Crowell Willson was a farmer and political figure in Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

..

He was born in Sussex County, New Jersey

Sussex County, New Jersey

The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...

 in 1762, the son of Sarah Crowell and Benjamin Willson(**), a United Empire Loyalist. Willson married Hannah Crane in 1783. He settled in Bertie Township

Bertie Township, Ontario

Bertie Township was a township in Upper Canada, later Ontario, located on the south-east corner of the Niagara Peninsula.In 1970, it was amalgamated into the town of Fort Erie, Ontario.- References :...

 in Upper Canada in 1787 and later moved to Crowland Township in 1801. In 1800, he was named justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 in the Niagara District. He was elected to the 5th Parliament of Upper Canada

5th Parliament of Upper Canada

The 5th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 2 February 1809. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in May 1808. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada and sat at the Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada...

 in the 4th riding of Lincoln County

Lincoln County, Ontario

Lincoln County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1792. In 1845, the southern portion of Lincoln County was separated to form Welland County....

 in 1808. Willson's sister Sarah married John Fanning

John Fanning (Upper Canada politician)

John Fanning was a farmer, innkeeper, stagecoach operator and political figure in Upper Canada. He represented the 4th riding of Lincoln in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada from 1812 to 1813....

, also a politician in Upper Canada

He died in Crowland Township in 1832.

(**) Note: Some references about this Benjamin Willson erroneously report that he was noted for transporting supplies to troops during the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

; this is actually the work of another Benjamin Willson (1741-1809), a resident of Rye, NY, who is on the DAR Patriot roster for transporting supplies to George Washington's Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

encamped at White Plains, NY.