The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-01-07
PERSONAL SKETCHES.
NIMRoD A. WILLS.

burg. Menifee county, KY, arr
Serv visiting the family of his son
Major Peter E. Wills, the Elizabeth
town wine merchant. The veneer
able gentleman is now past 80 years
of age and one Of the sturdy pic
neers of old Kentucky, where h,
was born and reared, and where h,
has lived most of these long years
He is still hale and hearty and gets
about exceedingly well. lie lefi
his Kentucky home nearly two
months ago, accompanied by his
niece, and mas been visiting his
children and their descendants
since, in various parts of the coun.
try, coming here Thursday from
Kay county, Oklahoma, and il
spending short while with Mrs
X. D, H. Reap, east Fifth St, his
granddaughter.
Nimrod A. Wills was born Dec.
&c, 1895. in Wolfe county, Ken
lucky, in little log hut that stoed
on the identical spot where the
courthouse now stands, in Camp
ton, the county seat of Wolfe
county.
About one year after his birth,
his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. James
Wills, moved to Clark county, near
Winchester, where they lived about
two years, then moved back to
Montgomery county. ALI three OF
these counties, Montgomery, Clarke
and Wolfe, lie together and Meri-
fee county has since been made,
carved out of Montgomery, Bath
and Wolfe counties.
James Wills established a way
side inn, seven miles west Of French
burg, on the old state road from
Mt. Sterling to Pound Gap, Virgin
ia, in the Cumberland mountains,
midway from Cincinnati. and las
miles from either, almost in the
center Of the State Of Kentucky.
The inn established by his faith er
was known as Travellers Rest, and
was the stopping place of hundreds
of weary travellers as they journey
ed east and west across this long
stretch of country overland, there
then being no other modes of travel
in this section of the country.
Nimrod Wills was married
to Miss Lettie Stevens, and
bought a farm near his fathers
home and by energy and industry
grew quite well of, but after a
while lost all he had by going se--
curity and by the rayages of war.
Now again, however, he, since
the death of his parents, has bought
up the other children's shares in
the old family homestead, where he
has lived for many years and where
he expects to spend the remain
der of his life.
&c still lives in the old way.side
inn kept by his father, built near
70 years ago. The old sign. erect
ed by his father when the house was
built, bearing the words,
"Travelers' Rest,
by
James Wills"
still hangs on the post in front.
Of course the inn is not such place
&c rrS!ic resort 40 IA pioneer days,
as there are now plenty other more
convenient modes of travel. Many
travellers, though, still make this
their stopping point, and Mr.. Wills
keeps all who apply and never
makes any charge, and has become
known in the locality as "Nim Di-
vide''-as his motto seems to be
to divide anything he possesses
with his fellowman, being OF such
a generous nature.
Seven children were born to Mr..
and Mrs. Nimrod Wills, five fwhom
are still living.
Major Peter E. Wills, Elizabeth
town, aged nearly go years.
Aletha A. Wills died at Paris
H., IA years ago.
James S. Wills, who formerly re-
sided here, died here II years ago.
Catherine, wife Of Robert Riddle,