David Wills
David Wills was born on February 3, 1831, in Menallen, Pennsylvania, to James Wills. His father earned a living as a farmer. He graduated from Pennsylvania College (present-day Gettysburg College) in 1851, and he spent a year as a teacher in Cahaba, Alabama. He then returned to Pennsylvania and studied law with future congressman Thaddeus Stevens.
He settled in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and he earned a living as a lawyer. He married Catherine Smyser around 1856, and they had at least seven children: Catherine, born around 1857; Mary, born around 1858; Annie, born around 1861; Jane, born around 1863; Emma, born around 1866; David, born around 1869; and James, born around 1876. He served as superintendent of schools for Adams County and as a director of the Bank of Gettysburg. By 1860, he owned $7,000 of real estate and $3,000 of personal property.
After the Battle of Gettysburg, Wills suggested that Governor Andrew Curtin create a state-funded cemetery for Union soldiers. Curtin agreed, empowering Wills to purchase the land and design the cemetery. Wills invited President Abraham Lincoln to speak at the dedication ceremony in November 1863, and the president stayed at Wills’ house the night before the ceremony.
By 1870, he owned $20,000 of real estate and $10,000 of personal property. He served as a trustee of Wilson College and the Dickinson School of Law. In 1874, he received an appointment as a judge. He died of “neuralgia of the heart” in Gettysburg on October 27, 1894.
Image: David Wills (courtesy Wikicommons)
DATABASE CONTENT
| (3416) | Wills, David | 1831-02-03 | 1894-10-27 |
- Conflict Side: Union
- Role: Civilian
- Rank in:
- Rank out:
- Rank highest:
- Gender: Male
- Race: White
Documents - Records: 6
- (9264) [recipient] ~ Edward Everett to David Wills, 9 November 1863
- (9265) [recipient] ~ Edward Everett to David Wills, 29 December 1863
- (9266) [recipient] ~ Ulysses S. Grant to David Wills, 14 May 1867
- (9267) [recipient] ~ Bayard Taylor to David Wills, 5 March 1869
- (9268) [associated with] ~ Unknown Autograph, 18 May 1870
- (9269) [associated with] ~ George A. Townsend Autograph, 30 May 1878
Places - Records: 2
SOURCES
1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; U.S. College Student Lists, 1763-1924, available from Ancestry.com; Pennsylvania Deaths, 1893-1905, available from Ancestry.com; “David Wills (Gettysburg)” Wikipedia profile, available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wills_(Gettysburg)
