During the virtual Williams/Butler reunion on Saturday evening, there was some consternation about how many children Catherine Jones Williams gave birth to.
On the 1910 Census, Catherine Jones Williams said that she had given birth to 10 children and that six were still living. In the booklet from the Williams/Butler Reunion 1988 that Julia Williams Boyue put together, there were family trees for both the Williams and Butler families.
I put the names into my ancestry.com tree and was able to find information and connections with most of them. Some, I could not find. If they were born after 1880, they would not be in that census. The 1890 census was destroyed. The next census they would have appeared in was 1900. They could easily have been on their own so never appeared in the same household with Catherine Jones Williams or they may have died. Since Arkansas did not begin keeping death records before 1914, there would be none available.
In the same book there are 15 children listed for William and Mattie (Hawkins) Butler. The answer given during the reunion was 18. I am looking forward to finding out the other names!
I was told by my Mom that the spelling of the name should be ‘Arther’, not ‘Arthur’. Many spell the name with the ‘u’ and not the ‘e’. My middle name comes from my Grandfather Arther Chester Williams. People and other entities always use the ‘u’ and I would have to inform them of the correct spelling. Mom said that this spelling has/had always been an issue. Albeit, my middle name is spelled ‘Arther’. FYI, my first name comes from Uncle James Williams, Mom’s brother. I will continue to make corrections. I have gotten the incorrect spelling from banks, businesses, junk mail, and other documents…
Submitted by James Arther Horton, son of Vennie Jean (Horton) Williams, 10/14/2020
James Arther, I have made the correction.
I believe that Chester Arther Williams had the same spelling for his middle name as Arther Chester and Chester Arther were twins.
You will have to take that up with your cousin, James Edward. His father spelled his name “Chester Arthur Williams” and he was named after his uncle with no family story of “Arther”.
Also, Sparkman, Arkansas is in Dallas County.
That’s why I put “Sparkman, Dallas, Arkansas” Town, county, state.