Analysis. Ancestry Tree data for Ephraim Willis

Related

Person:Ephraim Willis (2)

Census

Ancestry Public Trees

A search was conducted on Ancestry 14 Feb 2012, for Public member trees for Ephraim Willis and wife Elizabeth. A total of 129 usable trees were recovered, from which key data were extracted. Of these 74 trees were identified that pertained to a couple by this name in Plymouth, Mass, and 54 for a couple by this name in Craven County, NC. The later couple corresponds to Person:Ephraim Willis (2) and his wife, and were examined in more detail. Table 1 gives the raw data for these 54 records.

Table 1:

Analysis

All of the above data are ostensibly for the same couple, Ephraim Willis and wife Elizabeth. All show the same father and mother (if shown at all. The data, however, seem to be grouped into two separate sets, varying from each other with respect to particulars of birth, death, spouse. This can be seen clearly in the death data for Ephraim Willis (2), summarized as follows:

Clearly there is disagreement as to where and when Ephraim died. Roughly half of the records show him dying in Craven County NC, while the other half show him dying in Emannuel Georgia. His Date of death is also sharply separated into two groups: one with a DOD of between 1784 and 1786, and the other between 1827 and 1830. A similar pattern prevails with his birth records.

There are two main clusters of death data in the records summarized above. One gives a DOD and POD of c1785 in Craven NC, while the other gives a DOD/POD of 1829 in either Craven NC, or more commonly, Emannuel GA. While not seen, a reference for a Will for an Ephraim Willis, of Craven Co NC indicates that he did die about 1829.

Ephraim Willis, 1829 Craven Co., NC; Will Book C, p305

A comparison of Birth data shows a similar division, though not so extensive

These data indicate two clusters of births, one in 1760 and one in 1770. Some of the 1760 births show a POB of Craven County NC. The remainder of births, whether in 1760 or 1770, do not provide a POB. The 1760 DOB entries are probably based on the family bible of Ephraims Father, Joseph Willis (Transcript:Family Bible of Rev. Joseph Willis of Craven County, NC). Josephs will, dated 1784, confirms that he did indeed have a son, Ephraim (Transcript:Will of Joseph Willis (c1720-1784) of Craven County, NC. Based on the order of bequests, Ephraim would be, most likely, Joseph's youngest child, a statement consistent with the family bible entries. (The bible indicates a younger daughter, Elizabeth, born 1764, but Elizabeth is not mentioned in the will, and is presumed to have died.