Texas Notes

WILLIAM STEPHEN WILLIS.  A new kit has tested into our MARYLAND GROUP at the Willis Y-DNA Project.   JD Willis of Oklahoma has lineage that had been a dead-end with a William Stephen Willis 1832-1879.   It appears William Stephen was born in McMinn County,  Tennessee. I believe his father to have been another William who was in the 1830 census of McMinn.  His grandfather was likely James Willis of the same census.  These Willis men are of my late 1700s Rutherford County,  NC Willis clan.  

William Stephen possibly moved to Tallapossa County,  Alabama by 1850,  then on to Henderson County, Texas.

1850 Age 21  Tallapoosa Co, Ala  birthplace Ga, born abt 1829
1860 Age 28  Henderson Co, Tx birthplace TN, born abt 1832
1870 Age 44  Henderson Co, Tx birthplace TN, born abt 1826 

As a result of emailing back and forth with several of William Stephen's descendants,  I am starting to accumulate a bit of information about other Willis families that may be related to our Maryland Group.  As always,  lots of  puzzle pieces,  few of which fit.  So,  I thought it best to record as much of the info as I could here, acting as a repository of Alabama and Texas mysteries.

JAMES A WILLIS.  DMontgomery is pointing out to me that there is a May 27, 1843 marriage of a James Willis to Catherine Patterson in Tallapoosa Co,  Al.  

She believes this James is somehow related to William Stephen.  James then shows up:

1850 Age 22  Nacogdoches, Tx birthplace TN, born abt 1828

A couple of things are interesting about this census record.  Catherine is in the household,  but she is indicated as only 16 years old.  That would have made her nine years old at marriage.  I doubt that,  and suspect the age is a mistake.  Hopefully I will find James and Catherine in later census to clarify.

There are two young Willis children.  Silas is 3,  Milla is 1.  Silas is indicated as to have been born about 1847 in Alabama,  Millia around 1849 in Texas.  So we then know that James and Catherine moved to Texas at some point after 1847.

In addition,  it appears that 12 year old Margaret Davis is a member of this household.  This is the Margaret that eventually marries William Stephen Willis and is 22 years old in the 1860 census of William Stephen in Henderson Co, Tx, above.

The other intriguing thing is that in the 1850 census,  there is an Eliza Patterson, age 1.  In examining the underlying census record,  living next door to James Willis is a 27 year old Lewis Patterson and wife Liddy.  They appear to have 5 children.  It is possible that this Eliza is of the next door Pattersons.  But,  in the 1860 census of William Stephen in Henderson Co,  Tx,  a 13 year old Mariah Patterson shows up. Catherine must somehow be related to the Patterson children taken into their household.

CHARLES WILLIS.  In searching the census records of Texas,  I came across a 1850 census with a Charles Willis,  age 23, born in TN abt 1827,  in Rusk County, Texas.  He is living with the Windle family.  William Stephen Willis has a son,  Joseph Windle Willis, born about 1864.   There must be some relationship between this Charles and William Stephen Willis.

WORK IN PROGRESS ....