Show Wi SALUTE TO SAMUEL WILSON THE ORIGINAL u i Cy By y LOUISE M. M COMSTOCK I TEN TV LN EN variously serve their Ii r i M country Some live others die for it Samuel Vilson Wilson rendered ren ren- rendered dered the United States of America ca a service no other individual in individual iri- iri has yet yet been able to duplicate He pave gave his country that symbolic personality which embodies all the traits popularly laY rl attributed to its people the name by which it has lias been praised d and n. n reviled viled revered and ridiculed the World over He did it uniquely simply by being himself Samuel Tilson Wilson was v Uncle Sam For this service Samuel Wilson Wilson Wil ViI son recently received his nations nation's nations nation's nations nation's na na- tion's thanks At the impressive upright oblong of granite which marks his grave in Oakwood cemetery in Troy N. N Y a new flag climbed its pole a stiff fresh wreath tipped against the stone a band played and state troopers fired a military salute The New York department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Vars convening at Troy thus paid homage to an early Trojan But Ve We are not in the final analysis honoring a single individual individual individual indi indi- vidual said National Comman- Comman r 7 ff Y t f r eti Veterans of Foreign Wars 11 Members of off the Ladies Auxiliary V. V F. F W. W and a Q Firing Squad of State Police Stand at the Grave of Uncle Sam Wilson in iii Oakwood Cemetery in Troy N. N Y as m Tribute rh h. h h To Tc Is T Paid nirl to in His Memory local situation Already the more substantial citizenry of Albany was advertising its substance by living in brick houses their materials materials materials ma ma- imported like the urge to own them from its native Hol Hol- land The Wilsons bought a farm farmon on Mount Ida and went into the brick business There arc are buildings stan standing ing ingin in Troy today constructed of Wilson bricks For that matter the whole country is rich with ith evidence of their lives there At one time S Sam ran two taro farms one of which he used for fora a summer and one a winter t- t l 1 d' d x f It j a ft f r 1 t t 1 t g rc 1 J N 1 i G t J. J f z II c O t. t l Y J P JC m i. i m 4 f fc ll l t ill i'll 1 lill b s ms j f faA a aA z la W U I i iA rc t. t it IL f i J S S 1 7 r W I t t iJ ff ty 11 4 a Itt 1 I t A t. t ill tj U t y p pub Y y f w t tt t f r n 1 X f I Ir r r. r t l' l r l 4 Y tZ d- d dJ X J t F f W 1 a. a H t ti 0 tea y A l no g r. r k K f 1 f s 1 J J A J Mt J I Ii I J N ff M r. r i. i Jr X f i t r- r tf vI ti A a w rf l t i t r i- i y rC J a I ti r r 1 r f I j W a 5 x h i j. j Memorial Over the Grave of Uncle Sam Wilson Erected by His Daughter Mrs l Marion Wilson Sheldon in der-in-Chief James E. E Van Zandt Rather we are dedicating dedicating dedicating ing this program to our country itself to the spirit of Americanism American American- ism which prevails in our relations relations relations rela rela- with one another and with the world Had Samuel Wilson b been bee e e n aware during his lifetime that he was to become all that it is probable he would have thought his metamorphosis a huge joke That we gather is the sort of person he was Kindly shrewd humorous scrupulously honest the best of New England broadened broadened broadened broad broad- ened a bit by its first adventurous ous step westward A Bay State Scot He was born in 1766 at Meno- Meno tomy now Arlington Mass eighth of thirteen children in a Scotch family which could claim early and influential connections in Boston but never rose to the dignity of a coat of paint on its own shack In 1780 the family moved to Mason N N. N H H. H And in 1781 the youthful Sa Samuel uel having having having hav hav- ing attained the advanced age of fifteen years did his duty as he saw it by enlisting as service boy in the American Army of the Revolution Had he been even a drummer boy history might have caught him early But he was merely a service boy In 1789 at the comparatively mature age of twenty-three twenty Sam left Mason with his brother Ebenezer and followed the trend of the times westward Not very very far west except as measured by the sighted near-sighted eyes of 1789 What is today the city of Troy was then but a raw settlement on the banks of the Hudson river Early Trojans Sam and Ed Wilson were among the first to settle there They chose well Behind the settlement set set- rose two small hills named in accordance with that regions region's taste in classical nomenclature nomenclature nomenclature no no- Mounts Ida and Olympus Their western slopes where is today Troys Troy's pleasant Prospect park contained clay suitable for making bricks Sam and Eb had learned about bricks back in New Hampshire They had hod also sized up shrewdly the 0 home He and his brother left their mark on their holdings in such local terms as Wilsons Bowl and Wilsons Hollow Betsy Wilson Vilson was a New Hampshire girl daughter of a veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill In 1797 1737 tine brick business well under way Sam returned to Mason to marry her and bring her back to Troy She bore him four children two of whom reached maturity Benjamin became became became be be- came a lawyer It was his daughter daugh daugh- ter the late Mrs Marion Wilson Sheldon who erected to her grandfathers grandfather's memory the monument monument monument ment which marks his grave today to to- day Her son Carlton Wood Sheldon Sheldon Sheldon Shel Shel- don of Kansas City his daughter Mrs Helen Marion Brockett and her er d daughter Betty Sheldon Brockett are Uncle Sams Sam's and and Aunt Betsy's only living descendants descendants descendants descend descend- ants today Early Packers The brick business well in hand the Wilson brothers extended extended extended ex ex- ex- ex tended their efforts Adjoining one of Sams Sam's farm houses was a large field suitable for grazing watered by two ponds Here the Wilsons undertook to raise stock Their cattle flourished The Wilsons Wilsons Wil Vil sons erected a slaughter house and entered the meat business As early as 1805 they could advertise advertise advertise ad ad- vertise in the local papers Two large and convenient slaughter houses where could be killed cut and packed head of cattle per day When times were at their best the slaughter houses required employment of men Still the Wilsons expanded At the foot of what is n now w Ferry street they built a dock They purchased their own sloops Out from the firm of S. S and E. E Wilson Vilson at Troy and down the Hudson to Albany and points east came Wilson meats and Wilson bricks by the shipload And what is so noble in that What to warrant flags and wreaths and military salutes Nothing at all Uncle Sam was simply being himself working shrewdly but with honor for his own interests The War of 1812 created urgent demand for provisions for the troops saving the United States from the British One Elbert Anderson Jr of New Jersey obtained obtained obtained ob ob- a government contract for rationing the New York and New Jersey troops stationed near Albany The contract still to be examined in the War Var Department records at Washington specifies 2000 barrels of prime pork and barrels of prime beef bee in full bound barrels of white oak In those days there were wore no refrigerated refrigerated refrigerated freight cars Elbert Anderson Ander Ander- son took stock of the local sources of supply He advertised in the Troy papers As a result the slaughter houses of S. S and E. E Wilson were commissioned to furnish a goodly portion of the meat required and Sam Wilson was add additionally a appointed p p poi o i n t e d United States inspector to pass upon its prime condition On every barrel thus approved he stamped the letters U. U S. S for United States and E. E A A. A for Elbert Elbert Elbert El El- bert Anderson And now comes the crux of the stor story muffled as such crisis usually arc are b by legend b by hearsay and by local imag imago What actually took place ma may be as clearly deduced deduced deduced de de- de- de from its most dramatic version as from any other It begins like an old familiar with an encounter b between tween an Irishman and an innocent by by- stander Asked the bystander nodding his head toward one of the certified barrels And what does the U. U S S. S stand for Uncle Sam Sani said the Irish Irish- man You can supply your our own brogue Oh come now Uncle Sam who Why dont don't you ou know Uncle Sam Wilson Vilson He lie owns nearl nearly all about here and hes he's the army So much for the acorn from which grew the mighty oak For Forthe Forthe Forthe the nourishment which sped that growth to colossal proportions one must examine the temper and morale of the troops which fought the War Var of 1812 It was probably not much different from that of any troops in any war For physical and mental torture so long continued that they have themselves become monotony laughter is a wonderful though perverse panacea Perhaps you think the Irishman's retort in this case not particularly funny Maybe so But the troops to which the story wended its jis way were composed of boys from in Sams Sam's these them war they were fighting It is a fact fac t that by 1813 the term wa was in n i common use among the troops troop s stationed near Albany to designate designate nate the United States o 0 of f America It was first printed in this connotation connotation connotation con con- notation in the papers of that tha t region The Troy Post in an editorial editorial edi edi- tonal of S September 7 1813 referred referred referred re re- re- re to the hard luck which i had lighted on Uncle Sums Sam s shoulders and added in a footnote footnote footnote foot foot- note this cant term for our government government government gov gov- has got almost as current current current cur cur- rent as John Bull Shortly thereafter thereafter thereafter there there- after Uncle Sams Sam's teams his s troops and payroll were men men- in several northern NewYork New NewYork York and western Vermont pa pa- pers The Columbia Sentinel in December 1814 printed an editorial editorial editorial edi edi- entitled entitle Uncle Sam and John Bull contrasting the niggardly niggardly niggardly nig nig- nig- nig gardly pay in the American Army with that hat in the British Finally in Niles Nile's Register for 1815 we find a definition U S. S or Uncle Sam Sam Sam-a a cant term in inthe inthe in inthe the army for the United States It was time and the cartoonist cartoon cartoon- of course who promoted Uncle Sam from a cant term to a definite personality It was done by the conventional methods of caricature The first known m of the new synonym for the United States appeared in Punch London in 1844 It showed a along along along long lean Uncle Sam in long coat tails and stove pipe hat According to those who should know Samuel Wilson Vilson was long and lean and wore a high beaver hat though how the news reached London is beyond con con- jecture First American cartoon was drawn in 1852 by F. F Bellow for the New York Lantern a comic weekly of the period I It t added whether to the London Londo n version or to the original w we e shall never know the familiar tight trousers low-cut low waistcoat high collar and bow tie It wa was s Thomas Nast famous American America n cartoonist who embellished th the e figure further with chin whiskers whiskers whiskers whis whis- kers striped his trousers starred his waistcoat and otherwise brought it up to what is today accepted as standard Nast began began be be- began gan his drawings within a yea year r or two of Samuel Wilsons Wilson's death But there is is no evidence that h he e drew from life There are Tro Tro- T r r iL u u Ji i lB It I N I MM t Y r I d c The Thomas H. H Nast Version of or Uncle Sam Sam Columbia Columbia Chides I Him for the Increased Coinage of Silver Dollars From Weekly 1878 Harpers Harper's s I I and about Troy They had known Samuel Wilson Vilson all their lives they knew him as Uncle Sam and they found it funny That was enough Began as a J Joke Whatever the psychology involved involved involved in in- in- in the joke stuck So Uncle Sam Wilson was las feeding the army was he Well if it was Uncle Sams Sam's meat they were cut cut- e eat ting t- t ing why not Uncle Sams Sam's so-and- so so uniforms they were wearing Uncle Sams Sam's lousy blankets they slept under Uncle Sams Sam's this- this that and-that hospitals to which they carried their wounds and Uncle I jans who will loudly deny that the t their hero ever wore whiskers however is one thing personality another And while i it t I is as certain as Monday mornin morning g that Samuel Wilson Vilson would hav havas have havens e as ns soon submitted to one of hi his s own butcher knives as worn stars star s and stripes it is equally certain t that the kindly smile behind th the e fictitious whiskers the shrewd shrewdly y twinkling eye the thoughtful 1 brow and the big capable hands hand s of the me cartoon were his We Ve must give due duo credit to the acorn Samuel Wilson was Uncle Sam Western Newspaper Union |