Willis, Benjamin

The following data is extracted from A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917.

Benjamin¹ Willis, who d. at Keene, Mar. 22, 1820, aged 80, was probably the father of Benjamin2, 1, of Sullivan.

1. Benjamin² Willis, son of Benjamin¹, was a farmer and res. Keene and Sullivan; d. in Sullivan, Aug. 26, 1837, aged 75; m. Mar. 17, 1785, Annis Briggs b. Norton, Mass., Sept. 25, 1759, d. Sullivan, Jan. 22, 1831; dau. of Elisha and Mary Briggs of Keene. Ch. b. Keene:

1. Mary³ (christened Polly), b. Mar. 17, 1785; m. John Newman (q. v.)
2. Sarah³, b. 1789; m. Robert. Hall (q. v.)
3. Annis³, b. May 25, 1794.
4. Asenath³, b. unk.; d. Keene, unm., June 10, 1824.
5. Fanny³, b. Dec. 6, 1798.

2. Annis³ Willis, dau. of Benjamin², ¹, m. Justus Chapin, b. Alstead, Mar. 31, 1790, d. there, Sept. 20, 1869, son of Justus and Martha (Taylor) Chapin. They lived in Gilsum and Alstead and she d. in Alstead, Mar. 13, 1867. She had six ch.:

1. Martha Taylor⁴ Chapin, b. Gilsum, Aug. 18, 1816, d. Marlow, May 29, 1878; m. Mar. 11, 1852, Ephraim Pratt Evardon, b. Winchester, Oct. 21, 1798, d. Alstead, Jan. 15, 1867, son of John and Rebecca (Pratt) Evardon. Res. Gilsum, and had:
   1. Martha Ann⁵ Evardon, b. Jan. 17, 1854; m. June 6, 1871, Edgar Cyrus Farnum, b. Marlow, July 4, 1848, son of Heman and Lusylvia (Lowell) Farnum. Res. Marlow. Ch.:
      1. Rosa Belle⁶ Farnum, b. Marlow, May 22, 1872.
      2. Frank Eugene⁶, b. July, 1873.
      3. Edgar⁶ Farnum, b. Apr. 24, 1878.
2. Mary Wilder⁴ Chapin, b. Gilsum, Oct. 7, 1818, d. there unm., Dec. 6, 1836
3. Fanny Willis⁴ Chapin, b. Gilsum, Oct. 9, 1820, d. unm. in Westmoreland, Oct. 10, 1871.
4. Ezra Carpenter⁴ Chapin, b. Alstead, Oct. 19, 1822, d. Ayer, Mass., Jan. 4, 1876; m. Hannah Adams Barrett.
5. Rebecca Webster⁴ Chapin, b. Alstead, Sept. 25, 1825; m. William Brown. Res. Utah and had a dau. Zuah Rebecca⁵ Brown.
6. Eliza Ann⁴ Chapin, b. Alstead, Oct. 30, 1836, d. there, Feb. 3, 1839.

3. Fanny³ Willis, dau. of Benjamin2, 1, m. (1), Jan. 1, 1850, Benjamin Ware, b. Swanzey, May 17, 1773, d. Gilsum, Jan. 1, 1858; son of Moses and Betsey (Puffer) Ware of Gilsum. She m. (2), Dec. 1, 1863, Stephen C. Switzer, b. in Bath, in 1793. She lived in Gilsum with first husband, and Surry with second. No. children.

Source: A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917

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