John Willis (1828)

Born 1828 in Alderton, Wiltshire, England

Ancestors

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Biography

John was christened on Dec 28, 1828 in Alderton, Wiltshire, England.^[1] He was the son of James Willis and Edith Andrews.

John's mother died in 1838. In 1841, he was living with his father and siblings in Potterne, Wiltshire.^[2] John's father remarried, and in 1842 the family moved to Prince Edward Island.^[3]

According to family lore, John left PEI on a ship bound for Australia about 1848. The ship put into Boston for repairs and the family received a letter but never heard from him since that time.^[4] On the 1851 UK Census, there's a John Willis, age 32, born in Alderton, Wiltshire. He is listed as a "visitor", and his profession is "steward on a merchant vessel." He has a wife named Mary Ann, age 27.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch; citing Alderton, Wiltshire, England, reference item 12-15 p 13-14; FHL microfilm 1279262 - John Willis, 28 Dec 1828
2. ↑ 1841 UK Census, Wiltshire, Potterne (High Street), 12, Pg 15-16 – James Willis and 5 children (note: Although this is clearly the right family, the ages of James and all 5 children are off by 5 years. John is listed as being 7, whereas he would have been 12)
3. ↑ Past and Present of Prince Edward Island: Embracing a concise review of its early settlement, development, and present conditions, MacKinnon, Donald Alexander, Warburton, Alexander Bannerman, 1906, pp430-31 - Albert P Prowse
4. ↑ Vernon E. Hargrave, The Descendants of James Willis and Samuel M. Smith, 1980, pg 10
5. ↑ 1851 UK Census, RG 9/1286, Wiltshire, Calne, 65, Pg 5- John & Mary Ann Willis