Willard, Alexander P.

Born: 1815-04-08 Oneida County, New York

Died: 1865-05-05 Springfield, Illinois

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

Alexander P. Willard was a painter, glazier, paperhanger, and dealer in painting supplies in Springfield, Illinois. In June 1837, Willard married Louisa L. Higgie in Chemung County, New York, and in that same year, the couple moved to Springfield, where they had two children. In February 1838, he established a painting business in partnership with Edmund G. Johns, which continued until February 1839, when Willard and Johns agreed to dissolve their partnership. Willard continued business on his own until July 1841, when he entered into partnership with Robert B. Zimmerman, which continued for twenty-four years until Willard's death. In 1850, Willard owned real property valued at $1,500. By 1860, the value of his real property had increased to $12,000, and he had a personal estate of $2,500.

John Carroll Power and S. A. Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Edwin A. Wilson, 1876), 769; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 24 February 1838, 3:4; 9 February 1839, 3:4; 16 July 1841, 3:1; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Springfield, Sangamon County, IL, 101; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Springfield, Sangamon County, IL, 133.