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Abner Willis (abt. 1775 - aft. 1840)

Abner Willis
Born about [location unknown]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 17 Mar 1803 in Wythe County, Virginiamap
Descendants descendants
Died after after about age 65 [location unknown]
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Profile last modified | Created 1 Jul 2012
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Contents

Birth

Birth:
Place: Unknown

Death

Death:
Date: After 1840, apparently just disappeared (see below)


Family Story

Abner and Eve Willis Family Story as compiled by William M. Willis.

Note an update version is maintained at: http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Abner_Willis_and_Eve_Sifers:A_family_biography


As prepared by William M. Willis (Adapted)

Abner Willis was born about 1775 and died after 1840 His parents have not been identified, nor has his place of birth or death been established. Family tradition says that he was Irish and "came across the water". There is nothing to confirm this tradition, but it is likely that Abner was of the same Scotch-Irish ancestry common in southwest Virginia at this time Tax records place him in the general area of Saltville prior to his marriage to Eve Sifers in 1803. Pre-1800 records for southwestern Virginia indicate that there were families bearing the surname 'Willis' in the area. Abner may be related to these families but no connection has been established.

Abner Willis died sometime after 1840. The last record showing him as alive is the 1840 census. According to grandson James Willis he disappeared one day after an argument with his wife. "Our people never heard from him any more except once when he stopped that day at an Aistrop's. It was believed that he went back to the old country." Albert Dickenson, a descendant of Abner and Eve living in the Little Cedar Creek area, also knew of this story when interviewed in 1969.

"A Willis, I think it was Abner, had a family argument. The family had a large loom for weaving. He got up in the middle of the night, cut the bolt from the loom, and disappeared." James Willis said that he thought that Abner had 'gone back to the old country', but there is nothing to support that. Perhaps the original oral tradition was that he "went back to live with his family". Since James Willis thought Abner was 'Irish' he may have taken this to mean 'he went back to the old country.' Where he actually went is speculative. Based on the place of marriage it is plausible that his family was somewhere in southwest Virginia, perhaps near Wytheville. If so, it may be that he went to live with them. While no further trace of him has been found, by 1856 the family certainly considered him dead. Whether they knew that as a fact, or just had not seen him for a long enough time to consider him dead, is not known. The previously mentioned land transaction identifies his children as 'heirs of Abner Willis'. Further, in 1873, Eve filed a complaint against 'Abner Willis, deceased' in a request for assignment of dower. On 6 Mar. 1873

On a motion of Eva Willis it is ordered that Abram Buckles, Robert Johnson, and T.J. Hawkins do lay off and assign her dower in the land of her late husband Abner Willis, deceased., and make due return there of to the court.

A few months later (4 Jun. 1873)

On a motion of William Dickenson, and Isaac Willis, two of the heirs of Abner Willis deceased, by their attorney, and it appearing to the court that Eva Willis the widow of the said Abner Willis deceased, is entitled to dower in the real estate of her said husband died, seized and possessed, and the said heirs desiring that her douer should be assigned her...the court appointed Jack Carter, Thomas J. Hawkins, and Robert Johnson commissioners to assign to the said Eva Willis her dower in the lands of her late husband Abner Willis deceased...

While the outcome of this case is clear and straight forward, there may have been a family disagreement over this. In the same entry as above

David Munsey by his attorney appeared in court and objected, and asked that the said motion be continued until next term, where upon the court refused to continue the matter, and at the insistence of the said Wm. Dickenson, and Isaac Willis, the heirs foresaid, the court appointed ...

David Munsey and William Dickenson had married daughters of Abner and Eve, while Isaac Willis was their son. We can not tell from this what the issue was, but it appears that the children were not in agreement over how Abner's property should be disposed.

After Abner's disappearance Eve lived first with her son Amos and his family, appearing in the 1850 census in his household. Amos moved to Buchannan County during the mid 1850's. In the 1860 census Eve is found in the household of William Dickenson. The last records for her are those dealing with her request for dower in 1873. It is likely that she is buried in the Dickenson family cemetery on Little Cedar Creek, since she had been living with the William Dickenson family. It is possible that this was the original Willis home place, being occupied after Abner's disappearance by Amos Willis and his family, and later by William Dickenson and his family. Possession of the home site may have been the subject of dispute with David Munsey.

James Willis' interview in 1929 is a valuable source of information on the family of Abner Willis and Eve Sifers. There are several points in this interview that have led to some confusion in understanding of the family history. In particular, James gave his grandmother's name as 'Eve Jeems', and his grandfather's name as 'Absolom Willis'. With regard to his grandmother's maiden name, no 'Jeems' family has been identified in the records of southwestern Virginia. It is thought that 'Jeems' (as recorded in the interview), was a transliteration of the mountain pronunciation of 'James'. James Willis' father, Amos (1818-1882) married Winnie Anderson, the daughter of Andrew Anderson (1790-1876) and Nancy James (ca. 1800-1867). Thus, James Willis' maternal grandmother was Nancy James. It is thought that during the interview the name of James Willis' maternal grandmother was confused with that of his paternal grandmother----hence 'Eve Jeems' was given as his grandmother.

Concerning his grandfathers given name, there is very little question that the formal name of James' paternal grandfather was 'Abner', rather than Absolom Willis. The evidence for this is quite solid, but there are several pieces of information that indicate that he was also known as 'Absolom', at least within the family. Since the James Willis interview has been widely distributed, many have understandably accepted 'Absolom' as the father of Amos Willis. The following supplies the evidence that supports 'Abner' as Amos' father.

1. According to James Willis "Amos was my father and was the youngest of the family. He married in Russell County, then moved to the ridge near the mouth of Pound River [now in Buchannan County]. He had two children then, Andy and Meredith" [2]. The adult history of Amos Willis can be traced beginning with the 1850 Russell County census which shows him as head of household ( b.1822), with wife Winnie (b. 1823), and sons Andy (b. 1846) and Meredith (b. 1849). Ages of all individuals in this Amos Willis family, agree within a few years of the DOB's given in subsequent records for Amos and Winnie Willis in Buchannan County. This shows that the Amos Willis family in Buchannan County is the same as the Amos Willis family in Russell County.

2. The 1850 census of Russell County shows Eve Willis, (b. 1780) living with Amos Willis and wife Winnie. This connects Eve Willis, wife of Abner, with the Amos Willis who latter moved to Buchannan County.

3. Both James Willis (of Dickenson/Buchannan County) and Albert Dickenson (of Russell County) tell essentially the same story about the disappearance of Abner/Absolom Willis. The stories are so similar that they undoubtedly deal with the same event. Thus, even if they knew the persons by different first names, its clear that they were talking about the same individual.

4. Census records for Russell County show an Abner Willis in 1820, 1830, and 1840. They do not show an Absolom Willis during this time period.

5. Court records dealing with Eve Willis' request for dower identify her husband as 'Abner Willis, deceased'.

6. The land transaction in 1856 identifies the heirs of Abner Willis, including Amos Willis.

7. Russell County Death Records for several of the children of this couple identify their parents as 'Abner and Eve Willis'. None identify their father as 'Absolom Willis. (NB: The Dickenson County Death Record for Amos Willis differs in this regard. See Below).

Thus there is substantial data consistent with the conclusion that the father of Amos Willis, and grandfather of James C. Willis, was usually known as Abner Willis. Nonetheless, there is reason to believe that Abner was also known as 'Absolom'.

1. The James Willis interview identifies his grandfather as 'Absolom Willis'.

2. While none of the known grandchildren of Abner Willis were named 'Abner', at least two were named 'Absolom'. (Isaac, eldest son of Abner named his eldest child 'Absolom'; Jane H. Willis, who married Samuel Able Perry, named one of their middle sons 'William Absolom'.) The names 'Abner' and 'Absolom' occur infrequently in southwestern Virginia. To have 'Absolom' appear twice amongst the grandchildren of Abner and Eve Willis, implies a family connection.

3. Between 1816 and 1822 John Bates sold three pieces of property on Little Cedar Creek to individuals with the surname of Willis. Two of these were to Absolom Willis, and one was to Abner Willis. This may indicate two separate individuals, but the pieces of property seem to be adjacent to each other, and it is thought that the same individual was involved in all three purchases.

4. The Dickenson County Death Register entry for Amos Willis indicates that he was born in Russell Co., and that his parents were 'Absalom (sic) and Eva Willis.'

Thus, there is some reason to believe that the husband of Eve Willis was known as both 'Abner' and 'Absolom'. T.L. Willis (grandson of James C. Willis) speculated that he may have been known informally as 'Abs' and that this may have been occasionally interpreted as 'Absolom'. That might explain the land transaction under the name 'Absolom', as well as the Dickenson County Death Register entry, but would not explain why two of the grandchildren were named Absolom. It is possible that his full name was 'Abner Absolom', though that would not follow the typical of naming practices in the area. (The use of middle names was uncommon at the time of Abner/Absolom's birth ca. 1775.)

Overall, it would seem that Abner's formal name was 'Abner', but that he was probably known commonly as 'Absolom', especially in the Amos Willis line. There is at least one other instance of a 'hidden' name occurring in the family. Meredith Willis, son of Amos Willis and Winnie Anderson, is almost always referred to in the records as 'Meredith J. Willis'. The 1870 census record, however, lists him as 'Amos, Jr.'. It is unlikely that his full name was 'Amos Meredith J. Willis', though four part names do occasionally appear in the records of southwest Virginia. Thus 'Amos Jr.', seems to be a name used within the family, perhaps in the same way as 'Absolom' is thought to have been used to refer to Abner Willis.


Sources

William M. Willis


http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Abner_Willis_and_Eve_Sifers:A_family_biography

1810 US Census; Washington, Virginia; Roll: 71; Page: 220; Image: 0181431; Family History Library Film: 00438.

1820 US Census; Lebanon, Russell, Virginia; Page: 157; NARA Roll: M33_141; Image: 170

1830 US Census; Russell, Virginia; Page: 173; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 199; Family History Film: 0029678.

1840 US Census; Russell, Virginia; Roll: 577; Page: 9; Image: 22; Family History Library Film: 0029692.





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Abner by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Abner:

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Comments: 1

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Abner's place of birth is unknown. the reference to "Wythe, Hampton, Virginia" is probably based on the belief that he was born in Wythe County, Virginia. There is a "Wythe, Hampton, Virginia" but its in tidewater Virginia. That not an unlikely place for a "Willis" to be born as there are many "Willis'" in the area, but as far as I know there is no original source documentation to support that he was born there. One could randomly pick any area in the Tide water, from the southern Virginia border north to the Maryland state line, and be exactly as right about where he was born as picking Wythe, Hampton Virginia.

The idea that he was born in "Wythe" is probably based on the fact that the banns for his marriage with Eva Sifert were posted in Wythe County. At the time both he and Eva are known to have been living in Washington County Virginia. Eva was born in Wythe County, and known to the community there, which is probably why the banns were published in what was probably her families church. Zero evidence that Abner was from Wythe County.

The view that he was born in Wythe County is at least plausible, though unlikely. That view is undiluted based on the belief that he and Eva were married there. That is based on the Rev. John Stangers records announcement of the publication of their banns. Eve's family had been living in Wythe County, and presumably knew the Rev. Stanger. Marriage by banns is an alternative to obtaining a marriage license and posting bond, Its intent was to ensure that the marriage was proper. That was achieved by publicly posting the banns (intention to marry) on the the church door. The Sifers had recently moved from Wythe to settle in Washington County near Saltville, and posting the banns on the door of Rev. Stangers church probably met the requirement that they be posted in the community of the bride and that of the groom. That doesn't mean that Abner had ever lived in Wythe County. Where his version of the banns were published is unknown. We have NO original source information about him prior to his appearance in Washington County tax records of 1801. It is far more likely that the couple met in Washington County, and that's probably where they were joined as man and wife. Eva was probably born in Wythe, but nothing much can be said about where Abner was born.

posted by Bill Willis
edited by Bill Willis

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