Sponsored by:Old Waco / T. B. Willis
Judge Thomas Middlebrook Willis
1859 – 1937 Abilene Municipal Cemetery
Photo added by Thomaston-Upson Archives
- Birth
-
Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia, USA
- Death
- 27 Nov 1937 (aged 78)
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, USA
- Burial
-
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 32.4569462, Longitude: -99.7238144
- Plot
- Block 21, Lot 6, Space 11.
- Memorial ID
- 34216362 View Source
Thomas Middlebrook Willis
1859 - 1937
Pioneer Abilene Attorney
Thomas Middlebrook Willis was born on June 27, 1859 in Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia. He was the son of Dr. Thomas L. Willis (June 27, 1824 – March 31, 1889) and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis (December 8, 1828 – January 23, 1925).
In 1866, the Thomas L. Willis family moved from Alabama to Waco, McLennan County, Texas where they stayed with his cousin, Dr. James Madison Willis, for a few months. The Thomas L. Willis family later moved to Weatherford, Parker County, Texas where he began his medical practice. In 1869, he traveled to Baltimore for a six-month course in dentistry.
In the August 26, 1871 issue of the Weatherford Times is the following advertisement:
"Dr. T.L. Willis, Physician and Dentist,
offers his professional services to the people of Weatherford and surrounding country.
Office at A.S. Fain Drug Store where he can be found during the day, unless professionally absent."
In 1872, the Thomas L. Willis family finally settled in Denton County, Texas. Dr. Thomas L. Willis and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis are buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis came to the Abilene area in 1878, coming from Denton County to check range possibilities. He spent several weeks at the ranch of [James Couts] Couch and [John N.] Simpson, old friends of his father who had lived at Weatherford. That ranch was established in 1875.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis graduated from the Law School of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee on January 18, 1883. He also received his license to practice law in Tennessee, on this same day. On April 5, 1883 in Denton County, he received his license to practice law in Texas.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis moved to Abilene, Texas, in August 1883, and his law office was located on the west side of Chestnut Street. In 1886, he was elected City Attorney and later served as City Judge. He was a charter member of the Taylor County Bar Association and the First Methodist Church of Abilene, Texas.
He and Sallie Parker Willis (March 25, 1865 – October 18, 1954) were married on June 16, 1886, at 8:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Abilene with the Rev. L.B. Chaney officiating. A reception followed at 9:00 p.m. at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Henry Parker, parents of the bride.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis and Sallie Parker Willis built a house at South Seventh and Poplar Streets; they later moved to 402 Peach Street before finally moving to 341 Jeanette Street in the 1920s. They had the following children:
1. Sallie Letitia Willis (1887 – 1971)
2. John Todd Willis, Sr. (1888 – 1968) who married Nannie Clara Evans
3. Robert Parker Willis (1892 – 1959) who married Abbie Thompson
4. Neva Willis (1894 – 1985) who married Isaac Hudson
5. Charles Grant Willis (1897 – 1977) who married Ivie Rape
6. Thomas Hart Willis (1899 – 1957) who married Juanita McDaniel
7. Maggie Field Willis (1901 – 1902)
8. Roberta H. Willis (1904 – 1912)
Thomas Middlebrook Willis died on November 27, 1937, in Abilene and was buried in its Masonic Cemetery, block 21, lot 6, space 11, (now a part of Abilene Municipal Cemetery).
--Thomas Middlebrook Willis, 1859-1937, Pioneer Texas Attorney. 2009.
By T. Bradford Willis, DDS, MSD.
+++
Additional information on Thomas M. Willis:
The people of Abilene have organized a literary and debating society with T. M. Willis, president and Miss Lula Hall, treasurer. 1
"By 1889, citizens were in favor of building a commodious public school building on the site owned by the city, fronting on the railroad right-of-way (South First and Peach Streets), to cost not less than approximately ten thousand dollars."
"The Abilene Reporter said a copy of its newspaper containing the list of names endorsing the proposal for the school would be placed in the cornerstone of the new building."
"From the Abilene Reporter, Jan. 4, 1889, edition, a partial list follows: …
Thos. M. Willis." 2
"…Thomas M. Willis, was one of the city's very first lawyers. Willis, a transplanted Georgian for whom Willis Street is named, came to Abilene in August 1883 and served as city attorney in 1886. He later served two terms as city judge."
"Historians report Willis was a leader of the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" which succeeded in persuading Abilenians to vote the six-year-old city 'dry' in 1887. Unfortunately for the drys, a statewide ruling kept the Abilene saloons open for the time being." 3
"The 'epochal migration of the Anglo-Saxon race' which settled West Texas last century came along at an unusual time in the nation's history. It happened just as a major American effort in social reform, billed as the 'temperance movement,' was sweeping the land."
"One reason for the rapid growth of the prohibition movement was the saloons themselves. Saloons became infamous. They represented neglect of home and children. Saloons became the most powerful argument for prohibition because many of them branched out into organized prostitution, crime and political corruption."
"It was in such a national climate that the prairieland was settled. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was organized in 1874—about the time the buffalo hunters were ridding the West Texas area of the bison. As Abilene was being founded, the WCTU under the leadership of Frances Willard was becoming a national force."
"Since Texas was 'wet,' as were other states in the Union, saloons were the first order of business for the emerging towns and villages."
"In no place in West Texas has the liquor question stirred as much enmity as it has in Abilene."
"Liquor merchandising was one of the first businesses in Abilene. Whiskey was being sold even before the town lot sale which established Abilene, March 15, 1881."
"Saloons occupied strategic locations as close to the railway station as possible, handy for thirsty travelers who came by train, handy, too, for cowhands riding up on ponies and for townsmen with a thirst to quench. Strangely enough, the saloon keepers rarely identified themselves in print."
"The prohibition movement found in Abilene a town which was, generally, ready for reform. The town had its first say on the matter during a statewide prohibition election when it was six years old. Taylor County commissioners, meeting in March, called the election for June 8, 1887. T.M. Willis of Abilene, Taylor County's delegate to the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" in Waco, called a countywide meeting."
"In fact, prohibition meetings were attended by a Who's Who of early Abilene…These community leaders were fed up with the situation. They would close the saloons and defeat all the saloons stood for. They took their cause, the closing of saloons, to the people. Each community had its prohibition meeting."4
Thomas M. Willis was a Mason in the Abilene Lodge No. 559 from 1885 to 1891, and later in the Sherwood Lodge No. 699 from 1891 to 1897.
DOCUMENTATION:
1 Taylor County News, 17 April, 1885.
2 Abilene Reporter-News, 15 Jan., 1989, sec. E, p. 2.
3 Abilene Reporter-News, 16 Sept., 1985, sec. A, p. 1.
4 Katharyn Duff and Betty Kay Seibt, Catclaw Country An Informal History of Abilene in West Texas, (1980), 90-96.
+++
The following is the obituary for Thomas Middlebrook Willis:
T. M. Willis, 78, Abilenian For 54 Years, Dead
Funeral Services Will Be At 3:30 This Afternoon
Thomas M. Willis, 78, resident of Abilene 54 years, died late yesterday afternoon at his home, 341 Jeanette street. He had been in failing health two years, but was critically ill only nine days.
Funeral for Mr. Willis will be at First Presbyterian church of which he was a member. The pastor, Dr. T. S. Knox, will officiate. Burial will be in the Masonic cemetery under direction of Laughter's Funeral home.
Before retiring from law practice, Mr. Willis held several public offices and was an illustrious character in Abilene from the early days. Last March he was among those attending Abilene's 56th anniversary celebration. He and Mrs. Willis, the former Sally [sic] A. Parker, observed their 51st wedding anniversary here June 26. He was born June 27, 1859 in Georgia, but came to Texas at an early age.
Members of the Taylor County Bar association will be honorary pallbearers, and active pallbearers will be L. A. Sadler, Judge Milburn S. Long, W. D. Mayfield, W. D. Gulledge, T. L. Spencer, W. Hammonds, Harvey Brown and Loyd Bynum.
Survivors are his wife, six children: John T. Willis of Waco, Miss Sally [sic] Willis of Fort Worth, R. Parker Willis of Wichita Falls, Mrs. Ike Hudson of Houston, Grant Willis and Thomas H. Willis of Abilene. Ten grandchildren also survive.
Mrs. Willis is one of the five [Robert H.] Parker sisters who attended the birthday celebration here in the spring. Others are Mrs. George W. McDaniel, Mrs. Samuel R. Cox, Mrs. D. P. Woodard, and Mrs. Bettie P. Kelley.
-The Abilene Reporter-News. November 28, 1937, p. 1
+++
See The Handbook of Texas for more information:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/willis-thomas-middlebrook
See Taylor County TXGenWeb Archives for additional family history & photographs.
Sincere appreciation is expressed to Annette Willis Zimmerman, Paul E. Zimmerman and Claude C. Burgess for their fine assistance with this Memorial for Thomas Middlebrook Willis.
1859 - 1937
Pioneer Abilene Attorney
Thomas Middlebrook Willis was born on June 27, 1859 in Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia. He was the son of Dr. Thomas L. Willis (June 27, 1824 – March 31, 1889) and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis (December 8, 1828 – January 23, 1925).
In 1866, the Thomas L. Willis family moved from Alabama to Waco, McLennan County, Texas where they stayed with his cousin, Dr. James Madison Willis, for a few months. The Thomas L. Willis family later moved to Weatherford, Parker County, Texas where he began his medical practice. In 1869, he traveled to Baltimore for a six-month course in dentistry.
In the August 26, 1871 issue of the Weatherford Times is the following advertisement:
"Dr. T.L. Willis, Physician and Dentist,
offers his professional services to the people of Weatherford and surrounding country.
Office at A.S. Fain Drug Store where he can be found during the day, unless professionally absent."
In 1872, the Thomas L. Willis family finally settled in Denton County, Texas. Dr. Thomas L. Willis and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis are buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis came to the Abilene area in 1878, coming from Denton County to check range possibilities. He spent several weeks at the ranch of [James Couts] Couch and [John N.] Simpson, old friends of his father who had lived at Weatherford. That ranch was established in 1875.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis graduated from the Law School of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee on January 18, 1883. He also received his license to practice law in Tennessee, on this same day. On April 5, 1883 in Denton County, he received his license to practice law in Texas.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis moved to Abilene, Texas, in August 1883, and his law office was located on the west side of Chestnut Street. In 1886, he was elected City Attorney and later served as City Judge. He was a charter member of the Taylor County Bar Association and the First Methodist Church of Abilene, Texas.
He and Sallie Parker Willis (March 25, 1865 – October 18, 1954) were married on June 16, 1886, at 8:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Abilene with the Rev. L.B. Chaney officiating. A reception followed at 9:00 p.m. at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Henry Parker, parents of the bride.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis and Sallie Parker Willis built a house at South Seventh and Poplar Streets; they later moved to 402 Peach Street before finally moving to 341 Jeanette Street in the 1920s. They had the following children:
1. Sallie Letitia Willis (1887 – 1971)
2. John Todd Willis, Sr. (1888 – 1968) who married Nannie Clara Evans
3. Robert Parker Willis (1892 – 1959) who married Abbie Thompson
4. Neva Willis (1894 – 1985) who married Isaac Hudson
5. Charles Grant Willis (1897 – 1977) who married Ivie Rape
6. Thomas Hart Willis (1899 – 1957) who married Juanita McDaniel
7. Maggie Field Willis (1901 – 1902)
8. Roberta H. Willis (1904 – 1912)
Thomas Middlebrook Willis died on November 27, 1937, in Abilene and was buried in its Masonic Cemetery, block 21, lot 6, space 11, (now a part of Abilene Municipal Cemetery).
--Thomas Middlebrook Willis, 1859-1937, Pioneer Texas Attorney. 2009.
By T. Bradford Willis, DDS, MSD.
+++
Additional information on Thomas M. Willis:
The people of Abilene have organized a literary and debating society with T. M. Willis, president and Miss Lula Hall, treasurer. 1
"By 1889, citizens were in favor of building a commodious public school building on the site owned by the city, fronting on the railroad right-of-way (South First and Peach Streets), to cost not less than approximately ten thousand dollars."
"The Abilene Reporter said a copy of its newspaper containing the list of names endorsing the proposal for the school would be placed in the cornerstone of the new building."
"From the Abilene Reporter, Jan. 4, 1889, edition, a partial list follows: …
Thos. M. Willis." 2
"…Thomas M. Willis, was one of the city's very first lawyers. Willis, a transplanted Georgian for whom Willis Street is named, came to Abilene in August 1883 and served as city attorney in 1886. He later served two terms as city judge."
"Historians report Willis was a leader of the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" which succeeded in persuading Abilenians to vote the six-year-old city 'dry' in 1887. Unfortunately for the drys, a statewide ruling kept the Abilene saloons open for the time being." 3
"The 'epochal migration of the Anglo-Saxon race' which settled West Texas last century came along at an unusual time in the nation's history. It happened just as a major American effort in social reform, billed as the 'temperance movement,' was sweeping the land."
"One reason for the rapid growth of the prohibition movement was the saloons themselves. Saloons became infamous. They represented neglect of home and children. Saloons became the most powerful argument for prohibition because many of them branched out into organized prostitution, crime and political corruption."
"It was in such a national climate that the prairieland was settled. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was organized in 1874—about the time the buffalo hunters were ridding the West Texas area of the bison. As Abilene was being founded, the WCTU under the leadership of Frances Willard was becoming a national force."
"Since Texas was 'wet,' as were other states in the Union, saloons were the first order of business for the emerging towns and villages."
"In no place in West Texas has the liquor question stirred as much enmity as it has in Abilene."
"Liquor merchandising was one of the first businesses in Abilene. Whiskey was being sold even before the town lot sale which established Abilene, March 15, 1881."
"Saloons occupied strategic locations as close to the railway station as possible, handy for thirsty travelers who came by train, handy, too, for cowhands riding up on ponies and for townsmen with a thirst to quench. Strangely enough, the saloon keepers rarely identified themselves in print."
"The prohibition movement found in Abilene a town which was, generally, ready for reform. The town had its first say on the matter during a statewide prohibition election when it was six years old. Taylor County commissioners, meeting in March, called the election for June 8, 1887. T.M. Willis of Abilene, Taylor County's delegate to the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" in Waco, called a countywide meeting."
"In fact, prohibition meetings were attended by a Who's Who of early Abilene…These community leaders were fed up with the situation. They would close the saloons and defeat all the saloons stood for. They took their cause, the closing of saloons, to the people. Each community had its prohibition meeting."4
Thomas M. Willis was a Mason in the Abilene Lodge No. 559 from 1885 to 1891, and later in the Sherwood Lodge No. 699 from 1891 to 1897.
DOCUMENTATION:
1 Taylor County News, 17 April, 1885.
2 Abilene Reporter-News, 15 Jan., 1989, sec. E, p. 2.
3 Abilene Reporter-News, 16 Sept., 1985, sec. A, p. 1.
4 Katharyn Duff and Betty Kay Seibt, Catclaw Country An Informal History of Abilene in West Texas, (1980), 90-96.
+++
The following is the obituary for Thomas Middlebrook Willis:
T. M. Willis, 78, Abilenian For 54 Years, Dead
Funeral Services Will Be At 3:30 This Afternoon
Thomas M. Willis, 78, resident of Abilene 54 years, died late yesterday afternoon at his home, 341 Jeanette street. He had been in failing health two years, but was critically ill only nine days.
Funeral for Mr. Willis will be at First Presbyterian church of which he was a member. The pastor, Dr. T. S. Knox, will officiate. Burial will be in the Masonic cemetery under direction of Laughter's Funeral home.
Before retiring from law practice, Mr. Willis held several public offices and was an illustrious character in Abilene from the early days. Last March he was among those attending Abilene's 56th anniversary celebration. He and Mrs. Willis, the former Sally [sic] A. Parker, observed their 51st wedding anniversary here June 26. He was born June 27, 1859 in Georgia, but came to Texas at an early age.
Members of the Taylor County Bar association will be honorary pallbearers, and active pallbearers will be L. A. Sadler, Judge Milburn S. Long, W. D. Mayfield, W. D. Gulledge, T. L. Spencer, W. Hammonds, Harvey Brown and Loyd Bynum.
Survivors are his wife, six children: John T. Willis of Waco, Miss Sally [sic] Willis of Fort Worth, R. Parker Willis of Wichita Falls, Mrs. Ike Hudson of Houston, Grant Willis and Thomas H. Willis of Abilene. Ten grandchildren also survive.
Mrs. Willis is one of the five [Robert H.] Parker sisters who attended the birthday celebration here in the spring. Others are Mrs. George W. McDaniel, Mrs. Samuel R. Cox, Mrs. D. P. Woodard, and Mrs. Bettie P. Kelley.
-The Abilene Reporter-News. November 28, 1937, p. 1
+++
See The Handbook of Texas for more information:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/willis-thomas-middlebrook
See Taylor County TXGenWeb Archives for additional family history & photographs.
Sincere appreciation is expressed to Annette Willis Zimmerman, Paul E. Zimmerman and Claude C. Burgess for their fine assistance with this Memorial for Thomas Middlebrook Willis.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis
1859 - 1937
Pioneer Abilene Attorney
Thomas Middlebrook Willis was born on June 27, 1859 in Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia. He was the son of Dr. Thomas L. Willis (June 27, 1824 – March 31, 1889) and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis (December 8, 1828 – January 23, 1925).
In 1866, the Thomas L. Willis family moved from Alabama to Waco, McLennan County, Texas where they stayed with his cousin, Dr. James Madison Willis, for a few months. The Thomas L. Willis family later moved to Weatherford, Parker County, Texas where he began his medical practice. In 1869, he traveled to Baltimore for a six-month course in dentistry.
In the August 26, 1871 issue of the Weatherford Times is the following advertisement:
"Dr. T.L. Willis, Physician and Dentist,
offers his professional services to the people of Weatherford and surrounding country.
Office at A.S. Fain Drug Store where he can be found during the day, unless professionally absent."
In 1872, the Thomas L. Willis family finally settled in Denton County, Texas. Dr. Thomas L. Willis and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis are buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis came to the Abilene area in 1878, coming from Denton County to check range possibilities. He spent several weeks at the ranch of [James Couts] Couch and [John N.] Simpson, old friends of his father who had lived at Weatherford. That ranch was established in 1875.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis graduated from the Law School of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee on January 18, 1883. He also received his license to practice law in Tennessee, on this same day. On April 5, 1883 in Denton County, he received his license to practice law in Texas.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis moved to Abilene, Texas, in August 1883, and his law office was located on the west side of Chestnut Street. In 1886, he was elected City Attorney and later served as City Judge. He was a charter member of the Taylor County Bar Association and the First Methodist Church of Abilene, Texas.
He and Sallie Parker Willis (March 25, 1865 – October 18, 1954) were married on June 16, 1886, at 8:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Abilene with the Rev. L.B. Chaney officiating. A reception followed at 9:00 p.m. at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Henry Parker, parents of the bride.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis and Sallie Parker Willis built a house at South Seventh and Poplar Streets; they later moved to 402 Peach Street before finally moving to 341 Jeanette Street in the 1920s. They had the following children:
1. Sallie Letitia Willis (1887 – 1971)
2. John Todd Willis, Sr. (1888 – 1968) who married Nannie Clara Evans
3. Robert Parker Willis (1892 – 1959) who married Abbie Thompson
4. Neva Willis (1894 – 1985) who married Isaac Hudson
5. Charles Grant Willis (1897 – 1977) who married Ivie Rape
6. Thomas Hart Willis (1899 – 1957) who married Juanita McDaniel
7. Maggie Field Willis (1901 – 1902)
8. Roberta H. Willis (1904 – 1912)
Thomas Middlebrook Willis died on November 27, 1937, in Abilene and was buried in its Masonic Cemetery, block 21, lot 6, space 11, (now a part of Abilene Municipal Cemetery).
--Thomas Middlebrook Willis, 1859-1937, Pioneer Texas Attorney. 2009.
By T. Bradford Willis, DDS, MSD.
+++
Additional information on Thomas M. Willis:
The people of Abilene have organized a literary and debating society with T. M. Willis, president and Miss Lula Hall, treasurer. 1
"By 1889, citizens were in favor of building a commodious public school building on the site owned by the city, fronting on the railroad right-of-way (South First and Peach Streets), to cost not less than approximately ten thousand dollars."
"The Abilene Reporter said a copy of its newspaper containing the list of names endorsing the proposal for the school would be placed in the cornerstone of the new building."
"From the Abilene Reporter, Jan. 4, 1889, edition, a partial list follows: …
Thos. M. Willis." 2
"…Thomas M. Willis, was one of the city's very first lawyers. Willis, a transplanted Georgian for whom Willis Street is named, came to Abilene in August 1883 and served as city attorney in 1886. He later served two terms as city judge."
"Historians report Willis was a leader of the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" which succeeded in persuading Abilenians to vote the six-year-old city 'dry' in 1887. Unfortunately for the drys, a statewide ruling kept the Abilene saloons open for the time being." 3
"The 'epochal migration of the Anglo-Saxon race' which settled West Texas last century came along at an unusual time in the nation's history. It happened just as a major American effort in social reform, billed as the 'temperance movement,' was sweeping the land."
"One reason for the rapid growth of the prohibition movement was the saloons themselves. Saloons became infamous. They represented neglect of home and children. Saloons became the most powerful argument for prohibition because many of them branched out into organized prostitution, crime and political corruption."
"It was in such a national climate that the prairieland was settled. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was organized in 1874—about the time the buffalo hunters were ridding the West Texas area of the bison. As Abilene was being founded, the WCTU under the leadership of Frances Willard was becoming a national force."
"Since Texas was 'wet,' as were other states in the Union, saloons were the first order of business for the emerging towns and villages."
"In no place in West Texas has the liquor question stirred as much enmity as it has in Abilene."
"Liquor merchandising was one of the first businesses in Abilene. Whiskey was being sold even before the town lot sale which established Abilene, March 15, 1881."
"Saloons occupied strategic locations as close to the railway station as possible, handy for thirsty travelers who came by train, handy, too, for cowhands riding up on ponies and for townsmen with a thirst to quench. Strangely enough, the saloon keepers rarely identified themselves in print."
"The prohibition movement found in Abilene a town which was, generally, ready for reform. The town had its first say on the matter during a statewide prohibition election when it was six years old. Taylor County commissioners, meeting in March, called the election for June 8, 1887. T.M. Willis of Abilene, Taylor County's delegate to the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" in Waco, called a countywide meeting."
"In fact, prohibition meetings were attended by a Who's Who of early Abilene…These community leaders were fed up with the situation. They would close the saloons and defeat all the saloons stood for. They took their cause, the closing of saloons, to the people. Each community had its prohibition meeting."4
Thomas M. Willis was a Mason in the Abilene Lodge No. 559 from 1885 to 1891, and later in the Sherwood Lodge No. 699 from 1891 to 1897.
DOCUMENTATION:
1 Taylor County News, 17 April, 1885.
2 Abilene Reporter-News, 15 Jan., 1989, sec. E, p. 2.
3 Abilene Reporter-News, 16 Sept., 1985, sec. A, p. 1.
4 Katharyn Duff and Betty Kay Seibt, Catclaw Country An Informal History of Abilene in West Texas, (1980), 90-96.
+++
The following is the obituary for Thomas Middlebrook Willis:
T. M. Willis, 78, Abilenian For 54 Years, Dead
Funeral Services Will Be At 3:30 This Afternoon
Thomas M. Willis, 78, resident of Abilene 54 years, died late yesterday afternoon at his home, 341 Jeanette street. He had been in failing health two years, but was critically ill only nine days.
Funeral for Mr. Willis will be at First Presbyterian church of which he was a member. The pastor, Dr. T. S. Knox, will officiate. Burial will be in the Masonic cemetery under direction of Laughter's Funeral home.
Before retiring from law practice, Mr. Willis held several public offices and was an illustrious character in Abilene from the early days. Last March he was among those attending Abilene's 56th anniversary celebration. He and Mrs. Willis, the former Sally [sic] A. Parker, observed their 51st wedding anniversary here June 26. He was born June 27, 1859 in Georgia, but came to Texas at an early age.
Members of the Taylor County Bar association will be honorary pallbearers, and active pallbearers will be L. A. Sadler, Judge Milburn S. Long, W. D. Mayfield, W. D. Gulledge, T. L. Spencer, W. Hammonds, Harvey Brown and Loyd Bynum.
Survivors are his wife, six children: John T. Willis of Waco, Miss Sally [sic] Willis of Fort Worth, R. Parker Willis of Wichita Falls, Mrs. Ike Hudson of Houston, Grant Willis and Thomas H. Willis of Abilene. Ten grandchildren also survive.
Mrs. Willis is one of the five [Robert H.] Parker sisters who attended the birthday celebration here in the spring. Others are Mrs. George W. McDaniel, Mrs. Samuel R. Cox, Mrs. D. P. Woodard, and Mrs. Bettie P. Kelley.
-The Abilene Reporter-News. November 28, 1937, p. 1
+++
See The Handbook of Texas for more information:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/willis-thomas-middlebrook
See Taylor County TXGenWeb Archives for additional family history & photographs.
Sincere appreciation is expressed to Annette Willis Zimmerman, Paul E. Zimmerman and Claude C. Burgess for their fine assistance with this Memorial for Thomas Middlebrook Willis.
1859 - 1937
Pioneer Abilene Attorney
Thomas Middlebrook Willis was born on June 27, 1859 in Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia. He was the son of Dr. Thomas L. Willis (June 27, 1824 – March 31, 1889) and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis (December 8, 1828 – January 23, 1925).
In 1866, the Thomas L. Willis family moved from Alabama to Waco, McLennan County, Texas where they stayed with his cousin, Dr. James Madison Willis, for a few months. The Thomas L. Willis family later moved to Weatherford, Parker County, Texas where he began his medical practice. In 1869, he traveled to Baltimore for a six-month course in dentistry.
In the August 26, 1871 issue of the Weatherford Times is the following advertisement:
"Dr. T.L. Willis, Physician and Dentist,
offers his professional services to the people of Weatherford and surrounding country.
Office at A.S. Fain Drug Store where he can be found during the day, unless professionally absent."
In 1872, the Thomas L. Willis family finally settled in Denton County, Texas. Dr. Thomas L. Willis and Letitia Barnett Hutchison Willis are buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis came to the Abilene area in 1878, coming from Denton County to check range possibilities. He spent several weeks at the ranch of [James Couts] Couch and [John N.] Simpson, old friends of his father who had lived at Weatherford. That ranch was established in 1875.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis graduated from the Law School of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee on January 18, 1883. He also received his license to practice law in Tennessee, on this same day. On April 5, 1883 in Denton County, he received his license to practice law in Texas.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis moved to Abilene, Texas, in August 1883, and his law office was located on the west side of Chestnut Street. In 1886, he was elected City Attorney and later served as City Judge. He was a charter member of the Taylor County Bar Association and the First Methodist Church of Abilene, Texas.
He and Sallie Parker Willis (March 25, 1865 – October 18, 1954) were married on June 16, 1886, at 8:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Abilene with the Rev. L.B. Chaney officiating. A reception followed at 9:00 p.m. at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Henry Parker, parents of the bride.
Thomas Middlebrook Willis and Sallie Parker Willis built a house at South Seventh and Poplar Streets; they later moved to 402 Peach Street before finally moving to 341 Jeanette Street in the 1920s. They had the following children:
1. Sallie Letitia Willis (1887 – 1971)
2. John Todd Willis, Sr. (1888 – 1968) who married Nannie Clara Evans
3. Robert Parker Willis (1892 – 1959) who married Abbie Thompson
4. Neva Willis (1894 – 1985) who married Isaac Hudson
5. Charles Grant Willis (1897 – 1977) who married Ivie Rape
6. Thomas Hart Willis (1899 – 1957) who married Juanita McDaniel
7. Maggie Field Willis (1901 – 1902)
8. Roberta H. Willis (1904 – 1912)
Thomas Middlebrook Willis died on November 27, 1937, in Abilene and was buried in its Masonic Cemetery, block 21, lot 6, space 11, (now a part of Abilene Municipal Cemetery).
--Thomas Middlebrook Willis, 1859-1937, Pioneer Texas Attorney. 2009.
By T. Bradford Willis, DDS, MSD.
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Additional information on Thomas M. Willis:
The people of Abilene have organized a literary and debating society with T. M. Willis, president and Miss Lula Hall, treasurer. 1
"By 1889, citizens were in favor of building a commodious public school building on the site owned by the city, fronting on the railroad right-of-way (South First and Peach Streets), to cost not less than approximately ten thousand dollars."
"The Abilene Reporter said a copy of its newspaper containing the list of names endorsing the proposal for the school would be placed in the cornerstone of the new building."
"From the Abilene Reporter, Jan. 4, 1889, edition, a partial list follows: …
Thos. M. Willis." 2
"…Thomas M. Willis, was one of the city's very first lawyers. Willis, a transplanted Georgian for whom Willis Street is named, came to Abilene in August 1883 and served as city attorney in 1886. He later served two terms as city judge."
"Historians report Willis was a leader of the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" which succeeded in persuading Abilenians to vote the six-year-old city 'dry' in 1887. Unfortunately for the drys, a statewide ruling kept the Abilene saloons open for the time being." 3
"The 'epochal migration of the Anglo-Saxon race' which settled West Texas last century came along at an unusual time in the nation's history. It happened just as a major American effort in social reform, billed as the 'temperance movement,' was sweeping the land."
"One reason for the rapid growth of the prohibition movement was the saloons themselves. Saloons became infamous. They represented neglect of home and children. Saloons became the most powerful argument for prohibition because many of them branched out into organized prostitution, crime and political corruption."
"It was in such a national climate that the prairieland was settled. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was organized in 1874—about the time the buffalo hunters were ridding the West Texas area of the bison. As Abilene was being founded, the WCTU under the leadership of Frances Willard was becoming a national force."
"Since Texas was 'wet,' as were other states in the Union, saloons were the first order of business for the emerging towns and villages."
"In no place in West Texas has the liquor question stirred as much enmity as it has in Abilene."
"Liquor merchandising was one of the first businesses in Abilene. Whiskey was being sold even before the town lot sale which established Abilene, March 15, 1881."
"Saloons occupied strategic locations as close to the railway station as possible, handy for thirsty travelers who came by train, handy, too, for cowhands riding up on ponies and for townsmen with a thirst to quench. Strangely enough, the saloon keepers rarely identified themselves in print."
"The prohibition movement found in Abilene a town which was, generally, ready for reform. The town had its first say on the matter during a statewide prohibition election when it was six years old. Taylor County commissioners, meeting in March, called the election for June 8, 1887. T.M. Willis of Abilene, Taylor County's delegate to the "State Non-Political Prohibition Convention" in Waco, called a countywide meeting."
"In fact, prohibition meetings were attended by a Who's Who of early Abilene…These community leaders were fed up with the situation. They would close the saloons and defeat all the saloons stood for. They took their cause, the closing of saloons, to the people. Each community had its prohibition meeting."4
Thomas M. Willis was a Mason in the Abilene Lodge No. 559 from 1885 to 1891, and later in the Sherwood Lodge No. 699 from 1891 to 1897.
DOCUMENTATION:
1 Taylor County News, 17 April, 1885.
2 Abilene Reporter-News, 15 Jan., 1989, sec. E, p. 2.
3 Abilene Reporter-News, 16 Sept., 1985, sec. A, p. 1.
4 Katharyn Duff and Betty Kay Seibt, Catclaw Country An Informal History of Abilene in West Texas, (1980), 90-96.
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The following is the obituary for Thomas Middlebrook Willis:
T. M. Willis, 78, Abilenian For 54 Years, Dead
Funeral Services Will Be At 3:30 This Afternoon
Thomas M. Willis, 78, resident of Abilene 54 years, died late yesterday afternoon at his home, 341 Jeanette street. He had been in failing health two years, but was critically ill only nine days.
Funeral for Mr. Willis will be at First Presbyterian church of which he was a member. The pastor, Dr. T. S. Knox, will officiate. Burial will be in the Masonic cemetery under direction of Laughter's Funeral home.
Before retiring from law practice, Mr. Willis held several public offices and was an illustrious character in Abilene from the early days. Last March he was among those attending Abilene's 56th anniversary celebration. He and Mrs. Willis, the former Sally [sic] A. Parker, observed their 51st wedding anniversary here June 26. He was born June 27, 1859 in Georgia, but came to Texas at an early age.
Members of the Taylor County Bar association will be honorary pallbearers, and active pallbearers will be L. A. Sadler, Judge Milburn S. Long, W. D. Mayfield, W. D. Gulledge, T. L. Spencer, W. Hammonds, Harvey Brown and Loyd Bynum.
Survivors are his wife, six children: John T. Willis of Waco, Miss Sally [sic] Willis of Fort Worth, R. Parker Willis of Wichita Falls, Mrs. Ike Hudson of Houston, Grant Willis and Thomas H. Willis of Abilene. Ten grandchildren also survive.
Mrs. Willis is one of the five [Robert H.] Parker sisters who attended the birthday celebration here in the spring. Others are Mrs. George W. McDaniel, Mrs. Samuel R. Cox, Mrs. D. P. Woodard, and Mrs. Bettie P. Kelley.
-The Abilene Reporter-News. November 28, 1937, p. 1
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See The Handbook of Texas for more information:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/willis-thomas-middlebrook
See Taylor County TXGenWeb Archives for additional family history & photographs.
Sincere appreciation is expressed to Annette Willis Zimmerman, Paul E. Zimmerman and Claude C. Burgess for their fine assistance with this Memorial for Thomas Middlebrook Willis.
Inscription
Thomas M. Willis
June 27, 1859
Nov. 27, 1937
Gravesite Details
His gravesite has an Official Texas Historical Marker.
Family Members
- Created by: Old Waco / T. B. Willis
- Added: Feb 26, 2009
- Find a Grave Memorial ID:
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Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34216362/thomas_middlebrook-willis: accessed ), memorial page for Judge Thomas Middlebrook Willis (27 Jun 1859–27 Nov 1937), Find a Grave Memorial ID 34216362, citing Abilene Municipal Cemetery, Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, USA; Maintained by Old Waco / T. B. Willis (contributor 47102556).
