William Lewis Joplin (b. April 19, 1873 in Kanawha, County WV). Migrated to Eastern Washington about 1910. Inspired by the opportunites of the Homestead Act, he and his wife Luella Willis Joplin moved out West with their young children; Inez, Jack, Carl and Earl Joplin.

Luella Willis' father William Christopher Willis (The patriarch of the Willis/Joplin family homesteaded near St. Andrews, Washington following the death of his wife Louisa Jane Walters in Lawrence County Ohio.

Following the death of her mother, Luella Willis Joplin had become a mother to her siblings Berkeley Willis, Burt Willis, Frank Willis, Abigail Willis, Maude Willis, and Clare Willis.

A wheat ranch seemed to be just the answer for a large extended family.

Joplin Family Tree

Family Picture

John Willis Joplin Picture

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