Willis Cheek
of Laurens Dist., SC

Willis Cheek, son of James CHEEK & Ann MAYO, was born abt. 1771 in Orange Co., NC, and died Jan. 2, 1852, in Laurens Dist., SC. He married (1) Jemima Sanders, abt. 1794. She was probably born around 1775 and died between 1820-1830 in Laurens Dist., SC. He married (2) Elizabeth Gray, daughter of Abraham GRAY & Mary PARKS, bef. 1830. She was born Oct. 11, 1798, and died Dec. 9, 1884, in Laurens Co., SC. Willis Cheek is buried at the Rabun Creek Baptist Church in Laurens Co., SC.

Children of Willis Cheek & Jemima Sanders:

1. Silas Cheek, b. abt. 1795, Laurens Dist., SC; d. Jan. 9, 1873, Macon Co., GA; m. Belinda Nelly HIGGINS (b. abt. 1794; d. Aug. 20, 1866); bur. Red Hill Cemetery (Hepzibah Primitive Baptist Church), Macon Co., GA.
2. Rebecca Cheek, b. unk. in Laurens Dist., SC; m. Isom HAMMONDS. Children: Cassandra, Bethany, Lucinda, & Peter (b. 1821). Peter HAMMONDS moved to Cass (now Bartow) Co., GA, in 1844. (Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. I (Southern Hist. Assoc. 1895), p.295.)
3. Randol (Randall, Randolph) Cheek, b. Aug. 10, 1790, Laurens Dist., SC; d. May 11, 1865, Lowndes Co., AL; m. (1) unk.; m. (2) Lucinda WALDRUM, July 13, 1837, Lowndes Co., AL (b. abt. 1817; d. aft. 1880); bur. Cheek Cemetery, Lowndes Co., AL. The obituary of Randol's son Noah Cheek, reprinted in Austin Colony Pioneers by Worth S. Ray (Gen. Pub. Co., 1970), states that Noah was the son of Randall Cheek of Lowndes Co., AL, who originally came from Laurens Dist., SC.
4. Anna Cheek, b. Jan. 30, 1793, Laurens Dist., SC; d. July 24, 1843, Laurens Dist., SC; m. Stephen Harmon GARRETT (b. 1791; d. abt. 1850).
5. Levy Cheek, b. abt. 1794, Laurens Dist., SC; d. ?; m. William RIDDLE (b. 1798; d. 1875).
6. Austin Cheek, b. abt. 1800, Laurens Dist., SC; d. aft. 1850, Fayette Co., AL. He is listed in the 1830 & 1840 census of Coweta Co., GA, and the 1850 census of Fayette Co., AL (age 50, b. in SC, blacksmith).
7. Ellis Cheek, b. Mar. 1, 1804, Laurens Dist., SC; d. 1850, Laurens Dist., SC; m. Hannah Mahulda ABERCROMBIE, Oct. 2, 1823, Laurens Dist., SC (b. Oct. 20, 1802; d. Feb. 9, 1876). Possibly the "EC" and "HAC" buried at the Cheek Family Cemetery in Gray Court, Laurens, SC.

Children of Willis Cheek & Elizabeth Gray:

1. James William Cheek [twin], b. Dec. 17, 1833, Laurens Dist., SC; d. Sept. 9, 1864, Laurens Dist., SC; m. Elizabeth E. NESBITT, abt. 1853 (b. May 31, 1832; d. Feb. 14, 1918); bur. Rabun Creek Baptist Church, Laurens Co., SC.
2. William Abraham Cheek [twin], b. Dec. 17, 1833, Laurens Dist., SC; d. Aug. 17, 1904, Princeton, SC; m. Sarah Lee FOWLER, daughter of Meredith FOWLER & Caroline C. CHESHIRE, Nov. 27, 1856, Laurens Dist., SC (b. Mar. 6, 1837; d. Dec. 30, 1902). (See Grover Parsons Fowler, The House of Fowler: A History of the Fowlers Families of the South (1940), p.659.)

Notes

1790 Census, Laurens Dist., SC: WILLIS CHECKE

1 white male >16

No white males <16

1 white female

1800 Census, Laurens Dist., SC: WILLIS CHECK

3 w/m under 10	2 w/f under 10
1 w/m 26-45	1 w/f 26-45

1810 Census, Laurens Dist., SC, p.85: WILLIS CHEEK

1 w/m under 10	1 w/f under 10
2 w/m 10-14	1 w/f 10-14
1 w/m 26-45	1 w/f 26-45
2 slaves

1820 Census, Laurens Dist., SC, p.35: WILLIS CHEAK

1 w/m 15-19	2 w/f under 10
1 w/m 26-45	1 w/f 15-19
	1 w/f 26-45

1829 State Census, Laurens Dist., SC:

Richard CHEAK, 4

Willis CHEAK, 2

Randol CHEAK, 8

Ellis CHEAK, 5

James CHEAK, 3

(SC Mag. of Ancestral Research, Vol. IV, Spring 1976.)

1830 Census, Laurens Dist., SC, p.271: WILLIS CHEEK

1 w/m 60-69

1 w/f 30-39

May 20, 1832. "Willis CHEEK husband of Eliza GRAY" received $77.10 from the partition of the estate of Abram GRAY, deceased. ("Laurens District Estate Divisions, 1825-1834," SC Mag. of Ancestral Research, Vol. XIV, No. 1, Winter 1986.)

1840 Census, Laurens Dist., SC, p.44: WILLIS CHEEK

2 w/m 5-9	1 w/f 40-49
1 w/m 60-69

1843 State Census, Laurens Dist., SC: WILLIS CHEEK

1850 Census, Laurens Dist., SC, (HH#1732):
WILLIS CHECK, 79, farmer, $4500, SC

-- Eliza, 52, SC

-- James, 17, SC

-- Willis, 17, SC

Nov. 7, 1845. The will of WILLIS CHEEK, dated Nov. 7, 1845, names wife Eliza and her children: James William CHEEK and Willis Abram CHEEK; also children of his first wife Jemima: Randal CHEEK, Anna GARRETT, Silas CHEEK, Austin CHEEK, Rebecca HAMMONDS, Levi RIDDLE, Ellis CHEEK. Exec: friend William M. DOROUGH (DORROH). Wits: Joseph SULLIVAN, Hasting JOHNSON, Andrew MCKNIGHT. Codical dated Mar. 1, 1851, was witnessed by Andrew MCKNIGHT, Barrington AVARY, and T.J. MAHON. (Laurens Wills Vol. 2, Book A, pp.234-236.)