Williams

The settlement of the estate of Elder Jonah Williams.

Clarissa Williams was appointed administrator of her father Jonah Williams‘ estate. She filed an inventory of his property, noting one $2000 life insurance policy (of which $900 had been borrowed against); a black horse; a lame mare; a horse wagon; a buggy cart; five plows; a cotton planter; a guano sower; five weeding hoes; a grubbing hoe; two shovels; two rake forks; a glass blade; a saw; seven barrels of “arn”; a half stock of fodder; and a house and lot on the south side of Green Street valued at about $1000.

In May 1917, Williams submitted to Wilson County Superior Court an account of the settlement of the estate. Across the two years after his death, Williams carefully tended her father’s affairs, paying tax bills and other debts, taking in farm income, and selling personal property. Several African-American men and women appear in the list, including Martha Dew Alston and Louvinia Hargrove for nursing services, Charles [S.] Thomas for barber services, Henry Tart for hack hire, Georgia A. Aiken for carriage hire, Dr. Frank S. Hargrave for medical services, and Rachel Falkland, Rose Barnes, Caroline Mercer, Cora Derring, Henry Joyner, Bisco Hagans, Wade Barnes, and Richard Pender for unspecified debts.

Probate Records 1905-1919, Property Settlement Records 1905-1923, Wilson County, North Carolina, http://www.familysearch.org.

Williamson and Williams post bond for distressed farmer.

In August 1912, Luther Vailes‘ landlords, George W. Dew and D.W. Dew, sued him for allegedly failing to produce the crops due under the terms of a sharecropping agreement.

Pending a judgment, the Wilson County sheriff seized from Vailes a thousand pounds of tobacco and four acres each of fodder and cotton. Alex Williamson and Jonah Williams stepped forward to post bond for Vailes, each averring that they owned sufficient property to do so. Williamson was one of the most prosperous African-American farmers in Springhill township, and his involvement is not surprising. Primitive Baptist elder Williams was also relatively well-to-do, but has no obvious links to Vailes beyond a shared home county.

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In the 1900 census of Goldsboro, Wayne County, N.C.: farmer Lafayette Vail, 30; wife Jane, 27; and children Luther, 9, Minnie, 3, Dallas, 1, and Lafayette, 6 months; plus Hattie Edmondson, 23, servant.

In the 1910 census of Bull Head township, Greene County, N.C.: farmer Lafyette Vales, 40; wife Jane, 38; and children Luther, 19, Dallas, 11, Lafyette, 9, Clarence, 7, and Pearlie Jane, 1.

On 12 August 1911, Luther Vail, 20, of Springhill township, married Della Whitley, 19, of Springhill township, in Wilson County. Rev. J.M. Richardson performed the ceremony in the presence of Willie Edmundson, Elizzi Edmundson, and John Newsom.

In 1917, Luther Vailes registered for the World War I draft in Washington, D.C. Per his registration card, he was born 3 October 1891 in Wayne County, N.C.; lived in Deanwood, Washington, D.C.; worked for C.H. Thompkins; and supported a wife and four children.

In the 1920 census of Washington, D.C.: Luther Valle, 29, wiper at round house; wife Della, 27; children Leonard, 7, Ola, 5, Ethel, 3, J.T., 9 months; and brother Lafayette, 18.

In the 1930 census of Dale township, Chesterfield County, Virginia: Luther Vailes, 39, odd jobs laborer; wife Della, 37; and children Leard, 18, Alia, 15, Ethel, 13, Claud, 7, Olive B., 5, Bernie, 4, Kenneth, 2, and Virginia, 5 months.

In the 1940 census of Richmond, Virginia: Luther Vailes, city government laborer; wife Della, 42; and children Ollie, 23, Claude, 17, Ollie B., 15, Bernice, 13, Kenneth, 11, Virginia, 8, Dorsey, 6, and Dolores, 4.

In 1942, Luther Vailes registered for the World War II draft in Washington, D.C. Per his registration card, he was born 3 October 1891 in Wane [sic] County, North Carolina; lived at 1704 V Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.; his contact was Della Vailes; and he worked for Ross Company Construction, Captain Johns, Maryland. Vailes was measured at 4’5″ tall.

In the 1950 census of Kings County, New York: Luther Vailes, 58, butler; wife Della, 54; children Ollie B., 27, Bernice, 25, Virginia, 19, Dorsey, 16, and Delores, 13; and grandchildren Gloria Jean Vailes, 4, Patricia Ann Harvey, 4, Robbie Stuckey, 2, Carol Stuckey, 18 months, and Deborea Vailes, 1.

Civil Issues Dockets, Wilson County, N.C., Miscellaneous Records, http://www.familysearch.org.

The sale of the personal property of Samuel W. Williams.

This 1901 report of the sale of Samuel W. Williams‘ property offers a peek into the household of a small-town, middle-class African-American merchant at the turn of the twentieth century. Williams was a grocer and the step-father of Charles H. Darden‘s wife Dinah Scarborough Darden. The sale of his home furnishings appears to have gone smoothly. However, the disposal of the house itself, and the lot it stood on, sparked a fight that went all the way to the North Carolina Supreme Court. More on that later.

The nearly 50 men (and three women) who showed up at the sale to spend a few cents to a few dollars included:

  • Simon Barnes
  • S.H. Vick — Samuel H. Vick.
  • S.P. Barnes
  • Geo. Barnes
  • B. Williams — Berry Williams.
  • L. Williams — Louis Williams.
  • J. Powell
  • J. Leach
  • H. Johnson
  • S.B. Barnes
  • J.A. McKnight
  • W. Saucers
  • Paul Goffney
  • J.D. Smith
  • J.A. Moore
  • Alfred Dew
  • Shade Barnes
  • C.H. Darden — Charles H. Darden.
  • Perry Davis
  • James Sommerville — on 14 February 1904, James Summerville, 59, of Wilson, son of William and Frances Summerville, married Lila Henderson, 39, of Wilson, daughter of Stephen and Dicy Henderson, in Wilson. A.M.E. minister P.H. Leach performed the ceremony in the presence of S.D. Henderson, L.V. Leach, and Gray Battle.
  • Dollison Powell
  • Lemon Barnes
  • H.C. Rountree — Henry C. Rountree.
  • Dorsey Powell
  • Daniel Vick
  • Virgil Horne — in the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: farmer Virgial Horn, 70; wife Grizzie, 49, washing; and daughters Pattie, 25, and Mezera, 16, both washing.
  • C. Deans
  • R.D. Smith
  • Felix Burden — in the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: drayman Felix Burden, 39; wife Emma, 30, washing; and children Dora, 11, James, 4, and Burnetta, 1.
  • F.S. Simms
  • S.D. Henderson — Sandy D. Henderson.
  • Henry Young — in the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: farmer Henry Young, 65; wife Annie, 42; and boarder Pennie Young, 22.
  • William Hagans
  • Mrs. Harriss
  • P. Leach — Patrick Henry Leach. In the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: shoemaker Patrick Henry Leach, 61, born in Mississippi to N.C.-born parents, and wife Lavinea, 56.
  • Mrs. Mercer
  • Geo. Harriss — in the 1900 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farmer George W. Harriss, 55; wife Mary, 37; and children Malissa, 10, and William Henry, 20.
  • R.D. Smith
  • Mrs. Perrington — probably, Louisa Scarborough Perrington.
  • J.H. Clark — John H. Clark.
  • [blank] Hoskins — probably, Edward Hoskins. In the 1900 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farmer Edward Hoskins, 51; wife Amy, 47; and children Joseph L., 20, Herbert, 15, David, 13, Miles, 9, Pharebe Ann, 11, John A., 8, Moses T., 5, and Susan Anna, 4.
  • [blank] McKnight
  • M.H. Cotton — Mark H. Cotton.
  • W.W. Sanders
  • R. Hodge — Richard Hodge. In the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: carpenter George Hewlin, 53; wife Jane, 42; and Richard Hodge, 29, hod carrier.
  • J.S. Spells — John S. Spell.
  • R.G. Williams

The items purchased: books; spoons; knives; lamps; bedsteads; a map; dishes; saucers; chips; plates; mugs; brushes; a bureau; coats; a clock; glasses; trunks; bags; a safe; a wheel; stoves; lemons; a trap; pipes; beans; a funnel; bowls; a paper roll; a slab; a tank; kegs; buckets; an auger; hatchets; knives; an axe; shot; paper; pants; jars; a square; oil; a tool; chairs; pans; a box; tables; corn; quilts; blankets; feathers; mattresses; kettles; a sugar dish; a lamp; a knife box; a griddle; a saw; pitchers; a slate; a basket; pipes; a watch; and a bed.

All of that netted $27.51. Of that, Braswell R. Winstead pocketed $8.40; G.D. Walston, $14.02; R.C. Jacocks, $3.00; and John H. Clark, $2.09.

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On 20 September 1870, Samuel Williams married Annie Scarbro, daughter of Jack and Zaly Adams, at Ann Scarbro’s in Wilson township. Rev. Laurence Moye performed the ceremony.

In the 1880 census of Wilson, Wilson County: grocer Samuel Williams, 38; wife Ann, 47; and daughter Anna, 9.

In the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: grocer Samuel Williams, 58, widower, and lodgers William Jackson, 36, and William Allen, 25, both tobacco graders.

No need for exodusting.

In March 1880, Wayne County farmer Napoleon Hagans testified before a Senate committee on the migration of African-American farmers out of North Carolina. It was not his last word on the subject. Nine months later, he — or someone writing for him, as he was unlettered — penned a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, recounting his agricultural success and exhorting his “race” to cast down their buckets where they were. His sentiments were echoed by Jonah Williams, his friend, neighbor, sometime pastor, and brother of Hagans’ brother-in-law Adam T. Artis.

Before Williams was setting up Primitive Baptist churches, he farmed 58 acres near Turner Swamp, just north of Eureka (formerly Sauls Cross Roads) in far northeast Wayne County. Though an intelligent man, Like Hagans, Williams was illiterate. Thus, he did not actually write the letter tacitly discouraging Black farmers from joining the exodus to Indiana and other points west and midwest, and we don’t know the circumstances under which he or Hagans agreed to lend their names to this propaganda.

Goldsboro Messenger, 30 December 1880.

Funeral Program Friday: Maggie Lena Cooper (1914-2014).

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In the 1920 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Jerry Williams, 40; wife Mary, 28; and children Edward, 10, Martha, 8, Maggie, 5, and Jerry, 1.

In the 1930 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Jerry Williams, 48; wife Mary, 38; and children Eddie, 21, Martha, 18, Maggie, 14, Jerry Jr., 11, Lucille, 7, Charles, 5, and Nestus, 1.

On 4 February 1939, Tom Farmer, 24, of Gardners township, son of Guston and Matilda Farmer, married Maggie Williams, 23, of Gardners, daughter of Jerry and Mary Williams, in Wilson. Jerry Williams applied for the license.

In the 1940 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Thomas Farmer, 26; wife Maggie, 23; and son Harmon, 2.

In 1940, Thomas Farmer registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 13 March 1944 in Edgecombe County; lived at Route 4, Wilson; his contact was wife Maggie Farmer; and he was unemployed.

In the 1950 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Thomas Farmer, 36; wife Maggie, 32; and children Eugene, 14, Herman, 12, Caroline, 4, and Geraldine, 2.

Jim Thomas Farmer died 26 August 1970 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 21 March 1914 to Guster and Matilda Williams; was married to Maggie Williams; and lived at 713 Viola Street.

Maggie Leaner Williams Farmer married John Hardy Cooper on 9 May 1972 in Wayne County, North Carolina.

Mother and accomplices believed to have kidnapped boy.

Wilson Daily Times, 19 May 1937.

When 16 year-old John Lane was snatched from one of U.H. Cozart’s fields in May 1937, authorities blamed his mother. Seven years earlier, she had allowed a family named Williams to adopt the boy, and she migrated to Washington, D.C. A radio bulletin went out seeking three men and a women traveling in older model Paige automobile with D.C. tags.

Studio shots, no. 238: Nora Williams Battle.

Nora Williams Battle (1883-1958)

In the 1900 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: widower Levi Williams, 55, widower, and children Maggie, 18, Norah, 16, James, 14, Joseph, 12, Arthur, 10, Walter, 8, Hattie, 6, and Ora, 4.

William Battle, 36, married Nora Williams, 22, in Wilson County on 4 November 1908 in Wilson. Primitive Baptist minister Jonah Williams performed the ceremony in the presence of Dempsey Lassiter, Harvey Mercer, and Jessie Whitehead.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 609 East Green Street, William Battle, 43; wife Nora, 30; and children Ester, 12, Jessie, 9, William Jr., 7, Aurtha L., 4, and Walter E., 1; and roomers William, 57, widower, and Mary Christmas, 24.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 609 East Green, widow Nora Battle, 49, washing; daughter Esther Moye, 30, widow, tobacco factory stemmer; and seven other families.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 608 East Green, downstairs, widow Nora Battle, 65; son Jessie Battle, 35, cook; daughter Ester Moye, 37, widow, cook; grandchildren Fred Jr., 18, cook, Cornelius, 16, and William A. Moye, 13; and lodgers Arthur Cobb, 59, and Sally Phillips, 75.

Nora Elizabeth Battle died 4 March 1958 at her home at 701 Viola Street in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 10 February 1890 in Edgecombe County, N.C., to Levi Williams and Harriett Bullock and  was a widow.

Photo courtesy of Ancestry.com user PHILLYEVANS44.

You can do what you please with it.

Sidney Wheeler was only about 17 in 1890. What lead up to this strange transaction?

Deed book 43, page 91, Wilson County Register of Deeds Office.

From Lu Williams to Sidney Wheeler Wilson N.C. January the 8, 1890. Sidney Wheelers I will give you this house an lot of mine you can have it you may Sell it or you can do what you Please with it now I consider my Property your.   [Joseph] Smith, Martha Smith, Lu William

I wondered if Lu Williams was Lula Wheeler, Sidney Wheeler’s wife. However, per their marriage license, Sidney Wheeler, 24, married Lou Armstrong, 20, in Wilson on 23 December 1896. Baptist minister W.T.H. Woodard performed the ceremony in the presence of Richard Renfrow, S.A. Smith, and Janie Booth.

The deed was registered on 19 January 1897. Is the 1890 date in the transfer a misreading of “1896”?

The obituary of Annie P. Williams.

Wilson Daily Times, 11 March 1950.

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In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 317 North Hackney Street, Annie Sauls, 30, laundress; father Will Odom, 50; and lodger Flora Terry, 30, and her son Rudolph Terry, newborn.

Annie Pearl Williams died 9 March 1950 at her home at 110 Ash Street, Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 23 December 1910 in Georgia to Will Odom and Martha Bullock; was married; and was a factory worker. Roosevelt Williams was informant.