McDonough County Genealogical Society
William Willard, our Second Revolutionary War Patriot buried in McDonough County
William Willard lived a long and remarkable life, but even he was not entirely certain when it began. His parents told him he was born in 1755 in Loudoun County, Virginia, yet the many years he spent traveling between military camps, frontier forts, and new settlements left few records behind.
According to his Revolutionary War pension file, Willard volunteered for military service in July 1778 near Leesburg, Virginia. Because he could neither read nor write, he kept no personal records to document his service. Years later, while applying for a pension in Illinois, he testified before a judge that he marched from Leesburg to Winchester and then served at several frontier posts, including Fort Pitt, Fort Shepherd, and Fort Wheeling. After more than seven months of service, he returned home to Virginia.
About two and a half years later, Willard enlisted again. This time he marched to Richmond and later served under the command of General Lafayette during the closing stages of the war. He remained in service until the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. His military discharge was eventually lost, but his testimony and supporting evidence were enough for him to receive a pension.
After the war, Willard married Jane Cooke. The couple first settled in Tennessee before moving north to Morgan County, Illinois. There, Willard successfully applied for and received his Revolutionary War pension.
Following Jane’s death in 1833, Willard moved to McDonough County to live with his daughter Mary and her husband, John McCord. By then he was well into his eighties. The 1840 federal census lists him in the McCord household and notes his age as 89 years. At the time, he was likely the oldest resident in McDonough County.
William Willard spent his final years in the county and was buried in Atkinson Cemetery, now located within Argyle Lake State Park.
In 2023, members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s General Macomb Chapter placed a marker at Willard’s grave recognizing his Revolutionary War service. Numerous descendants attended the ceremony, honoring a man whose life stretched from the days of the American Revolution to the pioneer era of McDonough County.
Today, dozens of descendants continue to trace their lineage to William Willard, preserving the memory of one of the county’s earliest and oldest settlers.
Pioneers of the Past by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs, www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/
