I believe I am descended from a Col. William Willis of colonial Virginia. It is believed that he was the William Willis who received a 250 acre land patent on Craneneck Creek in Gloucester County, Virginia on October 20, 1665 [Virginia Land Patent Book
6, page 146;
https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma990008425420205756&context=L&vid=01LVA_INST:01LVA&lang=en&search_scope=MyInstitution_noAER&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,William%
20Willis&offset=0
He is also believed to be the Col. William Willis who is named as an overseer of Elizabeth Diggs, executrix of the Will of her husband, Edward Diggs written on August 28, 1669, describing himself as “now bound upon a voyage for Virginia. This Will was
apparently probated in Virginia on June 16, 1675 and a certified copy of which was made on May 15, 1685 for the purposes of being probated in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury which it was on June 20, 1686. The PCC will is available online at: https:/
/discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D745244 . A typewritten transcript of the Will is available as part of the Colonia Record Project at the Virginia State Library at:
http://image.lva.virginia.gov/VTLS/CR/03736/index.html
Another important relative of Col. William Willis was Francis Willis. The earliest reference I have found of Francis Willis in Virginia is a 1649 Virginia Land Patent of 450 acres on the Easternmost branch of the Severne River. [
https://lva.primo.
exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma990008424510205756&context=L&vid=01LVA_INST:01LVA&lang=en&search_scope=MyInstitution_noAER&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,Francis%20Willis&offset=0 ] According to
Wikipedia, the Severne River is a 2-mile-long tidal river in the United States, State of Virginia. It is a tributary of Mobjack Bay, which is an arm of Chesapeake Bay. [
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_River_(Virginia) ]
Col. Francis Willis also received Virginia Land Patent of 100 acres in Gloucester County, Virginia [
http://image.lva.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/drawer?retrieve_image=LONN&dir=/LONN/LO-1/005/005&image_number=0671&offset=%2B17&name=Patents+No.5+1661-1666+(VOL.1+%
26+VOL.2)&dbl_pgs=no&round= ]
On July 6, 1689, Francis Willis, Gentleman, “or Ware River Parish in in Gloucester County, Virginia, but now a resident of East Greenwich Parish, County Kent, England wrote his Will. The Will was probated in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on
April 25, 1691. This Will is available online at: [
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D759707 ] A typewritten transcript of this Will is lodged in the Virginia Colonia Records Project at : [
https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/
fulldisplay?docid=alma990007032690205756&context=L&vid=01LVA_INST:01LVA&lang=en&search_scope=MyInstitution_noAER&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,Francis%20Willis&facet=lds04,include,Vcrp&offset=0 ]
From this Will it appears that Francis Willis was an relatively old man with a wife (Jane), but with no apparently issue surviving him.. He mentions his sister, Grace Feilder and her son Charles. He mentions cousins Frances, Elizabeth and Hugh Willis (
Hugh is deceased) and Hugh’s widow and children. He mentions his brother Henry Willis. Most notably, he mentions William Willis, son of his deceased brother William Willis. As to this nephew. William Willis, he devised his land and plantation his (
William's) father formerly lived on, on the south side of Crany Creek. I strongly believe that “Crany Creek” is the same as Craneneck Creek in the above mentioned 1665 land patent to William Willis. This is in Virginia, not in England.
Another important provision in this Will is a provision to the poor of St. Fowle’s or St. Algate’s Parish, City of Oxford, the place of my birth. That tells us where to look for William Willis' ancestors. St. Algate's Parish is apparently St.
Aldate's Parish.
Past researhers have concluded that the progenitor of the Willis family of colonial Virginia ;was Francis Willis, Doctor of Divinity at St. John's College, University of Oxford and Dean of the Cathedral Church of Worcester whose Will was written in 1595/
96 and probated in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on November 11, 1596. It is highly doubtful that is was the progenitor of the Willis family of colonial Virginia (or any anybody for that matter). His Will is available at: [
https://discovery.
nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D932330 ] His Will mentions his wife Katherine, but mentions on children or other descendants. After making bequests to various friends and colleagues of St. John College and some charity for the benefit of the College
of St. John, he makes a bequest to the daughter of Ralph __?__, at her marriage or at age 15, a bequest of a years wages to men servants, a bequest to his cousin Bell, widow and her two sons and two daughter, a ring to his sister Margery Adams (husband
Thomas Adams), a bequest to his sister D__?__ , a bequest to his maid servant, and then the residue of his estate to his wife Katherine Willis.
The point here being that for all those that have relied on the claim that this Francis Willis, Doctor of Divinity of St. John's College in Oxford who died in 1596 was the progenitor of the Willis of Virginia need to first be convinced that this claim is
wrong so they can help in the effort to find the right Willis ancestors of the Willis family of Virginia.
I have made an effort to find the old parish registers for St. Fowle’s or St. Algate’s/Aldate's Parish, City of Oxford, without success. If such registers, or the Bishop transcripts of these registers, exist, perhaps Willis entries of baptisms,
marriages and burials therein between 1550-1700 will produce the answer.
I have made an effort over the internet to find Archdeacon or Consistory Court Will records for Oxford City or County without success. If Wills exists for the 16th and 17th century, perhaps there are Willis Wills that will produce the answer.
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