Willis Leonidas Maxwell (1807 - 1896)

Born 8 Nov 1807 in Georgia

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine (Cooper) Maxwell — married 17 Mar 1834 (to 1896) in Camden, Madison County Mississippi

Descendants

Died 22 Mar 1896 at age 88 in Camden, Madison County, Mississippi

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Biography

He was born in Elbert county, Georgia, on November 8th, 1807. He was the ninth child of Thomas Maxwell (1768-1860) and Dully or Dolly Henry (1771-1861). He came to Mississippi in 1815 with his father and family. His sister Jemima married Joseph Owen on July 27, 1819. He was located in Madison county in 1833 near Camden, and in 1834 he married Miss Kittie Cooper, who was five years younger than himself-- their married life continued for sixty-two years. Wilson Cooper settled near the Fair River Community, and their daughter, Catherine (Kittie) Cooper, received her education at the Maxwell School. In 1830 the "Dancing Rabbit Treaty" was signed with the Choctaw Indians. This opened up a lot of new land to the north for settlers. Some of the new lands were in Madison County.

Madison County was created in 1828. Both Wilson Cooper and Willis Maxwell received land patents in Madison County soon thereafter. The Cooper land was about four miles west of Camden and the Maxwell land was about five miles north of Camden. Most of the lands in North Madison County at that time were in virgin forests. Pine trees were predominant but there was a great deal of hardwood. Willis and Kittie Cooper were married in Madison County in 1834. Willis built a small new home for them on his property north of Camden. At first, Willis was strictly in the logging business. It is likely he hauled logs, by ox teams, some 8 miles to Montgomery, a small settlement, largely on the banks of Big Black River. Montgomery was incorporated in 1836, and later when the railroad was put near that location, the community was moved to the railroad which was completed in 1858. Its name was then changed to Pickens Station. It was named after a local resident. At Montgomery, Mr. Boles operated a ferry and bought logs at the river banks. They were floated down to the Mississippi River and eventually to New Orleans where there was a good market. Willis prospered as long as the virgin forests lasted.

He appears in Madison County in 1840, 1841, 1845, 1860, 1870, and 1880 federal census records all in Madison County. In the 1840 census, he and Kitty had 3 sons and 4 slaves. In 1860 he is listed as a Planter in Canton Mississippi living with his wife and children: Mollie (2) Martha (6), Joseph (10), Sarah (13), Saml (13), and Thos (16). In the 1870 census, he is a farmer living with his wife and children Mary (10), Belle (16), Joseph (19), and Samuel (22). He and Kittie had 11 children they were:

1. William H. Maxwell (1835-1852) 2. John Wilson “Wis” Maxwell (1837-1917) 3. Willis Leonidas Maxwell (1838-1906) 4. Christopher Columbus Maxwell (1841-1848) 5. Thomas Davis Maxwell (1843-1931) 6. Sarah Ann “Sallie” Maxwell (1847-1926) 7. Samuel Alexander L. Cooper Maxwell (1847-1887) 8. Joseph C. Maxwell (1850-1923) 9. Martha C. Belle Maxwell (1854-1904) 10. Mollie W. “Mackie” Maxwell (1858-1945) 11. Mary Maxwell (1860-1870)

The land Willis had, fronting onto the main road that went east-west from Thomastown to Pickens, a distance of about 14 miles. Since Thomastown was on the old Nashville Road (Natchez Trace) and Pickens was on the Big Black River, affording passage to the Mississippi River and on to New Orleans, this was a heavily traveled road. Before the 1870s Willis and his son, Tom, were operating a business they called "Our Place" possibly on the Willis Maxwell property. A bookkeeping ledger showing business at "Our Place" in 1868 and 1869 lists much-varied merchandise. This included such items as coal, candles, candy, matches, sugar, ice, cigars, nails, lamp chimneys, coal oil, whiskey, brandy, rum, and other items both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. This was before Prohibition and during the painful days of Reconstruction. According to his obituary, Mr. Maxwell was baptized in the Primitive Baptist church, near Camden, by Mr. McDonald, and remained a faithful member until his death; and while he expressed a charitable and friendly feeling toward the other denominations that surrounded him, he remained true to his faith. "I have lived a Baptist" he would say, "and I mean to die a Baptist." Willis died after a brief illness of Pneumonia on the 22 of March 1896. Buried at Camden Cemetery, Camden, Madison County Mississippi.

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #119933929