WILLS FAMILY HOME PAGE

Son of John B. Wills

The sons of John B. Wills, Woodson and Meredith Wills married sisters. They were Sarah and Lydia Carns, respectively. Any reader continuing research on this family should note that the names of Carns and Kerns are both shown in old records. Most reference written by court clerks shows Kerns but original documents signed by George, father of Sarah and Lydia are signed as Carns. When George Carns, the father of the Sarah and Lydia died, each received part of two tracts of land located in Bedford County. The developed farmland that they inherited included approximately 25 acres for Meredith and 20 for Woodson. The developed land, part of the main farm, is easily seen from present day Highway 43 between the town of Bedford and the Peaks of Otter. The land starts at the junction of State Highway 43 and County Highway 643 on the East side of St. Hwy. 43 and runs North parallel to St. Hwy. 43. The present day farmland is flat to gently rolling and looks to be of good quality. As a side note, a wood and stone farm house built by Michael Kerns, son of Michael and Catherine (Welch) Kerns, brother of Sarah and Lydia Karns, still stands near Rt. 43 and is easily visible from the road.

Meredith and Woodson also received a section of undeveloped land from George Carns. Meredith received 133 acres and Woodson 61 acres, through their wives. The second plot of land consisted mostly of wooded hillside somewhere north of the main farm toward Peaks of Otter. Other members of the Carns family received portions of the two tracts of land as well.

About 1830 or 1831, Meredith, my direct ancestor, moved his family to Monroe (present day Summers) County area of West Virginia (all Monroe Co., Va. at that time). This occurred at or about the same time as his brother, Woodson Wills, relocated his family to Ohio.

Why either of these brothers would move from Bedford at about the same time has been one of my biggest mysteries in the family. Both owned land near each other in Bedford and seemed to prosper. To add to the mystery, John B. Wills, their father, is buried in present day Monroe County, W.Va. There is every indication members of the Carns family went to this area about the same time as well but I have few facts about their movements.

Meredith's path into present day West Virginia is typical of other early settlers of that time and area. The people basically followed the New River, to the North, through the mountains. Three theories have been suggested to me why Meredith and his brother Woodson moved from Bedford County.

1. The desire for more and cheaper land. It is possible Meredith and Woodson found it difficult to support their growing families on the plots of land inherited from George Carns.
2. During this period in time, resentment toward slavery caused many folks to move toward areas where slavery was less tolerated. This is well documented in books on the Quakers at that time. It may be possible Meredith and family shared these same feelings and moved to escape slavery issues. I have explored the issue of slaves in this branch of the Wills family. To date, I cannot prove if Meredith or Woodson Wills owned slaves or not. However, Bedford County tax records show their father, John B. Wills, owned slaves from time to time.
3. The desire to escape debt. Bedford County land records indicate considerable selling of land back and forth between Wills family members. It may be their farms failed for several years. To escape the debt of taxes and such, they sold their land and moved away.

There may be other reasons I have not thought of and I would welcome comments or suggestions. However, judging from the quality of the land occupied in Bedford County and present day Summers & Raleigh Counties, there is no comparison. The Bedford County land was far better suited to farming and developed. It is gently rolling compared with the steep and undeveloped hillsides of present day Summers and Raleigh Counties.

One of the earliest records on Meredith is the 1830 census data. It shows him in Giles County. Readers must keep in mind the size and shape of Giles and Monroe Counties varied several times in the early 1800s. The general location of the earliest settlement was wedged between present day Raleigh, Summers and Mercer Counties. All of which were part or parts of Giles and Monroe Counties at that time.

The 1830 census records indicate Meredith and family were farmers. I haven’t located the exact area of settlement but feel it is in the general area of a Post Office called Streeter. Most present day road maps will not show the location. It is roughly 4 miles South West of the town of Nimitz, W.Va. Streeter was the nearest Post Office but the local folks call the old home area Suck Creek or Ellison Ridge. This is the area where   Leland, son of Meredith settled.

2 Parala Wills Born Abt. 1858 in Mercer Co., Va.