Willis BAXTER (Jesse¹) was born in Tennessee in 1806. As was stated before Willis' parents moved the family to Jackson County, Alabama some time between 1815 to 1820. In about 1825 Willis and his younger brother James left the Paint Rock Valley and headed east into the Cherokee Nation. Crossing the Tennessee River and Sand Mountain they came into Wills Valley. They found an abundance of game, including deer, wild turkeys, bears, panthers and other wild animals in the valley. The primary indian settlement in the Valley was called Willstown near present day Fort Payne. The Cherokees of Wills Valley had a few patches of cleared growned on which they were growing corn, tobacco and a few other things.

Willis and James decided to settle along Wills Creek which flowed through the Valley. They planted a few small patches, but lived for the most part off the game that was so plentiful. According to family tradition trouble flared up between the brothers and the Cherokees of the Valley. A rather fierce skirmish took place between the brothers and the Cherokees at what is now known as the "Burt swimming hole" on Wills Creek. In all the confusion of the fray the brothers escaped with their lives not knowing if the other had survived the fray.

Willis headed south to the Choccolocco Valley in the Creek Nation. This is not far from the present location of Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama. There he met and married Miss Sarah Ann "Sallie" FRAZIER. Sallie is the daughter of James F. and Dorcas (nee MULLEN) FRAZIER. Sallie was born in South Carolina in 1805. They were blessed with eight children: James Jackson BAXTER, Susan BAXTER, Jesse W(illis?) BAXTER, John Patrick "Pat" BAXTER, Eliza M. BAXTER, Temperance A. BAXTER, Sarah J. BAXTER and Della A. "Dolly" BAXTER.

Shortly after they married Willis and Sallie decided to go back north to Wills valley in the Cherokee Nation. Several members of Sallie's family decided to make the journey also. Among those were Sallie's parents and her brother, John Bain FRAZIER. Willis and Sallie built a house about 1/2 mile south of where the Log Cabin School now stands. They owned a farm of 260 acres. Back in these early days there were no stores in DeKalb County. Willis and his family along with others had to go to Bellefonte in Jackson County on the Tennessee River to secure provisions.

Willis was a Blacksmith, Notary Public and Justice of the Peace.The County records show that Willis married many couples in the early years of the county as a Justice. In Willis' later years he was the Justice of the Peace at what is now known as Tenbroeck. It was then known as the "Court Ground" because of Willis' famous open air court held there. Willis died in 1881 at Tenbroeck. He is buried at the Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery near Lebanon. Sallie passed on in 1885. She is buried next to Willis at Shiloh.