Biography of Frank W. Willis, pages 348/349/350/351/352. History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914. Not too often can be repeated the life story of one who lived so honorable and useful a life and attained to such notable distinction as he whose name appears at the head of this sketch, who was one of the most successful and distinguished newspaper men of northeastern Indiana. His character was one of signal exaltation and purity of purpose. Well disciplined in mind, maintaining a vantage point from, which life presented itself in correct proportions, guided and guarded by the most inviolable principles of integrity and honor, simple and unostentatious in his self-respecting, tolerant individuality, such a man could not prove other that a force for good in whatever relation of life he many have been place. His character was the positive expression of all strong nature and his strength was as the number of his days. In studying his career interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation and there is no need for indirection or puzzling. As the day, with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity and accomplishment and its evening of completed and successful efforts, so was the life of this good man and honored man. His career was a long, busy and useful one, and his name is revered by all who had occasion to come into contact with him on life’s pathway. His life was one of consecration to his calling, and well does he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds of those who have given the best of their powers and talents for the aiding and betterment of their kind. Frank W. Willis was born in Syracuse, New York, June 13, 1842, and died at his home in Waterloo, Indiana, May 19, 1913, at the age of seventy years, eleven months and six days. He was a son of Henry and Emerline (Hewitt) Willis, and came to this county in 1844 when his parents located on a tract of land in Richland township, where they resided until 1864, at which time they moved to Waterloo when the senior Mr. Willis was elected sheriff of DeKalb county. The subject of this sketch was reared on the farm belonging to his father and attended the common schools. In addition to this he attended the schools at Auburn and Waterloo, and also spent some time at the Orland Seminary. At the age of eighteen years he offered his services to the United States at the time of the Civil war outbreak and enlisted as a member of Company K, Forty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving his country for over three years. During these years of service he spent the best part of his life for this country, and engaged in the battles of Shiloh, Chickamauga, Stone’s River and other important engagements, and was wounded three different times, but was always ready to do his duty as a soldier. After his discharge Mr. Willis was appointed assistant assessor and deputy collector of the tenth congressional district, by William Pitt Fessender, secretary of the treasury under President Johnson. For four years he discharged his duties in this capacity with the full satisfaction of his superiors. Soon after the war he commenced to practice before the department of interior, an as a claim agent secured many pensions for old soldier and their widows. He was well known among the soldiers of the county and elsewhere and had many tender comrades who thought of him during his illness and were kind to him. After his return from the army he was stricken with violent illness and at times suffered greatly, due to his exposure in the service for his country. At times regaining his health, he thought that he would eventually become stronger, and for a number of years was much improved, but after the fire of 1896 he again lost his health, and from that date gradually failed, although he held on to life always with a tenacious grip, and his sturdy constitution gave him courage to live as long as he could, until he had passed the three score years and ten. Many a time he seemed cheerful when he was suffering from pain that cannot be described. He enjoyed his home and reared a large family. On January 1, 1884, Mr. Willis formed a partnership with E. P. Dickinson, and the new firm bought out the Waterloo Press, then owned by C. K. Baxter. For a number of years, Mr. Willis had editorial charge of the paper and later bought out the interests of his partner and continued the Press, being in editorial charge until the time of his death. In 1867 he purchased the book store of H. K. Davis and with C. K. Baxter, purchasing that of T.Y. Dickinson, the two then consolidate their business under the firm name of Baxter & Willis. In December, 1868, Henry Willis, father of the late deceased, purchased the interest in the book store of Mr. Baxter, and the firm was then known as Willis & Company, and remained so until 1896, when in February of that year their business was destroyed by fire, including that of the Waterloo Pres. It was at this time that Frank W. Willis and his son, Herbert C., formed a partnership and continued the publication of the Waterloo Press, and also succeeded the firm of Willis & Company in the book and stationary business, Henry Willis then retiring from active business on account of his age. From the time of his entering the newspaper business Mr. Willis was actively identified with the general interests of the county and community, and always conducted an editorial column in the paper up to the time of his last illness. In the fall of 1894 he was elected to the state Legislature as representative from this county, being elected by the largest majority ever accorded a Republican in this county to that office, which spoke for the high esteem in which he was held by the voters of the county. After serving for two years, during which time he was foremost in the passage of good legislation, he retired from active politics, but was always active in the interests of his party until his health failed to such an extent that he could no longer take active part in the work. However, he was very forceful in his editorial writings, and was ardently enthusiastic in advocating his party principles so long as he believed them right. When a young man Mr. Willis joined the First Presbyterian church of Waterloo, and remained an active member to the time of his death. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church for nearly forty years, and never missed attending services when he was at home and not detained by illness. As a worker in the Sunday school he was a teacher fifty years, being active in that work at the time of his death. He served as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years, and also was an enthusiastic worker in Sunday school conventions, both in the county and, in earlier years, in the state conventions. Among the many beautiful tributes to the life, work and character of Mr. Willis was the following from John B. Stoll, the veteran journalist of South Bend and life-long friend of the deceased: “He was what I considered the ideal country newspaper man--- discreet, vigilant, intelligent, considerate, conscientious, patriotic. His death is a distinctive loss to the newspaper fraternity, as well as to the community, which for many years enjoyed the benefit of his inspiring example and his well directed efforts for civic righteousness and the moral uplift. Though now numbered among the dead, his splendid record as a man, citizen and patriot will live long in the memory of those who prize nobility of purpose as cardinal virtues of man.” It is eminently fitting that there should be incorporated in this memoir the splendid tribute paid the deceased by his son and business associate: “In the passing away of the senior editor of this paper, the community loses one of its oldest citizens, and a man who has been identified with public interests to a very large extent. As a man he lived a life that stood for itself. No comment is necessary as to his character. He was possessed with a Christian character that stood foremost in his life. Since a young man he was interested in Sunday school and church work and was active up to the time of his last illness. As a soldier, his active service stands as a tribute to his loyalty to his country. As a man for right, he was always found unflinching for all that was good and honorable. As a business partner the writer has been actively associated with him for the past seventeen years, and during all that time has been is such close relationship that he knew him better than anyone else outside the immediate family circle. As a parent for over two score years the writer knows that he has always been kind and loving and has a desire that his children should be trained in honorable paths, and that they should live such lives that they would be as ready to be called to their eternal homes as he was. During the twenty- nine years that he has been at the editorial head of this paper he has been honest in his editorial opinions, and while there have been many incidents that perhaps have been left uncovered in his editorial writings, his scope has been so general that it was made plain where he stood on all important subjects of the day. His writings have been widely copied and no doubt he will be missed among the journalists of the state. All the years that has been broken in health he has done his part in making life cheerful, not only to himself, but others as well. The close association in business causes a grief on the part of the writer that but few can understand, It is hard to fight life’s battles and it is hard to give them up. He has fought for his life and was ready to give up at the call of the Master. He was a good man, and no one can dispute that the has been consistent in his life’s habits, and he had the confidence of his friends and those with whom he had done business. The end came like a shock, and while it had been known for some time that he could not get well, yet while there is a life there was hope, and all that hope vanished. There might be no more fitting tribute to be paid a father by a son then to say he has been a good father and one who has done all he could in rearing a family of nine children, all of whom today survive.” On September 27, 1868, Mr. Willis was united in marriage with Josephine Dickinson, who was born in Auburn, Indiana, on May 17, 1850, the daughter of Timothy R. and Mary (Youngman) Dickinson, her father having been at one time one of the most prominent attorneys in DeKalb county. During the Civil war he was drafting officer for this county and thus filled a very difficult position, which inevitably aroused animosity and enmity among many, especially those Southern sympathizers who then infested this locality and was assaulted him with stones, eggs and other missiles, so that at times it was necessary for him to be guarded by his friends. He was even asked by a committee from his church to resign his membership because of his strong anti-slavery views, but he was fearless and upright, stood staunchly for freedom and the perpetuity of the national union. Soon after the war he bought a tract of land north of Waterloo and laid it out, naming it Waterloo cemetery and incorporating an association to own and control it. There have been several additions to this cemetery, the last one being laid out by Frank W. Willis. Probably twice as many people have been buried there as comprise the present population of Waterloo. For a while Mr. Dickinson practiced law in Auburn but eventually moved to Waterloo, where he lived during the remainder of this life. Mrs. Willis, who lived at home until her marriage to Mr. Willis , had attended Oberlin College and also had received some academic work. To Mr. and Mrs. Willis were born nine children, six sons and three daughters, namely: Herbert Clyde, who was his father’s business partner and associate for a number of years, and who is now editor and owner of the Waterloo Press, being represented elsewhere in this work. By a specific sketch; Mary Gertrude, is the wife of James P. Hornaday, newspaper correspondent at Washington, D. C.; Fred I. is connected with the Hearsey-Willis Company, automobile dealers and bicycle manufactures at Indianapolis; Raymond E. is postmaster at Angola, Indiana, and a part owner of the Steuben Republican; Edward D. is also interested in the Steuben Republican; Dora E. is the wife of R. G. Dilts, of Waterloo; Frank B. is engaged in the automobile business in Indianapolis; Josephine lives at Waterloo and William H. is engaged in employment at Indianapolis. These children all received a good education and have been reared to honorable manhood and womanhood, a credit alike to their community and honor to their parents. Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin Auburn, Indiana Agoodwin@ctlnet.com