Pike-Lamar County GaArchives News.....Willis Celebrates His 92nd Birthday June 2 1938
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Lynn Cunningham http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002535 January 15, 2005, 9:45 am

The Barnesville News-Gazette, June 2, 1938
The Monroe county friends of H.F. Willis, who lives in a section of Lamar which 
was formerly included in Pike County, will be interested in the following 
article:

Henry Frank Willis, Lamar county’s sole survivor of the War of the States, 
observed his ninety-second birthday Thursday, the 9th. The son of H.F. Willis 
and Martha Poe Willis, he was born in Telfair county May 5, 1846, but early in 
childhood removed with his parents to Liberty Hill near Goggins. He was one of 
nine children, five sons and four daughters. The five sons and their father 
served in the Confederate army. One of the sons, John Willis, lost his life at 
Missionary Ridge.

Henry Frank Willis enlisted at the age of fifteen. Injured in the foot, he was 
detailed to Macon, where he was doing duty at the time of the surrender. Jesse 
Andrews of Griffin was his captain under General Bragg. After the war, he was 
married to Miss Mary Ann Dumas, whose grandfather was one of the wealthy men of 
middle Georgia. Nine children were born to this couple, five daughters and four 
sons, all now living except Herbert, the second eldest son, who died several 
years ago. The family now consists of more than a hundred grandchildren, great 
grandchildren and great great grandchildren.

In 1865, Mr. Willis joined the Primitive Baptist church at Union (now Goggins) 
where he has been a consistent member for seventy-two years. At the centennial 
of the church last summer he was honored as the oldest living member. He does 
not dwell on the story of the war, though he has vivid recollections of the 
horrible struggle. He prefers to talk of the church and its greta benefit to 
mankind. All of his children were baptized, and of this he is very proud. One 
of his grandsons is Judge Earl W. Butler of the Macon city court.

Mr. Willis says he walks with difficulty, and as his eyes are now so dim, he 
doesn’t think it would be practical for him to make the trip to Gettysburg when 
the government pays the expenses of the blue and gray veterans and their aides. 
He thinks the coming together of the remnants of the two sides will help to 
relieve that strain that once broke their affections. “I am thinking of a more 
important reunion than that,” he says. - Miss Obie Manry

From Georgia Death Index:
Name: Henry F Willis
Death Date: 21 Jan 1943
County of Death: Lamar
Gender: M
Race: W
Age: 97 years
Certificate: listed twice as 3871 and 3875 

Buried at Union Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Lamar County Georgia

Additional Comments:
Record obtained from Old Jail Museum and Archives, Barnesville, Georgia. 
Compiled by Shanna English

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/pike/newspapers/nw1921willisce.txt

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