OBJECTIVE
Was the Willis Rawls of Craven County, NC who posted a marriage bond to marry Nancy West, 17 February 1799 the same Willis who resided in Hopkins County, KY in 1806?
Limitations
- This research project was conducted during the fall Research Like a Pro class, and
- The research for this session was confined to records that can be obtained online.
Background Information
Since 1976 there has been an incorrect link between Willis Ralls, father of Susannah, William B., Sarah, Nathaniel and Charles M. Ralls, to Nancy West. In an unpublished manuscript, “A Man Called Ralls”, the author, Billy D. Ralls speculated that our ancestor Willis was the one who married Nancy West.[1] This hypothesis was just that, and Billy never intended the linkage to be factual. Unfortunately, his in-progress manuscript was condensed and inserted into the published book, “The Unfinished Story of North Howard County.”[2]
Genealogical Research Abstract
A comprehensive review of six documentary comparison tables (1799–1856) demonstrates conclusively that Willis Ralls of Kentucky and Tennessee and Willis Rawls of Craven County, North Carolina, were two distinct men whose lives overlapped but never intersected geographically or administratively, see Appendix for Tables 1-6. In Craven County, Rawls married Nancy West in 1799, acquired land on the Neuse River, and appeared regularly in tax rolls, estate files, and bastardy bonds through 1856; in 1850 he was enumerated as a seventy-six-year-old wheelwright living with Henry Smithwick, his presumed son-in-law, and his death occurred about early 1857. Meanwhile, Ralls first appeared in Kentucky by 1806 as a chain carrier with William Owen, was listed in Hopkins and Livingston County tax rolls and censuses through 1820, and by 1824 had settled in Obion County, Tennessee, where he was documented on juries, tax lists, and court minutes until 1849, when he died a pauper. Census, court, and land evidence across all tables show simultaneous residence in separate jurisdictions, consistent local continuity, and differing associates, occupations, and death dates. Variations in surname spelling (Ralls, Rawls, Rowles, Rolls, Raul) are explained by clerical inconsistency rather than identity overlap. Using genealogical correlation standards, the total evidence supports the conclusion that Willis Ralls of Kentucky and Tennessee and Willis Rawls of North Carolina were unrelated contemporaries sharing a phonetic surname.
Table 1.
Research Summary Table – Tables are found in Appendix located in PDF Document
| Time Period / Table | Willis Ralls (Kentucky → Tennessee) | Willis Rawls (North Carolina) | Analysis / Conclusion |
| 1800 – 1850 (Table 1 – Census’ Comparison) | Present in KY/TN censuses 1810–1840; deceased by 1850. | Present in NC censuses 1800, 1830, 1840, 1850. | Federal censuses corroborate two distinct households and life spans. |
| 1799 – 1810 (Table 2) | Appears in Hopkins Co., KY by 1806; land surveyor with William Owen; taxed 1807–1808; enumerated 1810 KY census. | Married Nancy West (1799); frequent purchaser in Craven Co. estates; landholder on Neuse River; in 1800 census. | Two men active concurrently—one in KY, one in NC. |
| 1811 – 1820 (Table 3) | Taxed in Hopkins & Livingston Cos.; in 1820 census (Livingston Co.). | Held land entries (1811); appeared in tax rolls, estate division of West family, bastardy bonds; no 1820 census record (lost). | Simultaneous records in different states confirm separate identities. |
| 1821 – 1830 (Table 4) | Residing in Obion Co., TN (1824–1830); juror, road overseer, taxpayer, deed holder. | Continued Craven Co. transactions with wife Nancy; land and court actions 1821–1828; in 1830 NC census. | Distinct local continuity—Ralls established in TN while Rawls stayed in NC. |
| 1831 – 1840 (Table 5) | Regularly taxed in Obion Co.; listed voter (1839); in 1840 TN census. | Ongoing estate dealings and land sales; in 1840 NC census. | Parallel lifespans and independent residences. |
| 1841 – 1856 (Table 6) | Documented pauper in Obion Co. court minutes 1846–1849; died & buried 1849. | Alive through 1856 poor-house reports; in 1850 census age 76 (wheelwright); last noted 1857. | Different death dates and jurisdictions; not the same man. |
Conclusion
1. Distinct Geographic and Social Contexts
- Willis Ralls lived primarily in Kentucky and Tennessee, beginning in Hopkins Co., KY by 1806, then Livingston Co., KY (1817–21), and finally Obion Co., TN until his death in late 1848
- Willis Rawls lived exclusively in Craven Co., North Carolina, from at least 1799 until his death in 1856–57
- All his property, legal, and tax records occur in Craven County.
- No evidence places him outside eastern North Carolina.
These two geographic spheres—western KY/TN vs. coastal NC—are hundreds of miles apart, with no overlap or migration evidence connecting them.
2. Spouses and Family Groups
- Willis Ralls married Priscilla (unknown) before 1800; their children include Susannah, William B., Sarah, Margaret, Nathaniel, and Charles M. Ralls, many later found in Arkansas
- Willis Rawls married Nancy West in 1799 Craven Co., NC, daughter of John West; his only clearly documented child is Willis J. Rawls
- Nancy West and her West family remain localized in Craven Co., NC.
No names, associates, or migration patterns overlap between these family groups.
3. Distinct Records and Timelines
- Ralls appears on Hopkins Co., KY tax rolls (1806–16) and Obion Co., TN records (1822–48), with associations to William Owen and the Cook family.
- Rawls appears continuously in Craven Co. NC deeds, tax lists, court minutes, and bastardy bonds from 1799 through the 1850s—often associated with the West, Brinson, and Cuthrell families.
- Both men were living concurrently (e.g., Ralls in Obion Co., TN in 1824 and Rawls in Craven Co., NC in 1824).
4. Variant Spellings Do Not Indicate Identity
Variant spellings (Ralls, Rawls, Rolls, Rowles, Rals). This orthographic overlap is typical of early recordkeeping and does not imply the same person. Each man’s records form a coherent, localized identity across decades, with consistent associates and locations.
5. Conclusion (per Genealogical Proof Standard)
After exhaustive correlation of all available evidence—geographic, chronological, familial, and social—the records for Willis Ralls (1775–1848) of Kentucky/Tennessee and Willis Rawls (1774–1857) of Craven County, North Carolina clearly document two separate men.
No evidence of shared identity, migration linkage, or conflation is found.
Willis Ralls and Willis Rawls are not the same people.
Note
ChatGPT 5.0 was utilized in creating this report. After uploading a research file for both Willis Ralls and Willis Rawls:
David A. Ralls, “Willis1 Ralls (ca. 1780/81 – 1848); Spouse: Priscilla Unknown: Research Notes,” a working file last updated 12 September 2024. pp. 1 – 40.
David A. Ralls, “Willis Rawls (1774 – bet. Dec 1856 – Mar 1857); Spouse: Nancy West (? – ?): Research Notes,” a working file last updated 11 October 2025, pp. 1– 26.
ChatGPT 5.0 was asked “Using genealogy standards, compare Willis Ralls and Willis Rawls and determine if they are the same person.
Next, six tables were created. Table One contained census’ from 1800 to 1850 and the remaining five tables were events that occurred in 10-year increments. These six tables were summarized by ChatGPT and incorporated into the report.
[1] Billy D. Ralls, A Man Called Ralls, A Brief History of an American Family on the Western Frontier (Houston, Texas: Unpublished manuscript).
[2] Nadia Tyndall & Umpire High School, The Unfinished story of North Howard County, (Umpire, Ark: North Howard County Youth Group for Historical Research, 1982).
Genetic Genealogy GuidePost 