John Wills

Given Name
John
Surname
Wills
Birth Date
November 20, 1796
Birth Note
Mendham, NJ
Death Date
October 5, 1871
Death Note
Stanhope, NJ
Profession
Businessman, possibly laborer
Spouse(s)
Martha Jane Wills
Marriage Date
January 11, 1832
Biographical Information
  • John Wills married Martha Jane Seward in 1832.
  • Martha Jane was Henry's cousin John Seward's (1784-1851) daughter, so his first cousin once removed.
  • John Wills was Temperance Wicke Seward's cousin.
  • So, John and Temperance were related by blood, and then both became related to the Seward family through marriage.
  • This relationship is outlined further in the TNG genealogy software.
  • John and Martha lived in Mendham, NJ.
  • John Wills was GWS's business partner in Mendham until GWS falls on hard times due to his lack of business acumen.
  • In 18380816GWS_WHS1, GWS writes: "But I have only to add that Wills a few days since demanded a dissolution it is now suspended for a short season untill I can have time to write my friends."
,There is additional information available in the Biographical and Genealogical History of Morris and Sussex Counties New Jersey about John Wills and his extended family. In 18361130LCC_MJS1, LCC writes that "Wills over heat himself in the field, & M— was invited in to see him, his Father said to him after the surprise was over, My Son: take example by G— he never hurts himself, with such a knowing look they never lose any opportunity of trying to put him down —" John and Martha were lived near her parents at this time, and John's father, Thomas Wills, had died April 8, 1814. The reference is likely to John W. Leddel, and G refers to GWS.
Citation(s) for Biographical Information:
Biographical and Genealogical History of Morris and Sussex Counties New Jersey. The Lewis Publishing Company: New York, 1899.
Additional notes: https://books.google.com/books?id=LU5KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA885&lpg=PA885&dq=john+wills+and+martha+jane+seward&source=bl&ots=9eJU4e7eK6&sig=TCv1PI2vmHllN2H2EFTculJdm_4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSpI-A6oTLAhXG6SYKHcPKDR8Q6AEIQTAH#v=onepage&q=john%20wills%20and%20martha%20jane%20seward&f=false
Citation(s) for Birth Information:
Ancestry Library. Last modified September 10, 2015. Accessed on September 10, 2015.
Citation(s) for Death Information:
Find a Grave. Last modified September 10, 2015. Accessed on September 10, 2015.