Willis R. Revels was born in North Carolina in approximately 1817. He attended the Union Literary Institute operated by the Society of Friends. It was a manual training boarding school located Randolph County, Indiana and Darke County, Ohio. According to the 1860 federal census, Willis R. Revels was living in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. He appears on the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment List, 1862-1918 as a property owner and physician. He was also pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis and served as an advocate for the 28th United States Colored Troops regiment formed in Indiana in 1863.
From the description of Willis R. Revels portrait [graphic], ca. 1870. (Indiana Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 243766875
