Family History Wills

Geoffrey’s Site

Family History

Wills Family

The Wills family is a family of farmers from Devon, though the direct ancestors of my wife Jean were outside that profession, her father being a coal merchant’s labourer. Family Search has taken us back to the marriage of George Wills and Sarah Holman in 1730. This element of family history has been exciting because we tracked down close relatives now living in Canada and Jean actually visited them in 2001. We found an old photograph with a shop stamp on it showing it to have been printed in Peterborough Ontario and by contacting the local newspaper there we found Jean’s cousins. Her aunt Jessie had emigrated with husband and family in 1928 and raised a large family many of whom are still living. We also made several trips to Devon visiting other members of the family and researched the church yard at Bridford making several interesting discoveries there. Jean’s mother was Lillian Collins whose own mother Emma Abrahams Keitch came from Donyatt in Somerset and married Henry Collins from Membury, they lived in Bradford on Tome Somerset where Lillian was born More recently we have found relatives in Australia and Shirlee visited us in 2004

George & Sarah Holman 1730

John & Elizabeth

Joseph & Sarah Diamond 1781

William & Sarah Baker 1815

Joseph & Ruth Yelland 1855

Walter Albert & Sarah Saunders 1889

Thomas & Lillian Collins 1931

Children of Thomas and Lillian

Esther Jean

Shirley

Marlene.