WILLIS, WILLIAM, was born Sept. 23, 1775, in North Carolina. His father, Jacob Willis, was born in Wales, but whether he was married before or after coming to America is not known to his descendants. He enlisted in the Revolutionary army and was killed in battle about 1780, leaving a widow and the son, whose name heads this sketch. His widow married James Phillips, and about the year 1783 moved to the vicinity of Crab Orchard, Kentucky, taking William with them. He grew to manhood there, and then went to Adair county, Kentucky, where he was married to Elizabeth Steel. They had eight children, and Mrs. Willis died October, 1822. Mr. Willis was married to Martha Morrison. They had three children, and moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving in the fall of 1830 in what is now Gardner township. He brought all his children except the three eldest sons. Of all his children--

HENRY, born April 20, 1803, in Kentucky, married June 7, 1825, to Rhoda Cooley, had six children, and came to Sangamon county in the fall of 1836. He moved back to Kentucky one year later, had three children there, and all returned to Sangamon county in 1848, except their only daughter, who died young. Of their eight sons, JACOB married, and he and his wife died, leaving a son, now in Texas. JOHN married, has five children, and lives in DeWitt county, Ill. GEORGE W. went to California in 1852, and has not been heard of in eight years. WILLIAM T., born Feb. 6, 1834, enlisted August, 1862, in Co. B, 114th Ill. Inf., for three years, was wounded at the battle of Guntown, Mississippi, June 10, 1864, and died ten days later. EDMOND, born Nov. 18, 1835 married June 7, 1869, to Ellen M. Pitcher, have two children, ADAM F. and CARLOS E., and live near Salisbury, Illinois. JAMES D., born June 10, 1838, enlisted in Co. D, 33d Ill. Inf., August, 1861, for three years, served full term, re-enlisted as a veteran in 1864, married Elizabeth Hall, and died on shipboard May 15, 1865, between Mobile and New Orleans. ADAM C., born Jan. 10, 1840, enlisted August, 1861, in Co. D, 33d Ill. Inf., for three years, served full term, re-enlisted as a veteran January, 1864. He was wounded by a railroad accident near New Orleans, March 1, 1865, and died March 5, 1865. About three hundred Union soldiers were killed and wounded at the same time. PARKER H., born Nov. 19, 1842, married Mary A. R. Ward, have three children, and live in Salisbury township. Henry Willis and wife reside near Salisbury, Sangamon county, Illinois.

LAVINA, born March 31, 1805, married in Kentucky to John Cooley. They came to Sangamon county with her father and had eight children. Two of their sons, WILLIS and JOSEPH Cooley, were soldiers in the 114th Ill. Inf., and both died of disease in the army at Memphis, Tennessee. Three sons and three daughters, all married, live in Kansas. John Cooley died in Sangamon county, and his widow lives with her children in Kansas.

JACOB, born Jan. 24, 1807, in Adair county, Kentucky, married there Jan. 29, 1828, to Lucinda T. Barger, a sister to Rev. John S. Barger, of Bloomington, Illinois. She was born May 20, 1814, in West Virginia. They had two children in Kentucky, and they moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving Oct. 8, 1833, in what is now Gardner township, between Richland and Prairie creeks, where they had seven children. Of their children, ANN E., born Nov. 4, 1829, married James R. Stone, have four children, and reside at Wichita, Kansas. JAMES S. B., born July 9, 1833, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Mary A. Campbell. They have four children, and live near Clinton, Illinois. SARAH E., born May 30, 1835, married Jason Miller. See his name. FRANCIS M., born Oct. 30, 1837, married Milicent Ann Turner, have two children, and live at Wapella, DeWitt county, Illinois. JOHN W., born July 10, 1842, married Danelia W. Sayre, have two children, and live near Wapella, Illinois. LAURA B., born Feb. 9, 1844, married William B. Capron, have three children, and live near Wapella, Illinois. MARY A., born Oct. 9, 1846, married Henry C. Porter, have three children, and live near Clinton, Illinois. VINCENT H., born Oct. 9, 1846, married Helen M. Wadleigh. He is a traveling preacher in the M. E. church, and was on Twin Grove circuit, near Bloomington, in 1873. ELBERT F., born Jan. 15, 1851, married Oct. 8, 1872, to Laura A. Jameson, have one child, and live in Gardner township. Mrs. Lucinda T. Willis died Oct. 20, 1866, and Jacob Willis was married June 29, 1869, to Mrs. Charlotle R. Laborence, who was previously Mrs. Capron, and whose maiden name was Dodge. She was born April 7, 1814, at Albany, New York, and came to Sangamon county in 1854. She had three children by her first marriage, and five by her second. Of her children, CATHARINE D. Capron married Jacob Perlier, have six children, and lives near Wapella, Illinois. WILLIAM D. Capron married Laura B. Willis, and resides near Wapella. CHARLES S. Capron married Mary Batterton, and lives near Palmer, Illinois. PACHEL Laborence married Oliver Ross. See his name. CHARLOTTE D. married Edward East. They had one child, and Mrs. Charlotte D. East died Jan. 2, 1874, in Bates county, Missouri, and her remains were brought to Salisbury, Illinois, and buried there. John A. Laborance lives at Colorado Springs, California. Laura W. married David East, and lives in Missouri, near Metz, Kansas. Annie E. Laborance was married Feb. 17, 1875, to Charles V. Durgy, and lives ten miles south of Bloomington, Illinois.

Jacob Willis died March 31, 1876, and his widow lives at the homestead near where Mr. Willis' father settled in 1833, in Gardner township, near Cross Plains post office, Sangamon county, Illinois.

WILLIAM, Jun., born May 22, 1809, married Melinda Thurman. They had seven children, and she died March 24, 1852, and he married Tasty Daniels. They had ten children, and he died. The family reside in Logan county. William Willis, Jun., has but one child living in Sangamon county, namely, NANCY J., by the first wife, married Asa W. Plunkett. See his name. His son, JOHN M. Willis was a soldier in Co. F, 114th Ill. Inf., and died at Memphis, Tennessee.

ELIZABETH, born Oct. 27, 1812, married James M. Brown. See his name.

CLARISSA, born Dec. 28, 1814, married Lewis Campbell. They have eight children. Their daughter LEAH married John Slater. See his name. Lewis Campbell and family live near Athens, Menard county, Illinois.

JOHN, born Jan. 5, 1818, married Caroline Pierce, had eight children, and lives near Kirksville, Wapello county, Iowa.

NANCY, born Nov. 20, 1820, married C. R. Pierce, have ten children, and lives at Greenview, Menard county, Illinois.

MARY, born May 3, 1824, married Joseph Staklin, and she died at Beardstown, Illinois, in 1846.

JANE, born July 19, 1825, married Archie Town, have five children, and live near Lincoln, Logan county, Illinois.

PARTHENIA, born April 15, 1827, married John Moore, have three living children, and live at Wichita, Kansas.

MARIA MORRISON, step daughter to William Willis, Sen., married in Kentucky to William Ross. See his name.

Mrs. Martha Willis died in 1842, and William Willis, Sen., died July 9, 1866, both in Garden township, Sangamon county. He was ninety years, nine months and sixteen days old.