Happy New Year Eric and what an interesting challenge
Since you mention the estate was probated I ass/u/me that means you have
copies of the 1821 Inventory, WB5 Henrico County, and the 1841 Account, WB10
Henrico County. Have you gone out to the Virginia Historical Society and
inquired if they have anything? Have you looked at the WPA project, records
are at LVA, from the 30s where they did a number of histories on homes of
interest? Real estate records? LVA has the Fire Insurance Maps and I have
traced homes back to 1820s using them. Just some ideas

Douglas Burnett
Displaced VIrginian in Florida

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 1:37 PM, Huffstutler, Eric S. <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I am going to throw this out there in hopes that someone can either
> connect or know where information can be found?
>
> We own the Capt. Charles Wills mansion in Church Hill... the oldest
> house in Church Hill proper (built 1812).  Coming this New Years
> 2011-2012, we will mark its 200th birthday BUT...
>
> We have very little on the builder-owner.  I know his parents were
> Josiah Wills and Mary Driver.  He had a brother named Thomas Wills.
> Charles was born 1775/76 in the Williamsburg area and died in Richmond
> 1820 without a will but the estate was probated.  Don't even know his
> wife's name but suspect she died between 1815-1820 according to St.
> John's Church attendance records.  He was a grocer and slave owner and
> had several buildings in Richmond at the time including one where the
> current Farmer's Market is.  There doesn't seem to be a newspaper
> article about his death (at least not indexed) and suspect he is buried
> at St. John's but those records are missing as is his headstone.
>
> I have no early (pre 1936) pictures of the house, not even sure there
> was history done in what was then considered Shed Town or even a
> portrait of Capt. Wills (who was "not" a ship captain but of the local
> militia - probably Camp Hollywood?).
>
> If anyone has ANYTHING to help the cause to make the 200th year
> celebration of the house a success (and hope to get the media involved
> too), I would greatly appreciate it!
>
> Eric
>
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-- 
Douglas Burnett
Satellite Beach
FL

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