Career
Willis, a freedman from South Carolina, appeared in Louisiana as early as 1798. He was the son of an Englishman and a Cherokee slave. His first church mission failed, but he redoubled his efforts and was rewarded with a successful congregation in Opelousas, the seat of Saint Landry Parish.
In 1810, Willis sent a petition to the Mississippi Baptist Association and requested ordination.
He was ordained in 1812 by two Baptist laymen known only as "Hadley" and "Scarbough".
