Rev. Columbus C. Wilson
Files
Title
Rev. Columbus C. Wilson
Subject
African Americans - Virginia - Shenandoah County
Clergy - Virginia - Shenandoah County
Wilson, Columbus C. (ca 1890- )
Description
Portrait photograph of Columbus C. Wilson, an African American Methodist clergyman who served at several Methodist Churches in the Shenandoah Valley.
He was born in Florence County, South Carolina.
In the 1910 census, he was married to Addie Wilson and both were listed as servants in the white household of Charles and Grace Hines. In 1920, the couple lived in Richmond, Virginia, where Columbus drove a lumber truck.
Their daughter, Edith, was born in the early 1920s.
By 1930, Columbus Wilson was a Methodist clergyman living in Grottoes, Rockingham County, with his wife, Addie. This photograph was likely taken during his years in the Shenandoah Valley.
In 1935, he lived in Middleburg, Virginia.
When he registered for the WWII draft, Columbus Wilson and his wife lived on Annandale Road in Falls Church, Virginia, where he served as a Methodist Church pastor. He was still living in that area ten years later.
The name, "Rev. C.C. Wilson", is written on the glass plate.
He was born in Florence County, South Carolina.
In the 1910 census, he was married to Addie Wilson and both were listed as servants in the white household of Charles and Grace Hines. In 1920, the couple lived in Richmond, Virginia, where Columbus drove a lumber truck.
Their daughter, Edith, was born in the early 1920s.
By 1930, Columbus Wilson was a Methodist clergyman living in Grottoes, Rockingham County, with his wife, Addie. This photograph was likely taken during his years in the Shenandoah Valley.
In 1935, he lived in Middleburg, Virginia.
When he registered for the WWII draft, Columbus Wilson and his wife lived on Annandale Road in Falls Church, Virginia, where he served as a Methodist Church pastor. He was still living in that area ten years later.
The name, "Rev. C.C. Wilson", is written on the glass plate.
Creator
Morrison Studio
Source
Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society
Publisher
Shenandoah County Library
Date
The glass plate negative of this image was stored in a box labeled "Aug 1932".
Contributor
Identified in 2025 by library staff based on the name on the glass negative and biographic information available for Columbus Wilson.
Biographical information was compiled from public records.
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED
Identifier
021562
Original Format
Glass Negative
Collection
Citationzork
Morrison Studio, “Rev. Columbus C. Wilson,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed December 5, 2025, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/51099.
Comments
John Chilton
A Columbus C. Wilson of Falls Church was arrested in 1957 for violating for being a black man sitting in the white section of a public meeting in Arlington in violation of Virginia's segregated seating law.