Wills, William H. (William Henry), 1809-1889

William H. Wills was a general merchant, Methodist Protestant minister, and cotton planter of Halifax County, N.C. His wife was Anna Wills (1817-1893), and his children included Reverend Richard H. (1836-1891); George Whitaker (1842-1864); Mary (1848-1941); Lucy (b. 1844); and Edward (b. 1846). Other prominent Wills family members were Dr. Cary Whitaker (1782-1858) of Enfield, N.C., and Jackson County, Fla.; Capt. Cary Whitaker (d. 1865); Joseph S. Norman (d. 1864) of Plymouth, N.C.; and Robert Snell (fl. 1816-1841) of Washington County, N.C.

William H. Wills (1809-1889) of Halifax County, N.C., was a general merchant in Halifax, an Methodist Protestant minister, and a cotton planter. Over his long ministerial career, circa 1844-1889, Wills held many church offices, including president of the North Carolina Annual Conference, president of the General Conference, president of the District, and superannuate. He gave up merchandising in 1843 to plant cotton on his plantation in Brinkleyville and focus on his ministerial duties. In 1835, Wills married Anna Whitaker (1817-1893), the daughter of Cary Whitaker (1782-1858), a physician and cotton planter in Enfield and later Jackson County, Fla., and Martha Susan Baker (d. 1836).

Anna had several brothers, including Cary Whitaker (1832-1865), a student at the University of North Carolina, captain in the 43rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment, and judge advocate of Court Martial, 1864-1865; Reverend George A. T. Whitaker (fl. 1842-1882); and Lawrence B. Whitaker (d. 1864).

William and Anna had nine children, including Richard H. (1836-1891); George Whitaker (1842-1864); Mary (1848-1941); Edward (b. 1846); Harriet (1852-1942); Lucy (b. 1844); Martha (b. 1839); and Agnes (b. 1857). Richard was a Methodist Protestant minister who held several church offices, including president of the North Carolina Conference. George and Edward served in the Civil War, George with the 43rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment and Edward with the junior reserves of the 2nd North Carolina Regiment. Edward planted cotton in Brinkleyville after the war. Mary and Lucy both taught school, Lucy briefly in 1866 and Mary from the late 1870s through at least the 1900s.

In the mid-1860s, Richard married Anna Louisa Norman (fl. 1844-1891), daughter of Joseph S. Norman (1804-1864), a cotton planter in Plymouth, N.C. Norman was an avid secessionist and member of the North Carolina General Assembly. He had at least three other children: Thomas Joshua, a captain in the 17th North Carolina Infantry Regiment; Joseph S. (d. 1864) of the 17th North Carolina Infantry Regiment; and Swain Swift Norman. The Normans were closely related to the Swift and Swain families of Halifax, Tyrrell, Washington, Edgecombe, and Albemarle counties, N.C.

Other prominent family members were Spencer D. Cotten (d. 1838), a commission merchant and financial agent in Tarboro, N.C., and Robert Snell (fl. 1816-1841), a liquor distiller in Washington County. Cotten was Anna Wills's uncle by marriage. The relation of Robert Snell to the Wills family is unclear.