The Portland daily press., 1886-03-09
Nathaniel Parker Wills.

BANGOR, March 8, 1886.
The article in the PRESS of yesterday,
respecting N. P. Willis, was seen by Mrs.
Julia Douglass Hyde, now living in this
city, Vigorous, at 9S years of age,) whose
home was for many years in Portland, and
for time as boarder in the family of his
father, Nathaniel Willis his mother being
sister of Mrs. Hyde's father.
She says that she has wondered why there
had not been some memorial ere this of the
fact that Portland was the native place of
Nathaniel Parker, and Sarah Pays0n Willis,
and is hoping that the suggestion made or
some other plan will be carried out.
Mrs. Hyde says that Nathaniel Parker
Willis was named from the first for his
mother parker and Sarah T. for her Aunt
Sarah, and their pastor Edward Payson. The
mother of DR.. PaysOn, Grata PaysOn, not
being known familiarly to them.
The house where N. L. Willis was born
wasnot on Essex street, but on Wilmot
street, the second house from Congress
street. On the corner of Congress and VIII
mot was the home of Mrs. James b. Ca
hoon's mother The Willis family after
wards moved to Essex, now Franklin, street,
where Sarah Z. was born. Was 1t the home
low?
Nathaniel Parker Willis, the second child
OF Nathaniel and Hannah (Parker) Willis,
Was bOIA III OIbldllu On JAM ~, lcOO nc
married, Oct /, 1885, Mary l.. STAGE, born in
1916. She died March 25 1S45. The children
were lmogen, born June 20, 1872; Grinnell,
April %, 1S4S; Lillian, April 27, 1850; Edith,
Sept. %, 1858; Bailey, May. 80, 1857.
Sarah Payson Willis, born in Portland
July 8, 1911 married May 4, 1887, Charles
II. Eldridge, who was born April 16, 1910,
and died Oct. 6, 1876. Sarah married James
Parton in January, 1856; she died in New
York, Oct, 10, 1872 Her children were:
Gracey, born Feb. "a, 1841; married Morti-
mer Thomson, May 2, 1861; died Dec. Is,
1862; Ellen, born Sept. 20, 1874.
Nathaniel Willis, the father, established
in Portland in 1903, the Eastern Argus, in
opposition to the Federal party. Six years
after it was sold to Francis Douglas, a
brother of Mrs. j. ID. Hyde. Mr.. Willis at
tempted to establish in Portland from 1910
to 1872, complete newspaper founded upon
religious basis, but it was time of war,
and though the plan was approved he found
little substantial encouragement. He went
to Boston, and in 1916 established the Boston
Recorder, the first religious newspaper ever
published. 1t was complete in every de-
partment of general news The first num-
was published January g. 1876 1t is now
continued under the present title of ''The
CongregatiOnalist." This is the list year Of
publication. In 1927 he established the
Youths Companion, now in its 59th year, a
most vigorous paper.
The other children were: Lucy Douglas
Willis, born 1904; married Josiah F. Bum
stead of Boston in 1928; Louisa Harris
Willis, born in 1907; married Rev. Louis
Dwight, Boston, 1924; Julia Dean Willis,
born 1909; Mary Perry Willis, born 1873;
married Joseph Jenkins, Jr., in 1881; Ed
ward Payson Willis, born 1907; died 1858;
Richard Storrs Willis, born 1919, ian eminent
musician; married Jessie Cairns in 1852,
she died in 1858, and he married Alexan-
drine Campau in 1861; Ellen Homes Willis,
born 1921 married Charles F. DeAnett in
1S43, and died in 1874
The mother died March 21, 1914. Mr.
Willis was again married July s, 1s45, to
Mrs. Susan (Capeu) Douglass. f.. f. d.