BEAUMONT, Texas — Members of the community are mourning the loss of a beloved Beaumont native whose history can be traced back to the first settlers in Jefferson County.
Rosine McFaddin Wilson died on Wednesday, October 19 2022 after a brief illness, according to her obituary. Not only is Wilson a fifth-generation Texas, but she is also a descendant of two signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence and two veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto.
Those signers are Charles Stanfield Taylor and Stephen William Blount. The two veterans are William McFaddin and Stephen William Blount.
Wilson’s great-great-great grandparents were among the first settlers in what is now known to be Jefferson County. At the time, it was a part of Mexico.
Wilson is a Mayflower descendant on her mother’s side and one of her grandparents was a former Texas legislator. On her father’s side, Wilson is a descendant of a colonial governor of Virginia.
Wilson attended elementary and junior high school in Beaumont. She later graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor’s degree and magna cum laude.
Wilson later moved back to Beaumont where she worked at the First National Bank. It was in Beaumont that she met her husband William Epps Wilson.
Rosine McFaddin Wilson and her husband had two children together and four grandchildren.
Rosine McFaddin Wilson was a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church. After getting married, she and her husband helped in the founding of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and All Saints Episcopal School.
She also served on the Diocese of Texas Department of Missions.
Those who love Rosin McFaddin Wilson said she “generously gave her time as a volunteer,” and was a member of numerous civic organizations.
Here are some of the organizations Rosine McFaddin Wilson was a part of:
- Member of the Junior League of Beaumont – served as president
- Chairman of the Jefferson County Historical Commission
- Vice chairman of the Texas Historical Commission
- President of the Texas Historical Foundation.
- Chairman of the Trustees Council of the Texas Association of Museums
- Vice chairman of the Lone Star Historical Drama of Galveston
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the San Jacinto Museum of History.
- Trustee of the Lamar University Foundation
- Member of the Regents’ Advisory Committee
- President of the board of trustees of the McFaddin-Ward House Museum
- Trustee of the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation
- Member of the Magnolia Garden Club - served as vice president
- President of the Beaumont Heritage Society
- Served for five years as the first director of the John Jay French Museum
President Jimmy Carter appointed Rosine McFaddin Wilson to the Advisory Board of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Rosine McFaddin Wilson was recognized on an area level, regional level, and national level for her support of historic preservation and the arts
Here are some of the many awards she received in her lifetime:
- Recipient of two Garden Club of America preservation awards and several Magnolia Garden Club awards
- Lifetime preservation award from the Beaumont Heritage Society and
- Volunteer of the Year for the Arts award from the Southeast Texas Arts Council. S
- Outstanding Trustee Award from the Texas Association of Museums - twice
Rosine McFaddin Wilson wrote several historical articles for newspapers and magazines as well as for the Texas Gulf Historical Record and the East Texas Historical Journal.
Rosin McFaddin Wilson's family and friends will gather on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at Broussard's from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
A memorial service will take place Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 11 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 11 a.m., followed by a family committal in the Magnolia Cemetery.
