Memories of the Willis House
The story I am about to write concerns mostly two young men and two young women who lived in Cecil County, Maryland, many years ago. Yes, lived and married there not very far from the old homesteads. Married and raised families, many of whom still live there in the hills and on the farmlands of Maryland not very far from Big Elk Creek. The two young men were James Kilgore Willis and John Thomas Willis, sons of John and Rebecca Kilgore Willis who lived on a farm not far from Cherry Hill.
There was a large family, mostly boys, James K, John Thomas, Daniel, A. Jackson, George Mitchell, Amos, Isabella, Mary Vinyard, Margaret Ann, and Rebecca Rachael. James and John married two sisters Mary Elizabeth Segers and Katherine Segers daughters of Margaret Dysart and Rheuben Segers who lived about one half mile from Coventonn (sic) on the road leading to Parkes Rolling Mills and at this writing the house still stands. James and Mary Willis were my grandparents whom I well remember, and I was the first grandchild. John Willis, the father of the boys, was a carpenter and strange to say James, Thomas, George and Daniel followed his trade and were also carpenters. James had two sons, Joseph and Thomas Jackson, who were carpenters and John Thomas had three sons, Frank, Rheuben and Albert who were also carpenters. My grandfather was also a bridge builder, having built the old covered bridge over the Elk Creek at Scotts Mill and numerous smaller bridges and barns throughout the surrounding country.
James K. Willis married Mary Elizabeth Segers in Feb. 10, 1846 and settled near Coventonn. In 1851 he bought a tract of land from David Scott of forty some acres on the road and extending back to the land of Jesse Taylor. This was then woodlands, and had a fine stream of sparkling, cold water running through it. He cleared a section near the road for house and garden and barn, later for an orchard and spring house.
The timber for the house he cut from the trees on his property and had them sawed and dressed at Scotts Mill about one half mile down the road. The house is stone which he quarried from the quarry opened in the woods. From these materials he built a large substantial stone house which today 79 years later still stands in a good state of preservation, having weathered the storms and sheltered three generations. The property has never changed hands in all those years. He set one fine orchard, of which he was very proud and some of the trees yet survive. These names I can remember of the apple trees, Baldwin, Minesap, Maiden Blush, Pearmine, Pippin, Crab Apple, Fallawater, Red-Streak, Rattlebox, and Rusty-coats, besides cherry and peach trees.
Here he moved in 1851 and raised a family of ten children, the following:
Joseph Theodore, b. 17 January 1847
Sarah Emma, b. 25 November 1848
Katherine Segers, b. 7 January 1851
Clara Virginia, b. 10 August 1853
Georgiana Welsh, b. 25 October 1855
Mary Lucinda, b. 12 March 1859
Isabella Kilgore, b. 30 April 1861
Thomas Jackson, b. 20 November 1863
Margaret Rebecca, b. 1 December 1865
Ida Jane, b. 24 January 1868
They all grew to manhood and womanhood.
My grandmother was a woman of fine robust form, having black hair and blue eyes, a capable woman whose heart and mind retained their youth for many years. While at school, I spent part of all my vacations with her, and she was always an equal companion. She read the same books and was interested in whatever I was doing. She made clothing for her family, made my grandfather’s shirts by hand with fine hand run tucks before she acquired a sewing machine. She made fine patchwork and many quilts. Had a fine garden, made butter, was a good cook and canned and preserved abundantly for the winter, truly a good wife and mother, and never gave one cross word. She died at the family home Aug. 2, 1902 and was buried at Cherry Hill having survived my grandfather 19 years.
written by Minnie Willis Harrison
There was a large family, mostly boys, James K, John Thomas, Daniel, A. Jackson, George Mitchell, Amos, Isabella, Mary Vinyard, Margaret Ann, and Rebecca Rachael. James and John married two sisters Mary Elizabeth Segers and Katherine Segers daughters of Margaret Dysart and Rheuben Segers who lived about one half mile from Coventonn (sic) on the road leading to Parkes Rolling Mills and at this writing the house still stands. James and Mary Willis were my grandparents whom I well remember, and I was the first grandchild. John Willis, the father of the boys, was a carpenter and strange to say James, Thomas, George and Daniel followed his trade and were also carpenters. James had two sons, Joseph and Thomas Jackson, who were carpenters and John Thomas had three sons, Frank, Rheuben and Albert who were also carpenters. My grandfather was also a bridge builder, having built the old covered bridge over the Elk Creek at Scotts Mill and numerous smaller bridges and barns throughout the surrounding country.
James K. Willis married Mary Elizabeth Segers in Feb. 10, 1846 and settled near Coventonn. In 1851 he bought a tract of land from David Scott of forty some acres on the road and extending back to the land of Jesse Taylor. This was then woodlands, and had a fine stream of sparkling, cold water running through it. He cleared a section near the road for house and garden and barn, later for an orchard and spring house.
The timber for the house he cut from the trees on his property and had them sawed and dressed at Scotts Mill about one half mile down the road. The house is stone which he quarried from the quarry opened in the woods. From these materials he built a large substantial stone house which today 79 years later still stands in a good state of preservation, having weathered the storms and sheltered three generations. The property has never changed hands in all those years. He set one fine orchard, of which he was very proud and some of the trees yet survive. These names I can remember of the apple trees, Baldwin, Minesap, Maiden Blush, Pearmine, Pippin, Crab Apple, Fallawater, Red-Streak, Rattlebox, and Rusty-coats, besides cherry and peach trees.
Here he moved in 1851 and raised a family of ten children, the following:
Joseph Theodore, b. 17 January 1847
Sarah Emma, b. 25 November 1848
Katherine Segers, b. 7 January 1851
Clara Virginia, b. 10 August 1853
Georgiana Welsh, b. 25 October 1855
Mary Lucinda, b. 12 March 1859
Isabella Kilgore, b. 30 April 1861
Thomas Jackson, b. 20 November 1863
Margaret Rebecca, b. 1 December 1865
Ida Jane, b. 24 January 1868
They all grew to manhood and womanhood.
My grandmother was a woman of fine robust form, having black hair and blue eyes, a capable woman whose heart and mind retained their youth for many years. While at school, I spent part of all my vacations with her, and she was always an equal companion. She read the same books and was interested in whatever I was doing. She made clothing for her family, made my grandfather’s shirts by hand with fine hand run tucks before she acquired a sewing machine. She made fine patchwork and many quilts. Had a fine garden, made butter, was a good cook and canned and preserved abundantly for the winter, truly a good wife and mother, and never gave one cross word. She died at the family home Aug. 2, 1902 and was buried at Cherry Hill having survived my grandfather 19 years.
written by Minnie Willis Harrison
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