Joel B. Wills, 1818 - ? - Generation 4

Son of John B. Wills

The text below is extracted from "History of Fayette Co., WV" - 1993, Submitted by Nina Wills Combes.

Joel B. Wills, my gr.-grandfather, is given the title of Doctor in several Fayette Co. records. In the appraisement of his estate in Fayette Co. 24 Oct 1866, we find a listing of a 7 Volume Medical Works. As far as we know he had no formal schooling in medicine but likely served as a doctor to the people of the Mountain Cove area where he lived. According to the long list of names and amounts of money they owed, Dr. Wills was like so many of the doctors of that day and didn't press his patients for payments.

Dr. Joel B. Wills was also a farmer. One family story says he developed quinzy while going alternately into the house to see patients and then back outside in the cold where he was helping with killing and butchering hogs. A few days later he undertook to treat himself and in attempting to lance his throat he killed himself. This was 1863-66.

Joel B. Wills, 32, teacher, is found on Monroe Co. 1850 census in family of Andrew B. Boyd. We find no record of a previous marriage for Joel B. Wills but his marriage to Martha Catherine Tyree is recorded in Fayette Co. 1855. Martha, b 2 Mar 1825, d 1 Mar 1899, was daughter of Richard F. and Sarah Johnston Tyree. Three children were born in Mountain Cove to Joel and Martha: Lawrence Pembroke b 19 July 1858 d 30 Nov 1918, m Elizabeth Lykens; Otis Burrows b 30 Nov 1861, d 31 July 1928, m Hester Craven 2 Dec. 1885; Woodson Tyree b 5 May 1863, d 3 Apr 1942. The three sons of Joel B. and Martha Wills were active in civic and commercial affairs in Fayette Co. Lawrence and Otis were postmasters of Ansted. Woodson was telegraph operator for C&0 RR in Fayette Station in 1891 when his first child, my father, Bernard Louis was born.

Descendants of Joel B. Wills

1 Joel B. Wills Born: 1818 in Bedford County, Virginia 
. +Martha Catherine Tyree Born: March 02, 1825 Father: Mr. Richard F. Tyree Mother: Ms. Sarah Johnson Died: March 01, 1899 Age at death: 73
2 Lawrence Pembroke Wills Born: July 19, 1858 in Mountain Cove, West
Virginia Died: November 30, 1918 Age at death: 60
... +Elizabeth Lykens 
2 Otis Burrows Wills Born: November 30, 1861 in Mountain Cove, West
Virginia Died: July 31, 1928 Age at death: 66
... +Hester Craven Married: December 02, 1885 
2 Woodson Tyree Wills Born: May 05, 1863 in Mountain Cove, West Virginia
Died: April 03, 1942 Age at death: 78
... +Nina Franklin Cary Blundon Married: September 25, 1888 in Charleston,
West Virginia