My Willis family came to Southeast Virginia from England, in the Chesapeake Bay area, the same area that the pilgrims first settled. There in the 1740’ s, in Isle of Wight County and Nansemond County (now the city of Suffolk) was the place that Joseph Willis’ father, Agerton Willis, three uncles and one aunt called home. The family had come to America from Devonshire, England. I believe, but I cannot prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt, the English father of these five children was Benjamin Willis, Jr. (born circa 1690) and the grandfather was Benjamin Willis, Sr. (born circa 1670). The four Willis brothers were Joseph’s father Agerton Willis (born circa 1727; died 1777), and his brothers Daniel Willis (born circa 1716; died 1785), Benjamin Willis III (born circa 1725; died 1785), and George Willis (born circa 1730). The one known sister of these four brothers was Joanna Willis (born circa 1730; died 1791). Joanna married James Council (born circa 1716) of Isle of Wight County, Virginia in about 1751. James was the son of John Council and Benjamin Willis Jr.’s sister Josie Willis (born circa 1681), and grandson of Hodges Council. Hodges had also immigrated from Devonshire, England to America. In the early 1750’s, the family including James and Joanna moved south. Between 1740 and 1770, hundreds of Virginians moved to North Carolina as a result of the Virginia legislature passing a law requiring all non-residents to acquire ten acres of land for each head of stock ranging in the colony or to become citizens. Thus the family left Virginia, probably by sea, and landed down the coast at New Hanover (now named Wilmington), North Carolina. New Hanover had North Carolina’s most navigable seaport and even though it was not used much for transatlantic trade, this meant the area of the state was easily accessible from all other English settlements along the coast. Randy Willis www.randywillis.org randy@randywillis.org