Juliet (Adams) Wills
Honor Code SignatorySigned 4 Mar 2018 | 12,960 contributions | 526 thank-yous | 1,174 connections
Signed 4 Mar 2018 | 12,960 contributions | 526 thank-yous | 1,174 connections
Ancestors 
Daughter of Richard Franklin Adams
and Martha Mae (Priddy) Adams
Sister of
Edward Adams and Virginia (Adams) Wells
[children unknown]
Profile last modified
| Created 5 Aug 2017
This page has been accessed 4,496 times.
Biography
Juliet (Adams) Wills is a Project Member of the Southern Pioneers Project.
Juliet Adams Wills, Her Story. [1]"What goes into the making of a family historian? Many experiences from childhood foster the love and respect for our ancestors. These occur not by chance but by the direct guidance of others. In my childhood, I had two that influenced me in this regard: my mother, Martha Priddy Adams, and my great-grandmother, Annie Blanche Williams Priddy. [2]
I was born in Paducah, Kentucky, to parents Richard and Martha Priddy Adams. My mother named me Juliet Louise after my great-great-grandmother, Juliet Louise Donaldson Williams, who was still alive when I was born. [3]
My first five years of childhood were spent at our home on Park Avenue. Mother would take us for quiet walks across the street in the historic Oak Grove Cemetery, the oldest in Paducah. We would always look for the oldest headstones, always being respectful of those resting there as per mother's instructions. [4]
But living on Alabama Street was where I had my first memories of great-grandmother Blanche Williams Priddy, our first family historian. Granny Priddy lived most of her life in Kossuth, Mississippi, but spent winters with us during the 1950s in Paducah. One particular experience with Granny left an indelible impression on me. Granny enjoyed reading her Bible each afternoon, sitting in our living room rocking chair. Not being in school yet, I remember peeking over the armchair and quietly asking, "Granny, will you show me my name?" She would turn in her Bible to the seven generations of Scots-Irish ancestors' names copied from HER grandparent's Bible. She had also written the Priddy, Norton, and Oakes ancestors back to colonial Virginia. Many times I would ask and she would read names going all the way back to Juliet Campbell of 1789 North Carolina. Never did I realize this experience would set the stage for my later life's work. [5]
Meanwhile, I became an educator, teaching elementary education mostly in Rockford, Illinois. I have one beloved son and two grandsons. Continuing to study for my teaching career enhancement, I completed my M.A. degree from Murray State University, Murray, KY, and my Ed.S. degree from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. In 1989 I and my husband, Dr. Vernon L. Wills, a professor at NIU, celebrated retirement. [6] Because of his military career as an Army Reserve Colonel assigned to XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters at Fort Bragg, we retired to Fayetteville, North Carolina. Here the studying REALLY began!
Mother passed Granny's Bible to me and I started the quest to document all the ancestral lineages Granny so carefully preserved. I have walked the ancestral homeplaces, creeks, and cemeteries and, sitting quietly, etched ancestors' headstones in the old Scots-Irish cemeteries of York County, South Carolina, that Granny spoke of so many years ago. While there, I've gratefully thanked her for being our first family historian... and for passing "the torch." Blanche Priddy lived 101 years, 5 months, 1 day. May God bless her." [7] [8] [9] All of Granny Priddy's efforts have been "fruitful and multiplied" being in a culminating publication, "Colonial Patriot Ancestors of Hardee Banister Priddy and Blanche Williams Priddy of Lee and Alcorn Counties, MS." [10]
Being a family historian still seeking those ancestral progenitors, the relevant words of Curtis Woods in his poem A Prayer For Genealogists epitomize the last 30 years of my genealogical life at the North Carolina Archives:
"Lord, help me dig into the past and sift the sands of time, That I might find the roots that made this family tree mine. Lord, help me trace the ancient roads on which my fathers trod, And led them through so many lands to find our present sod. Lord, help me find an ancient book, or dusty manuscript, That's safely hidden now away in some forgotten crypt. Lord, let it bridge the gap that haunts my soul when I can't find, The missing link between some name that ends the same as mine."
My beloved husband of 49 years, Dr. Vernon Wills, Professor Emeritus, Northern Illinois University, and Colonel (Ret.) United States Army, 15 August 1934- 29 April 2022. He watched me gather genealogy documents driving to and from Raleigh NC Archives for many decades and knew this was my second love for he was my first! Rest in peace, my Beloved.
Sources
- ↑ "Juliet Adams Wills- Her Story," Piedmont Lineages, Vol. 28, No. 1, February 2006, pp. 9-10. Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society, Danville, Virginia. http://www.vancpgs.org/contents/index.php
- ↑ Annie Blanche Williams Priddy, Find A Grave Memorial (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10464702/annie-blanche-priddy: accessed 5 March 2018) Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com ), memorial page for Annie Blanche Williams Priddy (24 Jul 1876–25 Dec 1977), Find A Grave Memorial no. 10464702, citing Wheeler Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Wheeler Grove Community, Alcorn County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by Juliet Wills (contributor 49098574) .
- ↑ Juliet Louise "Lou" Donaldson Williams, Find A Grave Memorial, Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 October 2019), memorial page for Juliet Louise “Lou” Donaldson Williams (15 Jan 1853–10 Sep 1948), Find A Grave Memorial no. 112589580, citing Henry Cemetery, Corinth, Alcorn County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by Juliet Wills (contributor 49098574) . https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112589580/juliet-louise-williams
- ↑ Oak Grove Cemetery, City of Paducah, Parks and Recreation Department, http://paducahky.gov/oak-grove-cemetery
- ↑ Annie Blanche Williams (1876-1977) FamilySearch Family Tree, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-family-tree/ FamilySearch Family Tree Profile Page, Memories, Bible Photos, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/LRHC-TJ5
- ↑ Juliet Adams Wills, Retired Professional Educator, Rockford, Illinois, Public Schools, Career (https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-adams-wills-140189128: accessed March 2018)
- ↑ Blanche Priddy Bible, Cross City Connections, Vol.15, No.3, March 2007, pp. 23-26. Alcorn County Genealogical Society, Corinth, Mississippi http://www.avsia.com/acgs/. Bible Currently owned by Juliet Adams Wills. NOTE: Ancestors and descendants, names identifying ancestral generations, births, deaths, marriages, and children for the following: Abel Williams/ Polly Jones "my great-grandparents", James M. Oakes/ Jane B. Norton "my great-grandparents" (10 children listed), William Donaldson/ Sarah Wallace "my great-grandparents", Andrew Hill/ Juliet Campbell "my great-grandparents", Clark Tansy Williams/ Frances Ann Oaks, "my grandparents"(son James Calvin Williams, daughter Elizabeth Jane Clark Williams), Joseph Wallace Donaldson/ Rachel Amanda Hill "my grandparents" (11 children listed), James Calvin Williams/ Juliet Louise Donaldson "my parents", (7 children listed) Annie Blanche Williams/ Hardee Banister Priddy (only child Raymond Forest Priddy), Raymond Forest Priddy/ Virginia Elizabeth Wiley (2 children listed), Raymond Wiley Priddy/ Anna Marie Moyers (2 children listed), Martha Mae Priddy/ Richard Franklin Adams (three children listed), Bertha Williams/ Richard Wallace Smith, Williams generations (6 listed), Priddy generation (6 listed), list of marriages, some living, list of births; many living, deaths listed separate: (Richard Wallace Smith, Jr, H. B. Priddy, Raymond Forrest Priddy.. "This Bible for Martha Mae." All entries written and signed by Blanche Williams Priddy. Bible owned by Juliet Adams Wills.
- ↑ Donaldson Bible & Blanche Priddy Bible Records, Bible records of North Carolina, contributed by persons with North Carolina Ancestors. Bible Records Committee, North Carolina Genealogical Society. Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 2005. Bible Record #38, Donaldson Bible (pp. 71-77 of 244), Family Bible of Joseph Wallace Donaldson and Rachel Amanda Hill Donaldson; Bible Record #79, Blanche Priddy Bible (pp. 166-173 of 244), Family Bible of Hardee Banister Priddy and Annie Blanche Williams Priddy.
- ↑ Annie Blanche Williams (1876-1977) FamilySearch Family Tree, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-family-tree/ FamilySearch Family Tree Profile Page, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LRHC-TJ5
- ↑ "Colonial Patriot Ancestors of Hardee Banister Priddy and Blanche Williams Priddy of Lee and Alcorn Counties, MS" by Juliet Adams Wills. "The Tennessee Genealogical Magazine, A n s e a r c h i n ’ N e w s." Vol. 56, No. 2 (Summer, 2009) pp. 114-116.
Only the Trusted List can access the following:
- Juliet's formal name
- full middle name (L.)
- nicknames
- e-mail address
- birth location
- images (1)
- private siblings' names
- spouse's name and marriage information
DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Juliet by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Juliet:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Juliet by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Juliet:
-
~0.78%
~1.56%
Marsha Schleiger 
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AncestryDNA, Ancestry member abbiesgirl
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Genealogist-to-Genealogist (G2G) Forum posts about Juliet:
- Juliet Wills is a Fantastic WikiTreer Dec 17, 2020.
- Juliet Wills is a super-duper, absolutely Wonderful WikiTreer!! Oct 18, 2019.
- Juliet Wills is a Wonderful WikiTreer Nov 3, 2018.
- Juliet Wills is a Wonderful WikiTreer Aug 16, 2018.
Juliet is 25 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 24 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 22 degrees from Maggie Beer, 46 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 31 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 27 degrees from Michael Chow, 21 degrees from Ree Drummond, 26 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 22 degrees from Matty Matheson, 24 degrees from Martha Stewart, 31 degrees from Danny Trejo and 29 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
A > Adams | W > Wills > Juliet (Adams) Wills
Categories: US Southern Colonies Project Members | Southern Pioneers | Southern Pioneers Project Member
This is the time for the annual check in with members of the US Southern Colonies Project. Have you been active during the last six months in the Southern Colonies Project? Note that it is a requirement to respond to the US Southern Colonies Check-ins. Please respond to this message by clicking the reply button below this message, to post your answer. I look forward to hearing from you..
Many thanks,
Mary~ Project Coordinator, Membership, US Southern Colonies
edited by Mary Richardson
Mary
John Jordan Crittenden-748 (September 10, 1787 – July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United States Attorney General in the administrations of William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore. He was also the 17th governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislature. And more.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Crittenden
Juliet Wills and Sir Walter are 6th cousins 15 times removed Sir Walter (Raleigh-1)
and his wife Juliet Wills and Bess are fifth cousins 14 times removed Elizabeth (Throckmorton-1)
Sir Walter Raleigh was a poet, soldier, and Queen Elizabeth’s boyfriend. One day you’re a handsome dashing poet and pal of monarchy and the next day you’re a statue and city in North Carolina.
Happy New Year my dearest cousin in Kentucky!
Enjoy! cousin Richard Jordan, Amherst County, Virginia
James
edited by Juliet (Adams) Wills
This is the time for the semi-annual check in with members of the US Southern Colonies Project. Have you been active during the last six months? Note that it is a requirement to respond to the US Southern Colonies Check-ins. Please respond to this message by clicking the reply button below this message, to post your answer. I look forward to hearing from you..
Many thanks,
Mary~ Project Coordinator, Membership, US Southern Colonies
edited by Mary Richardson
On behalf of the leaders of Southern Colonies, this is the semi-annual polling for the US Southern Colonies Project. This check-in with members is to see if you have been active in the last six months in this project and want to remain a member of US SC?
Please note that it is a requirement for membership in the US Southern Colonies Project that you respond to these check-ins.
I look forward to hearing from you.. Many thanks,
Mary, Project Coordinator, - Membership US Southern Colonies Project
Mary
Mary
I am checking in on behalf of the 1776 Project to announce the new project membership requirements and to verify that you are still interested in being a member of the project. All project members are being asked to join one of the project teams and also to make at least one project contribution every 6 months. We are also asking all project members to join the project's Google Group for project communications.
If you are interested in remaining with the Project, please reply to this comment or send me a message, request to join the Google Group, and let us know what team you would like to participate on.
We really appreciate your contributions on WikiTree, and thank you for all your hard work. If you have any questions, please ask. We would also love to hear any feedback you may have for the project.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
SJ - 1776 Project Leader
best regards,
SJ
Cheers, Liz
Thank you for the source for Mecklinburg County, NC. For now I posted it on several areas for good measure..
Thanks
Mary Richardson
edited by Beth (Jones) Gay
The profile in question is James Chappell, b. 1772, d. ca 27 Apr 1775 Amelia, VA. You did edit this profile mid-Sept adding proof records for wife Elizabeth Briggs, which does not belong to #175. I believe you need to contact the profile manager for Chappell-186, for James Chappell who married Elizabeth Briggs which is your husband 's (Gill Gay) ancestor with your Trusted List request. Gill Gay's DNA as family member is listed on profile Chappell-186, not profile Chappell-175. Profile #175 does need the bio changed to Chappell-186 which I will work with the PM of #186 to accomplish this. Thank you for you contributions on proof of Elizabeth Briggs, as wife of Chappell-186.
edited by Juliet (Adams) Wills
According to the relationship finder we are ninth cousins two times removed through our ancestor John Adams Sr.! It's lovely to meet you! I hope you have a great weekend.
Best Wishes, Mikayla M. Whitaker
Mary
As you may have seen, we have been doing some restructuring in the US Southern Colonies Project and are now organising ourselves into different teams. We have also changed the criteria for membership. Please have a look at the new project pages, and let me know whether you would like to remain in the project and, if so, which team(s) you would like to be in.
Please can you also send me your e-mail address. I can then make sure you are introduced to your Team Leaders and are in the Google Group.
Please note that it is a requirement for membership in the US Southern Colonies Project that you respond to these check-ins. We’re really excited for the future of the project and hope that you decide to be a part of it with us moving forwards.
Many thanks,
Susie, US Southern Colonies Project Co-Leader
Thank you for your message. I do enjoy working on Southern Colonies especially VA, NC, upcountry SC, and TN profiles. I am also on the Southern Pioneers Project and am presently improving the sourcing for profile of Daniel Boone. Almost finished and it was a REAL challenge!! I do enjoy sourcing unsourced profiles. The team I would like to join would be in this category, "Profile Improvement Teams" adding sources to profiles. There are MANY unsourced profiles on Wikitree!
I would appreciate your work on the Daniel Boone profile!
Paula
For contributing excellent sources and resources for the NC, SC and Southern Pioneers projects, you deserve a Community Star!
Thanks for all you do for our projects!
Paula
I noticed that some of your recent profiles, notably the recent Brents, are sourced only with a link to a family tree published online. It would be greatly appreciated if you could find further sources to back up this information, particularly primary sources if they exist.
Have a lovely day! - Amy :)
any time you need , just ask..
Mary
Thank you for responding to our check-in. We are delighted that you wish to continue contributing to the Southern Pioneers. Below is a quick checklist for active members. The project leaders would like you to make sure you have done the following:
1) Check Southern Pioneers Project for ways to contribute.
2) Added Southern Colonies TAG to your tags you follow.
3) PM the project leaders with your email address to be added to the Google Group. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/wikisouthernpioneers
Try Stickers on profiles to show roots.
Thank you!
Mary ~ Volunteer Coordinator
The profiles are good!
On behalf of the US Southern Colonies Project leaders, I am doing a six-month check-in with members to see what aspects of the project interest them most.
1) We would like to learn the number of contributions you have made in the last two months (May and April) to Southern Colonies?
2) We would like to know if you have joined other Southern Colonies Subprojects, such as Southern Pioneers Project. Or have you worked on other subprojects?
3) Your activity in Southern Pioneers Project.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Mary ~ Volunteer Coordinator
I submitted to a Scottish group on Family tree dna, and I apparently match up with some other Adamss there, so my guess at this point is that Jesse Adams of Rowan/Surry/Wilkes County, North Carolina is of Scottish decent. I just havent figured out the connection yet.