Brief Life History of William S
When William S Willis was born on 1 September 1831, in Indiana, United States, his father, George W. Willis, was 23 and his mother, Elizabeth Johnson, was 16. He married Sarah S. Clark on 24 July 1851, in Pike, Indiana, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 3 daughters. He lived in Madison Township, Pike, Indiana, United States for about 10 years and Mount Vernon, Posey, Indiana, United States in 1870. He died on 17 November 1872, at the age of 41, and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Posey, Indiana, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (17)
- William S Willis, "United States Census, 1870"
- W S Crunk, "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019"
- William S Willis, "Find A Grave Index"
Spouse and Children
Children (6)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1832 · The Black Hawk War
Convinced that a group of Native American tribes were hostile, The United States formed a frontier militia to stop them in their tracks. Even though Black Hawk was hoping to avoid bloodshed while trying to resettle on tribal land, U.S. officials opened fire on the Native Americans. Black Hawk then responded to this confrontation by successfully attacking the militia at the Battle of Stillman's Run and then left northward. After a few months the militia caught up with Black Hawk and his men and defeated them at the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. While being weakened by hunger, injuries and desertion, Black Hawk and the rest of the many native survivors retreated towards the Mississippi. Unfortunately, Black Hawk and other leaders were later captured when they surrendered to the US forces and were then imprisoned for a year.
1836 · The Massive Internal Improvements Act
The Massive Internal Improvements Act of 1836 loaned Indiana $10,000,000 to create infrastructure such as canals, railroads, and roads across the state. The act was signed by Whig Governor Noah Noble and passed by the Indiana General Assembly. However, the financial crisis known as the Panic of 1837 thwarted these plans as costs ballooned. Construction on the infrastructure was not completed and the state debt rapidly increased.
1846
U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.
Name Meaning
variant of Will with genitival -s. This surname represents a retention of the second syllable, introduced by the addition of the Middle English genitival suffix -es, which would have been pronounced in the Middle English period. Compare Wills . In some cases the name is a variant of Willey , with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s.
variant of Willows .
English:
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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