Sumter fell, and enlisted as a private in a battalion commanded by Cassius M. Clay, and called the Clay Guard. It numbered four hundred, mostly non-residents, and acted as night police, guarding the city at the most critical time in its history. As soon as the New York Seventh Regiment reached Washington, the Clay Guard was relieved and mustered out. Mr. Wilson returned to Sterling, Illinois, and assisted in raising Company A, Thirty-fourth Illinois Infantry, and was elected Captain, but declined in favor of the First Lieutenant. He started for Washington on the fourth of July, and called on President Lincoln on the seventh to tender his services in any capacity where he could be useful. Mr. Lincoln said he had made out a list of his old friends before leaving Springfield, that he might appoint them to office, and said, "I have appointed all down to your name. Now, what do you wish?" Mr. Wilson said he thought he could discharge the duties of quartermaster. Mr. Lincoln said, "I can do better than that for you,: and made him paymaster. His appointment was made out on the sixth, and he was confirmed by the Senate, August 7, 1861. He was placed on duty at Washington City, and was soon afterward ordered to St. Louis. In the two succeeding years he paid out nearly four million dollars, principally in the West and South. After the fall of Vicksburg he was ordered to Springfield, Illinois and promoted to the rank of Colonel for meritorious services. He was mustered out November 15, 1865. During his four years and four months service he received and disbursed about seven million dollars, to near one hundred thousand soldiers, without a shadow of suspicion against his character.

On the 10th of May, 1875, he stared alone on a trip of observation and sight-seeing in Europe. He left New York on the steamer Rhein, one of the Bremen line. He arrived at Southampton May 20th, and in London the same day, where he spent one week visiting object of interest. From London to Dover, crossing the Straits to Calais, France, thence by way of Bolougne and Amiens to Paris, with its three millions of inhabitants. He spent three weeks in Paris, sight-seeing and gleaning knowledge from every source. From Parish he went by way of Fontainblue up the river Seine, through Mount Cenis tunnel to Turin, Italy, and through Genoa; Pisa, Leghorn and other Italian cities to Rome, where he spent two weeks visiting objects of historic interest. From Rome he went south to Naples, passed Appi Forum and the three taverns. He visited Mount Vesuvius, and looked into its crater of boiling lava. Spent one day each at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and returning to Rome, went to Florence, where he spent a few days. Crossed the Apennines to Venice, the city built two miles from the shore, in the Adriatic sea. Ascended the river Po, through Lombardy, and the city of Verona, to Milan. Crossed the Alps by way of the Simplon Pass, reaching an altitude of twelve thousand feet above the sea. Descended the river Rhone and lake Geneva to the city of Geneva and Berne, the capital of Switzerland. >From there he returned to Paris, thence to London, where he spent two weeks more. Visited other parts of England, thence to Edinburg, Stirling and many points of interest in Scotland. Went through Ireland and Wales, thence to Liverpool. Sailed on the steamer Baltic to New York and home. He was four months out, at a total cost of seven hundred and fifty dollars.