======Jilson Hawkins, c. 1810-1879======
//By Cathy Callopy//

Jilson, born a slave, may have been a brother to [[nancy_mcgruder|Nancy Mcgruder]] or related in some way as both of them came to Mississippi in the same group in the 1820s.  [[james_dinsmore|James Dinsmore]] purchased him and later took him to Louisiana when he moved there in 1829.  When [[james_dinsmore|Dinsmore]] left for Kentucky, Jilson and his family remained in the Deep South.  At some point in the 1850s, Jilson and his wife, [[eliza_hawkins_simpson|Eliza]], and their family were sent to work on [[james_dinsmore|Dinsmore]]’s farm in Saline County, Missouri.  During the Civil War, they moved again to Kentucky where they stayed until after [[james_dinsmore|Dinsmore]]’s death.  In the mid-1870s, Jilson used money [[james_dinsmore|James]] had left for him to buy a house in Rising Sun.  He chose to be buried in the [[dinsmore_family|Dinsmore]] family plot near his daughter and granddaughter when he died.

====Related Topics====
  * [[dinsmore_family|Dinsmore Family]]
  * [[dinsmore_homestead|Dinsmore Homestead]]
  * [[dinsmore_cemetery|Dinsmore Cemetery]]