1870 Charles Wills (age 12, born in Illinois) lived in Lanark, Carroll County, Illinois, in a household with David C Wills (age 45), Ann Wills (age 41), Wm Wills (age 13), Frank Wills (age 10), Vena Wills (age 9), James A Wills (age 6), Emma B Wills (age 4), and Weston Wills (age 3). [1]
1900 Charley A Wills (born in Illinois in Apr 1860, single), son, lived in Grant Twp, Page County, Iowa, in a household with David L Wills (age 74), Anna Wills (age 70), and Irwin D Wills (age 26). Charley A Wills's parents were both born in Pennsylvania. Charley A Wills was a carpenter. [2]
1920 Charles A Wills (age 62, born in Illinois, single) lived in Emmett Twp, Gem County, Idaho, in a household with William L Wills (age 61), and Ervin D Wills (age 46). Charles A Wills's parents were both born in Pennsylvania. Charles A Wills could read and write. Charles A Wills was a farmer. [3]
1930 Charles A Wills (age 72, born in Illinois, single) lived in South Emmett Twp, Gem County, Idaho, in a household with William Wills (age 73), and Ervin Wills (age 56). Charles A Wills's parents were both born in Pennsylvania. Charles A Wills was a farmer. Charles A Wills's residence was on a farm. The residence did not have a radio. [4]
1939 Charles Andrew Wills died on July 9, at age 81, in Emmett Twp, Gem County, Idaho. Charles Andrew Wills was born on April 2, 1858, in Illinois, child of David C. Wills and Anna Wolfe. [5] 1939 Charles Andrew Wills died on July 9, at age 81, in Emmett Twp, Gem County, Idaho. Charles Andrew Wills was born on April 2, 1858, in Illinois, child of David C. Wills and Anna Wolfe. [6]
1939 Charles A Wills (1858 - 1939) died on July 9, 1939 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery Emmett, Gem County, Idaho. [7] [8]
A biosketch of Charles Wills reports [9]:
Charles A. Wills, senior member of the firm of Wills-Brothers, prominent fruit raisers of Gem county, came to Idaho from Iowa and in this state established his sweet cherry and peach orchards about three miles south of Emmett. He took up his abode here twelve or more years ago and through the intervening period has done much to advance the horticultural interests of this section of the state. He was born in Carroll county, Illinois. April 2, 1858, and is the second of the three brothers constituting the firm of Wills Brothers, who reside near Emmett. There is also a sister at Emmett — Mrs. Frank DeClark.
Charles A. Wills, whose name introduces this record, has lived in three states — Illinois, Iowa and Idaho. He spent the first eighteen years of his life in Illinois and then went to Iowa with his parents, David C. and Anna (Wolf) Wills, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The father was of Welsh and English descent, while the mother was of German lineage. David C. Wills devoted his life to the contracting and building business, but both he and his wife have now passed away. As stated, they removed to Iowa when their son Charles was a youth of eighteen years and there he engaged in farming and also in carpentering and building for many years. In 1907 he and his younger brother, James A., came to Idaho and located on the Sunny Slope, three miles south of Emmett, purchasing a large tract of land which was then covered with a native growth of sagebrush. They paid sixty dollars per acre for this tract of one hundred and thirty acres but have since sold fifty acres, retaining possession of eighty. A large part of this tract is now in fruit. Charles A. Wills has thirty acres of the land, planted to peaches and cherries. His brother, James A. Wills, has fifty acres in his ranch property, which adjoins that of his brother, and upon it he has planted all kinds of fruit, including apples, prunes, peaches and cherries. James A. Wills is married and has eight children.
Charles A. Wills has never married and with him resides his brother, William L., the three brothers being actively associated in the conduct of their ranch property, and they have become particularly well known as fruit raisers of Gem county and the upper Payette valley. During the past decade they have no doubt done quite as much as anyone in the way of making Gem county famous as a fruit producing section. All three of the brothers were born in Carroll county, Illinois, and throughout their entire lives they have manifested the spirit of western enterprise and progress which has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of the great section of the country west of the Mississippi river. They are men of progressive spirit and firm purpose who never stop short of the successful accomplishment of their well defined plans. Upon the thirty-acre ranch occupied by William and Charles A. Wills are produced some of the finest peaches and sweet cherries that are raised in the northwest. They make a specialty of the latter and handle extensive shipments of these fine cherries through motor trucks and trains. They produce the fine Bing, Lambert and Royal Ann cherries, which are sold extensively in Boise and various cities in Idaho and Oregon. Their fruit is of superior size and flavor. James A. Wills is equally successful in the management of his property, which is known as the Sunny Slope Fruit Farm of fifty acres, twenty acres being devoted to orchards of apple, prune, peach and cherry trees. One of the elements of the success which has attended the brothers was the care with which they selected their property. On coming to Idaho they sought land that would be as free as possible from frost and made their selection well up on the Sunny Slope, where the frosts seldom cause crop failure. It seems that a marvel has been accomplished by them, for the land which they acquired was covered with sagebrush and today it constitutes a picture so beautiful that it would delight any artist — when the trees are covered with the pink and white blossoms of springtime or are laden with the fruit of autumn.
William L. Wills has become an expert cook and housekeeper and manages the affairs of the home, while Charles A. Wills has charge of the horticultural interests. He is also fond of hunting and fishing, as was his father before him, and when leisure permits he indulges his love of those sports.
[1] United States Federal Census, 1870, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[2] United States Federal Census, 1900, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[3] United States Federal Census, 1920, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[4] United States Federal Census, 1930, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[5] Idaho, U.S., Death Index, 1890-1964, [AncestryRecord].
[6] Idaho, U.S., Death Records, 1890-1969, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[7] Find A Grave Memorial 19612714, [FindAGrave].
[8] Find A Grave Memorial at Ancestry.com, [AncestryRecord].
[9] James Henry Hawley, ed., History of Idaho: The Gem of the Mountains, Volume 3 (1920), 339, [GoogleBooks].