Merrill was the son of McKenzie and Mary Polly (Logsdon) Willis and the brother of Edward "Ned," Anna, Susan, Amanda, Martha, William, Mariam, and Lucinda. He was born on the Locust Branch of the Red Lick area in Estill County, Kentucky, in 1830. He married Mahala Coyle in 1848. According to the 1850 US Census, Merrill and Mahala were living in Estill County and had a one-year-old daughter, Lucy. Their son, William Sydney, was born in 1851, Martha in 1853, and Cashius "Cash" in 1857. Merrill served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a Private in Company B of the 14th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. [1]
Merrill's second wife was Serena Crutcher, whom he married in 1866, and his third wife was Hannah Cox Cornelison, whom he married in 1897. In 1900, he and Hannah were living in the Bear Wallow area of Madison County, Kentucky, where Merrill was farming. A son, James M. and daughter, Rosa Frances "Mary," were also part of the family. In 1910, only Rosa, was living with Merrill and Hannah. She died in 1912. Merrill died in 1913 and is buried in a family cemetery in south-eastern Madison County.
Merrill Wills, Residence: Irvine, Kentucky, Enlistment Date: 12 Aug 1862, Rank at enlistment: Private, Enlistment Place: Irvine, Kentucky, State Served: Kentucky, Survived the War?: Yes, Service Record: Enlisted in Company F, Kentucky 14th Cavalry Regiment on 13 Feb 1863.Mustered out on 24 Mar 1864 at Camp Nelson, KY., Sources: Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky [5]
Alternative death location: Mount Sterling, Montgomery, Kentucky, USA
Sources
↑ National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T288, 546 rolls [1]
↑ Ancestry.com. Kentucky Death Index, 1911-2000 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: Commonwealth of Kentucky, Health Data Branch, Divisision of Epidemiology and Health Planning. Kentucky Death Index, 1911-present. Frankfort, KY, USA: Kentucky Department of Information Systems [2]
↑ Fold 3, Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Kentucky [3]
↑ National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online <https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/>, acquired 2007 Ancestry [4]
↑ Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009., Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA from the following list of works. Copyright 1997-2009
Historical Data Systems, Inc., PO Box 35, Duxbury, MA 02331.
[5]
↑ Source: #S80 Page: Year: 1900; Census Place: Bear Wallow, Madison, Kentucky; Roll: T623_541; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 49; FHL microfilm: 1240541. Data: Text: Birth date: May 1850 Birth place: Kentucky Marriage date: 1881 Marriage place: Residence date: 1900 Residence place: Magisterial District 5, Yates (part), Bearwallow Precincts, Madison, Kentucky
↑ Source: #S80 Page: Year: 1900; Census Place: Bear Wallow, Madison, Kentucky; Roll: T623_541; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 49; FHL microfilm: 1240541. Data: Text: Birth date: Nov 1831 Birth place: Kentucky Marriage date: 1881 Marriage place: Residence date: 1900 Residence place: Magisterial District 5, Yates (part), Bearwallow Precincts, Madison, Kentucky
↑ Source: #S15 Data: Text: Marriage date: 3 May 1820 Marriage place: Kentucky
"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M659-C2K : 9 November 2014), Merrill Willis, Estill county, Estill, Kentucky, United States; citing family 928, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives)
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9H8-W8Q : 20 January 2015), Minie Willis, Magisterial District 5, Yates (part), Bearwallow Precincts, Madison, Kentucky, United States.
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M26D-HCN : 29 October 2015), Merril Willis, Bear Wallow, Madison, Kentucky, United States.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Merrill by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA test-takers in his direct paternal line.
Mitochondrial DNA test-takers in the direct maternal line: