Hugh Wilson Paul was born 12 March, 1854, in a stone cottage with a thatched roof on a cluster farm in the townloand of Carrickokielt near the ancient church village of Maghera, County Londonderry, Ireland, where 15 acres would support a family.

His father, David Paul, was the son of James Paul of The Mullagh townland some two miles away and his mother was Martha Ann Wilson Paul, daughter of Ezekiel Wilson, whose family had lived in the townland of Moneymore two miles in the other direction since at least 1720 when the family's two story stone home was built by an ancestor named Hugh Wilson. Martha Ann was named for her paternal grandmother; her paternal grandfather was also named Ezekiel.

Hugh Wilson Paul was actually the second son, but his older brother Ezekiel, was born in 1852 and died in 1853 before Hugh's birth in 1854. As the oldest living son, it is unusual that he chose to come to America and it is uncertain when he came. His first naturalization papers were filed in District Court at WaKeeney on 19 March, 1888, indicating that he had been in America since 1883 at least.

His younger brother, James, born in 1856, also came to America and worked as an accountant in Omaha and Pueblo. On occasions he came to visit Hugh and their younger brother, David, who joined Hugh in ranching operations near Weskan.

Hugh and David were located on land on Willow Creek near the Kansas-Colorado line by land agent Ed Carter after having bought tickets on the Union Packific to the town farthest west in Kansas, which was Weskan. The Willow Creek area was described as "Paradise Valley" and there was water, grass and nobody.

Notes in The Weskansan confirm that Paul Brothers Ranch was an active one, with their own cattle plus offers to summer cattle and a few head of horses in 1889. Several thousand forest and fruit trees were planted. They used Colorado range and dug some 20 wells in 1893 for their cattle in Colorado. Cattle ranged as far away as Kit Carson. Their brand was P. When ready for market, the cattle were taken to Kansas City by train.

In March, 1894, Paul Brothers rented the Sam Yoxall ranch ‏(now the Jim Walker place)‏ on the Smokey for four years, and Hugh and Mr. Yoxall went to Arizona in April to buy sheep to drive back to Wallace County. Intending to arrive back by September., Hugh actually walked in on 11 October with 2000 sheep and 6 burros, which he had driven on foot from near Flagstaff, Arizona, wearing out 5 pairs of shoes on the journey.

They kept the sheep only until July, 1896, when, after selling the wool in June, they sold the sheep and invested in 3602 head of cattle, never again having sheep.

In 1897 Paul Brothers moved operations to their property on Willow Creek again and constructed outbuildings modeled after those in their native Ireland, with cattle sheds, granaries, chicken houses and pig shelters connected to minimize cold from the Kansas winds.

They began buying land adjacent to their property and proved up on timber claims. In 1899 Hugh bid for land being sold for delinquent taxes at $25.00 per quarter section. ‏(160 acres)‏

Family records are not clear about when Hugh returned to Ireland. Their father died 7 January, 1894. Their brother, Charles John, born in 1860, owned a children's "drapery" ‏(clothing)‏ store in Dublin and another brother, William, born in 1864, was called home from his studies toward becoming a teacher to assume responsibilities on the family farm at Carrickokielt.

Thus the fifth son, not the first living, inherited the family land. It is thought that the transfer of Wallace County land in April, 1901, to David was because he bought Hugh's share. Hugh's descendants in Ireland found his rent receipt dated 1901 for a house called "Over the Hill" in Grillagh townload, not far from Moneymore where his mother's family lived.

Hugh married Sarah Craig from the neighboring village of Dungiven and Presbyterian records in Maghera show they were reinstated as communicants in 1903. He purchased "Over the Hill" in 1907. They had seven children. His mother died in 1909. Hugh died in 1912 and Sarah died in 1914 ‏[1914 scored out with "1921 approx" handwritten above]‏ leaving four living orphaned children. The oldest were Sarah, aged 14, and Thomas Alexander, aged 13. These children managed to keep the family together and work the farm so that descendants of Hugh Wilson Paul are still living on it and farming it today.