WILLIS, Joshua Thomas

1818 - 1886  (67 years)  Submit Photo / Document

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• Name	WILLIS, Joshua Thomas
  Birth	21 Dec 1818	McLanesbury, Hamilton, Illinois, United States
  Gender	Male
  WAC	31 Jul 1852	POFFI
  _TAG	Reviewed on FS
  Death	1 May 1886	Taylor, Navajo, Arizona, United States
  Burial	1 May 1886	Taylor, Navajo, Arizona, United States
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I20898	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
  Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

  
  

  Family ID

  F11301

  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	DODGE, Sarah Melisa ,   b. 7 Jun 1827, Jefferson, Greene, New York, United States Jefferson, Greene, New York, United Statesd. 1 Apr 1890, Taylor, Navajo, Arizona, United States (Age 62 years)
  Marriage	22 Jul 1848	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
  Family ID	F10588	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

  
  

• Photos		Martha Jane Calvert
  		Bowman and Collinson Four Generation Portrait 1912
  		https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-904-69299-528-91/dist.jpg?ctx=ArtCtxPublic Notice the two youngest girls in this picture have short cropped hair. Lydia Squire was ill with brights and cut the hair short because she lacked the strength. She died shortly after this picture was taken.
  		https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-301-38300-150-21/dist.jpg?ctx=ArtCtxPublic Gravestone
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

  
  

• Notes

  !Bir: Willis & Vance Ancestry (FHW 678w), p. 93, a letter from Joshua Thomas Willis The letter states that his parents Margaret CHERRY and Merrill WILLIS moved from Sumner County, Tenn just after their two daughters were born. William Wesley was born in Hamilton County, IL. Then the family moved to Gallatin County, where Joshua Thomas and two other sons were born. Emigration Rec 1831-1848 vol 1: Roster of the 1st Fifty, 4th Hundred (Captain: Geo. Benjamin Wallace) gives birth as shown. Joshua Thomas Willis was aged 29 years. He came with his widowed mother and his sister in-law, Margaret and her seven children. EH Slgs FHl 183,393 gives birthplace as Sansbury, Hamilton, IL Headstone gives birthplace as Hamilton Co., Illinois. (Taylor Cem Recs in poss of Ida Webb (1993) Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah p. 1252 gives date and place shown Age 41 years 1860 Census (Jul) Utah, Washington Co., Tokerville FHL 903,040 Age 62 years 1880 Census Arizona FHl 1,254,036 Mar: 1) Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p. 1252; Hamilton Co. Marr Rec 1821-1854 FHL 977.395 v2f #539 [Dosha Dorcey] 2) Handwritten rec of Sarah Melissa Dodge Willis in poss of Merrill V. Willis, 707 E. Marilyn Ave, Mesa, AZ 3) Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p. 1252 4) 5) Dth: Headstone worn away where year is recorded. Taylor Cemetery, Taylor, AZ TIB gives 1886. Note: Navajo County was created in 1895. Prior to that Taylor was in Apache Co. Taylor Ward recs FHL 002,460 - died of Bright's Disease Taylor Ward recs FHL 903,039 - "died at Taylor, Arizona in full faith in the gospel" Bap: Orig bap 1843 - TIB FHL 1,267,041. Orig rec not found; Also 19 Oct 1972 AZ End: Orig end not found. SL temple recs FHL 457,615. Also 20 Oct 1972 AZ S/p: Arc sheet submitted by Dora Young Greer 1208 Karen Way, Modesto, CA 10 Jul 1963; Also 7 Mar 1973 AZ S/s: 2) EH slgs FHL 183,393; Also 2 Jul 1864 EH FHL 183,395 and 17 Aug 1960 SL FHL 457,615 3) Also 2 Jul 1964 4) Also 18 Jun 1867 EH There are TIB cards for both Joshua T. Willis and Thomas J. Willis. HISTORICAL NOTES: Joshua Thomas Willis heard the gospel from his brother, William Wesley who had moved to Lee County, Iowa and later to south Illinois. Joshua, his parents and two sisters were baptized. Joshua's first wife, Dosha, died and his father died in 1842. Joshua moved with his mother to Nauvoo. They started west, staying at Winter Quarters all winter in a cold, crude hut in a camp on Charlton River. On April 1st, 1846, President Brigham Young called them to move on to Utah. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in the Fourth Hundred (Abraham O. Smoot, Captain), First Fifty (George B. Wallace, Captain), Fourth Ten (John Nebeker, Captain)--on 25 September 1847. (See Pioneers of 1847, p. 153, FHL LDS 979.2 W2p) In Salt Lake, Joshua Thomas met and married Sarah Melissa DODGE 2 July 1848. Joshua T. Willis, David Penrod and Elijah E. Wolden were named as fence viewers. They were to see to it that fences were properly maintained. The discussions in subsequent sessions of the Council show that the officers had much difficulty in enforcing the fence ordinance. (Treasures of Pioneer History, Kate B. Carter, vol 3, p. 364.) Committees for the South Field, East Bench Field, and Old Fort Field were appointed to enforce the ordinance. If the property owners did not comply, the committee built the fence. There were other city ordinances, the most controversial regarding timber. Joshua Thomas Willis and his bride, Sarah Melissa Dodge moved to Provo in the spring of 1849. There Joshua Thomas was the first sheriff. He also served as first counselor to Stake President Isaac Higbee. Four children were born in Provo. At the session of the Legislature of Deseret held in October 1850, Joshua T. Willis was appointed Associate Justice. (Treasures of Pioneer History Vol 3, p. 361) "Awaiting the arrival of the Federal Army from the East, the saints in Utah abandoned Great Salt Lake City and all their northern settlements and moved south, but most of them returned after peace was restored." (Our Pioneer Heritage, Carter, vol II, p. 37) In 1853 Joshua Thomas Willis was called to Cedar City because of his civic leadership abilities and later, "the saints who were settling on Ash Creek, southern Utah, were organized into a branch of the church, called Toquerville, with Joshua T. Willis as President." (Our Pioneer Heritage, Carter, vol II, 39). On Monday, "November 18, 1861, a ward was organized at Toquerville with J. T. Willis as Bishop." (Our Pioneer Heritage, Carter, vol V, p. 12) The word "Toquer" means "black" in the Indian language. ("Tokerville" on the 1860 Washington County Census.) His mother, Margaret Cherry Willis, spun the first cotton thread in Toquerville. On April 9-10, at St. George, a Cooperative Stock Company was formed with Erastus Snow as President and Joshua Thomas Willis as Vice President. Joshua Thomas Willis was a veteran of the Walker, Black Hawk and Navajo Indian Wars. (Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p. 1252) According to the Toquerville Ward records (FHL 903,063), Joshua Thomas Willis, his wives--Sarah and Ellen, and families removed to the Arizona Territory October 15, 1879. He resided in the community of Taylor, Arizona. Originally the ward was organized as the Walker Ward (1880-81)but the name was changed to the Taylor Ward in 1881. Others to arrive with the big company who came with the two Willis families were the Cordons, Kays, Walkers and Hatches. (An Enduring Legacy, Vol 3, p. 260, Copyright 1980. Located in Snowflake, Ariz Family History Library) According to family members, the families of Joshua Thomas Willis often lived together, causing quite a bit of confusion regarding which mother the children were born to. The 1880 Arizona Census gives an indication. Arizona Census 1880 (FHL 1,254,036) Joshua Willis 62 years of age farmer parents b. in N.C. Sarah (wife) 53 years of age housekeeper parents b. in N.Y. Mariah M. 18 at home Mary A. 17 at home Wm. R. 12 laborer [a child of Sophia Fryer] Adina 10 at home [a child of Sophia Fryer] Ellen (wife) 50 years of age housekeeper parents b. in England Hyrum A. 15 farming Richard M. 13 on farm Franklin J. 11 on farm JOSHUA THOMAS WILLIS This story has been taken from a history of Joshua Thomas Willis written by my great aunt, Sarah Willis Shumway. I have edited her story and have made a few additions from other sources.(Janell Nichols, great-great grand daughter of Joshua Thomas Willis. ***************************************************************** Joshua Thomas Willis was the fifth child of Merril Willis and Margaret Cherry. He was born December 21, 1818, in Shawneetown Gallatin County, Illinois. There were six children born to this couple. The family lived in southern Illinois many years, working hard to make their way as pioneers in a new part of the country. Merril and Margaret had been pioneering in other parts of the country most of their lives. The children learned while very young that they must learn to work hard if they were to ever have homes of their own. They were taught the skills of building, cultivating the soil, planting trees, berries, bushes, and gardens. It has been said that Joshua Thomas never moved to a new place but that the first thing he did was to plant fruit trees and gardens. Joshua fell in love at the age of twenty, and married Dosha Cherry born in 1818 in Bedford, Tennessee. They were married in 1839 and became the parents of 2 children, Henry, born 16 July, 1840, and William, born 3 Apr., 1843. At this time in their lives they and other members of their families began hearing a lot about the new religion of the Mormons. The stories they heard seemed "wild" to them, and they were no doubt unimpressed with the Mormons at that time. Joshua's oldest brother, William Wesely, lived in southern Iowa at the time, near where the Mormons had built their beautiful city of Nauvoo. After learning that the stories that were being circulated about the crimes the Mormons were committing were untrue, and finding that these people were really a friendly, law-abiding people, he was taught the Gospel and was baptized. He then visited his parents and brothers and sisters and taught them the Gospel, and they were all baptized. In hearing some of the things that were happening to the Mormons, Merril told his sons that the Mormons were being treated wrongly, and that people should be allowed to worship as they pleased. As he and his family were taught the gospel, they felt that it was what they had been looking for all along. They loved hearing the Prophet speak and were very inspired by his teachings. William Wesely said that he would have gladly given his life to have saved such a man from all the vile treatment he received at the hands of the gentiles. Joshua and Dosha were very happy at this time, until their first baby boy died at about two years of age. After visiting in Nauvoo where they were able to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith, Joshua's parents decided to sell their home in southern Illinois and join the Saints in Nauvoo, but the father died before they could do so. In due time, Joshua and Dosha's second son died at about two years of age, and a few months later Dosha herself died. This left only Joshua and his mother to sell the homes and move to Nauvoo, which they did, in 1846. Joshua, his mother, and his brother William Wesely, with his wife and six children left Nauvoo with the Saints to go west. After spending some time Winter Quarters, Wesely was asked to go with the Mormon Battalion. The time spent in Winter Quarters was a difficult time for the Saints. The living quarters were crude and there was a lot of sickness and misery. After a long period of time spent there, it came time to move on towards the west. Again, there was a lot to be endured as they travelled across the plains. On the trek West, Joshua was designated as captain in John Taylor's "hundred". The group arrived in Salt Lake City in September of 1847. The next year looked a little brighter for Joshua when he met a little black-haired girl by the name of Sarah Melissa Dodge, born 7 June, 1827 in New York, and was the daughter of Erastus Dodge and Melissa Morgan. They were married July 2nd, 1848. In the spring of 1849 Joshua and Sarah were among the first settlers of Provo, Utah, where he was chosen to be the first counselor to Bishop Isaac Higbee. Being a civic minded person as well as being spiritual, Joshua was the Sheriff of Provo for several years. Four children were born to the young couple while living in Provo. Before long they were asked to go on to Cedar City to help settle that area. Four more children were born in Cedar City. It is said that Brigham Young kept in close touch, through reports, with those he sent out to colonize new territories, and when he found them capable and trustworthy, he soon asked them to make many sacrifices by moving on to help build new homes and cities. In 1858 Joshua and Sarah were asked to move on to Toquerville, where a Branch was organized with Joshua as Branch President. Three years later the Ward was organized with Joshua being ordained as Bishop by Apostle Orson Pratt. Between the years of 1858 and 1870, while living in Toquerville, he and Sarah were blessed with 8 more children, thus making 16 children in all. Five of those 16 died as infants. In the year 1863 Ellen Aldridge, who was born 3 Feb., 1830, came from England to live in Toquerville. It is noted that she was a beautiful girl, and well-dressed. She had come with a Brother Stapley, who had brought a group of converts from England across the plains. They were to live in Salt Lake, but for some reason, Ellen asked if she could go with Brother Stapley to live with his family in Toquerville, which she did. She had been the only member of her family in England to have joined the Church, and was told that the family never wanted to see her again. She worked to earn the money she needed to come to America with other converts. It can be assumed that because of Joshua's good standing in the Church, he was either given permission, or was asked to take more than one wife. He and Ellen were married in 1864 in Toquerville, and became the parents of 3 children. He later married Sophia Fryer in 1866. They also were the parents of 3 children. Sophia died in 1872 while they still lived in Toquerville. Joshua did all he could do to help build Toquerville to be a thriving farming community where people could live and be happy. One of his big projects was to build the first water-power driven flour mill in 1860. Ellen helped in the community by going around to the homes and helping the mothers weave cloth and sew clothing for their families. She was a skilled seamstress, and was able to supplement the family finances by making suits for the men in the community. When Joshua was 60 years old he took his wives and children and moved to Arizona. It is not known whether this came from a call to do so, or if it was just his own idea to move on and do more pioneering. They settled in what was known as Walker or Bagley, but is now known as Taylor. They were among the first few families to live there. This was in 1878. Ellen continued with her sewing and suit making, and it has been noted that she was also very talented and artistic with embroidery work. Joshua planted his trees and gardens, and continued with his work in helping this new community grow and develop. In 1886, after returning from a trip to Utah to visit some of his children and some friends, Joshua became ill. He had a kidney disease and suffered quite intensely for a few weeks, then passed away on the 1st of May, 1886. It was said that Joshua was a faithful laborer in the vineyard of the Lord, and all would mourn his death. Joshua's second wife, Sarah, died in Taylor in 1890. In 1894, Ellen and some of her grown children moved to Fairview, New Mexico. It was thought that farm land was cheap, with good soil, and that water was plentiful. Ellen's sons built her a little two-room house, where she lived until she died in 1895. Her grandchildren loved to visit her and felt that they had lost a good friend as well as a loving grandmother. ****************************************************************** Not much has been written in this history of Joshua's other wives, Dosha, Sarah, and Sophia since it was written by the grand-daughter of Ellen. However, my husband, Neldon Nichols is a descendant of the second wife, Sarah and it would be interesting to know a little more about her. (Janell)