Biography of Herbert C. Willis, page 441 / 442.  History of Northeast 
Indiana; LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, and DeKalb Counties, Vol.  II, under 
editorial supervision of Ira Ford, Orville Stevens, William H. McEwen, and 
William H. McIntosh.  The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago and New York, 1920.

   Herbert C. Willis, printer and stationer, editor and owner of the 
Waterloo Press, is in point of continuous service the oldest newspaper man 
in DeKalb County. He is also the present representative for DeKalb County in 
the Indiana Legislature.
   Mr. Willis was born at Waterloo December 15, 1871, son of Frank and 
Josephine (Dickinson) Willis. He maternal grandfather the late Timothy R. 
Dickinson was a member of the Indiana Senate during the Civil war, and 
besides his legislative duties he was also drafting officer of DeKalb 
County.  The Frank W. Willis was a Union soldier during the Civil war, and 
also sat as a member of the House of Representatives in the General 
Assembly in 1895.  Thus the public record of the family is well 
established.
   The Waterloo Press is one of the oldest republican papers in the state, 
having been established in 1859 by an uncle of Herbert C. Willis its 
present editor and owner.  For many years the late Frank W. Willis was 
editor and owner of the Press which for sixty years has been in the nature 
of a family institution in the Willis family.
   Herbert C. Willis grew up at Waterloo, secured a practical education in 
the grammar and high schools, and in the summer of 1884 at the age of 
thirteen began leaning the printing trade.  A year before graduating from 
the Waterloo High School, Mr. Willis and one other person did all the job 
work and all the mechanical work of publishing the Press.  He learned the 
printing trade under old time conditions, and early became a valuable 
assistant to his father.  In 1891 after finishing his high school course 
he made a tour of the southwest.  He then resumed employment with his 
father. In February, 1896, the plant was totally destroyed by fire.  
Herbert C. Willis then joined his modest savings and capital with his 
father and became a partner in the ownership of the Press.  Father and son 
continued the publication until the death of Frank W. Willis in 1913.  Then 
Herbert C. Willis bought and became sole owner of the plant, and for many 
years has conducted his own editorial page of the Press. He also operates 
a high class printing establishment for catalog and general stationer 
printing and has developed a business covering many counties besides 
DeKalb.
   Mr. Willis as a boy became interested in military affairs and at the 
age of eighteen was a charter member of Company I, Third Regiment, Indiana 
Legion, subsequently a part of the Indiana National Guard.  He served six 
years.   After being out a year he enlisted in the Indiana National Guard 
and became sergeant major on Col. S.A. Bowman’s battalion staff.  He was 
on duty at the Hammond riot in 1894.  He enlisted his paper and all his 
personal influence in behalf of the late war, and in August, 1917, was 
appointed government appeal agent in DeKalb County.  He served in the 
capacity throughout the conscription of the army for the war with Germany.
   During the campaigns of 1914 and 1916 Mr. Willis was chairman of the 
Republican Central Committee for DeKalb County.  In 1916 he spent seven 
weeks at Indianapolis as chairman of the publicity bureau under the 
direction of State Chairman Will H. Hayes.  He was nominated for 
representative in the 1918 primaries after a contest, and in November was 
elected by a majority of 348 over his opponent, who in 1916 had been 
elected to the legislature by a majority of 480.
   Mr. Willis was one of the organizers of the Waterloo High School Alumni 
Association.  He is now serving his second term as school trustee at 
Waterloo. Since boyhood Mr. Willis has been a member of the Presbyterian 
Church and has served it as elder and superintendent of the Sunday school. 
He is affiliated with Lodge No. 221 of the Independent Order of Odd 
fellows and Lodge No. 307 of Masons.
      June 24, 1896, he married Miss Martha Gonser. She was born April 6, 
1872, on a farm near Auburn, daughter of Moses and Louisa (Wright) 
Gonser.  Her father was a native of Pennsylvania, came to DeKalb County in 
pioneer times, and not long after the birth of Mrs. Willis he sold his 
farm west of Auburn to the county and located along the county line in the 
southern part of Steuben County.  He was county commissioner of Steuben.  
Louisa Wright was a native of New York State and was brought to DeKalb 
County when a girl.  Her father had a general store in Fairfield Township 
in the early days, did much business with the Indians, and conducted an 
“ashery” for the manufacture of potash from wood ashes.  Mrs. Willis is a 
graduate of the Tri-State Normal at Angola, was teacher in the district 
schools, graduated in 1893, from Earlham College at Richmond, and for two 
years was principal of the high school at Waterloo.  During that time she 
began her acquaintance with Mr. Willis, though their families had been 
close friends in an earlier generation. Mrs. Willis served as secretary of 
the Waterloo Public Library Board for the three years during the 
organization and building of that institution.  She carried the county 
contest work in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union for several years 
and is at present county chairman of the Franchise League.   Her sympathies 
have ever been thrown deeply in the home and public work for progress and 
loyalty.  Mr. and Mrs. Willis have two children: Louise, born September 7, 
1897, and Herbert G., born November 21, 1904.  The daughter is a graduate 
of the same school as her father, during 1918-19 was assistant principal 
of the high school at St. Joe, Indiana, and is now in her fourth year at 
Earlham College.  The son Herbert is a junior in the high school.

Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com