RELATED TO WASHINGTON.
WILLS POINT HAS THE HONOR OF BEING THE HOME
Of Grandma Wills, Who Belongs to the Family of the “Father of His Country” - Her History
WILLS POINT, Tex., Feb. 11.-Wills Point has the honor of being the home of one of the nearest living relatives of Gen. George Washington.
This is Mrs. Mary Ann Wills, nee Phillips, from whom the following facts regarding her family history were learned by a News reporter in a recent interview: Mrs. Wills is a grand niece of George Washington, her paternal grandfather, Ezekiel Phillips, having married Nancy Washington, a sister of George Washington, after the death of her first husband. Mrs. Wills will be 77 years old on June 8, 1892. She was born in Davidson county, Tennessee, and was married to Wm. Wills on Jan. 8, 1831. Mrs. Wills has now living one sister, Mrs. Thomas Moore, of Edgefield, Tenn., formerly Martha Washington Phillips, and one brother, Preston Phillips of Nashville, Tenn., and she thinks that the three are the nearest living relatives of Gen. Washington.
During the year 1776 Mrs. Wills’ grandfather ran a distillery within eight miles of the town of Tarboro, N.C., and one day during that year Gen. Washington, with a party of his soldiers, stopped at this distillery to indulge themselves in a drink of “still beer.” While the “father of his country” was inside the distillery seeing that the wants of his men were attended to Mrs. Wills’ grandfather, held his horse, for which services the great soldier rewarded him with a crown, and this piece of money is still in the family, being now in the possession of Mrs. Wills’ brother, Preston Phillips of Nashville. Ezekiel Phillips was a Royal Arch Mason, and his wife took all the degrees in masonry to be taken by women.
William Wills moved from Davidson county, Tennessee, to Van Zandt county, Texas, in October, 1848.
Mrs. Wills rode on horseback from Nashville to Memphis, but decided to procure a conveyance and resulted in paying $165 for a “rockaway,” in which she made the remaining portion of the journey and “thereby hangs a tale.” Upon the arrival of the Wills family in this county a certain newly married settler was filled with admiration for that rockaway and straightway hied himself to Mr. Wills with a view of purchasing it. Being told by that individual that the vehicle was not his but “Polly’s,” the said settler proceeded to offer Polly 640 acres of land for the rockaway, but was told that 640 acres of land was not enough for such a handsome thing; but that by adding certain other things as “boot” the treasure should be his. The deal was finally consummated and the rockaway changed hands, the consideration being as follows: Six hundred and forty acres of land, fifty bushels of corn, a cow and a calf, a sow and ten pigs, ten bushels “yaller yam” potatoes, a dozen hens, and a black cat. On this section of land the Wills family settled, and on it is now situated a considerable portion of Wills Point, which took its name from these, its first inhabitants. Mr. Wills was too old for active service when the civil war broke out but armed and equipped eleven cavalry soldiers from his own private funds. Mr. Wills died in 1864 and Mrs. Wills has since remained unmarried, saying that she has never yet seen another man who could supply his place.
She now lives in an ancient-looking five-room log house on the “south side” of town, which she calls her “Little old log cabin in the lane.”
There are now in the various branches of the Phillips family fifty-two people named Washington, after their illustrious ancestor, and among the male portion the “Georges” are very numerous.
Mrs. Wills has quite a collection of the portraits of her ancestors hanging around the neatly whitewashed walls of her “little log cabin,” and among these George and Martha Washington occupy the place of honor.
She still owns 320 acres of the “original rockaway” land and is besides one of the largest property owners in the city.
During the childhood of Mrs. Wills, Andrew Jackson frequently boarded with her father, who was living then at Robertson Springs, Tenn., and she was, in her youth, personally acquainted with Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Gen. William Harrison, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor, and says Polk was one of the “prettiest” man of them all. “Grandma” Wills has raised a family of children here and is now spending the evening of life surrounded by them and her grandchildren, beloved by everyone and noted for the liberality with which she gives to deserving charitable enterprises.
To her friends she is a friend indeed and always and for them she can’t do too much. She is a devout Presbyterian and recently donated a lot each for the new Presbyterian church and the parsonage to be built in connection with it.
-E.A. WINGO.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, Sunday, February 14, 1892; Pg. 11
NOTE: As with any oral history, all statements presented should be verified before accepting them to be true and correct.
