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 is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough
County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of
the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/