Nielsen Hayden genealogy

Henry Willis

Male 1628 - 1714  (85 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All

  • Name Henry Willis 
    Birth 14 Sep 1628  [1
    Baptism 14 Sep 1628  St. Denys, Warminster, Wiltshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Death 11 Sep 1714  Westbury, Nassau, Long Island, New York Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Person ID I28133  Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others
    Last Modified 12 Apr 2020 

    Father William Willens,   b. Bef 23 Dec 1605   d. Bef 4 Jun 1665 (Age < 59 years) 
    Mother Katherine Woodford   d. Bef 24 Jan 1642 
    Marriage 27 Oct 1625  St. Denys, Warminster, Wiltshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Family ID F16782  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Mary Peace   d. 23 Jun 1714, Westbury, Nassau, Long Island, New York Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage 25 Mar 1655  St. Denys, Warminster, Wiltshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Children 
    +1. Sarah Willis,   b. 15 Jul 1671, London, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1 Mar 1730 (Age 58 years)
    Family ID F16781  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 12 Apr 2020 

  • Notes 
    • George I. Willis (citation details below) notes that the St. Denys parish registers include persons from the adjacent communities of Norton Bavant, Upton Scudamore, Bishopstrow, and Westbury, leaving open the possibility that the Long Island settlement of Westbury was named by Henry Willis for the place where he was born.

      George Fox came through Wiltshire the year after Henry and Mary were married, in 1656, and in 1657 a William Willis (possibly Henry's father) was set in the stocks for several hours for attending a Quaker meeting in Marlborough. Henry had certainly joined the Quakers by 1661. In 1667 he and Mary moved to London, where he they were "of Brick Lane, Stepney" and attended the Ratcliff & Barking Monthly Meeting. They emigrated to Long Island in 1674 or 1675.

      He appears to have had a close association with TNH ancestor John Bowne. In 1680 they jointly petitioned Governor Andros for redress of fines levelled against them for various Quakerism-related offenses. They were together selected to be Long Island's representatives to the first Yearly Meeting, at Burlington, New Jersey, and both of them were subsequently selected to attend the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

  • Sources 
    1. [S3991] George I. Willis, "The English Origins of Henry Willis of Westbury, Long Island." New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 118:65, Apr 1987.