Willis Taylor and Emila (Millie) Avera
Willis Taylor and Millie Avera are my great, great grandparents. From information that I have they were both born about 1793-94 in North Carolina. Willis probably in Nash/Edgecombe County and Millie in Johnston County, North Carolina. I do not have a marriage date or place of marriage for them. It has only been in the past few years that I have been fortunate to find out very much about them. The best evidence I have is the bible record of my great grandfather Van Holton. Van married Nancy Taylor on October 3, 1841, in Crawford County, GA. The bible records the death of Willis Taylor, father of Nancy Holton, on July 29, 1869 and Emila Taylor, mother of Nancy Holton, on September 8, 1868. They are buried in Little Union Primitive Baptist Cemetery in Crawford Co., GA.
I now know that Millie’s parents are James Avera and Sarah Powell. I have a copy of a history of James Avera’s family that was written years ago by grandson Cornelius Avera. It states that James died in 1812 in North Carolina and in 1815 Sarah Avera and her children moved to Washington Co., GA. and lived there for 6 years. The children are as follows……
Emila (Millie) Avera born about 1793
James Jr Avera. born about 1795
William (Billy) Avera born 1799
David Avera born February 2, 1800
Sarah Avera born 1808
This history of the family states that about 1821 Millie and Willis Taylor settled on land in Crawford County adjoining her brothers David and Billy. I know that Willis and Millie were in Crawford County by 1830 and that is where they continued to live until they died.
Prior to Willis and Millie’s arrival in Crawford County they lived in Screven Co.,GA. Per Van Holton’s bible Nancy Taylor was born in Screven Co.,GA on June 8, 1820. I have since learned that Willis served as a deputy sheriff in Screven County in the 1820’s.
Willis and Millie had the following children; there may have been others but they are unknown to me. I think there may have been another daughter other than Nancy but do not know for sure. It appears that Nancy was the oldest child.
Nancy Taylor born June 8, 1820.
John F Taylor born October 30, 1826
Willis W Taylor born June 27, 1831
James Taylor born October 25, 1836
Benjamin F Taylor born 1835
Willis W Taylor married Frances M Fowler in Crawford County on November 20, 1852. Frances wrote a story about her life with Willis W Taylor and it is on the internet under one of the Crawford County genealogy sites. It was not a very happy union and a very sad story to read. I believe that if that was taking place today Willis would be diagnosed as being bi-polar or some other disorder.
Several of Willis and Millie Taylor’s children and other family members are buried in the same section as they are in the Little Union Primitive Baptist Cemetery.
Screven County is also where I have found documentation that could possibly tell who Willis Taylor’s father is.
Benjamin Taylor born about 1763 in Edgecombe Co., North Carolina filed a pension application in Screven County on August 12, 1833, for his service in the American Revolution. In an affidavit attached to this pension application his 3 sons, John Taylor, Willis Taylor and William Taylor all state that he is their father and that he served in the war.
There is a record of deed dated December 31, 1849, in Screven County, where John Taylor, William Taylor and Mary Spell of Screven Co., Willis Taylor of Crawford County, Thomas Grantham, George Dawdy, Clary Spell and William Spell of Wayne Co., GA all sell 20 acres of land to John C Freeman. This appears to be Willis and his brothers and maybe sister Mary Spell and other relatives. I have been trying to make a connection between them but haven’t found anything. There is also a deed of gift on March 21, 1848, where Benjamin Taylor deeded something to Mary Spell but it doesn’t specify a relationship between Benjamin and Mary.
I have looked at a lot of records for Willis Taylor and there only appears to be one who has ties to Screven County and Crawford County during the time that my Willis Taylor lived and died. In the 1820 census of Screven County Willis and Benjamin Taylor are only living a few houses away from each other so given the pension application, bible record I think a good case can be made for Benjamin to be Willis’s father.
Van Holton and Nancy Taylor are my great grandparents. Van was born in Washington Co., GA on February 4, 1818 and died April 29, 1868, in Worth Co., GA. He is buried in St Regis Cemetery. Nancy died August 14, 1882, in Worth Co., GA. and is buried in New Hope Holamon Cemetery. I do not know why they were not buried together.
Van and Nancy had 9 children that I know of. My grandfather was their 7th child. His name is John Franklin Holton and he was born July 14, 1856, in Worth County. The bible record of Van Holton contains the births, marriages and deaths of most of the children of Van and Nancy Holton. The bible record is part of the book “The History of Worth County, GA.” that was printed in 1934. One of John F Holton’s brothers is Virgil S Holton and he also settled in Crawford County. Virgil married Anna E Dixon on November 2, 1876. Virgil and Anna’s 2 young children are also buried close to the Taylor’s.
Not much is known about Van Holton’s parents. Because of the bible I know his mother’s name is Elizabeth and she died May 27, 1863, in Worth County. She is listed as Elizabeth Stephens, mother of Van Holton. I believe Stephens is a second married name. I found a marriage record for Elizabeth Holton and Richard Stephens in 1844 in Houston Co., GA. In my search for parents of Van I have come to the conclusion that his father may have been Stephen Holton (1820 census in Washington Co., GA.) or possibly William Holton who was also in the 1820 census. I think Van had a brother named Virgil as I found him, his wife and Elizabeth Stephens in the 1850 census in Terrell Co., GA. Virgil is head of household, Epsey is his wife and Elizabeth is listed as mother. This census was hard to find because when you pull it up on Ancestry.com it comes up as Hatten but when you look at the actual record you can tell it is Holton.
John Franklin (Frank) Holton and his brother Stephen Willis Holton moved to Texas sometime in the late 1880’s or 1890’s. To my knowledge Stephen Willis never married.
Frank and Willis Holton purchased land in Lee County, TX and started farming. Prior to moving to Texas, Willis Holton was the sheriff in Worth County. Brother Virgil had been the tax receiver elected in 1871 and another brother Thyal Holton was tax receiver from 1908 to 1912. Thyal’s son W.B. Holton was tax receiver from 1916 to 1933.
Frank married Ida Pearl Pierce Williams on October 9, 1901, in Lee Co., TX. Ida had previously been married to Burl Williams and she had a 5 year old daughter named Jewel. Frank and Ida had 9 children and the youngest is my mother Mary Idell Holton. Idell was born September 29, 1920, in Lee Co., TX. Frank was 24 years older than Ida. Frank died on December 1, 1925 and Ida died November 4, 1943. They are buried in Hugh Wilson Cemetery at Tanglewood, Lee Co., TX. Willis Holton died in 1931 and he is also buried in Hugh Wilson Cemetery along with other family members.
Idell Holton married Floyd O Holloway on March 14, 1942, at Hicks, Lee Co., TX. Idell lived at her family home most of the time that Floyd was away during WWII but did travel to Bay City, TX and spent time with Floyd’s family and I believe they also traveled to Lee County to visit the Holton’s. After Floyd was discharged they settled in Bay City, TX. Floyd and Idell had 3 children, 2 boys and 1 girl. I have an older brother and a younger brother.
Floyd died April 7, 1983 in Bay City and Idell died September 13, 2003 in Bay City. They are buried in Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck, TX.
Submitted by: Jane Hawthorne ←
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