Good morning Parker, Thank you for your response & info! :) I'm trying to help a woman, my the name of Valerie McLAUGHLIN, she is looking for info on her PARRIS & WILLIS Lines from Caroline Co., Dorchester Co., MD & Kent Co., DE. She has done research on her family but has documented very little -- she relied mainly on the stories her mother & other family members have given her over the years. Which of course leads to confusion & mistakes. She told me that her Joseph W. WILLIS was a big land owner in Caroline Co., MD. I found the following info. If you could tell me which is your Joseph WILLIS -- it would help me narrow it down to which one is belongs to her. LAND: 27 Aug 1793 - 10 Dec 1793 DEPOSITION of John WALKER, aged 52, saith that he was at Andrew WILLIS; father of the late Thos. WILLIS, dec'd, of whom Sina WILLIS is widow, and heard Andrew say he intended 100 a. of his land for Thomas; 100 a. for his son Andrew; 7 a. for his son Ezekiel& the home plantation for his son Elijah, excepting a parcel to be laid off for his son Joseph - that in case of his death without a will that Thomas would convey; to which Thomas agreed & so did. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Vol. D, p26, #381 6 Aug 1814 - 22 Dec 1814 Chas. WILLIS to Jos. WILLIS - cons. $32 - pt. of "Hap Nab at a Venture," willed to me by my mother - cont. 15 a. Ack. bef. Elijah SATTERFIELD, Wm LUCAS. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book VII #233; Vol. L, p24. 22 Aug 1818 - 13 Oct 1818 Levin STUART of DCO to John STEVENS of CACO - cons. $322 - "Littleton's Friendship" in CACO on the west side of the main road leading from Hunting Creek to Marshyhope Bridge - adj. Richard ANDREW & Thomas CONNELLY - cont. 40 1/4 a., 27 roods (sic.). Also a piece of "Littleton's Friendship" on the southeast side of the main road leading from Hunting Creek to Marshyhope Bridge, adj. "Hap Nab at a Venture" - cont. 7 acres. Levin & Henriette his wife, e/a bef. Abel GOWTY, Joseph DOUGLAS. Levin STUART agrees that John STEVENS is to have a road through STUART's land to these lands he has purchased, between Joseph WILLIS & John VAIN's lands, where William SMALLWOOD (negro) now lives, of one chain width, to clear & do with the timber as he (STEVENS) sees fit. Ack. bef. Abel GOWTY, Joseph DOUGLAS. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book VIII, #276; Vol. M, p27. 22 Aug 1818 - 22 Dec 1818 Levin STEWART of DCO to Joseph WILLIS of CACO - cons. $417.50 - pt. of "Littleton's Friendship" - 41 3/4 a. on the northwest side of the main road leading from Hunting Creek Mill to Marshyhope Bridge. Levin & Henriette his wife, e/a bef. Abel GOWTY, Joseph DOUGLAS. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book VIII, #346; Vol. M, p33. 20 Nov 1819 - 18 Jan 1820 Peter WILLIS, Jr. to Joseph WILLIS - cons. $50 - his right to pt. of "Hap Nab at a Venture," 15 a. which his dec'd mother willed him. Peter, Jr. & Mary his wife, e/a bef. Peter WILLIS, Wm HASKINS. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book VIII, #582; Vol. M, p54. 12 FEB 1833 Peter W. WILLIS & Susan his wife, to Zachariah WILLIS - cons. $400 - parts of "Battle Hill," "Addition to "Battle Hill," & "Littleton's Friendship" - left to Peter by his father, Richard WILLIS, except a small lot lying back of the land of Joseph WILLIS on the northwest side of the road leading from Hunting Creek to Marshyhope Bridge - cont. 130 acres. Peter & Susan his wife, e/a bef. Geo. T MILLINGTON, Seth H. EVITTS. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XIII, #357; Vol. R, p43-44. 25 Feb 1836 - 4 Apr 1836 Mitchell CONNELLY and Britannia his wife, to Joseph WILLIS - cons. $112.75 - pt. of "Littleton's Friendship," 39 a. 30 sq. perches (mentions a sale made by Wm R. STEWART & Levin STEWART to Thos. CONNELLY, dec 'd). Ack. bef. A. GOWTY, Britannia privately examined. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XV, #099; Vol. T, p12. 25 Feb 1836 - 4 Apr 1836 Zachariah WILLIS and Mary his wife, to Joseph WILLIS - cons. $150 - land inherited from his father Richard WILLIS, pt. of "Hap Nab at a Venture" & pt. of "Littleton's Friendship," - except a small part sold to Daniel SPARKLIN. ditto ack. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XV, #100; Vol. T, p12. 30 Jan 1836 - 4 Apr 1836 Nathan & Fanny CONNELLY to Joseph WILLIS - cons. $12 - pt. of "Littleton's Friendship." Test: Willis COCKRAN. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XV, #102; Vol. T, p12. 21 May 1836 - 12 Jul 1836 Zachariah WILLIS and Mary B. his wife, to Rebecca CONNELLY - cons. $125 - pt. of "Littleton's Friendship" & "Hap Nab at a Venture," on northwest side of the main road leading from the Walnut Trees to Collins' Crossroads - 10 a. adj. Joseph WILLIS' new ground fence. Zachariah WILLIS and Mary B. his wife, e/a bef. Daniel LEVERTON & Abel GOWTY. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XV, #133; Vol. T, p16. 28 Dec 1839 - 28 Jan 1840 Mitchell CONNELLEY & Ann his wife, to John DEAN - cons, $114 - the ballance (sic.) of "Littleton's Friendship" not sold to Isaiah BLADES, Joseph WILLIS & Nathan CONNELLEY - purchased of Thomas CONNELLEY. Mitchell and Ann his wife, e/a bef. John C. BLADES, Thomas E. EDGELL. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XVI, #246; Vol. U, p25. 26 Dec 1848 John BLADES, admr. of John C. BLADES, by order of the Orphen's Court of CACO to sell the negroes belonging to the dec'd for the benefit of the heirs & representatives, to Joseph WILLIS - cons. $150 - negro girl Sarah Catherine, abt 10, a slave for life. Ack. bef. Thomas V. BISHOP. Ref: Caroline County Land Records, Book XX, #165; Vol. Y, p19. WILLS: 7 Jan 1797 -- Will probate of Henry TURNER, ment. dau. Lucretia BLADES, wife of John BLADES; land deeded from Joseph WILLIS, Sr. 7 Feb 1799 -- Will probate of James WILLIS, ment. son Aaron; wits John WILLIS, Peter WILLIS. 6 Mar 1804 -- Will probate of Silas FLEMING, ment. b-i-l Peter WILLIS, ex.; wit: Joseph WILLIS. 29 Sep 1812 -- Will probate of Sarah WILLIS, ment. sons Joseph, Charles, Peter; daus. Sarah ANDREW, Frances WHEELER & land Hap Nab at a Venture. 22 Nov 1825 -- Will probate of John VANE, wife Rebecca, ment. Sarah PARRISH, Joseph & Peter WILLIS. 13 Nov 1838 -- Will probate of Rebecca VAIN, ment. Eli PARIS & Joseph WILLIS. 4 Jul 1860 -- Will probate of Joseph WILLIS, ment. son John; dau. Sarah DAVIS, Jane WILLIS, Susan TURNER; negro girl Catherine. I thought you might be interested in the following info for your WILLIS Files. Is there a connection to your WILLIS Family & hers? Is Valerie your wife's cousin? Here is what Valerie has on her WILLIS Line: 1) Aaron WILLIS + Esther WHEATLEY 2) Joseph Wheatly WILLIS, b. 12 Feb 1806-08 Dorchester Co., MD? d. 6 Nov 1886 bur. Williamsville Cem., nr. Houston, DE + Nancy HAMILTON, b. 24 Jun 1805 3) Louise WILLIS, b. 25 Jan 1846 + John Wesley PARRIS, Sr., b. 1841 Harrington, Kent Co., DE (I found another John Wesley, b. 1864, d. 1899 & he might be the father of the following John Wesley.) 4) John Wesley PARRIS, Jr., b. 7 Sep 1882 Harrington, DE + Mary Smith POORE, b. 23 May 1881 5) Marie Lillian PARRIS, b. 7 Mar 1910, Phila., PA + John McLAUGHLIN, b. 20 Sep 1904, Phila., PA 6) Valerie McLAUGHLIN Thank you so much for any help you can give me! :) Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS) In a message dated 5/9/2 10:01:14 PM, ptodd@fastol.com writes: << Hi Helen, My wife is descended from one Joseph Willis. Specifically Joseph Willis (1790-1860), of Friendship, Caroline County, MD, son of Robert & Sarah (Rumbold) Willis. He married his cousin Dorcas Willis, daughter of Richard & Britannia (Gootee/Gouty/etc) Willis in 1816, both Joseph & Dorcas were grandchildren of Richard Willis (d. 1764) and wife Rebecca Granger. Parker >>