You are looking atTemple–Catchings· your father's sideWoodall–Ramsay →

The FamilyTemple–CatchingsGillam

Julia Gillam

1796–1864

✦ direct ancestorOwen's 4×-great-grandmother · Bond line

Life

Born
11 Aug 1796 · Southampton County, Virginia, United States of America
Died
26 Sep 1864 · Camden, Ouachita County, Arkansas, United States of America
Buried
Camden, Ouachita County, Arkansas, United States of America

Marriage & children

SpouseSimeon Pratt Willett (1787–1843) m. 24 Nov 1813 · Davidson, Tennessee, USA
Ellen Lofton Willet (1815–1886)
Sarah W. Willett (1825–1849)

Timeline

Records behind this page

1850 United States Federal Census
Year: 1850; Census Place: Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: M432_29; Page: 356b; dwelling 580, family 588
read the transcript
HOUSEHOLD AS READ ON THE ORIGINAL IMAGE 6 Aug 2026 (register K123b; image in ancestry/sources/, 1850-census-little-rock-...-ISAAC-CATES-household...jpg): 1850 US Census, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Ark., M432 roll 29, p. 356b, dwelling 580 / family 588, enumerated 20 Sep 1850: Isaac Cates 46 M Merchant b. Tenn; Ellen [Cates] 33 F, real estate $1,000 in her own line; Thos [Cates] 13 M b. Miss.; Pratt [Cates] 7 M b. Ark; Julia Sterling 7 (sex recorded M); Sarah A [Sterling] 5 F; Julia Willett 47 F b. Va. No relationship column in 1850; identifications per sterling-willett-cates-junction.md sec.2 (Thos = the Mississippi-born [1901]; Pratt = [1819] b. 28 Oct 1843; the 1850 age 47 for Julia Willett is the outlier against her 1796 birth).
1860 United States Federal Census
Year: 1860; Census Place: Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: M653_49; Page: 43; FHL 803049; dwelling 285, family 284
read the transcript
HOUSEHOLD AS READ ON THE ORIGINAL IMAGE 6 Aug 2026 (register K123a; image in ancestry/sources/, 1860-census-little-rock-...-ELLEN-F-CATES-household...jpg): 1860 US Census, Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Ark., M653_49, p. 43, FHL 803049, dwelling 285 / family 284, enumerated 18 Jul 1860: Ellen F Cates 40 F b. Tennessee, real est. $2,500 / pers. $300; Julia Willet 64 F b. Virginia; Prett [Cates] 18 M Druggist b. Ark; Willie [Cates] 9; Julia Sterling 16 F; Mary Joseph Sterling 14; then, still inside family 284, the Bezham boarders (William W 29, Mary F 21, Elbert 2/12). No relationship column in 1860; identifications per sterling-willett-cates-junction.md sec.2 (ages and birthplaces matched person-by-person against the tree). Head of household is ELLEN - [1162] Joseph W. Sterling is NOT on this page.
Ancestry.com, U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current (Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012)
Williamson County, Tennessee. Will Books 1851-1855, pp. 274-275 (August term 1854) -- power of attorney and refunding bond of Julia Willett of Little Rock, distributee of the estate of Anthony Gilliam deceased -- FamilySearch ark 3:1:S7WF-S9LX-F9, image 149 of 323 (group M98R-MS6)
pp. 274-275; image 149 of 323; read on the image 9 Sep 2026 (K563)
read the transcript
[p. 274, 'Julia Willett - Power of Attorney'] Know all men by these presents that I Julia Willett of Little Rock Pulaski County Arkansas do hereby constitute and appoint Francis H Davis of Franklin Williamson County Tennessee, to be my true sufficient and lawful attorney for me and in my name and for my sole use, to demand receive and receipt for, from, and to, all moneys that have or may come into the hands of the Clerk of the Circuit Court or the Clerk of the County Court of Williamson County in the State of Tennessee, from the Estate of Anthony Gilliam deceased, and belonging or coming to me the said Julia Willett the sister of said deceased one of the distributees of said Estate ... In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 23rd day of June AD One thousand eight hundred and fifty four. Julia Willett (seal). [p. 275] State of Arkansas, County of Pulaski: Be it known that on this 23d day of June AD 1854 personally appeared before me John E Knight, an acting and duly commissioned Notary Public in and for the County aforesaid, Julia Willett, to me personally well known, who acknowledged the foregoing Power of Attorney to be her free act & deed ... at the City of Little Rock ... John E Knight, Notary Public, Pulaski County Arkansas. [p. 275, 'Julia Willett - Refunding Bond', August term 1854] ... we Julia Willett & Francis H Davis are held and firmly bound unto Gilbert Marshall chairman of the County Court for the County of Williamson ... in the sum of Eleven hundred fifty six 48/100 dollars ... dated this 14 day of July 1854. The condition of this obligation is such that the said Julia Willett has received from the Clerk of the Williamson County Court, agreeably to the order of said Court at November term 1853, Five hundred seventy eight 24/100 dollars, her distributive share of the nett proceeds of the sales of the slaves of the estate of Anthony Gilliam deceased, sold by said Clerk under a decree of the Williamson County Court ... Julia Willett (seal) by F. H. Davis, atty in fact; F. H. Davis (seal). Read on the image 9 Sep 2026 (four crops in ancestry/sources/willett-1817-williamson-tn-gilliam-estate-poa-1854-2026-09-09/). Register K563. Found by an unscoped FamilySearch full-text search for the phrase 'Julia Willett' (K562).

Research notes

Working notes from the research, kept verbatim — what was read, what it proved, what stays open. Many open with a line grading the parentage; what the grades mean.

Research note · 9 Sep 2026
AUDITED 9 Sep 2026 - her first. HER BIRTH FAMILY IS NAMED BY RECORD, AND HER MARRIAGE IS NOW A RECORD (K563, K560). (1) Williamson Co., Tenn., Will Books 1851-1855 pp. 274-275, August term 1854 (FamilySearch ark 3:1:S7WF-S9LX-F9, image 149, read on the image): power of attorney of 'Julia Willett of Little Rock Pulaski County Arkansas', 23 Jun 1854, acknowledged the same day before John E. Knight, Notary Public, City of Little Rock, appointing Francis H. Davis of Franklin, Williamson Co., 'to demand receive and receipt for ... all moneys ... from the Estate of Anthony Gilliam deceased, and belonging or coming to me the said Julia Willett the sister of said deceased one of the distributees of said Estate'; and her refunding bond, 14 Jul 1854, penalty $1,156.48, reciting that she received $578.24 by the order of November term 1853, 'her distributive share of the nett proceeds of the sales of the slaves of the estate of Anthony Gilliam deceased sold by said Clerk under a decree of the Williamson County Court'. So the Julia Willett of Little Rock - relict of Simon P. Willett in the 1847 deed (K337), co-grantor with Susan R. Parks and Sarah Sterling 'formerly Willett' in 1848 (K559), aged 47 b. Va. in 1850 and 64 b. Virginia in 1860 in the Cates household (K123b, K123a) - was born a GILLIAM, sister of Anthony Gilliam of Williamson Co., Tenn. (2) Davidson Co., Tenn., Marriage Records 1789-1837 p. 132 (film 004486009 img 204, ark 3:1:S3HT-61JS-FPB, read on the image): 'Willett Simon P. - To - Julia Gilliam - Issued Nov 24th 1813' - the record behind F548's marriage event, cited there. WHAT THIS DOES NOT SAY: her parents. K563 states SIBLING, never parent; do not attach a Gilliam parent from it. Her birth 11 Aug 1796 Southampton Co., Va. and her death 26 Sep 1864 Camden, Ouachita Co., Ark. remain UNCITED tree data (the 1860 age 64 agrees with 1796). NEXT DOCUMENT: Anthony Gilliam's estate in the Williamson County Court (decree November term 1853; petition, sale of the enslaved people, distribution among the siblings) - it lists every distributee and may recite the parents; FamilySearch full text, Williamson Co. films (unread 'Julia Willett' hits: Will Book 1855, 'Divorce, Probate' 1857 and 1858, Franklin Deed Book 1858 - K562). A candidate parent is a decision for Owen, never an add. Her own estate: not Pulaski Co. (index 1819-1920 read in full, one Willett, J. D. 1891); Ouachita Co. probate 1864-66 is a catalog question. The names of the enslaved people sold in 1853 are NOT in these two instruments - record them when the report of sale is read. Lane: ancestry/lanes.csv row [1817]; D-ring6-discovery-2026-09-08.md.

Elsewhere

This person on Ancestry (sign-in required)