Louisiana AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

John. W. Willis

John. W. Willis, a retired agriculturist of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, was born in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1824, the third of eight children born to his parents, Joshua and Barbara A. (Winston) Willis, the former of whom was born in Virginia in, 1796. He was one of four sons and several daughters of Reuben Willis, who either came from Ireland or was a direct descendant from Irish parents. Joshua Willis grew to maturity in Virginia, and although he was but, sixteen years of age, he served in the War of 1812. In 1818 he was married to Miss Winston, also a Virginian, and a daughter of John Winston, and to them the following children were born: Mary O. (wife of Eli Harris, whose home was in this parish until she died, in 1860, leaving, besides her husband, a family of nine children), Patsey G. (became the wife of James M. Thomason, of this parish), John W. (is the subject of this sketch), Thomas N. (is a resident of Arizona, Louisiana), Ann (is the wife of W. C. Moorland, of Bienville Parish, Louisiana), Americans (who is married and is a planter of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana), James A. A. (is deceased), Sallie (was the wife of J. E. Birch, and is now deceased), and Leonora (wife of M. T. Nicholson, also residing here).

John W. Willis came to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, with his parents, in the winter of 1848, and with them located about six miles east of where Homer now stands. This region at that time was sparsely settled, and the woods abounded in wild game, which John W. was very fond of hunting. He was married in 1859 to Miss Cicely A. Nicholson, a daughter of W. B. Nicholson, formerly from Alabama. To them six children were born, four of whom were reared to maturity: James C., Ella (wife of A. G. Nelson), Ida (wife of T. H. Brown), and John Gladden (a resident of Arizona, Louisiana).

Mr. Willis is a fervent Democrat, and for some time has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1862 he enlisted in Company H, Twenty-fifth Louisiana Infantry, and served until the close of the war, then returned to Claiborne Parish and devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits until 1888, since which time he has been in the drug business with his son, James C., who is a practicing physician. The latter was born in 1865, and received a good education in the college at Arizona. At the age of seventeen years be began reading medicine with Dr. D. J. Calhoun, of Arizona, and at the age of eighteen years he was sufficiently prepared to enter the medical department of the Vanderbilt University, of Nashville, Tennessee, from which he was graduated in the spring of 1887. He immediately located at, Arizona, where he remained until 1889, when he engaged in the drug business, in connection with which he has a splendid medical practice. He was married in January, 1888, to Miss Mattie B., daughter of Dr. J. P. Taylor, of Claiborne Parish, and by her he has one child, Lillian M., who is now nearly two years old. The Doctor is connected with the Knights of Pythias, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Biographical Sketches| Claiborne Parish

Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana, Southern Publishing Company, 1890