His Father Moved The Family To America In 1839.

He Served As A First Lieutenant in the 117th Illinois Infantry Regiment During The US Civil War.

Participated At Major Battles Such As Pleasant Hill, Nashville & Tupelo.

A Newly Discovered Letter Written In 1885 Proves His Huge Pride In His Irish & Methodist Heritage.

William Wallis was born in Birr, County Offaly, in June of 1836. His Father, also named William, was a Grocer on the main street of a town then known as “Parsonstown“. William Wallis Snr was married to Margaret Pratt and, along with their six children, the family were prominent members of a thriving but small Methodist congregation within the area. John Wesley, who was founder of Methodism, had actually visited Birr several times between 1748 and 1789 establishing the local church and frequently preaching in the town square. Here he often faced mixed reactions from the sometimes rowdy crowds and in his personal journal Wesley himself described his early days of preaching in the town as follows:

“I rode to Birr, twenty miles from Athlone and, the key of the session house not being to be found, declared in the street, to a dull, rude, senseless multitude. Many laughed the greater part of the time. Some went away just in the middle of a sentence. And yet when one cried out, a Carmelite friar and clerk to the priest, “You lie! You lie!” the zealous Protestants cried out, “Knock him down”!

The Square, Parsonstown (Birr) Wikipedia

In January 1839 tragedy strikes for the Wallis family when, at only 33 years of age, Margaret Pratt Wallis died from what is referred to as “quick consumption” (tuberculosis). William Wallis Snr was now a widower and faced with raising six children all under the age of 11. He decided to sell his business and emigrate to America and in particular to the state of Illinois. This decision to settle in Illinois was likely influenced by relatives already living in the area and of the presence of a large Methodist population which had by then become firmly established in the state. The six Wallis children, including William Wallis Jnr, arrived in Hamilton County, Illinois in July of 1840 no doubt excited by their new environment and of the new lives ahead of them. Sadly though tragedy was once again to play a major part in their young lives. In August of 1840, only one month after arriving, their Father, William Wallis Snr died suddenly leaving his six young children as orphans in this “new world”.

The Wallis children were then reared by the relatives who farmed in the locality. Over the next 10 years they spend their time at school and working on the farm. But once again the spectre of sickness and death would follow the family. Elizabeth Wallis died of Cholera at 13 years of age in 1851, Robert Wallis died in 1854 at 22 years old and Ann Wallis died in 1855 at 25 years of age. From those who left Birr in 1839 only Jane, Margaret and William Wallis Jnr. were then surviving.

As a young adult William Wallis worked in a local tannery in order to pay for his education. He eventually enrolled in nearby McKendree College where he earned a B.A. degree in 1862. He would later further his education at McKendree, receiving a M.A. degree in 1866. But between the years of 1862-1865 William Wallis would be occupied in a very different capacity. At the outbreak of the US Civil War in April 1861 students from McKendree College, under the leadership of Professor Risdon M. Moore, began forming the “McKendree Regiment” which would eventually be designated at the 117th Illinois Infantry regiment with Risdon Moore as it commanding officer.

William Wallis joined the 117th in September 1862 and after initial training at Camp Butler, Illinois he was assigned to Company C and appointed its 2nd Lieutenant. Later in the conflict he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and he held that rank until the end of his service in August of 1865. The 117th Illinois participated in a total of 38 engagements during the Civil War including The Battle of Pleasant Hill, Tupelo and Nashville. The final engagement for the “McKendree Regiment” came at Fort Blakely on April 9, 1865 on the same day Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

After the war William Wallis made the decision to dedicate the rest of his life to the Methodist religion and began the long process of studying and completing the theological education required to become a Minister. As Reverend William Wallis he would be assigned to 16 different churches over 35 years of service and appointed a trustee of his former McKendree College who would later honor him with a Doctorate Degree.

In his personal life William married Eva Hain in 1868 and the couple had five children in total. After his years of service in the Methodist church he retired in 1899 at the age of 63. William Wallis died at 65 years of age in March 1901 at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis while undergoing a operation. His remains were interred in College Hill Cemetery, Lebanon, Illinois fittingly on St. Patrick’s Day 1901. William Wallis was an Irishman, but also a proud American, he was a soldier but also a preacher who had no doubt followed the 3 simple rules of the Methodist religion. – “Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God”.

While researching the story of William Wallis, by chance, we came across an interesting letter he wrote to a Methodist newspaper in Ireland in May of 1885. He was responding to an earlier article written in “The Irish Christian Advocate” praising his Father, the aforementioned William Walls Snr, and in particular his contribution to the growth of their hometown of Birr in County Offaly. The letter is a great help in filling in many of the details of his life including his earliest memory being that of his Fathers death and funeral. The letter includes other information in relation to his family life, his service in the Union Army, and his role as a Minister and Preacher. But maybe the most striking aspect of the letter is the following excerpt which shows his obvious pride in his Irish heritage and the varied and vital roles he has witnessed the Irish playing in the success of America:

William had been laid to rest on St. Patrick’s Day 1901 and we ironically came across his letter on St. Patrick’s Day 2026. Having just completed another year of celebrating that day dedicated to the Irish its the closing words of William Wallis from Birr in County Offaly written 140 years ago best complete the story of this man, another of our Americasoffalyheroes.

“All Honour To My Native Country – The Emerald Isle” – William Wallis, May 1885.

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Kevin Guing

20th March 2026

For More On This Soldier: https://americasoffalyheroes.com/offaly/birr/william-wallis

Other Sources:

Rev William Wallis (1836-1901) – Find a Grave Memorial

Irish Christian Advocate 1885 | findmypast.ie

117th Infantry FAQs | McKendree University

Genealogy, Family Trees and Family History Records online – Ancestry.com