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Emma Amy Harmon was born August 29, 1854, in Indiana, the daughter of Wilson Harmon and Elizabeth Endicott. Her headstone shows she was born in 1856. We have a Bible record that says she was born July 28, 1855. It was apparently written several years after the actual births, as we have found several errors in the record.
Amy appears with her family on the 1870 Gallatin County, Illinois census. She is listed as Anna, age 14 years. She is listed as Emma on the 1880 census. She was known to family members as Amy and that is what appears on her headstone. Most of the census records list her as Amy, as do several other records.
Amy married James M. "Jim" Willis on January 14, 1872, in Gallatin County, Illinois. Jim Willis was born October 11, 1846, in Tennessee, the son of John Willis and Olley (Ollie) King.
Jim Willis served in Co. D, Tennessee Mounted Infantry in the Civil War. His headstone contains that information.
Jim and Amy began their family in Illinois, where at least two children were born. The family left Illinois between 1875 and 1879. They probably left at the same time that Amy's father moved his family from that area. We think several families made the move together in a wagon train.
If the 1880 census is correct, Jim and Amy were in Texas in 1879, where another child was born. This has not been documented, and we wonder at its accuracy. The family appears on the 1880 Faulkner County, Arkansas census in Benton Township. The census shows James, Emma, Elizabeth A., age 8, born in Illinois; Mary W., age 5, born in Illinois; and Maggie, age 1, born in Texas. Tax records of Faulkner County show that Jim paid one poll tax for 1880, and also paid tax on a horse valued at $30 and on two head of cattle valued at $12. (If the family had been to Texas, we wonder why they moved to the center of Arkansas in 1880 and then moved west toward Oklahoma. It would have seemed logical to move from Texas right into Oklahoma, or to have traveled the western border of Arkansas from Texas to Oklahoma.) Jim was a farmer.
Jim and Amy's son Schuyler was born March 7, 1882, in Arkansas. Sometime between then and the birth of their son Roscoe on December 20, 1888, the family moved from Arkansas to Indian Territory of present day Oklahoma, and probably settled just across the state line.
J. M. Willis appears on the tax list of the lower district of Sebastian County, Arkansas, in 1890, with a Huntington Post Office. This convinces us that Jim and Amy, like Wilson and Elizabeth, lived along the Arkansas and Indian Territory border.
Amy's mother, Elizabeth, died between 1880 and 1894, probably in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, as she is buried at Cameron. We think she died between 1890 and 1894, but have no documentation. It appears that Amy and her sister, Martha, both moved to Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, prior to 1894. We believe that Amy's father, Wilson, went to live with Amy and her family some time after the death of his wife. Wilson's granddaughter, Amy Harmon Lundy, said she was told many years ago that Wilson was living with his daughter Amy Willis at or near McAlester, Oklahoma when he died in 1894. A letter written by Wilson's grandson, Charlie Harmon, to my grandmother many years ago says that Wilson was living at or near McAlester with his daughter Martha when he died. Both versions do agree that Wilson died and is buried at or near McAlester, in Pittsburg County.
The Jim Willis family appears on the 1900 census in the Choctaw Nation of the Indian Territory. The location is given on the census as Township 5 North, Range 15 East. We have been informed that location was the coal mining community of Dwight, located about three miles northeast of Hartshorne, on the far eastern edge of Pittsburg County. The census lists Jim as a mineworker. On the census with Jim and Amy are their children Schuyler, age 19; Roscoe, age 13; and Gertrude, age 8. The census shows that Amy had given birth to 7 children, but only 5 of them were still living at that time. Apparently two of the daughters died between the time of the 1880 census and the 1900 census. We do not know which two girls had died, however. The 1900 census shows the family owned their home.
The 1904-1905 city directory for Alderson, in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, which is located near McAlester, shows J. M. Willis owning and running a hotel at Alderson. The 1907-1908 city directory for Alderson shows James M. and Emma owning and operating a livery stable on Haileyville Avenue in Alderson. Their residence was located at the same address, so the livery stable was probably located behind their house. Their son Roscoe is listed as a clerk at CRI&Pry and living at home. Their son Schuyler is listed as a driver for J. M. Willis, and also living at home.
The 1910 Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, census shows the family living in the Town of Quinton, which is located within a few miles of McAlester. James is listed as 64 years old and employed as a liveryman. Amy is listed as 54 and Gertrude is listed as 18 and single. The census indicates that only 3 of Amy's children were still living in 1910. This is incorrect, however, as in 1910 her sons Roscoe and Schuyler and her daughters Annie and Gertrude were all four living. It is possible the census taker wrote down the number of children that had died rather than the number that were still living. At that time three of their children had died. The census shows they owned their house with no mortgage.
Apparently their daughter Gertrude married about 1912 or 1913. The 1914-1915 Krebs, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, city directory shows James M. and Amy owning and operating a livery stable on Main Street in Krebs, and residing at the same address. Krebs is located near McAlester. Their son Roscoe is shown as helping in the livery and living at home. Their son Schuyler and his wife Della are shown operating a livery on Maple Street in Krebs, and residing at that address. Gertrude is shown living at home with her parents, so we do not know if she was separated from her husband or if there was a mistake made on the listing in the directory.
The 1916-1917 Krebs city directory shows James and Amy at their residence on Main Street. Apparently Schuyler either divorced Della or she had died, because the directory shows both him and his brother Roscoe living with their parents on Main Street, and the two brothers owning and operating "Willis Livery" on Maple Street in Krebs. Gertrude is listed as still living at home.
Records show that Gertrude died July 2, 1917, at Hartshorn, in Pittsburg County. The 1920 Krebs city directory shows James M. and Amy at their residence on Main Street. The directory shows the two sons still living with them. Apparently the sons were not running the livery any more, as it is not mentioned. Schuyler is listed as operating a restaurant on Main Street. The directory does not indicate if the restaurant is in James and Amy's home.
The 1925 Krebs directory shows James and Amy at their residence on South Main Street. Roscoe and Schuyler were residing and working in McAlester, however. The 1925 McAlester city directory shows Roscoe and his wife Zetta residing at 42 West Ottawa Avenue, McAlester and Schuyler and his wife Pearl residing at 20 West Apache Avenue, McAlester. Roscoe owned "Willis Auto Supply Company" located at 119 South Main Street, McAlester and Schuyler was a salesman working for Roscoe at this business on South Main.
Schuyler died in 1927. The 1928 McAlester city directory shows Roscoe and his wife Zetta residing at 42 West Ottawa Avenue, McAlester. Roscoe is shown to still be the owner and operator of "Willis Auto Supply Company" located at 119 South Main Street, McAlester. James and Amy still lived at their old residence in Krebs in 1928.
About 1929, James and Amy sold their house at Krebs and moved to 209 East Wyandotte Avenue in McAlester. Roscoe by this time had taken on Alex M. Watson as a partner in the auto business. The business was now called "Willis-Watson Auto Supply Company". The business was still located at 119 South Main. Roscoe and Zetta still lived at 42 West Ottawa Avenue, McAlester.
Jim Willis died August 4, 1930, at McAlester. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery at McAlester, next in line with his son Schuyler and daughter Gertrude.
The 1937 McAlester city directory shows Amy still living at 209 East Wyandotte Avenue. Roscoe and Zetta had apparently sold their house and moved into the house with Amy, who is 88 years old. Roscoe apparently sold his business, as he is shown to be working as a salesman at "Bennett Pontiac Company" in McAlester.
Amy Harmon Willis died September 7, 1945, in the Albert Pike Hospital, at McAlester. She is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in line with other family members.
Children of James Willis and Amy Harmon
1. Elizabeth Anna Willis, b. 1872, IL
2. Mary W. Willis, b. abt 1875, IL; d. probably 1880-1910
3. Maggie Willis, b. abt 1879, TX (?); d. probably 1880-1910
4. Schuyler S. Willis, b. 1882, AR
5. Dolly Willis, b. abt 1885, Indian Territory; d. probably 1880-1910
6. Roscoe C. Willis, b. 1888, Indian Territory
7. Gertrude Willis, b. 1892, Indian Territory