Samuel wilson uncle sam biography

His finger-pointing image was created by James Montgomery Flagg as a U. Army recruiting poster. Biography and legacy Samuel was born in the historic town of Arlington, Massachusetts known as Menotomy at the time, township of West Cambridge , to parents Edward and Lucy Wilson.

Why was samuel wilson called uncle sam

Samuel Wilson is a descendant of one of the oldest families of Boston, Massachusetts. Through direct heritance of his grandfather, Robert Wilson, originally from Greenock, Scotland, he was Scottish with a Massachusetts background. As a boy, he moved with his family to Mason, New Hampshire. In , at the age of 22, Samuel and his older brother Ebeneezer, age 27, relocated, by foot, to Troy, New York.

The Wilson brothers were amongst the first pioneer settlers of the community. Troy, New York was attractive to earlier settlers for its proximity to the Hudson River. Samuel and his brother Ebeneezer partnered together and built several successful businesses. Both were employees of the city as well as successful entrepreneurs.