Born in Paris Township, Kent County, Michigan in 1870, Samuel H. Wilson was one of seven children born to Civil War Veteran, William James Wilson (1854-1887) andSarah (Hanna) Wilson (1837-1910), an Irish immigrant. William left his wife and children when Samuel was two and did not return. Sam completed his education through eighth grade in a one room school house and at the age of twenty, he accepted a position with the law office of J.T. Preston for the purpose of learning real estate law. He then went into the real estate business with John W. Closterhouse and, eventually, with John’s son, Leon Closterhouse. The firm of Closterhouse & Wilson platted and developed the Burlingame addition to Grand Rapids and the Hamilton Park addition. In 1910 the firm of S.H. Wilson & Company platted Wyoming Park. It was the largest, individual, plat-addition in the state of Michigan at the time, laid out exclusively for the purpose of building of high-grade houses.

In 1898 Wilson married Edith Hope Cobb, who was born in 1872 in New York. Edith and Samuel had one child,William Wallace Wilson, in 1899. Samuel Wilson died in 1931 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Wilson Avenue, which runs through Wyoming Park and the Grandville, Michigan area, is named for him. After her husband's death Edith continued to live in Grand Rapids and ran a small restaurant for a time. In the 1950s she moved to Garden City, New York to live with her son, where she died in 1964.

William Wilson attended Grand Rapids High School and went on to Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He was a leader in the 20th century army training program at Colgate and served a tour of duty after graduation in 1920. Following his military service, William attended Harvard Law School, graduated in 1926, and entered the practice of law in New York City. Eventually he moved into banking law and remained in that field until his retirement in the 1970s.

William married Alice Elizabeth Corl in 1925, after her graduation from the University of Wisconsin. A native of Grand Rapids, Alice was born in 1902 to Samuel Shirley Corl, Sr. and Glidden Roberts English. William and Alice had three children; David Bruce Wilson (1927-2008), John Roderick Wilson (1930-2017) and Robert Douglas Wilson (1935-). The family resided in Brooklyn, New York. Alice died at age 33 in 1935, following complications from the birth of her third son.

Robert Douglas Wilson (1935-) is the third son of William Wallace Wilson and Alice Corl Wilson. As a youth, Doug played the piano, was a soloist in the Cathedral Boys' Choir in Garden City and was an Eagle Scout. After graduating from Garden City High School in 1953, Doug attended Colgate University. He married Deborah Grigg (1935-1991) in 1958 and together they had three boys, Peter, Jamie and Ted. Doug worked for more than 30 years as a sports broadcaster for ABC's Wide World of Sports. In 2019 he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Ethel Cornelia Pierce was born to Almy Legrand Peirce (1847-1914) and Ella Griffith Mathews (1857-1948) in 1879. She had one sibling,Louise Mathews Peirce (1881-1980). Louise traveled extensively in Europe from the late 1880s into the early 1900s and her experiences were published in the Grand Rapids newspapers. Louise married Thomas Augustus Remington in 1913 and they had one daughter, Ella Caroline Remington, who later changed her name to Carella Alden. Louise died in Florida in 1980.

Ethel Peirce married Louise Victor Seydel on New Year's Day, 1900. L. Victor Seydel, Sr. was born in East Gary Indiana in 1875. After marrying Ethel the couple lived in New York City and Chicago before settling down in Grand Rapids. Victor served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Pantlind Hotel in Grand Rapids, was a leader in obtaining funds for the YMCA building and was active in securing boulevard lights for Monroe Ave. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. Ethel passed away in 1970. L. Victor and Ethel had two children,Frances Louise Seydel born in 1901 and Louise Victor Seydel, Jr. (1909-1973).

Upon graduation from Grand Rapids Central High School in 1919, Frances Louise Seydel attended Wellesley College and then the University of Michigan where she eventually earned a Ph.D. in physics and astronomy. She was the first woman to go through the same U of M doctoral program as the men. Upon receiving her doctorate, she accepted a teaching position at Carleton College in Minnesota. After marrying William Wilson in 1936, Fran moved to New York and became mother to William's three boys. In the early 1940s she accepted a position in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Hofstra University retiring in 1969. Fran died in 1995. William Wallace Wilson died in 1997 and is buried in Colgate University's Cemetery.

Colonel George G. Briggs married Julia Roberts Peirce, Frances Louise Seydel Wilson’s great aunt. George was born in Livonia, Michigan on 24 January 1838. He attended public school until he was fourteen, worked in a store in Battle Creek for three years, took a course at Olivet College, and for five years George was a bookkeeper in a store at Galesburg. In 1858 he became a partner in that business and the name was changed to Averill, Briggs & Company. In 1862 he disposed of his business interests and organized a company of cavalry which was mustered into the service as part of the old Seventh Michigan Cavalry. He went in as first lieutenant and was successfully promoted to the rank of colonel with command of the regiment, which fought as part of the Army of the Potomac. He was discharged from the army in December 1865 at Salt Lake City and immediately established his home at Grand Rapids, where in the following spring he married Julia R. Peirce. He was at first a member of the dry goods firm of Peirce & Briggs, but in 1869 he became one of the organizers of the Michigan Barrel Company. He represented Grand Rapids as a member of the state legislature in 1868 and held numerous important positions in the city government. He was particularly interested in art and his home on Lafayette Avenue was especially designed for the display of his large collection of pictures. Colonel Briggs passed away in Grand Rapids on 8 December 1912 and is buried in Oakhill Cemetery.

Francis "Frank" E. Peirce was the sister of Julia R. Briggs and the sister-in-law of Col. George Briggs. Born in Grand Rapids in 1842, she was a well known elocutionist in West Michigan while in her twenties and thirties. She performed readings of classical poetry, plays and writings. She lived with her parents until their deaths and then lived with the Briggs's until her own death in 1920.