Henson and Lucinda Willis

 Henson Willis (1821-1874) likely began life enslaved by William Carr but was free by 1856. In a Virginia where freed slaves had to leave or seek local permission to stay, Henson's skills as a mechanic kept him a valuable resource to white landowners. He lived on the fringes of farms in southwest Loudoun owned by the Seaton, Carter, and Dulany families, in areas referred to by the names of white landowners or “near Clifton” due to Clifton Mill’s proximity. 

Henson's first wife, Bitha, was enslaved at Welbourne and died, possibly in childbirth, leaving their daughter Bitha (Tabitha). By 1860, Henson married Lucinda, who was enslaved at Oakley farm. Though they had a child together by 1864, they couldn't live as a family or have their marriage recognized due to the constraints of slavery. Lucinda served the Dulanys of Oakley, who were closely tied to the Dulanys of Welbourne, illustrating the enmeshed lives of enslaved and free blacks within Loudoun's rigid society. Henson and Lucinda’s story underscores the harsh realities that kept families apart despite their vital roles in the community.

During the Civil War, Loudoun County was a battleground between North and South, with enslaved families like Henson and Lucinda Willis caught in the turmoil. Enslavement was deeply entrenched in society, preventing families from living together in freedom.

In 1863, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that freedom followed the Union Army. On October 30, 1864, Henson Willis seized this chance, bringing the Union troops to Oakley to free his family.

Six companies of the 8th Illinois Cavalry clashed with John Mosby’s rangers near Oakley, leaving chaos in their wake. Ida Dulany, the farm's mistress, went to The Plains to retrieve seized oxen and was shocked to find Henson with United States General Christopher Augur. Henson boldly demanded to return with her to free his family. General Augur agreed, instructing Ida Dulany to free the family or else United States soldiers would come at his direction. Henson’s daring act challenged a society built on enslavement, striving to reunite his family and claim their freedom.

The Willises continued to live in Henson's small farmhouse near Clifton Mill along with their, though it wasn't long before the area was called Willisville. After Henson's death in 1874 Lucinda became a landowner in her own right, keeping chickens and a milk cow on the 3-acre property. 

In 1868 former enslaver Richard Dulany of Welbourne petitioned the Freedman’s Bureau for funds to build a schoolhouse for Black residents near his farm. The local community pledged to raise the remaining funds. For decades, the school also served as a chapel on Sundays, drawing students and worshippers from Willisville and nearby Black settlements like Howardsville and St. Louis. The community covered the costs of the school, including the teacher’s salary, books, and furnishings.

Working life revolved around agriculture both before and after the Civil War. After the 13th Amendment abolished slavery nationwide, farm laborers in Willisville received wages for work once done under the yoke of slavery. In the 1870s, several Black individuals purchased small parcels of land along Welbourne Road, shaping the footprint of Willisville that remains today. Lucinda Willis purchased 3 acres from Townsend Seaton in 1874, shortly after Henson’s death. Seaton also sold land to members of the Howard, Evans, and Jackson families, while John Armistead Carter of Crednal sold small parcels to members of the Jackson and Tebbs families. These small holdings allowed Black families to build generational wealth and supplement their income by growing crops and livestock. Many still worked on large white-owned farms as cattlemen, grooms, farm hands, and domestic servants.