Category Archives: Williams

X – XMAS Memory – 1975

A-Z Challenge 2023, Christmas, Williams, ,

This is my tenth A to Z Challenge. My first was in 2013, but I missed 2021. This April I am going through the alphabet using snippets about my family through the generations. In a few cases I took an old post and updated it with new information.

Kristin and Jim

Christmas Trip From Mississippi to St. Louis – 1975

We moved to Simpson County, Mississippi in November of 1975.  Jim was in charge of the Emergency Land Fund’s Model farm.  Our daughter Jilo was 5 and Ife was 2.5.  I was 29 and six months pregnant with our third daughter Ayanna. Jim was just about to turn 31.  This was before we had goats, chickens or rabbits.  The greenhouses weren’t in production.  I remember several of the farmers Jim worked with gave him gifts of money for Christmas.  It didn’t amount to more than $30 total but it paid for all the gas we used.

Jilo, Ife and Deborah Williams.
Jilo, Ife and Aunt Debbie Williams.
Ife and Theola Williams
Ife and Theola Williams.

We decided to drive up to share the holidays with Jim’s family in Rock Hill, MO.  They lived at #1 Inglewood Court, right outside of St. Louis. 17 year old Micheal, 15 year old Monette and 12 year old Debbie were living at home.

A gift from my mother-in-law that Christmas.
A gift to Jim from his mother that Christmas

We made the 8 hour trip in the little gray Volkswagen bug that came with the job. We took food to eat on the way, left early and drove straight through.  I don’t remember anything specific about driving up. As I recall we got to St. Louis before dark.  Jim’s parents gave us their bedroom.  They were always so nice about that.  Jim and the kids and I shared the pushed together twin beds.  There weren’t presents for us but Jim’s mother looked around and came up with some. I don’t remember what she gave Jilo and Ife but she gave me two copper vases and Jim two glass paperweights. I don’t remember what we took as gifts.

Three of Jim’s brothers – Micheal, Chester, Harold. St. Louis 1975

I remember going to see Jim’s brother, Harold at one of his jobs.  He had several, just like his father always did. We also stopped by his studio where he made plaster knick knacks.  Or was it cement bird baths?  Or both?  There was a Salvation Army or Goodwill store nearby and we stopped and I got some shirts for the kids and a dress that Ife wanted.  Mostly we stayed around the house and visited.We stayed until New Years Eve and left in the evening.  There is never enough food or time to prepare it for the return trip. We stopped at Howard Johnson’s somewhere on the way home and I remember getting fried oysters. It was cold and dark and clear. There were stars. And there are always trucks. We listened to the radio and talked and maybe sang some.  The kids eventually fell asleep in the backseat and we welcomed the New Year driving through the night.

#AtoZChallenge 2023 letter X

Theola Marie Davenport Williams 1920-1982

Williams,

I made this animation from the photo below using My Heritage, Deep Nostalgia.

Theola Maria Davenport Williams

Theola Marie Davenport Williams  was the daughter of Amy Marie Davenport.  She was born March 7, 1920, in Portland, Arkansas, the fifth child of the late James and Amy Davenport. Arkansas was her home for many years, where she attended Dermott High School and Arkansas State University at Pine Bluff. The greater part of her adult life was spent in St. Louis, Missouri where she attended Meramec Community College and Washington University.

Theola married  Chester Arthur Williams on June 20, 1938.  Together they had 12 children – 6 sons and 6 daughters. She was an active member of the Church and Community, which involved the following; Sunday School Teacher, Primary Department, Women’s Missionary Union and was named to the Deaconess Board of Washington Tabernacle Baptist Church; she was a secretary at the Webster Groves High School; an active Top Member and a member of the In Roads Parents Association for the City of St. Louis. 

She was 61 years old when she died September 21, 1981.  I remember her as a very calm, accepting and thoughtful mother-in-law. This is the 101 anniversary of her birth.

How many children did Catherine Jones Williams have?

Williams

During the virtual Williams/Butler reunion on Saturday evening, there was some consternation about how many children Catherine Jones Williams gave birth to.

Click to enlarge

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.

Children of Samuel and Catherine (Jones) Williams in Blue Book. Click to enlarge.

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!

Fire-bombing – A Williams Family Memory

Great Migration, Williams
williamsfamily
James was taking the photo, unfortunately because Williams photos are rare. The two youngest girls were not yet born. Taken about 1959. Williams family photograph.

My husband James was a baby, the youngest of the five children of Chester and Theola Williams, when they moved from Dermott, AK to St. Louis, MO about 1945. At first they stayed with Theola’s sister who lived on  Keokuk Street.  James older brother Harold, born in January 1942, was kindergarten age, the family moved to a house they bought on Washington Blvd and Whittier Street.

Route from the house to the school.
Route from the house to the school.  From Google maps.
Screen shot 2016-07-17 at 12.01.14 PM
Cole Elementary School from Google maps. Click to enlarge.

Harold remembers that he started kindergarten about 1947 at Cole Elementary School, which was around the corner from the house.  He did not finish the year out because their house was fire bombed. They had moved into a white neighborhood where they were not wanted.  The oldest sister, Jocelyn Maxine remembered that their mother was very calm as she moved the children from the front of the house, where the bomb entered, to a back room.

Because of the bombing, the city of St. Louis gave the family an apartment in Carr Square Village, a public housing project.  When the family included nine children, they had outgrown that apartment and moved to Pruitt–Igoe, a large housing project first occupied in 1954. Eventually there were 12 children and the family bought a house on Cabanne Street. They lived there until about 1970 when they moved to Inglewood Court, where they lived until that property was taken by the city to build a strip mall about 2005.

My husband has been trying to find validation for this oral history, mainly searching old newspapers. So far he has not had any luck, but I think that he may have been searching the wrong years, so we are hopeful that eventually the story will be validated.

Joycelyn Maxine Williams Anderson 1939 – 2015

Williams
Joycelyn Maxine Anderson
Joycelyn Maxine Anderson.  Click to enlarge the photograph.

My sister-in-law Joycelyn Maxine Williams Anderson died on May 23, 2015 after a long illness.  Maxine (as I called her, some called her Joycelyn) was my husbands oldest sister. Maxine always sent me a birthday card and she always thanked me for putting up with her brother for so many years.  St. Louis will not be St. Louis without her.

Maxine made an appearance as a one year old in the 1940 census here -> 1940 Census – Chester and Theola Williams.  There is more about the Williams family here “I” is for Inglewood Court.

Life Reflections (Obituary)

Joycelyn Maxine Williams Anderson was born in Dermott, Arkansas on May 21, 1939 to Chester Arthur and Theola Marie (Davenport) Williams.  She was the first of twelve children ( six girls and six boys.)  She began her education at Chico County Training School. The family moved to St. Louis in 1945 and found their first church home at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church.  Joycelyn professed her love and belief in Jesus Christ at an early age and was baptized by Reverend Langford.  Her walk with the Lord brought her to Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in 1947.

Jocelyn was educated in the St. Louis Public School System and graduated from Charles Sumner High School.  She attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa and was united in holy matrimony with Hearn Humphrey Anderson.  To this union was born one daughter, Nichole Patrice (Anderson) Borman.

Throughout her life, Joycelyn’s prevailing philosophy was “In spite of handicaps, all things are possible – you have to grow where you are planted.”  She was employed by the Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center and retired after thirty-four years from her position as a recreational therapist’s aide with the Missouri Department of Mental Helath.  The expertise and caring she displayed was continued after her retirement as she became an avid community volunteer.

She volunteered for the Oasis program and regularly read to school age children; she was an area coordinator for the Senior Connections program and was a member of the Summer Class of ’57 alumni association, working tirelessly to ensure opportunities for current Sumner students.  She contributed generously to Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church serving as a Deaconess and President of the John E. and Regina S. Nance Scholarship Fund; a member of the Women’s Missionary Union and a Life Member of the Berean District Association.  Lastly, Joycelyn articulated her business skills as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant over a period of thirty-one years.

After an extended battle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Joycelyn answered the voice of our Heavenly Father on Sunday, May 24, 2015 and peacefully passed away in her sleep.  Preceding her in death were her parents, Chester and Theola Williams; her brothers, Chester Arthur Williams, Jr., Earl Raymond Williams, Andrew Milton Williams and her former husband, Hearn H. Anderson.

Joycelyn leaves to cherish her memory: one daughter – Nicole P. Borman (Kent); her sisters – E. Jean Williams, Catherine Boayue, Linda Nance (Herreld), Monnette Lartey and Deborah Benard (Perry); her brothers – Harold F. Williams, James Edward Williams (Kristin) and Michael A. Williams; and a host of very dear nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, church family and friends. 

5 Generations of Marie: 1891 – 2003

Williams

Today would have been my mother-in-law, Theola Marie Davenport Williams, 94th Birthday. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since she left us much too soon in 1981.  In honor of the day I am sharing the Marie’s in the Davenport/Williams family.  There may also have been some cousins with the middle name of Marie but I am unaware of them at this time.  Click to enlarge the chart.

Marie's_5_generations

1.  Amy Marie Jackson Davenport was born in Portland, Arkansas on March 17, 1891 to Allen Jackson and Lettie Gray Jackson.  She married James Davenport of Mer Rouge, LA in 1909.  They made their home in Portland, Ashley County, Arkansas.  They were the parents of 7 children.  Most of the children migrated north to St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL. In 1967 Amy died in Chicago, IL.  I wish I had a better photograph of her.

2. Theola Marie Davenport Williams  was the daughter of Amy Marie Davenport.  She was born March 7, 1920, in Portland, Arkansas, the fifth child of the late James and Amy Davenport. Arkansas was her home for many years, where she attended Dermott High School and Arkansas State University at Pine Bluff. The greater part of her adult life was spent in St. Louis, Missouri where she attended Meramec Community College and Washington University.

Theola married  Chester Arthur Williams on June 20, 1938.  Together they had 12 children – 6 sons and 6 daughters. She was an active member of the Church and Community, which involved the following; Sunday School Teacher, Primary Department, Women’s Missionary Union and was named to the Deaconess Board of Washington Tabernacle Baptist Church; she was a secretary at the Webster Groves High School; an active Top Member and a member of the In Roads Parents Association for the City of St. Louis.  She was 61 years old when she died September 21, 1981.  I remember her as a very calm, accepting and thoughtful mother-in-law.

3.  Linda Marie, born in 1954, is the daughter of Theola and the granddaughter of Amy.

4. Ife Marie, born in 1973, is the daughter of Theola’s son James (and me!), granddaughter of Theola and the great granddaughter of Amy.

5. Louisa Ann Marie, born in 1990, is the daughter of Theola’s daughter Deborah, granddaughter of Theola and the great grandaughter of Amy.

6. Brianna Marie, born in 1995,  is the daughter of Theola’s daughter Deborah, granddaughter of Theola and the great grandaughter of Amy.

7.  Sydney Marie, born in 2003, is the daughter of Ife, granddaughter of James, great granddaughter of Theola and 2X great granddaughter of Amy.

William and Mattie (Hawkins) Butler – At Rest

Graves, Williams

group shot
Photograph by James Edward Williams – a corner of the Harmony Missionary Baptist Church Community Cemetery.

James Edward & Samuel Williams - cousins.
James Edward & Samuel Williams – cousins with cameras.

My husband and his cousin recently attended an extended Williams/Butler family reunion in Arkansas. This reunion has been going on for 43 years, although not every year has seen a reunion, most have. While there they photographed some of the grave stones in the Harmony Missionary Baptist Church Community Cemetery in Sparkman, AK.  The two headstones featured in today’s post are of my husband’s great grandparents.  William and Mattie (Hawkins) Butler were the parents of 13 children that lived to adulthood. One of those was my father-in-law’s mother, Annie Willie Butler. Today I am sharing the grave stones. Soon I will be posting what I have learned in the records about the Butlers and their family.

Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013
W.M. Butler       Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013.  What does the sign at the top stand for? And the words at the bottom?

"At Peace - Mattie Butler" Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013
“At Peace – Mattie Butler” Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013.  I only wish I could see the dates at the bottom because I don’t have them!

Homecoming Sunday at Harmony taken about 1993.
Homecoming Sunday at Harmony taken about 1989.

“I” is for Inglewood Court

Family History Through the Alphabet, Williams

This post continues the series using the Alphabet to go through streets that were significant in my life as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.

 This is the first street so far that has not been in Detroit. Inglewood Court is in Rockhill Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. My in-laws moved there about 1969 from Cabanne St. in the city.  The youngest 4 of the 12 children were still living at home.  We first visited in 1971 when our oldest daughter was 9 months old. Linda was 16 and passed her driving test. Micheal was 12 and getting some jokes ready for April Fools day. Monette was 10 and Debbie was 8. Mr. Williams had not started any of the major renovation projects that were ongoing, such as raising the roof and adding a bedroom, adding stairs and then moving them from one place to another, adding an eat in kitchen across the back of the house. Amazing projects that rarely were completed as he would think of a better way to do it before he finished.

The black and white photos (except the one on the bottom row, 4th from the right of my brother-in-law Chester) were taken on my first visit in 1971. The other were taken over the years at family reunions. Babies were born. We lost my in-laws and three of their sons. The grandchildren – my generations children – grew up and started another generation. We who were in our twenties and thirties when the reunions started are now older then my husband’s parents were. My children are older than I was then.

My husband crossing the lawn in 2004. Soon after, the house, along with all the others in the cul-de-sac were condemned so that a shopping mall and parking lot could be built.

Here is how the block looks now.  Very sad as there was nothing wrong with the houses. And there were already many stores and shops in the area.