Bio: Covill, Wilson S.
Contact: Lani Bartelt
Email: prolixiam@sbcglobal.net

----Sources: Family Records

The Wilson S. Covill Family

Wilson S Covill was one of the early settlers of Neillsville, Clark Co, Wis. He married Isabella (Belle) O’Neil at Neillsville, Wis.

Isabella (Belle) O’Neil was the eldest daughter of James O’Neil Sr and his wife,Jane (Douglas) O’Neil and they married on March 7, 1847 in Jackson Co, Wis. by Justice of the Peace, John Valentine and on March 6, 1849 Isabella was born, the first white child born in Clark Co, Wis. They also had another daughter named Marie who married Frank Darling and they had a son named Thomas who died in 1872 at the age of 21. After Jane’s death in 1873 James O’Neil remarried to Mrs. Caroline Teller and they had a son, John who later lived in CA. and was a master plumber. One of his sons named James was in the service during the Spanish-American War and served in the CA. 1st Volunteers. James O’Neil died 28 April 1882. Jane (Douglas) O’Neil died 9 June 1873 both are buried at Neillsville City Cemetery, Pine Valley Township, Neillsville, Wis.

Wilson S Covill was in the lumber business in his early years in Clark Co, Wis.

He also served as Sheriff of Clark Co in 1869 -70.

Lani notes/March 2006 - I believe the lumber profession was a large part of his profession most of his life as even when they left Clark Co, Wis. for the state of Washington he was listed as the manager of a lumber company. It is only in the last of his life that he is listed as the owner of a hotel.

Wilson S Covill served in Co I of the 14th WI. Infantry during the Civil War and he enlisted as a private and was mustered out as a sergeant.

SERVICE - Battle of Shiloh , Tenn., April 6-7, 1862. Advance on and siege of Corinth , Miss., April 29-May 30. Provost duty at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., till July 23, and St. Hamburg till August 23. Moved to Corinth August 23. Battle of Iuka, Miss., September 19. Battle of Corinth , Miss., October 3 - 4. Pursuit of Ripley October 5 -12. At Corinth till November 2. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Operations on the Mississippi Central Railroad November 2 to December 23. Moved to Moscow and duty along Memphis & Charleston Railroad till January 10, 1863. Moved to Memphis January 10, thence to Young's Point, La., January 17 and to Lake Providence, La., February 8. Duty there till April. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Champion Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg , Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Expedition to Mechanicsville May 26-June 4. Moved to Natchez, Miss., July 12. Capture of Natchez July 13 and duty there till October 9. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., October 9 and duty there till March, 1864. Regiment veteranized December 11, 1863 and Veterans on furlough January 3 to March 6, 1864. (Company "E" and Veteran detachments from each Company joined 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, at Clifton, Tenn., thence march to Ackworth, Ga., via Huntsville and Decatur, Ala., and Rome, Ga., April 29-June 8. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign June 8 to September 8. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Howell's Ferry July 5. Leggett's or Bald Hill July 20-21. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 3-26. Rejoined Regiment at Nashville, Tenn., December, 1864, except Company "E," which went as a pontoon train guard to the sea November 15-December 10, and through the Carolinas to Washington, D. C., rejoining Regiment at Montgomery, Ala., July 16, 1865.) Non-veterans on Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2, 1864. Red River Campaign March 10-May 22, 1864. Fort De Russy March 14. Occupation of Alexandria March 16. Grand Ecore April 3. Pleasant Hill Landing April 12. About Cloutiersville April 22-24. About Alexandria April 26-May 13. Wells' Plantation May 6. Bayou Boeuf May 7. Retreat to Morganza May 13-20. Mansura May 16. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., May 20-24, thence to Memphis, Tenn., May 28-30, and duty there till June 22. Moved to Moscow and LaGrange June 22-27. Smith's Expedition to Tupelo, Miss., July 5-21. Camargo's Cross Roads, near Harrisburg, July 13. Harrisburg, near Tupelo , July 14-15. Moved to St. Charles, Ark., August 3-6, thence to Devall's Bluff September 1, and to Brownsville September 8. March through Arkansas and Missouri in pursuit of Price September 17-November 17. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., November 23-30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Moved to Eastport, Miss., and duty there till February 6, 1865. Moved to New Orleans, La., February 6-22. Campaign against Mobile and its Defences March 17-April 12. Fish River March 17. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Occupation of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 13-25 and duty there till August. Moved to Mobile August 27 and duty there till October. Mustered out October 9, 1865. Regiment lost during service 6 Officers and 116 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 194 Enlisted men by disease. Total 319.

After the Civil War Wilson S Covill returned to Neillsville, Clark Co, Wis. He is listed on the 1885 Census for the Enumeration of Soldiers and Sailors of the Civil War.

Some time after 1885 Wilson S Covill and family moved to the state of Washington Mr. Covill was living in Shelton, WA. and later in Tacoma and Olympia and last at the Veterans Home in Retsil, WA. Research materials state that Wilson S Covill was a manager for a lumber company. Later he operated a hotel and finally he retired to live in the Veteran’s Home at Retsil, WA.

Wilson & Isabella would have four children: James, Herbert, Ralph, and Fannie. James, their firstborn, nicknamed Jimmie would be born in 1870 and die in 1872, only eighteen months old. He is buried at Neillsville City Cemetery, Neillsville, Wis.

There is also an Allan C and a Marie E (Carpenter) Covill buried at this cemetery; perhaps this is a brother to Wilson S. I don’t know. . Herbert died in the Gold Rush in Alaska in 1899; Ralph died in Tacoma WA; and Fannie in Kirkland, WA. I found the marriage record for Fannie. It says Marriage Records for Macon Co. WA. George Webb of Union (WA) and Fannie Covill of Shelton 21 Oct 1899

Isabella’s obituary says she died 18 Nov.1921 at the Veteran’s Home. She was survived by her husband, Wilson S Covill, and her children, Ralph and Fanny, both living in Tacoma, WA. She was seventy-three years old.

I have searched on the Internet for more death information on Wilson S Covill and burial information for both Wilson S. and Isabella with no luck. Her obituary only says she was buried in Tacoma, Washington.

Their firstborn son, James/Jimmie Covill and a lot of the O’Neil Family are all buried at Neillsville City Cemetery, Neillsville, Wis.

In Robert J. McBride’s History of Clark Co. Wis. published in 1909, a descendant, Miss Geogriebel Webb of 818 Pine St. Shelton, WA, was supposed to have donated a small picture of the family.

Geogriebel Webb would have probably been the daughter of George Webb and Fannie Covill, daughter of Wilson Covill and Isabella (O’Neil) Covill.