Loading...
 

Tom Wilson

Image
Thomas G. Wilson, born June 3rd, 1890 in Flemming, KS,1 was a professional baseball player from 1911-1916. Wilson resided in Hartford, AR, for a time.

Biography

Wilson was the son of English immigrants Thomas and Mary Wilson.2 Around 1910, he lived in Hartford, AR where he worked in the nearby coal mines.3 He married Mary McManaway in Hartford in 1916.4 The couple later lived in Santa Rita, NM,5 6 and Los Angeles, CA.7

In 1910, Wilson was expected to join the Muskogee club in the Western Association, but instead caught for the Boston Bloomer Girls barnstorming team.8 9 Wilson indeed joined Muskogee the next season and performed well. In mid June, he was sold to the St. Louis Browns.10 However, he was not given a trial by the Browns and was sent to Ardmore in the Texas-Oklahoma League.11 He returned to Muskogee at the start of the 1912 season before he was sent to Galveston in the Texas League.12

After two seasons with Galveston, Wilson was sold to the Washington Senators in late July, 1914.13 He joined the team in September14 and appeared in one inning of one game on September 8th. He failed to get a hit in his only at-bat. In November, he was traded to the Minneapolis Millers in the American Association.15 In a well-publicized story, Minneapolis scout Mike Kahoe traveled to Wilson's home in Hartford, AR and had Wilson sign his 1915 contract at the bottom of the coal mine.16 Wilson began the season with Minneapolis but was quickly sent to Winnipeg in the Northern League.17 He was given his unconditional release mid season, prompting Wilson to return to Galveston in the Texas League where he finished the season.

Wilson began the 1916 season with Galveston, but was traded in July to Beaumont.18 He saw little action during the remainder of the year and chose to subsequently retire from baseball.

Excerpts

"Tom Wilson, who was with the Muskogee team when the "blow-up" of the Western Association game, arrived last night and will take turns with Williams in the local [Ardmore] team. Wilson's home is at Hartford, Ark., but he has been playing in St. Louis since he left Muskogee."19

"At the close of the season he [George Foster] was purchased with Catcher Tom Wilson of Hartford, this county, by the St. Louis Americans. Both were sold to Houston at the end of the spring training. Foster and Wilson first broke into the game at Stigler, Okla., where they alternated behind the plate and in the box, as the team could not afford a double battery."20

Wilson died on March 7th, 1953 in San Pedro, CA.21 He was buried in Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Stats

Statistics at Baseball-Reference.com.