Wow, Sue, what a coincidence. Although my Willis line is in Virginia, I grew up (b. 1949 Kansas, 1954-1968-Portage) in Portage, Wisconsin followed by UW-Madison, and thence to Maine. I'd suggest you contact the Columbia County Historical Society located in Portage. They run, among other things, Ft. Winnebago on Route 33 just a few miles outside Portage. The Willis name is not familiar to me. Like most small (10,000) communities in southern Wisconsin, the most prevalent names are German and Slavic in origin. We were one of the few Anglo-Saxon families and the only Shaw family. I wish you well in your hunt. Jane Luise Shaw, 12th generation direct descendant of Roger Shaw (1594-1661). Researching: Behr, Buck, Campbell, Garnett, Graves, Hunter, Logan, Rice, Shaw (Hiram, 1800-?) and (Roger), Taylor and Willis.