The family then removed to Evanston, Illinois near Chicago, that the daughters might be educated without sending them from home. Residing there for nearly eighteen years, Mrs. Willard enjoyed the surroundings, tastes, and culture for which she was so well adapted. In 1869, Willard was chosen to be one of 15 trustees of the newly-established Northwestern Female College. She associated with Sarah Killgore Wertman.
