James B WILLS

1798 - 1872  (74 years)

• Name	James B WILLS  [1, 2, 3]
  Born	1798	, Rutherford, Tennessee, USA   [4]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1825	, , Missouri, USA   [5]
  Census	1830	, Clay, Missouri, USA
  pg 290
  James B Wills
  Residence	1832	, Clay, Missouri, USA   [6]
  Census	1840	, Harris, Texas, USA
  Census	1846	, Refugio, Texas, USA
  Property	5 Jul 1849	, Bell, Texas, USA
  Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - patent James' orginal land grant included most of what is now Holland, Texas, ABS 161.
  Census	9 Oct 1850	, Washington, Texas, USA
  ppg 288B-289A
  Reel No: M432-918 Enumerated By E. D. Little, 78/78 42 Mills J. B. 55 M Farmer 5,000 Tenn 1 Mills Anna 48 F Tenn 2 Mills Wilson 24 M Farmer Tenn 3 Mills Archibald 11 M Mo X 4 Mills Alexander 7 M Texas X 5 Mills C H 15 M Germany X
  Property	6 Aug 1851
  Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - bought from James G Connell
  Property	5 Feb 1852
  Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - sold to James C Armstrong
  Property	4 Jun 1852
  Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - sold to William Connell
  Property	16 Aug 1854
  160 acres on Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - sold to A J Dallas
  Property	9 Feb 1856
  160 acres on Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - sold to James L Hogan
  Property	28 Apr 1856
  160 acres on Darrs Creek, Bell Co, Texas - sold to Daniel S Wills
  Census	9 Jul 1860	Holland, Bell, Texas, USA
  pg 58 (324B), d/f #390/391
  Belton PO Wills Jas. B. 63 M . farmer 10,040 4,072 Tennessee Wills Amy 60 F . . . . Virginia Wills Archibald 21 M . farming . . Missouri Wills Alex 18 M . farming . . Texas
  Census	20 Aug 1870	San Andres, Milam, Texas, USA
  pg 306A
  San Andres PO Wills, James 72 M W Farmer Tennessee Elizabeth 58 F W House keeper Georgia Brooks, Emma 17 F W Texas Stowham, Henry 24 M W Farming Texas Chappel, Geo 50 M W Work on farm Alabama
  Occupation	Owner of Meat Market
  Died	1872	, , Texas, USA   [7]
  Will	2 Mar 1875	, Milam, Texas, USA
  STATE OF TEXAS KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: COUNTY OF MILAM That I, James B Wills, of the County and State aforesaid, being of sound mind and aware of the uncertainty of life and my approaching desolution, have this day willed, bequeathed, and demised and by these presents do will, bequeath, and demise unto my son, G. A. Wills, for the love and affection I bear him, one tract or parcel of land lying and being situated in Llano County on the waters of the Llano River about 90 miles S.E. of the old San Sabe Fort, known as Survey No. 39 in District No. 10, by virtue of Fisher's and Miller's Colony Certificate No. 23, issued by Joseph T. Portis, Commissioner of said Colony on the 9th day of May 1850 to Henrick Herring and transferred by said Herring to me on the 4th day of November 1853; more particularly described in letters patent No. 355, issued to me from the land office on the 16th of June 1859. Also one tract of land lying and being situated as above mentioned tract and issued on the same certificate and the same time and described in letters pattent No. 356 issued from the land office on the 17th day of June A.D. 1859. Also one other tract lying and being situated as above mentioned tracts and issued on the same certificate and at the same time and described in letters pattent issued to me from the land office June 17th, 1859 and numbered 357. Also one other tract lying and being situated as above mentioned tracts and issued on the same certificate and on the same day and described fully in letters pattent No. 358 issued to me from the land office on the 17th day of June A.D. 1859. Also two town lots lying in the town of Salado, Bell, County, Texas, and known and described on the town plat as lots No. [page 2] 2 and No. 12 in Bock No. 15 deeded to me by E.S.C. Robertson the 6th day of February A.D. 1862. Said G. A. Wills to have and to hold said described, to his heirs and assigns forever in fee simple. In testimony thereunto set my hand a seal useing scroll for seal this 25th day of January A.D. 1873. his James B. Wills mark
  Probate	22 Mar 1875	, Milam, Texas, USA
  STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF MILAM Before me, the undersigned, authority, this day personally appeared R. P. Henderson, one of the subscribing witnesses to the above will and on oath says that he signed the wll as a witness of James B. Wills, the testator, and that he saw him sign the same which he declared in the presence of witnesses to be his last will and testament. Affiant further states that the testator was at the time he signed the said will over the age of twenty-one years and of sound mind. He further states that J. K. P. Shelton signed the same at the request of the said testator and that boath of the witnesses were avove fourteen years. his R. P. Henderson mark Sworn to and subscribed before me this 22 day of March A.D. 1875. J. Nabours, D.C. M.C. Filed for record March 22, 1875 at 5 o'clock P.M. and was duly recorded the same day at 5 o'clock P.M. J. Nabours, D.C.M. C.
  Person ID	I3132	An Armstrong & A Heffernan
  Last Modified	4 Jun 2020

  
  

  Father	James WILLS,   b. 17 Jul 1763, , Chester, Pennsylvania, USA ,   d. 17 Aug 1855, , Ray, Missouri, USA  (Age 92 years)
  Mother	Lillian BUCHANAN,   b. Abt 1770, , Washington, Virginia, USA ,   d. Aft 1820  (Age ~ 51 years)
  Married	Abt 1790	, , Virginia, USA
  	probably in Washington County
  Family ID	F1556	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Amy W SHACKELFORD,   b. 1800, , , Virginia, USA ,   d. Bef 1871, , , Texas, USA  (Age 70 years)
  Married	3 Jan 1816	, Rutherford, Tennessee, USA   [8, 9]
  	married by Benjamin W. Lane.
  Children	1. Reuben WILLS,   b. Abt 1817, , , Tennessee, USA ,   d. 1860, , , Texas, USA  (Age ~ 43 years)   2. Sarah J WILLS,   b. 1820, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. Aft 1893, , , Texas, USA  (Age 74 years)   3. Loumisa WILLS,   b. 25 Nov 1822, Independence, Jackson, Missouri, USA ,   d. 29 Apr 1899, Brownwood, Brown, Texas, USA  (Age 76 years)   4. Tabitha L WILLS,   b. 11 May 1824, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. 18 Nov 1860, , Bell, Texas, USA  (Age 36 years)   5. James Wilson WILLS,   b. 10 Jan 1826, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. 6 Sep 1869, , Williamson, Texas, USA  (Age 43 years)   6. William Riley WILLS,   b. 3 Aug 1828, , Clay, Missouri, USA ,   d. 27 Apr 1902, , Bell, Texas, USA  (Age 73 years)   7. Capt Daniel Shackleford WILLS,   b. Oct 1829, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. 20 Oct 1910, Douglas, Cochise, Arizona, USA  (Age ~ 81 years)   8. David WILLS,   b. Abt 1831, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. Abt 1848, , , Texas, USA  (Age ~ 17 years)   9. Elmyra E WILLS,   b. 1832, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. 3 Nov 1894, , , Texas, USA  (Age 62 years)   10. Nancy Eviline WILLS,   b. Jan 1835, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. 1914, , Milam, Texas, USA  (Age ~ 78 years)   11. Archibald WILLS,   b. Apr 1839, , , Missouri, USA ,   d. 1 Feb 1925, Austin, Travis, Texas, USA  (Age ~ 85 years)   12. George Alexander WILLS,   b. Oct 1841, , , Texas, USA ,   d. 21 Mar 1922, Davilla, Milam, Texas, USA  (Age ~ 80 years)
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2015
  Family ID	F1339	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Elizabeth ???,   b. 14 Sep 1813, , , Georgia, USA ,   d. 5 Oct 1885  (Age 72 years)
  Married	Bef 1870  [10]
  Last Modified	20 Nov 2014
  Family ID	F1557	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  James and Amy moved to Tennessee then to Missouri in 1824. They brought their family to Texas from Clay Co., Missouri in 1840. Was listed as James Wells in Harris Co, Texas for the 1840 Census. Was listed as James Mills in the 1850 Washington Co. Census, pg 288b & 289a. His homestead was later called the Roland Harrell or Upshaw place. A 640 acre grant in Milam District about 6 miles south of the Three Forks issued in 1844 and filed in Belton in 1852. Just west of Holland. He sold land to three of his sons-in-law: William Connell, A J Dallas, and James Hogan. In 1857 he signed the petition to build a county courthouse and jail in Bell County. James had 2 town lots in Salado, Bell County. In 1859, he purchased 5 shares of stock in the school at Salado Springs for $100 per share.... Farmer and slave-owner, and was a merchant at Holland. The Darrs Creek tract bordered on the Dallas property. 1870 Milam Co, TX Census page 209a - Franklin Wills age 16 and Charley Wills age 15 living with Gustav? and Christiana Hendricks. There is nothing to prove the middle name of James B Wills. My grandmother told me it was Buchanan so I have always included it. I've created a map to show the approximate location of his original tract which encompasses most of Holland. Copy and paste the following into a browser. https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208151589043096547918.00047c60906d9ae37a48f&msa=0&ll=30.879613,-97.403369&spn=0.019779,0.027595"

  
  

• Sources

  [S34] 1860 Bell, TX, pg 58 (324B), d/f #390/391. Jas B Wills [S1575] DAR Ancestor Album, (Turner Publishing Company; Paducah, KY; 2001), pg 137. "James B Wills (born circa 1798 in Tennessee) ..." [S513] Senn, Ima Holder, James Buchanan Wills. [S34] 1860 Bell, TX, pg 58 (324B), d/f #390/391. age 63, Tennessee [S352] History of McLennan, Falls, Bell and Coryell Counties, (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company; 1893), ppg 716-717. [S483] Pension File, Wills, James #S17198. [S352] History of McLennan, Falls, Bell and Coryell Counties, (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company; 1893), pg 716. "The parents removed to Tennessee in an early day, and in 1825 to Missouri, and in 1840 to Texas, where the father died in 1872." [S795] Rutherford Co, TN, Marriage Book, (TNGenWeb.org). James B Wills to Amy W Shackleford [She has 1810 but it may be 1816.] [S1328] Tennessee State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, (FamilySearch.org), Wills, James B. to Amy W Shackleford, 3 Jan 1810, Rutherford County [S774] 1870 Milam, TX, pg 306A.