Zaccheus Wilson

Zaccheus Wilson (1733 - 1824) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. He, like many other signers, was a surveyor. Wilson was one of the first to leave the state and died near Gallatin, Tennessee, in 1824. Lizzie Conger Ross, his wife and the widow of Nicholas Ross, died in 1796, leaving him no reason to stay in the county. Major David Wilson, his brother, had earlier left Mecklenburg Co. for Tennessee, having received a land grant for military service. Wilson spent his formative years in Cumberland County, PA and later Cecil County, Maryland.

When his family arrived in Mecklenburg County in the 1750s, they first settled in the area near Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church. He served as a delegate to the state convention in Halifax in April 1776 to work with other leaders to establish a new state.

During the battle of King's Mountain, he served in some capacity and was captain of the militia in his home district. Wilson again served as a delegate to the 1788 convention, where members voted to make sure that the national congress had to agree to accept the Bill of Rights for the federal Constitution. Colonial records show that Zaccheus was appointed a Commissioner to build a courthouse east of Charlotte. The General Assembly killed the bill when they found out a courthouse had already been built in Charlotte.

He was a surveyor for Cabarrus County until he moved to Tennessee in 1798.

Documentation

(1) King, Victor C. Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC, 1956.