Hi Patti I am afraid you would have to say your Canadian cousin is almost certainly wrong, mind you they are not alone in that line of thought where some names are concerned Its akin to saying that all SMITHs are related or all OVINGTONs for that matter Names are derived from all sorts of places and for all sorts of reasons, some were simply taken up as they were liked, others because they worked for someone of that name, others assumed the name to gain a bequest, etc etc Its a long list :-) As you are no doubt aware WILSON or WILLSON means simply son of Will Spelling of surnames was very much a floating affair before the mid 1800's and much in the hands of the scribe recording the information and how he thought it should be spelled rather than the owner of the name Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) >I was once told by a Canadian Cousin that we are related to all Willsons > who spell their name with two "L's" Curious as our Willsons originally > came from Ireland in 1698. The line then continues from Scotland to New > Jersey and then as Loyalists left to live in Ontario Canada where they > live to this day. We also have Canadian Ellis Cousins who married > Willsons and their children are said to have moved to Saskatchewan and > Kewadin, Michigan. > Patti in Minnesota