Mendocino County Biographies

William E. Willis

Transcribed by: Pat Howard

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
	Was born in Virginia, July 16, 1825. At the age of eighteen 
he went to Missouri, and followed farming till 1849, when he came to California 
across the plains, arriving August 9th. He followed mining for two years, and 
then opened a blacksmith shop in Sacramento. At the end of eighteen months he 
went to Colusa county, where he, in company with Hiram Willits, conducted a 
shop. At the end of a year he and Benjamin Knight opened a shop in Colusa, which 
he conducted two years. He then went to Lake county and engaged in 
stock-raising, which he followed three years. In 1859 he came to Mendocino 
county and located at Little Lake, where he spent one year, then went to 
Calpella, and spent a year at blacksmithing; thence to Potter valley, and spent 
a year at ranching; thence to Redwood valley, where he bought a steam saw-mill 
which he run one season; thence to Ukiah, where he conducted a livery stable for 
a short time, and then speculated in real estate for about five years; thence to 
Coyote valley, where he spent one season; thence to Round valley, where he 
bought a livery stable, which he still conducts. He also has a blacksmith shop 
and wagon shop, and is the owner of the Ukiah and Covelo stage line. He married, 
August 5, 1858, Miss Mary Parton, a native of Missouri. Their children are: 
Alazena, Napoleon, Lucien, and Lillie.
 
SOURCE: History of Mendocino County, California - San Francisco, Cal. Alley, 
Bowen & Co., Publishers. 1880 Pp. 606