Joanna Willis (1730
- 1791) married to James Council (1716 - ??)Son
of John Council and Josia.. (1)
Historical Notes
Benjamin married Mary Leonard in 1719
in Bridgewater, Maryland.
Born about 1690 and died 1779 in
Bridgewater, Maryland.
From R. Willis, A Willis Family
History: There is also speculation from Virginia Madden the the Willis'
may have come from the Delaware area, but there is no real proof. But,
stranger things have happened. Immigrants to this country could have
landed anywhere during the formative years and then moved on to other
locations and lands as they opened up for us. What is known or believed
with reasonable accuracy is that around the 1720's, 30's, or 40's at
least four brothers and one sister were living in the Isle of Wight
County region of Virginia. These were Agerton Willis, Benjamin Willis,
George Willis, Danile Willis and Joanna Willis
From a typewritten sheet by Jonathan D.
Butcher sent to Donald Willis
One account of their (Benjamin,
Agerton, George, Daniel, Joanna) origin is derived from Judson
Council's "Hodges Council of Virginia and Descendants."
The information therein on James Council is not entirely consistent,
but generally shows that James was born in 1716 in Virginia, son of
John Council and grandson of Hodges Council of Isle of Wight County,
Virginia. Hodges came from Devonshire, England and it is of interest
to note that the given name Willis was already found in the Council
family while still in England, so perhaps the two families had been
long associated.
The second or third wife of James
Council was Joannah Willis (1730-1791), whom he must have married
about 1751 or 1752. It is further stated that Jame's father, John
Council, married Josie, daughter of Benjamin Willis, both of Isle of
Wight County, Virginia.
I personally feel that this tradition
should be approached with some skepticism, for it looks possible
that the name of the wife of the father, John, has been confused
with the wife of the son, James, by family tradition as often
occurs.
I have not been able to document an
elder Benjamin Willis in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, or indeed
any trace of the Bladen County Williss there. John Council seems to
have lived along the border between Hertford County, North Carolina
and Nansemond County, Virgina. These are both burned-record
counties, and I have not been able to locate a probate record for
him, likely because he died in Nansemond County (now the City of
Suffolk).
It may thus be that the ancestor of
the Bladen County Williss is likewise lost with early records of
Nansemond County - but if so it seems likely that the family was
only briefly resident there, as they do not appear in the Virgina
Land Patents.
I suspect that the lineage leads
quickly back to England one way or another. Quite possible the
tradition regarding Josie Willis is incorrect, and the Willis
brothers may actually have been born in England, as was apparently
the tradition among the descendants of Daniel's son, General John
Willis.
All the children
were born in New Hanford County, North Carolina.(1)
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Last modified: December 21, 2007