Individual Details
William Wesley Willis
(16 Aug 1811 - 8 Apr 1872)
Posted at Find-A-Grave.com: History - William Wesley Willis was born 16 August 1811 in Hamilton Co, Illinois and in 1833 married his first cousin, Margaret Jane Willis. They joined the Mormon Church and started west from Nauvoo with the main body of the Saints.
He was one of the volunteers in the Mormon Battalion, being 3rd Lieut, under Captain Jefferson Hunt. At Santa Fe New Mexico, Colonel Cook ordered all the women and children and the men who were unable to travel, back to Pueblo to spend the winter. Later on 10 Nov 1846, Lieut. W. W. Willis was ordered to take the fifty-four sick men of the ranks back to Santa Fe and then on to join the group at Pueblo. Many stories were told of the hardships of this journey and of the heartlessness of the Lieutenant. The whole group arrived in Salt Lake Valley on July 29, 1847, just five days behind the original pioneers.
The Willis family settled at Big Cottonwood, where they lived until they were called to strengthen the Southern Utah Mission in 1855, where William W. Willis was a millwright and a farmer.
He was one of the volunteers in the Mormon Battalion, being 3rd Lieut, under Captain Jefferson Hunt. At Santa Fe New Mexico, Colonel Cook ordered all the women and children and the men who were unable to travel, back to Pueblo to spend the winter. Later on 10 Nov 1846, Lieut. W. W. Willis was ordered to take the fifty-four sick men of the ranks back to Santa Fe and then on to join the group at Pueblo. Many stories were told of the hardships of this journey and of the heartlessness of the Lieutenant. The whole group arrived in Salt Lake Valley on July 29, 1847, just five days behind the original pioneers.
The Willis family settled at Big Cottonwood, where they lived until they were called to strengthen the Southern Utah Mission in 1855, where William W. Willis was a millwright and a farmer.
Events
| Birth | 16 Aug 1811 | Shawnee, Gallatin Co., Illinois | |||
| Birth | 16 Aug 1811 | Shawnee, Gallatin Co., Illinois |  | ||
| Marriage | 28 Mar 1833 | Hamilton Co., Illinois - Margaret Jane Willis | | ||
| Residence | 1850 | Great Salt Lake, Utah Territory | | ||
| Residence | 1860 | Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah | | ||
| Death | 8 Apr 1872 | Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah | | ||
| Burial | Mountain View Cemetery, Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah | |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret Jane Willis (1812 - 1850) |
| Child | Ann Cherry Willis (1833 - 1910) |
| Child | John Henry Willis (1835 - 1888) |
| Child | Mary Lucretia Willis (1837 - 1912) |
| Child | Lemuel Merrill Willis (1839 - 1878) |
| Child | Thomas Tillman Willis (1842 - 1900) |
| Child | Josephine Willis (1844 - 1905) |
| Child | William Wesley Willis (1846 - 1917) |
| Child | George Albert Willis (1848 - ) |
| Child | Margaret Jane Willis (1850 - 1855) |
Endnotes
1. Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006), Database online..
2. Find A Grave.
3. Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006), Database online..
4. Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006), Database online..
5. Ancestry.com, Public Member Trees (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006), Database online..
6. Find A Grave.