Willis,Daniel Hubbard and Julia Ann Graham Willis, Family of;
Rapides, Louisiana
Submitter of Org. File: Randy Willis
Submitter of Text File: Jo Branch
Date: 28 Jun 2004




**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************
 
    
Daniel Hubbard Willis, Jr. and Julia Ann Graham Willis
Daniel H. Willis, Jr. was born April 2, 1839. He died May 22, 1900 [his obituary is in the obituary section of the archives].  He enlisted in the Civil War in Capt. Raxdale's Co. E, 16th Louisiana Regiment.    He married Julia Ann Graham born February 22, 1845 and died September 28, 1936.   They married January 10, 1867 at the home of her father, Robert Graham.  When Daniel asked Robert Graham for Julia Ann's hand in marriage, Robert asked if he could feed her.   Daniel replied that he had a horse, a milk cow, a barrel of corn and a barrel of molasses.  Robert responded, "My goodness, son, you have enough to marry several of my daughters."  Later three of Daniel's brothers would marry three of Julia Ann's sisters.
Julia was reared a Methodist but later joined the Baptist Church and was a devoted Christian.  She read the Bible daily.  We use to joke and say "she didn't think there would be anyone but Baptist in Heaven."  Her hobby was making quilts and she kept the family supplied with her hand work.
She was bitten by a ground rattler at the age of 75 and survived with home remedies. Her  son, Dr. Daniel Oscar Willis, said at the time she would live to 90,  she lived to be 92.  She was a very wonderful and  remarkable woman, a real pioneer."
Another grandchild of Julia Ann, my uncle, Howard Willis, told me she would sit on the front porch of the Old Willis Place and eat an orange and later eat the orange peal. He ask her why she ate the peal and she said "I don't know, I think it's good for you."  He said "she would read her red-lettered Bible on the front porch and then sometimes pull out her late husband Daniel's  Civil War picture and get a tear in her eye."  He died 36 years before her.