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HARRISON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: WILLIS, Floyd Templeton
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@trellis.net
September 26, 1999
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 278
Harrison County
FLOYD TEMPLETON WILLIS. While he taught school for
a time, Mr. Willis has kept steadily in pursuit of the
aim of his youth, to become a successful banker. He has
had a round of experience representing his increasing abili-
ties, but the post of duty where he has found his most
congenial and useful relations has been as cashier of the
Lumberport Bank in Harrison County.
Mr. Willis was born on a farm in Harrison County,
October 14, 1874, son of Henry Harrison and Prudence
J. (Martin) Willis. The farm where he was born was
the scene of his early youth, and his training in its duty
was supplemented by a rural school education. He taught
school in a rural district for three years, and then entered
West Virginia University, where he took an elective course,
including commercial subjects. While at the university
he paid some of his expenses by work with the West
Virginia geological survey.
Since his university career his time and energies have
been entirely devoted to banking. He was for a little
more than two years an employe of the Buckhannon Bank
at Buckhannon, for a year and a half was with the Traders
National Bank of Buekhannon, for three years was cashier
of the First National Bank at Parsons in Tucker County,
for one year was cashier of the Peoples Bank of Philippi,
and for about six months was assistant cashier of the
Grafton Banking and Trust Company. He resigned from
the latter bank in 1915 to become cashier of the Lumber-
port Bank.
The Lumberport Bank was established in 1903, with an
authorized capital of $25,000.00. This capital was increased
to $50,000.00. The resources in March, 1922, stood at
$385,422.94. Mr. Willis succeeded Vance L. Hornor as
cashier. While Lumberport is situated in the midst of
a splendid coal mining and agricultural district, it is the
only bank in that section of Harrison County, and the serv-
ice it has rendered has fully justified this practical control
of the banking facilities. The bank has been well and
conservatively managed, and is one of the strongest in-
stitutions among the smaller towns of West Virginia.
Mr. Willis has had due regard for the obligations of
citizenship. He is now serving as president of the Board
of Education for the Eagle School District. He is a re-
publican and a member of the Baptist Church.
In his career as a banker he has had a splendid as-
sociate in Mrs. Willis, who is a trained and capable busi-
ness woman and assists him as assistant cashier of the
Lumberport Bank. They were married in 1906. Mrs. Willis
was formerly Miss Elizabeth Whitescarer. She is a gradu-
ate of West Virginia University in the school of commerce
and bookkeeping, and for nine years she remained as an
instructor in that department. She is also an active member
of the Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Willis are proud
of their two daughters, Mildred and Hazel, both of whom
have shown talent in music, Mildred, being a pianist and
Hazel a vocalist.
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