History/family; Five generations
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randy@randywillis.org
 
Five generations beginning with:
 
1)    Rev Joseph Willis (b. ca. 1758; d. Sept. 14, 1854) had a son named  William 
Willis ( b. Jan. 6, 1804;  d. Nov. 24, 1881) who is buried at Humble Cemetery -  
Elizabeth,  Louisiana;  he married Rhoda Strother.
 
2)   William Willis had a son named Joseph "Joe" Willis (b. Apr. 5, 1847; 
d. Dec. 3, 1912), he   married Annie/Anna (b. Sept. 23, 1834; d. Dec. 23, 1880).
 
3)    This Joseph "Joe" Willis had a son named Romelzy  Willis (b. Aug. 25, 1874; 
d. Feb. 24, 1929).  He married his first wife, Emma Thompson (b. Jul. 31, 1878; 
d. Feb. 2, 1914) and later married a second wife, Nettie Dyer.
 
4)    Romelgy is listed in the 1880 Rapides Parish, Louisiana Census as age 5 
and as a child of Joseph  and Annie Willis (born in P/Rhumatism, La. ?).  
Romelzy's siblings listed in the same census are: Arcilla (age 13) , Olive (age 11), 
Tramelia (age 9), and Lucinda (age 3).  The spellings on these names are probably wrong.  
 
I interviewed Rev. Elmer Perkins, from De Ridder, Louisiana,  in 1980. He died the 
next year at age 77.  He said William William had a son named Joe Willis and Joe 
had a son named Romelzy Willis. Rev. Perkins said Romelzy had two sisters,  he 
could remember: Olive and Drucilla.  
 
On May 18, 1981 I received a letter from Dovie Dyer Strother. I quote from that 
letter: "My name is Dovie Dyer Strother. My parents were Mach Dyer and Lillie 
Mae Willis, both deceased...My mothers parents were Romelzy Willis and Emmie 
Thompson Willis....My mothers grandfather was Joe Willis and her grandmothers 
name was Annie..."  Dovie Dyer Strother said that Romelzy had three sisters 
named Amelia or Bess Willis who married Reben Cloud,  Arisley Willis who married 
John Coker and Olive Willis who married Harvey Odom.
 
According to Dovie Dyer 's letter, Romelzy Willis  had two wives; the first wife 
was Emma/Emmie Thompson and the second wife was Nettie Dyer.
 
5)    Romelzy Willis  and Emma/Emmie Willis' children:
 
Pickney Willis (b.  January 14, 1892)
Fenwick Willis (b. September 7, 1893)
Lillie Mae (b. June 29, 1895; married a Dyer)
Dovie Willis (b. July 10, 1897)
Lonzy Willis (b. October 10, 1898)
McKinley Willis (b. February 28, 1901)
Dewey Willis (b. May 20, 1903)
Nellie Willis (b. October 7, 1905; married a West)
Mertie Willis (b. October 16, 1907; married a West) Twins
Vertie Willis (b. October 16, 1907' married a Cloud) Twins
Bessie Willis (b. April 10, 1910; married a Willis)
Stacy Willis (b.  January 28, 1912; married a Doyle)
Willie Willis (b. February 3, 1914)
 
Romelzy Willis  and  Nettie Dyer Willis' children:
 
Rhoda Willis (married a Johnson)
Ivey Willis
Irene Willis (married a Brockenbush?)
James Calvin or J.C. Willis
Grover Willis
Olive Willis
Pharoah or Buddy