Dear Connie, Change of plans--we didn't get to go to Des Moines and then Rochester, Minnesota, as we had planned, so I can reply to you a bit sooner. You have some questions I'll try to answer--but not all of them. I am not related to the Willis family here. I gathered the information I have in tracking down descendants of the people in the photographs. I haven't pursued this for several years--lots of things I start never get finished, as I get involved with something new. I have information on dozens of Louisa County families. Norma and I have spent years in gathering such information, and we are both members of the Louisa County Genealogical Society and help others as time and energy permit. We don't have a Corresponding Secretary and I partially fulfill that function, but not always on a timely basis. My mail address is 325 Franklin, Wapello, IA 52653 and telephone 319-523-8164. I am posting this to the entire list, because there may be someone else interested in the WILLIS name. Do you have the ability to receive a scanned photograph? What I have are commercial portraits prepared by a studio--not taken with a personal camera. Most have the name of the photographer or studio. I have a scanner, but haven't used it yet and don't know much about it--but should learn! One picture is of Mrs. E. Thompson and Mrs. Lairsa Willis (or it looks like Lairsa). They are both old in appearance--70's or so. There is a single picture that could be either Elizabeth or Lavisa--or neither. There is one that I think is Lavisa with a girl of about six or so, braided hair, with her arm around her grandmother, I would guess. There are pictures of the five daughters of Elizabeth; some are family portraits of their famililes. There is a picture of one daughter and family, Nancy, who married an Armstrong. Two young ladies are identified as Ida Hay and Sadie Dunn. There are baby pictures of Lila Clare Morrow and Glen Crawford Morrow. There is a picture of Sally Crawford, who later married John Morrow. I don't know if Robert Willis is pictured; there are several pictures of men, either singly or with parents, brothers, etc. How I identified pictures, gained familly information etc. is too long a story to relate here. Sincerely, Keith ---------- > From: Connie Beck <cbeck@lenox.heartland.net> > To: Keith/Connie Street <ckcasey@lisco.net> > Cc: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Willis Descendants? > Date: Friday, March 13, 1998 4:12 PM > > Keith, > Wow@!@! > This is too easy! I just put the querie on the internet for the 1st > time and wrote to Louisa County for the first time yesterday, and I > get a response! And what a response! Where are you from? Are you a > descendant of the Willises also? If not, you sure are dedicated to > researching them! > > It told my husband what you wrote about the Willis family, and I > commented that your response must have made my blood pressure rise > about 20 degrees! He said that I can't handle the pressure on the > net--that I should just get off! > > Could I have a copy of the pictures of LaVisa? I would even like some > of Elizabeth. I have a picture of 4 women and I think Elizabeth and > LaVisa are 2 of them. Do you have that picture? I also have been > given several pictures of relatives that live near Columbus Junction, > IA, that I can't identify. Do you have relatives there? > > Is LaVisa young or old in your pictures? Do you have any pictures of > Robert Willis? > > Have you run into any other descendants of the Willises besides the > Virginia guy? I wonder if I could ever write him now. > > I am anxious to hear what your pictures are like. How did you ever > find a descendant related to the photographed? > > Connie Beck, Taylor Co., IA > > PS I wonder if there are any Willis descendants now reading our > letters? Wish they would speak up!!!! > >