Wilson was born in Steubenville, Ohio, the son of Mary Anne (Adams) and James Wilson, who were Protestant immigrants from Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland (today in Northern Ireland).

He left the school just before the birth of his son, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, in Staunton, Virginia.

In late 1857 he moved his family to Augusta, Georgia, where he continued to practice as a Presbyterian pastor.

During his time in Wilmington, he presided over many events, including the payment of the local church's debts, the abolition of pew rents, and the inauguration of subscription and weekly contributions.

[8] In 1885 he became a professor of theology at Rhodes College, which was then known as Southwestern Presbyterian University, in Clarksville, Tennessee.