Wayne County

John Willey

1884 Biographical Sketches of Mt. Erie Twp

JOHN WILLEY farmer, P. O. Mount Erie, was born in Columbiana County. Ohio, September 24. 1834, and was a son of James and Nancy (Coppage) Willey. The parents were born in Culpeper County, Va., and their ancestors were probably natives of England.

Subject was the sixth of ten children. of whom seven are now living

  1. Mrs. Frances Wolf (in De Kalb County. Ohio)
  2. Mrs. Elizabeth West (in Lawrence County. Ill.)
  3. Mrs. Jane Kelly (in De Kalb Connty, Ohio)
  4. Robert (in Wabash County, IL)
  5. Mrs. Sarah Van Gilder (in Johnson County. Ark. )
  6. Riley (in Wabash County, Ind.)
  7. John (our subject)

What little schooling he had was received in the subscription schools of his native county. His father died when he was quite young, and he was early forced to take care of himself. At the age of sixteen, he learned the trade of a cigar-maker, and followed that both in Ohio and in this county, after his arrival here in 1853. He worked around for the different farmers until 1859, when lie settled on his present farm. He now owns about sixty-six acres, situated in Sections 29 and 30. of Township 1 north. Range 9 east. All is in cultivation.

In this county, July 1, 1858, Mr. Willey was married to Miranda J. Price, a daughter of Gillison and Mary Price. The father was a native of South Carolina, and the mother of Kentucky, and they are noticed in full in connection with the sketch of James T. Price. Mrs. Willey was born in Posey County, Ind., April 11, 1832, and is the mother of six children, one of whom is now living,

  1. Marion, born January 1. 1867

  2.   Of the deceased ones,

  3. Mary A., born April 10. 1859, died July 31, 1861
  4. Samantha J., born July 3. 1862, died February 16. 1869
  5. Florence M., born June 15, 1864, died September 25, 1876
  6. Edward G., born April 1, 1869, died November 6, 1876
  7. Maggie E., born November 20. 1871, died March 30, 1878

Mr. and Mrs. Willey are members of the Mount Erie Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Willey is a Republican in politics.



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