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Willis, Notley Sr. (1800-1878)
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History of Ritchie County
by Minnie Kendall Lowther
Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling W.Va., 1911

Pages 594-596, Town of Tollgate

This town took its name from an old toll-gate that came into
existence here late in the thirties or early in the forties, and
went out during the Civil war.

The Northwestern turnpike at this time was a State road, and it was
kept up by the revenue that was collected from the toll-gates along
the road.

Notley Willis, senior, was the first keeper of this gate. He was
born near Winchester, Virginia in April, 1800; and being left an
orphan in childhood, was early thrown upon his own resources. He
came to Tyler county in his boyhood, and near the year 1817, went
to Charleston where he was engaged in the growing salt industry;
and, at one time, he was a salt commissioner at Cincinnati, Ohio.
But in 1837 he came to Tollgate (from Charleston), and shortly
after his arrival here he was married to Mrs. Epha Marsh Cline
(daughter of James Marsh and widow of William Cline), the marriage
taking place at the old Marsh homestead, on February 16, 1837. Near
this time he became the owner of the Marsh homestead, a little east
of this place; and here he spent the first six years of his married
life; and when the toll-gate was established he was made the
keeper; but in 1843, he removed to Mole Hill and Mrs. Lee succeeded
him as guardian of this gate.

Mr. Willis was a Master Mason; was one of the early justices of the
peace of the county, and was one of the first members of the Board
of Education after the inauguration of the Free School system. He
died at Mole Hill on November 17, 1878, and there his ashes lie. He
was the father of one son, Notley G. Willis of Mole Hill.

Notley G. Willis, this son, was married to Miss Louisa Martin, and
four children were the result of this union; viz., Epha and
Josephine died in youth. Helen married D. B. Strickling and died at
her home in Pennsylvania in 1907, leaving one daughter, Mrs. Cammie
Gormley, two other children, Romeo and Nellie having preceded her
home. And Judge M. H. Willis, who married Miss Anita Magness, of
Iowa is the son. This completes the entire line of the descendants
of Notley Willis, senior, the pioneer toll-gate keeper.

The Willises are descended from an old Virginia family, who were
perhaps, of English descent, but the exact time of their migration
to the New World is unknown. However, Francis Willis was
prominently identified in Colonial affairs before the middle of the
seventeenth century. As early as 1640, he held the office of Clerk
of Charles River in York county, Virginia, and was a personal
admirer and an ardent supporter of the policy of Sir John Harvey,
governor of the colony; and upon Sir Harvey's removal from this
office, Willis was deprived of his position, and was prohibited
from appearing as attorney in any of the courts. But after the
lapse of near two years, when Sir William Berkely came to the
Gubernatorial chair, he was restored to favor, and afterwards
filled several important offices, among which was that of chairman
of the committee that revised the Colonial laws in 1657-8, and
member of the Governor's council until 1675, the year preceding
Bacon's rebellion. He died in England in 1691, and by his last will
and testament, his nephew, Francis Willis, son of Henry, heired the
greater part of his property, including his vast estates in
Gloucester county, Virginia.

Francis Willis, junior, had two sons, Francis III, of Gloucester
county, and Henry Willis, the founder of Fredericksburg. After this
generation, the family was known as two branches, the Gloucester
and the Fredericksburg: and from the Gloucester branch the Ritchie
county family come. This branch of the family are scattered
throughout the northern counties of Virginia, and through Maryland
and Pennsylvania; and Brunswick county, Virginia, Jefferson and
Berkeley counties, West Virginia are said to abound in their
traditions.

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