Thomas "Big Tom" D. Wilson was born in Yancey County, North Carolina, on December 1, 1825. Wilson was a prominent game hunter and guide in Western North Carolina. He is best remembered for finding the remains of Dr. Elisha Mitchell in 1857. Wilson died in Yancey County on February 1, 1908. His heirs sold 95 acres of property on Mount Mitchell to the State of North Carolina in the efforts to conserve the mountain.