Hero Willms (Herre, Herro), Douglas Co, WA
I can't find him in the census and as a young man.My notes are as follows:
"His name was pronounced 'Hair'-o'.According to his daughter Alena Willms Westerman, Hero and his family were living in Minonk, Illinois (Woodford County) prior to her birth on October 28th, 1873 and lived there until 1887 when Hero, his wife, Children Alena, Letta and George took the Northern Pacific Railway to Ritzville in Washington Territory - a 11 day trip at that time.
Note on Minonk:"Welcome to the City of Minonk in Central Illinois, the only town in the world with that name. The name Minonk is an Ojibwa Indian term meaning "good place" and its 2200 residents will attest to that fact."
Opal Goldberg Willms, in information she submitted to Everton Publishers, reported that he was living in Illinois in 1866.
His first name is spelled Herre on his tombstone, Herro on the three government land records, Hero in various writings concerning him.
He purchased government land in Douglas County, WA in 1891, 1898 and in 1901.
On November 3, 1891 he purchased 160 acres in the NE quarter of section 32, township 25N Range 23E.
This land is about six miles north of the town of Douglas near where Barnes Road crosses Ludeman Road.
On February 24, 1898 he purchased 160 acres in the NE quarter of section 17, township 24N Range 23E.
This land is between Westerman and Dahlke Roads north of Alstown on the north side of Badger Mountain.
On 4 December 1901, he homestead 160 acres in the following three locations:
S 1/2 of the NW quarter, section 32, township 30N, range 25E.
SW quarter of the NE quarter, section 32, township 30N, range 25E.
NW quarter of the SW quarter, section 32, township 30N, range 25E.
These last three were on the Cassimer Bar between old Fort Okanogan and the Columbia River.
Arlen Willms Mar 24, 1998 internet posting:
Hero Willms & John Willms were 2 of the 8 charter members of St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1889 in the town of Douglas these are ancestors of mine, I am working on genealogy for my family. Willms are also related to the Viebrock's.(Email address not working as of June 2004)
His tombstone at St Paul's has the following inscription in German - "Nach Lange Trennung ueider Vereint"which translates to "After long separation more ueider unites"The ueider would not translate."