Ninth Generation

376. Brazillai WILLEY was born on 10 Sep 1734 in Lyme, New London, CT. WILLEY, ABRAHAM, New London, s. of Isaac the first, m. Elizabeth d. of
Thomas Mortimer, d. at Haddam 1692, leav. wid. Elizabeth and ch. Thomas,
then aged 7 1/2 yrs.: Abraham, 5 1/3 yrs.; and Jane, 2 yrs. ALLEN,
Boston, call. husbandman, when rec. into the ch. 2 Nov. 1634, as was
his w. Alice on the Sunday foll. but no more is kn. EDWARD, Boston,
[[558]]
in Mr. Drake's list of names, Geneal. Reg. I. 139, should, perhaps, be
giv. to Willis. ISAAC, Boston, by w. Joanna had Isaac, bapt. in her
right, 2 Aug. 1640; Hannah, 6 Mar. 1642; rem. to Charlestown, there
had Sarah, b. 29 June 1644; rem. next yr. with John Winthrop to New
London, as one of its first sett. Caulkins suppos. that "he and his w.


had pass. the bds.of mid. age, and that all their ch. were b. bef." But
this may be too large; at least we presume that Mary or Abraham, or
both, and perhaps John (tho. he is said to have work. 1651, in build. the
milldam, where he seems to be mistak. for his f.) were b. after the rem.
He was selectman 1647, is seen on the freemen's list 1669; m. a. 1671,
Ann, wid. who had been, Caulkins thinks, third w. but in my opin. only
sec. of Andrew Lester, as I much distrust the exist. of any d. Joanna,
w. of Robert Hempstead, to be tak. aft. his dec. by Lester; and he
d. a. 1685. The wid. d. 1692. Hannah m. Peter Blatchford, and,
next, Samuel Spencer of Haddam; Sarah m. John Terrill or Tyrrell,
perhaps as sec. w. d. 7 Mar. 1712; and Mary m. Samuel Tubbs.
ISAAC, New London, s. of the preced. m. at Boston, 8 June 1660,
Frances, d. of Edward Burcham of Lynn, d. 1662, leav. young wid.
who m. the same yr. Clement Miner. JOHN, N. London, br. of the
preced. prob. younger, m. says Caulkins, 1670, tho. it seems prob. it was
in 1668, Miriam, only d. of Miles Moore, d. 2 May 1688; and the
Prob. rec. soon aft. gives the ages and names of ch. Isaac, 18 3/4 yrs.;
Isabel, 17; John, 14 3/4; Miriam, 12; Allyn, 9; Abel, 6; and Mary, 4.
JOHN, Dover 1689, s. of Thomas of the same, was in that yr. one
of the favorers of Mass. jurisdict. as in Feb. 1690, he unit. with the
great majority in petition. for it, and liv. 1697. RICHARD, Boston, m.


Elizabeth d. of capt. Edward Willis, had Ruth, and liv. not long aft. as
from the will of Willis may be infer. SAMUEL, Dover, elder br. of
John, by w. Mary had Samuel, b. 25 Feb. 1702; and perhaps more,
bef. or aft. STEPHEN, Dover, elder br. of the preced. m. Abigail Pitman,
perhaps d. of William, and was liv. 1694. THOMAS, Dover 1648,
by w. Margaret had Stephen, b. a. 1649. Samuel; and John, 1659;
was liv. 1677. WILLIAM, N. H. join. in petitn. 20 Feb. 1690, for Mass.


jurisdict. may have been s. or gr.s. of the preced. Brazillai WILLEY and Joanna CHURCH were married in 1760 in Hadlyme, New London Co., CT.

377. Joanna CHURCH was born about 1734. Children were:

	i.	Rev. Brazillai WILLEY was born on 10 May 1764 in New London, , , CT.636 (Researcher Sarah Ekelmann has birthdate as 10 Jun 1763.) He served in the military in 1779 from Fort Griswald,.636 "Volunteered 1779 at Fort Griswold under Capt. William Ledyard and 1782 served in Campbell's regiment. In 1832 his pension was allowed for fourteen months actual service as Private, Connecticut Line. He was born in New London, CT, died in Clark Co Indiana." The following is from the record of the October Term 1832 of the State of Indiana, Clark County, Clark Circuit Court, dated October 26, 1832. It is the sworn testimony of Barzillai Willey in application for a pension for his service in the American Revolution. Barzillai Willey was 68 years old at the time, but he clearly was lucid because he continued to preach for 19 years after that time. Barzillai's claim was numbered S. 16299. The claim was granted and is recorded in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. as number 3304 in Book D, Vol. 9, page 199. He received a pension of $46.66 per year. "While living in Lyme, New London Co, Conn. Barzillai Willey enlisted in 1779 and served as a private two months in Captain Ledyard's Company of the Connecticut Line. While living in Middletown, Hartford County, Conn. Barzillai Willey enlisted April 1, 1782 and served 12 months as a private in Captain Miles' Company, Colonel Canfield's Regiment of the Connecticut Line. The first period of service was at Ft. Griswold. The second period was guarding the line from Stamford, Conn. to Horses Neck. Barzillai Willey stated he was born June 10, 1764. Barzillai Willey said he moved from Middletown, Conn. to New York in 1788 where he resided until 1807, when he moved to Cincinnati. He lived there until he moved to Clark County, Indiana in 1809 or 1810." He died on 22 May 1851 in Memphis, Clark Co., Indiana.636 (Researcher Sarah Ekelmann has death place as Utica, Clark Co., IN.) He was buried after 22 May 1851 in Memphis, Clark Co., Indiana.637 (Bowery Cemetery--Bowery Cemetery cemetery was adjacent to Bowery Methodist Church, which was founded by Barzillai Willey, but the church is no longer there. There is an active Methodist church named Willey's Chapel located several miles from Bowery Cemetery which was apparently named for Barzillai Willey) The following account about Barzillai Willey is from "Isaac Willey of New London, Conn. and His Descendants" (1) "At 14 he enlisted in the Revolutionary Army at Hartland, CT, and was stationed at Ft. Griswold. He reenlisted at 19, and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. He was in the employ of Gen. Wadsworth two or three years, and the only time he lost was on training days. His future wife worked in the kitchen of the farm house. After their marriage, they moved into the 'Black River Country' in New York, a hundred miles from a settlement, where their cabin and its contents were burned, and he had to return for a supply of bread. In 1797, he was licensed as a Methodist preacher on Herkimer circuit; was admitted on trial in 1799, and ordained Deacon in 1801; was on Albany circuit in 1803, and on Black River circuit in 1804. He was a very zealous preacher, and in one year received 400 persons into the church. He had a tin store in New York, and exchanged his wares in Canada for furs; but being defrauded by a clerk and obliged to give up everything, he emigrated, and in 1810 went down the Ohio on a raft, and raised a crop of potatoes where Cincinnati now stands; going down to the Falls he found the river low, which he interpreted as a warning to go no further, and built a cabin near where Mrs. Zuloff's residence now stands, east of Jeffersonville, Indiana. Thence, he removed to Blue Lick, a few miles in the country, his horse drawing a barrel of salt and a few household goods on two poles attached to his sides. In the winter of 1812-1813 he built a fort for protection from the Indians, and had two U.S. soldiers stationed with him. He was a 'shouting Methodist" both in church and at home, and a great friend of the missionary cause. Although a poor man with a large family, he contributed $100 a year for many years. The little home-made book, covered with brown paper, in which he kept his accounts, is still extant. The future Bishop Ames came to his house once in the interest of the cause, and after retiring, heard the old man reprove the girl for throwing tallow from the candle into the fire. He thought nothing was to be expected from such a person, and was much surprised at receiving $100 the next morning. When returning from church one day with his wife on the horse behind him, they were fired on by a band of Indians who were pursuing a white man before them. He continued to preach until his death, May 22, 1851, and was buried in the Bowery church graveyard, near Memphis, Indiana." The following is from "Baird's History of Clark County, Indiana." (2) "'Brazilla' Willey, the first of the name to seek a home in the West, was a native of Connecticut and when a young man served two terms of enlistment in the War of the Revolution, at the close of which he located in his native state where he remained until migrating to Southern Indiana nearly one hundred years ago. Arriving at his destination in 1811, he settled a short distance above Jeffersonville near the site now occupied by the Zulauf residence, but the following year moved to the tract of land northwest of Memphis (IN) where he built his cabin and stockade to which he brought his family the same year. Mr. Willey was a fine mechanic and made three trips to New Orleans making the return journey on foot and meeting with not a few thrilling experiences on the way. Owing to the failure of his partner, a Mr. Bowman of Jeffersonville, his last trip was far from successful, but to reimburse him for the loss sustained that gentleman subsequently deeded him two hundred acres northwest of Memphis referred to which at that time was valued at a little more than the government price per acre but which in the end proved fortunate indeed to the possessor. Southern Indiana being on the frontier and exposed to the depredations of hostile Indians, the settlers took the precaution to protect their cabins by surrounding them with well constructed stockades and well it was that they did so for it was not long after the completion of Mr. Willey's fortification that the terrible Pigeon Roost massacre occurred in which so many settlers and their families fell victims to the ruthless savages and which for a long time caused great uneasiness on the frontier. When Mr. Willey moved to his possession it was a wilderness but with energy characteristic of the true pioneer he resolutely addressed himself to the task of its improvement and in the course of a few years had a goodly portion of it cleared and under cultivation. Meantime as opportunities permitted he continued his mechanical work which consisted principally of building boats for the river trade, the material used in the construction of these craft being whipsawed and but little iron required. In 1813 he built a boat sixty-five feet in length on Silver Creek which he floated to the river when the water rose, and sold at a good price. Several years later he constructed another boat near the mouth of the same creek which was propelled by steam forced through a pipe projecting from the stern into the water, this being one of the earliest attempts to utilize steam as a motive power on water. In addition to boats, a number of which he constructed and disposed of, Mr. Willey built a grist and saw mill combined on the Blue River which burned when nearing completion but he immediately rebuilt it which he operated about two years and then sold the same. He furnished the lumber for the Collins Mill on the Kentucky side of the Falls. He was a man of service to his own and other localities. When quite young, he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and not long after moving to Indiana entered the ministry of the same and discharged the duties of his holy office for many years first as a local preacher and later on the regular work of the circuit. Brazilla Willey died in 1851 and is buried in the cemetery at Bowery Chapel, a church about one mile west of Memphis which he organized and to which he ministered from time to time for a number of years besides erecting the building in which the society worships."
	ii.	Elijah WILLEY was born on 6 Feb 1766. Baptismal Record of the Hartland First Church, Vol. DG 2 page 8 22 in the CT State Library
188	iii.	John C. WILLEY Sr..
	iv.	Joanna WILLEY was born about 1774.638 She died on 26 Aug 1853.638