Ancestors of Charles Stephen DeFrance (Direct Willis Line)
Samuel Willis is the earliest known member of our Willis Family. He was born about
1640 in England. Samuel married Mary Guest before 1696. He died before 1696 in NJ. Their known children were John and Joseph.
Joseph Willis was born about 1680 in NJ. He married Patience Thompson. Joseph died about
1752 in Elizabethtown, Essex Co., NJ. Their known children were Joseph, Benjamin and Mary.
Joseph Willis was born in 1734 in Essex Co., NJ. He married Abigail, last name not known.
He died 12 Jan 1777 and is buried at Rahway Presbyterian Cem., NJ. Their children are as follows: Joseph, Anne, Elizabeth and Isaac.
Joseph Willis was born in 1759 in NJ. He served in the Revolutionary War because he
received a pension. He married Grace Winans in NJ. Joseph settled in Greene Co., PA and
also lived in WV and Jefferson Co., OH. He died 03 Jan 1842 in Jefferson Co., OH. They had a large family as follows: Isaac, Joseph, James, Richard T., Sarah (Sally), Abigail (Abbie), Frances (Fanny), Robert T., John, Nancy (Nannie) and Ann.
Isaac Willis was born in NJ in 1781. He married Grace Moore in 1800. Isaac lived in Greene Co., PA, Wheeling, WV; New Matamoras, OH; and Jefferson Co., OH. Isaac and Grace had the following children: Mariah, Sarah, Bessie and John. Isaac married second in OH and had at least 10 more children.
Mariah Willis was born in 1818 at near Rices Landing, Greene Co., PA. She married
Theodore Perry Biddle on 12 Aug 1840 in Marshall Co., WV. Perry served and died at
Little Rock, AR during the Civil War. Mariah received a pension of $12.00 per month
to raise her family. She spent the last few years of her life living with her
daughter, Grace in Wheeling, Ohio Co., WV. She died there 28 Apr 1904. Thier children are as follows: Amanda, Lloyd Adelbert, John Quincy, Margaret Frances, Josephine, Ella C. and Grace Evelyn.
Grace Evelyn Biddle was born in 1857 in Ludlow Twp., Washington Co., OH. She married Tolbert Fenning
Johnson in 1881 at Wheeling, Ohio Co., WV. Children: Junius Weir, and Twins Beulah
Mariah and Beryl Ella.
Beulah Mariah Johnson was born in Wheeling, Ohio Co., WV in 1893. She married Charles Hoon DeFrance who was born 31 Aug 1884 at the farm in Donegal Twp., Washington Co.,
PA. She died at DeLand, Volusia Co., FL in 1966. They had a son, Charles Reese, who died at birth. The other son is Charles Tolbert.
Charles Tolbert DeFrance was born 30 Jul 1934 at Wheeling, Ohio Co., WV. He married
Daisy Cascante-Mora on 12 May 1973 at San Jose, Costa Rica. They have the following
children: Charles Stephen and Jacelyn Dyann.
Charles Stephen (Steve) DeFrance was born on 16 Jun 1974 in DeLand, FL. Steve
graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, SC and now works in Washington, DC where
he is attending George Washington University working on his Masters degree in
Forensic Science.