Bios: Willis Family, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by: Laura L. Weatherford, 161 White Oak Lane, Natchitoches, LA 71457 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Source: Enterprise -- News-American, Thursday, November 21, 1964 WINN PARISH AS I HAVE KNOWN IT by H.B. Bozeman Article 386 The Willis Family of Winn Parish have a very interesting family genealogical history, reaching back to the colonial days of Georgia and North Carolina, which has never been assembled, edited and printed -- However, at the present time one of their kinswomen, Miss Mary Alice Willis of Gulfport, Mississippi, is trying to do so. I sincerely hope all my Willis friends here and elsewhere in Louisiana will cooperate with Miss Mary Alice Willis in making her efforts successful. Since printing a series of articles in the Enterprise two years ago, listing the names of early pioneer settlers of Winn Parish who were granted U.S. Land Patents prior to the Civil War, I have gotten several hundred letters and many personal calls from their living descendants and relatives. In their letters and visits to see me, their purpose is to get more data about the families of their Winn Parish kinfolks -- data that will help them to complete the genealogical history of their families. This past week end, Miss Mary Alice Willis, 811 Second Street, Gulfport, Mississippi, while here checking public records and contacting her Willis relatives and their friends, came by to see me. Miss Mary Alice Willis is seeking Willis family data for a complete genealogical history of the arrival of their first Colonial Willis family in America, from the American progenitor down to his youngest Willis descendent in the United States. Here in Winn Parish the Willis family is one of the largest and most highly respected early pioneer families of the parish. After meeting and talking with Miss Willis, I am convinced that she is qualified in every respect to successfully complete the arduous and laborious task she has assumed writing " A Genealogical History of the Willis Family in America." Miss Willis after graduating from college was an outstanding Mississippi school teacher for several years, but for a number of years, before her recent retirement, she was head of a public relations department for the largest operating electric utility company in Mississippi. She would like for all the Willis families of this area to send to her information about their own relatives. Many of the Willis families of Winn Parish I know well. However, none of them know for sure where their Willis' ancestors came from before coming to Winn Parish. From Miss Willis' records they definitely were from Warren County, Georgia. Warren County on the Savannah River, that separates Georgia and South Carolina. Warren county once was part of Wilkes County, as was several other NE Georgia counties up the Savannah River from Augusta. This old Wilkes County area, before, during and after the Revolutionary War was settled largely by immigrants from the Wilkes County section of North Carolina, and they brought along the name of Wilkes County to Georgia. According to Lucian Lamar Knight, the best historian concerning early pioneer Georgia families names the Willis family of Wilkes County, North Carolina, as being a very prominent political and business leader of NE Georgia, just after the Revolutionary War -- and in 1796, Col. Willis and Judge Benjamin Talliaferro of Wilkes County had a political "falling out," that lead to a duel, that they went across the Savannah River into South Carolina to fight -- Col. Willis was wounded but Judge Talliaferro escaped unscathed -- their "honor" was upheld by both men, and the feud ended. This should be of interest to our present day Willises of Winn Parish and the Talliaferros of Catahoula Parish, and maybe others, too. According to Miss Willis of Gulfport, Mississippi, she and our Winn Parish Willis Families are descended from Jacob Willis and Sarah Rogers Willis who were married in Warren County, Georgia September 17, 1809. They were the parents of 13 children who were: Noah, Jacob, Ezekiel, Thomas Warren, William, Alfred, Franklin Edwin, James, Elizabeth, Mary, Angeline, Eveline, Caroline, and Martha. Noah Willis was one of the charter members of the Hebron Baptist Church when it was founded in 1845. Born in Warren County, Georgia. Jacob Ezekiel Willis, whose wife's maiden name was Wooten were the parents of T.C. (Cicero) Willis, Joe Willis, and Martha Willis Meyers of the Hebron Church Community. Born Warren County, Georgia. Thomas Warren Willis, no information except he was born in Warren County, Georgia. William Willis married Miss Jane Peters and lived in the Hebron Church community. Their son, the late Mr. Luther Willis was the father of Henry T. Willis deceased, and Mrs. Stella Willis Jones of Winnfield and Horace L. Willis, Pineville, and Herbert Willis of Baton Rouge. William Willis was born in Warren County, Georgia. Alfred Willis, grandfather of Miss Mary Alice Willis of Gulfport born in Warren County Georgia, died in Washington County, Mississippi. I have no information about the other 13 children of Jacob and Sarah Rogers Willis of Warren County, Georgia. I hope all my Willis friends here in Louisiana will help their kinswoman of Gulfport, Mississippi put together a Willis genealogical history. Today, all big business corporations, Federal and State personnel departments in evaluating applicants for all important positions, scrutinize carefully the applicants' family background. If applicants have available a favorable family genealogical history reaching back five generations, it often helps them get the "job" ahead of others.