WILLS FAMILY HOME PAGE

Leland "Lee" Charles Wills 1833-1901 - Generation 4

Leland and Nancy (Pack) Wills

Leland Wills, my direct ancestor, was a farmer all of his life and resided at Streeter, West Virginia. His farm was located on Suck Creek, Summers County. According to family legend, he volunteered as a soldier during the Civil War, but deserted shortly afterward. Another says he rejoined his unit, and again deserted and lived hidden in the hills near his home until the war was over. The national archives in Washington, DC has no record of him, and it is unknown if he ever was in military service, and if so, whether he was a Confederate or Federal soldier.

The following text was taken from a recorded conversation I had with Edward Wills, son of Clifton Wills, at the Wills family reunion in June of 1998. He speaks of a story told to him by my grandfather, Theodore Wills about his grandfather Leland Wills during the Civil War. 

Edward said, "Uncle Ted started this you know, he came out to my home one day and said, Edward I found a bad apple in the family. He said, my grandfather, Leland Wills had run off twice from the Army.  The first time they caught him and took him back.  But the second time he escaped he went to what was called Panthers Knob in Summers County where his home was at.  They sent soldiers to get him and he said to me, he said, the soldiers didn't come back.  He said I don't know if the Panthers got the soldiers or if he really murdered them." 

Q: Do you know when he told to this?

 A: I reckon he told me that a few years before he died. It was two or three years before he got down sick. 

Q: So what happened next? 

A: I reckon he waited until the war was over.

 

CIVIL WAR RECORDS OF LELAND WILLS
Family history from word of mouth was that Leland enlisted, and then deserted, and reenlisted, and again deserted. From Edward Wills, Cliftons son, Leland hid up on the hill from the Wills home in a rock cave of a sort called the “Bear Den” and while he was staying there, two Confederate soldiers came to the farm, and went up on the hill where he was hiding. They never came back down. Draw your own conclusions.
His date of enlistment records vary for some reason.

January 1, 1862 shown as Company B 23rd Virginia battalion
Enlisted September 13, 1862
Deserted after the retreat from Charleston, Kanawha County Virginia

January and February 1863 shown as 23rd Virginia battalion
Enlisted September 13, 1862
Present joined from desertion February 6, 1863

December 1862 Deserted on the retreat from Charleston, Kanawha County, Virginia
On October 1862. Listed as Company G 23rd Batallion

Undated. Listed as private, company D or I 60th Virginia Infantry, Wares division

May and June dated June 30th 1863 60th Virginia Infantry
Enlisted May 15th 1863 60th Virginia Infantry Not paid

July and August dated August 30th 1863 60th Virginia Infantry
Enlisted August 1861 Present until June 30, 1863

September and October through august 31, 1863 60th Virginia Infantry
Enlisted May 20th 1863 Present

November and December dated December 31, 1863 60th Virginia Infantry
Enlisted May 26, 1863 Present

Physical description: 60th Virginia Infantry
Height 5’9”
Age 32 years
Complexion dark
Eyes gray
Occupation farmer

Undated listed in CompaniesB-G 23rd Virginia battalion

Amnesty Oath: signed January 24 1865 at Charleston as 60th Virginia Infantry
Listed as a deserter
He signed by making his mark, an “X”

I have a note signed by Leland Wills. He must have been very poor. This note has an U. S. Internal Revenue stamp of five cents denomination initialed "L. W. " and dated June 30, 1868. The note says: "For value received I promise to pay John G. Manson or bearer three dollars and sixty cents. As witness my hand and seal this 30 day of June 1868." The back of the note shows the debt was paid off with butter, apples and eggs over several years in 1884.

John Bragg, according to Marriages of Mercer Co., Va. 1854-1863, married Leland and Nancy Pack. Leland is buried at the Henry Lewis Wills (his son) cemetery on Suck Creek, in W.Va.

The area where the old Wills land is located was fairly isolated. The families that lived there tended to intermarry with family lines crossing several times. Families with the names of Ellison, Pack, Basham, Meador and Bragg were common.

Descendants of Leland "Lee" Charles Wills

  1  Leland "Lee" Charles Wills  Born: February 18, 1833 in Streeter, Monroe Co.,  Va.  Died: April 27, 1901 in Suck Creek, W. Va.  Age at death: 68
  .  +Nancy Pack  Born: 1834 in Giles Co., Va.  Married: August 10, 1854 in Mercer Co., Va.  Marriage fact: Married by John Bragg  Father: Mr. Robert B.
     "Bobby" Pack  Mother: Ms. Rhoda Basham  Died: March 13, 1916 in W.Va.  Age at death: 82 est.
  .  2  [1] Louisa "Lou"   E. Wills  Born: 1859 in Mercer Co., W. Va.  
  ....  +Michael R. Pack  Born: 1857 in Mercer Co., W. Va.  Married: July 16, 1879 in Summers Co., W. Va.  Father: Mr. James A. Pack  Mother: Ms. Mary
        J. "Molly" Harvey  
  .  *2nd Husband of [1] Louisa "Lou"   E. Wills:  
  ....  +James F. Meador  Married: October 01, 1888  Father: Mr. William M. Meador  Mother: Ms. Susan Ann Lilly  
  .  2  Mary Jane Wills  Born: Abt. 1857 in Mercer Co., W. Va.  
  ....  +Lorenzo Dowell "Dee" Ellison  Born: February 22, 1857 in Mercer Co., Va.  Married: November 04, 1874 in Summers Co., W. Va.  Father: Mr. John
        (Jonathan) Francis Ellison  Mother: Ms. Ursula "Julia" Lilly  Died: June 19, 1931  Age at death: 74
  .  2  Minerva Adeline "Adeline" Wills  Born: Abt. 1860 in Mercer Co., W. Va.  
  ....  +Jonathan "John" Francis Ellison, Jr.  Born: November 27, 1863  Married: December 14, 1881 in Summers Co., W. Va.  Father: Mr. John (Jonathan)
        Francis Ellison  Mother: Ms. Ursula "Julia" Lilly  
  .  2  Araminta "Minty" Wills  Born: Abt. 1862 in Mecer Co., Va.  
  ....  +Erastus Meredith Wills  Born: March 24, 1860 in Mercer Co.,  Va.   Married: October 22, 1880 in Summers Co., W. Va.  Father: Mr. James
        Chapman "Chap" Wills  Mother: Ms. Mary Frances "Fanny" Lilly  
  .  2  Robert "Bob" E. Wills  Born: Abt. 1865 in Summers Co, W. Va.  
  ....  +Mary L. Farley  Father:  Mother:  
  .  2  Henry Luis Wills  Born: December 20, 1866 in Suck Creek, Summers Co., W.Va.  Died: January 18, 1947 in Suck Creek, Summers Co., W. Va.  Age at
        death: 80
  ....  +Charlotte Francis "Lottie" Shrewsbury  Born: September 26, 1876 in Wyoming Co., Va.  Married: Abt. 1896  Father: Mr. John Burl or Birl
        Shrewsbury  Mother: Ms. Louisa Elizabeth "Elizabeth or Lizzie" Basham  Died: April 07, 1959 in Suck Creek,  Summers Co., W. Va.  Age at death:
        82
  .  2  Rhoda Virginia Wills  Born: August 22, 1869 in Summers Co, W. Va.  Died:  July 10, 1936  Age at death: 66
  ....  +Christopher Printis Pack  Born: 1864  Father: Mr. James M. Pack  Mother:       Died: January 19, 1953  Age at death: 89 est.
  .  2  Nancy Ellen "Ellen" Wills  Born: Abt. 1872 in Summers Co, W. Va.  
  ....  +Rans or Ranz Meadows  Father:  Mother:  
  .  2  Eliza Ann Wills  Born: August 21, 1874 in Summers Co, W. Va.  Died: March 15, 1962 in St. Luis, Mo.  Age at death: 87
  ....  +Isaac Hudson "Hut" Meador  Born: November 25, 1865  Married: July 18, 1895  Father: Mr. Isaac F. Meador  Mother: Ms. Mary Jane Lilly  Died:
        September 25, 1931 in St. Louis, Mo.  Age at death: 65
  .  2  Vallera Wills  Born: Abt. 1877 in Summers Co, W. Va.