Willis Willard Elliott

Willis Willard Elliott (August 7, 1799 - July 10, 1900) was an American Confederate soldier.
Early life and marriage
Willis Willard Elliott was born in Rowan County, North Carolina on August 7, 1799. A man of German descent, his parents were John Elliott (1771-1804) and Susannah Claugher (1775-1814). His father died when he was four, and his mother died when he was 14 or 15, leaving him to fend for himself for the remainder of his teenage years. He traveled from North Carolina to Missouri, where in 1822 he married Mary Polly Vanderpool. They had a total of twelve children together:
* William (1822 - 1862) Married Jane Carnes Guthrie in 1842, and had a total of 10 children. Killed during the Battle of Lone Jack.
* Eleanor (b. 1824)
* John Dawson (1825 - 1911)
* Susanna (1827 - 1922)
* Phoebe (1829 - 1915)
* Kinman (1831 - 1918)
* Eliza Jane (1833 - 1917)
* Jeremiah (1835 - 1862)
* David (1837 - 1924)
* James Willis (1839 - 1919)
* Janus (b. 1840)
* Talitha Jane (1842 - 1907)
Civil War years
On April 12, 1862, the American Civil War began. By then aged 62, Elliott served as a Private in the Confederate Army, alongside his sons. They served in the Missouri State Guard, where they fought in the Battles of Blue Mills, Lexington, Sugar Creek, Elkhorn, and Farmington. William was killed at the Battle of Lone Jack, and Jeremiah was killed at the Battle of Corinth.
Later life and death
Following the war, the Elliott family moved to Oregon in 1867 to avoid Reconstruction. Willis' 100th birthday was spent at the home of his son-in-law at Bridgeport. Later, religious services were conducted in his honor, having been well-read in the Bible; the first chapter of St. John was read.
His wife died in 1889, aged 89 years. He died on July 10, 1900, at the age of 100, having lived through three centuries.

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