John Willis (abt. 1610 - 1693)

Born about 1610 in England

Husband of Elizabeth (Hodgkins) Willis — married 2 Jan 1637 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died 27 Aug 1693 at about age 83 in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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John Willis migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 377) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Origins of John Willis

There is a lengthy essay, at Ancestry, on possible ancestries of Deacon John Willis and his brothers. "Theories on the English Origin of Deacon John Willis."

John arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 1636 or 1637, an earlier proprietor; estimate birth was c 1610; married Elizabeth Hodgkins, widow of William Palmer Jr.

His brother, Nathaniel Willis settled first in Sandwich, Barnstable, Plymouth; was constable there in 1640-1641; moved to Duxbury; and was a first settler of Bridgewater, where he was the schoolmaster. Nathaniel's son, Elkanan Willis asked his “uncle” John Willis for assistance on the estate of his father.

Another brother, Lawrence Willis also settled in Sandwich; married (2), 1656, Mary, daughter of Thomas Makepeace of Boston. He and Nathaniel Willis took part in an expedition against the Naragansett Indians in 1644. John and Lawrence Willis were among the first freemen of Bridgewater. He removed to Boston. Elkanah Willis settled the estate of his uncle Lawrence in Boston in 1703.

Brother three, Jonathan Willis was in 1656 living in Bridgewater. His brother Nathaniel and Lawrence agreed with the town to take respnsibility for any charges he incurred.

The final brother was Francis Willis. In 1704, Elkanah Willis, son of Nathaniel, sold land in Boston, which was described as the estate of his uncle Francis Willis, deceased.

There are other Willises in the area, but relationships if any are unknown.

Theory 1. John Willis was born in Chettle Parish, Dorsetshire, or London, the son of Nathaniel Willis (1575-after 1692) and died aft 1692 in London, Middlesex, England. Chettle is a hamlet in North Dorset, site of Chettle House, the village manor, a red brick Baroque mansion built during the reign of Queen Anne.

Theory 2. John Willis, age 29, came to New England on the ship “Paul” which sailed from Gravesend London, England 3 Apr 1635, bound for Virginia but diverted to New England.

Theory 3. The John Willis of theory 2 or another John Willis had been said to have been certified by the minister of St. Kathrins “nere to Tower of London,” before sailing to New England. The church register shows the christening of Johy Wyllis 4 Oct 1601, son of Richard Wyllis. There is definite evidence of a Willis family living near St. Katherine By the tower parish, but there is reason to believe it was the family of the immigrants.

Also in London, several Willises were baptized, but none show the proper connections.

Theory 4. John Willis was born in 1610 the son of Thomas Willis who was born in 1575 in Fenny Compton, Warwickshire, England. “The Ancestry of John D. Newport” on Rootsweb lists a detailed pedigree of this family from a Thomas Willis born about 1450 in Priors Marston, Warwickshire to Thomas Wyllys born about 1575 in Fenny Compton, but does not account for a son John Willis. This family is disproven as relations to the brothers in Massachusetts. It is instead the family of George Wyllys of Hartford.

The theories go on, but the conclusion is that his origins are unknown. Anderson in the Great Migration Directory also concludes that the origins of John, and Nathaniel (so also the other brothers) are unknown.^[1]

Birth

John's birth is estimated about 1610 in England.

John married Elizabeth, the widow of William Palmer, in 1636/37 in Duxbury, MA. They were original proprietors and some of the first settlers of Bridgewater. John was the first Deacon in Bridgewater and sustained many town offices, both at Duxbury and Bridgewater; represented Bridgewater at the old Colony Court 25 years; sold his estate in Duxbury to William Paybody 1657; was appointed to solemnize marriages and administer oaths to witnesses and others;^[2]

John had four brothers, Nathaniel, Lawrence, Jonathan, and Francis who lived in Bridgewater or nearby. Nathaniel's son Elkanah ties four of the five siblings together. He settled his father's estate in 1686 and asked his Uncle John Willis to help him. He settled his Uncle Lawrence Willis' Boston estate in 1703. In 1704, he sold Boston land which was described as being part of the estate of his Uncle Francis Willis, deceased. 18 Jan 1656, in the Bridgewater records: "Be it known unto all men by these presents, that we, Nathaniel Willis and Lawrence Willis, inhabitants of the town of Bridgewater, do bind ourselves to free the said town of Bridgewater from any charge or damage that may come upon the said town by the keeping of our brother Jonathan Willis."^[2]

Death and Will

John died 27 August 1693.^[3]

John Willis Senior of Bridgewater wrote a will on 15 4th month (June) 1692, named his son Nathaniel executor and named: son John; son Nathaniel and his sons Nathnael, Jonathan and John; son Joseph and his eldest son Joseph; son Comfort; son Benjamin; eldest daughter Hannah Hayward; daughter Elizabeth Harvey; grandchild Patience Augur; and daughter Sarah Ames. His inventory records his death date, 27 August 1693 and was taken 31 August 1693.^[3][4]

Children^[2] named in his will^[3]

1. John Willis Jr;
2. Nathaniel Willis
3. Joseph Willis;
4. Comfort
5. Benjamin
6. Hannah m. Nathaniel Hayward
7. Elizabeth m. a Harvey
8. Sarah Willis m. John Ames

Sources

1. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration Directory (The). Immigrants to New Englnad, 1620-1640. A Concise Compendium. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015 p. 377
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Mitchell, Nahum. History of the early settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth county, Massachusetts, including an extensive Family register. (Boston: Kidder & Wright , 1840) p. 345
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Greenlaw, Lucy Hall, Mrs. (editor)."Plymouth Colony Probate Records" The Genealogical advertiser. [from old catalog] (Cambridge, Mass.: Lucy H. Greenlaw, 1898) p. 93
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-997D-JD7W : 20 March 2023), Probate records 1686-1702 and 1849-1867 vol 1-1F > image 91 of 490; State Archives, Boston.

See also:

• Willis, Charles Ethelbert and Willis, Frances Caroline. A history of the Willis family of New Englnd and New Jersey and their ancestors, comprising the families of Farrand, Ball, Kitchell, Cook, Ward, Fairchild, Plume, Bruen, Smith, Treat, Pierson, Crane, Cooper, Sanford, Sheafe and others; to which is added a history of the family of John Howard, esq., of Richmond, Virginia, and the Harris and Macleod families of Georgia (Richmond, Va.: Whitmore & Garrett, inc., printers, 1917) at Archive Concerns a different line of Willises
• Welchley, Mark. "Theories on the English Origin of Deacon John Willis 1610-1692 , England and Massachusetts" Posted April, 2009 on Public Member Stories, Ancestry.com
• Mitchell, Nahum. History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth County, Massachusetts (Kidder & Wright, Boston, 1840) Page 363
• Greenlaw, Lucy Hall, Mrs., [from old catalog] ed. The Genealogical advertiser. Vol III Cambridge, Mass., Lucy H. Greenlaw (1898) page 93
• The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010), (Originally Published as: New England Historic Genealogical Society. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., 1995). [1]
• New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Vol. 3, p. 1686. [2]. "WILLIS, John & 2/wf? Elizabeth (HODGKINS) [PALMER], w William; by 12 Jan 1637/8; ?Plymouth/?Duxbury {Reg. 42:202; Bartlett-Jenkins 35, 130; Taunton 1:107; Harvey 1:39; Gen. Adv. 3:93; Goodspeed 40; Smith-Hale 263; Morse: Ancient Puritans 2:185; Caldwell A"
• Plymouth County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1686-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) [3]. John WILLIS, Probate Record: 1693, Location: Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States, Case_Number 23089, page 1 of 3, Case Type: Will, Volume Name: Plymouth Cases 22000-23593 Page 23089:1