Tag: Joshua W Williams

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Bisbee Jr. vs. Finlay: Joshua W. Williams and the 1880 Florida Voter Suppression Controversy

William Gainer Williams (1869-1953), oldest son of Joshua W. Williams

Currently, there is a lot of discussion around voting rights and potential voter suppression. Many are anxious to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill in Congress. Sadly, this is an issue that has been of concern for 153 years since the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870. One case in point revolved around allegations of voter suppression in the 1880 congressional election in various Florida counties.

In Live Oak, Suwannee County, where my family lived, the election came under scrutiny because of allegations of behaviors recognized as voter suppression, and in some cases, intimidation, resulting in many registered voters of color not being able to vote. Their complaints, along with those of others in the state, were significant enough that the Republican candidate, Horatio Bisbee Jr., filed a lawsuit and launched a congressional inquiry. The lawsuit and congressional inquiry were known as Bisbee Jr. v. Finlay. [1]

I gained many insights into the political activism of the community of color in Suwannee County from reviewing the data and testimony of witnesses. Several of the witnesses were Florida Homesteaders and witnesses for the proving up process for other homesteaders.

Elijah Carruthers

Elijah Carruthers was one of the original witnesses for the application for homestead land by my great grandfather, Randel Farnell. He was one of the first witnesses to testify in the Bisbee case.

“My name is Elijah Coruthers. I live about four miles from Live Oak. On November 2, I was living about one mile from Live Oak. I was a registered voter at Live Oak, precinct No. 1. I voted at two Presidential elections, General Hayes’ and General Garfield’s. I did not vote at the regular poll at district No. 1, on November 2, 1880. The way was so crowded when I came at one o’clock in the afternoon, there was about fifty men in the line when I came – that is the crowd I speak of. I did not get no [sic] nearer the ballot box than the corner of the house, and there was twenty-five or thirty behind me when the poll closed who had not voted. A white man by the name of Granger came to the poll with me and got in the line just ahead of me, and he came out and went under the gangway, … and was allowed to vote. He voted the Democratic ticket. … About half hour before sundown W. H. Reding came to the line after he had voted, who is No. 324 on the poll – list, and asked us if we had voted, and we told him no, and he said I have just come and I have voted, and that we may just as well get out for we would not get to vote.  … Mr. Reding was a Democrat. I do not know of any Democrat that did not get to vote, but I know of a good many Republicans that did not get to vote.” [2]

William Evans

William Evans was another of the witnesses on Randel Farnell’s Homestead application who gave testimony.

“I came to the poll at Live Oak precinct, district No. 1, Suwannee County, Florida, about 1 o’clock, and John Fraser came between 4 and 5 o’clock, and went round us from the line and voted, while I did not get my vote in at the regular poll at all, though I had been there since 1 o’clock; I was entitled to vote, being a regular voter: if I had have voted I would have voted the Republican ticket, for H. Bisbee for Congress ; which ticket I did vote in the hall of the court-house at night on the 2d of November, 1880.”[3]

Henry McGee/McGehee

Henry was a Florida Homesteader and a witness for my great grandfather Randel Farnell’s final proof for his homestead claim. Henry told a similar story to Elijah Carruthers’ testimony.

“I was not allowed to vote at the regular poll at said voting place. If I had have been allowed to vote I would have voted the Republican ticket, and H. Bisbee, Jr., for Congress; which ticket I did vote at night, in the hall of the court-house … . I went to the poll about 9 o’clock in the morning and staid [sic] there all day, and did not get a chance to vote. The reasons I did not vote at the regular poll on said election day are the same as those given by other witnesses on yesterday at this examination and also today.”[4]

Other witnesses included homesteader Ned Wilson, and Randel’s half-brother, Henry Farnell. However, for me, the most interesting of the testimonies was that of Joshua W. Williams, my other great grandfather.

Joshua W. Williams

Joshua W. Williams was a Republican “inspector,” or poll watcher for the 1880 election. He was interviewed about the events at the election. He explained in more detail what happened.

“My name is Joshua W. Williams. I was present from 8 o’clock on the morning of the general election on the 2d day of November, 1880, until about 2 o’clock that night, at the Live Oak precinct, district No. 1, Suwannee Count, Florida. I was a Republican inspector at the Live Oak poll. About 9 o’clock in the morning there was a crowd standing in front of the poll window. I was setting next to the window, and about that time there had been about twenty white votes cast and about two colored votes cast, when the colored voters complained that they could not get to the poll on account of there being so many white voters crowding around the window. I spoke to Mr. Blount and Mr. Mosely, the other two Democratic inspectors, and they stopped receiving votes to listen to me. I said that there must be some arrangements made by which one colored and one white man could come and vote together. They said that the sheriff and marshal would attend to that outside, and they commenced voting again. This stopped the voting [for] about five minutes, and the white crowd continued at the window voting until I called the attention of the other inspectors to it the second time. Then Mr. Blount, the Democratic inspector, spoke to the marshal and said, make those men stand back from the window. Then they commenced voting one white and one colored man alternately. Up to this time there had been only two or three challenges. After that almost every colored voter was challenged, which consumed ten or fifteen minutes each until the closing of the poll. About three hours and a half was wasted in challenges by the Democratic representative men. Colonel White and the clerk of the poll wrote the questions and answers. I saw white men come under the banister as policemen and vote any how outside the regular. I saw the policemen take off their badges and give them to citizens so that they might come up and vote out of their regular turn. About the time the managers were going to close the poll I saw a large number of Republican voters who had not voted, and I protested against closing the polls until they voted, but they over-ruled me and closed the polls; some white Democrats outside, before the table was moved back from the window, shoved down the window. (Signed) J. W. WILLIAMS.” [5]

Altogether, eighty-nine men were interviewed and provided testimony. As an aside, it should be noted that unlike Henry Farnell, Ned Wilson, Elijah Carruthers, and Henry McGee, Joshua Williams was literate and could sign his own name. This is not surprising since the 1880 census noted that he was a “teacher.” He would also go on to become postmaster. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that despite illiteracy, these men, and others like them, had registered to vote and showed up ready to vote! In fact, there was a large “colored” electorate. While there were 536 registered white voters, there were also 569 “colored” registered voters. Among them were homesteaders and witnesses, Randel Farnell, Alexander Gainer, Caleb Simpkins, and Isreal Whitehurst, in addition to those already named. [6]

Voter suppression is always about fear, the fear of those who seek to suppress others that they will not be able to compete fairly. Thus, rather than promote a fair agenda and strong candidates which voters could endorse or not, those who fear they will lose control seek to change the rules or break the rules, rather than risk losing control. Despite these efforts to prevent voters from casting their ballots, these “colored” voters, just ten years after being granted the right to vote in the Fifteenth Amendment, were not intimidated and were willing to advocate for themselves by bearing witness to the injustices they experienced.

The unfair treatment of the “colored” voters in precinct one in Live Oak was also witnessed by the sheriff, a white man, W. H. Slate, who stated that he was a Republican. He described how he saw about thirty-five “colored” voters challenged by the Democratic inspectors, grilling them about whether they were sure they were in the right precinct and threatening them with arrest if it was discovered they were not registered in that precinct.

“I am positive that the number [of colored voters challenged] was quite large. This system of challenge on the Democratic side was almost entirely confined to colored voters. I think that I am safe in saying that this challenging and the writing down by the clerk of questions and answers consumed two hours; this is rather under than over the estimate. … I know the most of the colored men that were challenged, and they were regular voters at this precinct, and I think were all entitled to vote. All those colored men were told the law, and that they would be liable to arrest and indictment; this took up a good deal of time. I protested against this frivolous challenging and delays which I have referred to, but it did no good to the inspectors. The Republican inspector, Joshua Williams, would sometimes join me in this protest and some times he would protest against it alone.” [7]

Fortunately for these voters of color, the chairman of the board of county commissioners, George Rixford, a white man and Democrat, also made note of the irregularities and injustices. [8]

“About the time the poll was about to be closed by the inspectors I went in to the room and protested against it, and demanded that the polls be kept open so that every man be allowed to vote. The demand was refused, and, as chairman of the board of county commissioners, I protested against their closing the polls. At the time the poll was closed the line of voters was quite full, and I judged that there was about one hundred voters who had not voted when the polls closed; there was not more than half a dozen white men in this line. … The usual vote at this precinct has been about 450 votes, and at this election the number of votes polled at the regular poll for Congressman was 346” (emphasis mine).

He recommended that a special election be set aside so that those who had been denied the opportunity to vote on the regular election day would be able cast their ballots.  

“I felt so dissatisfied with these men losing their votes that I advised the opening of another ballot-box, which was done after the election was closed, in the court-house hall, where about eighty men cast their votes.”

The suggestion was taken, as referenced by William Evans above. [9]

Thank you, Sheriff Slate and Commissioner Rixford, and all the witnesses who came forward, including my great grandfather, Joshua W. Williams, for standing up for democracy!

References

[1] House of Representatives, Bisbee Jr. vs Finlay, Index to the Miscellaneous Documents for the House of Representatives for the First Session of the Forty Seventh Congress, 1881-1882 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office), Volume 1(11), 765-798.

[2] Elijah Coruthers Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, pp. 771-772.

[3] William Evens Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, p. 786.

[4] Henry McGee Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, pp. 779-780.

[5] Joshua W. Williams Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, pp. 775-776.

[6] Miscellaneous Documents, pp. 787-798.

[7] W. H. Slate Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, p. 767.

[8] George Rixford Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, pp. 783-784.

[9] William Evens Testimony, in Miscellaneous Documents, p. 786.

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#12 Ancestors in 12 months -January, Foundations: Alex Gainer and Our Family’s Economic Foundations

Few things are more foundational than the ownership of property which can become the basis of generational wealth. There is another benefit to ancestral land ownership. Even when land does not pass into all members of the next generation, there is the tradition and normalization of land ownership within the family, which still provides a basis for a family culture and tradition of generational wealth.

My earliest knowledge that my ancestors owned property (other than the home where I grew up) came from my Aunt Lutie, my father’s older sister, Lute Williams Mann. She had been born in the mid-1890s and knew many of the paternal ancestors about whom I write. I was about seven when she first wrote down our family history for me, complete with biblical begats. As part of that story, she talked about the property the family owned in Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida, where she was born, and spent the first six years of her life, before moving with her family to the New York/New Jersey area.

Lute Odette Williams, circa 1918, “Aunt Lutie”

As Aunt Lutie explained it to me, her grandfather, my great grandfather, Joshua W. Williams, owned a significant amount of property in Live Oak. She drew some simple pencil maps of the property in relationship to other local landmarks. Once I grew up and began my genealogical studies, I learned it was not Joshua who owned the property, it was his wife’s family, his in-laws, one of whom was Alex Gainer, his father-in-law.

Alex Gainer was married to my 2nd great grandmother, Frances. However, he was not biologically related to me. He was not my great grandmother Ellin’s father. Still, he held a position of respect and importance in our family. According to Aunt Lutie, he was born in South Carolina. I have not been able to identify his home community, however, I did note that there was a couple of appropriate age to be his parents in Beaufort, Simon and Cecelia Gainer.[i] Aunt Lutie said Alex had served in some capacity in the Civil War (most likely as a servant in the Confederate army) where he lost a leg, and he had gone to Florida at the end of the war. According to his entry in the Voter Registration of 1867 for Live Oak, he had been in Suwannee County for four months previously. Alex worked as a farmer, barber, and store owner. And he owned land. Quite a bit of land.

In September 1868, the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad sold land in Live Oak, to Alex and his stepson in-law, George Manker.[2] It was just a year earlier that the same railway company had gifted (but also received five dollars from the grantees) George and several other freedmen Lot 6, Block 41, in the town of Live Oak, for the purpose of building a school for the freedmen, where George would be a teacher.[3] Though a “gift,” there were strings. If the land ceased to be used for the purposes stated therein (i.e., a school), the land would revert to the railroad company.[4]

George Manker listed as teacher for Live Oak in Freedmen Education records

In 1870, Alexander and my great-great grandmother, Frances, were listed in the census with their son, Edward.[5] However, Alex and Frances were not formally married until 1874, when they were married by Robert Allen, minister at the Baptist Church, now called the African Baptist Church.[6] Also in the 1870s, Frances would purchase property. In 1871, Frances bought property from her son in-law, George Manker. [7] In 1874, she bought neighboring property from a Sheriff’s sale. [8] However, Alex would not purchase property again until he completed his Homestead claim in 1877.[9]

Marriage Certificate of Alex and Frances Gainer, 4 June 1874

On 11 May 1872, Alex filed his application #5609, for a Homestead claim for 39.89 acres.[10] On the same date, he swore an affidavit stating that he had filed the claim but “by reason of distance” could not personally appear at the land office in Tallahassee.[11] On 14 June 1872, there is a Receiver’s receipt for seven dollars paid to the Receiver’s office in Tallahassee.[12]

Alexander Gainer Homestead Affidavit 11 May 1872

On 1 June 1877, Alex’s witnesses, Caleb Simpkins and Robert Allen (the Baptist minister who married him), gave their testimony on behalf of his claim. [13] They testified that since 14 June 1872, Alex had

… occupied and cultivated and improved the NE ¼ of the SE ¼ of Section 26 Township 2, South of Range 13 East as a homestead from the date above continuously from the date above to the present time, and that this affidavit is made to enable him to complete his title to the said homestead…

Witness Testimony of Caleb Simpkins and Robert Allen, 1 June 1877

It goes on to say that they were unable to go the General Land Office to give testimony “on account of distance and want of means to pay the expenses.” Thus, they gave testimony before the Justice of the Peace, “M. M. Blackburn,” in Suwannee County. They signed by making their mark. An additional sentence was added after their marks saying, “and he has built a house thereon, & cultivated about 10 acres, and made other valuable improvements.”[14]

Alexander Gainer’s Final Affidavit, 14 June 1877

On 14 June 1877, Alex made his final affidavit in support of his claim. He stated that he had settled and cultivated his claimed land since 14 June 1872, that he hadn’t “alienated” the land, that he was the sole owner, and actual settler. He swore that he bore allegiance to the United States (I haven’t seen that in other family Homestead files) “and that I have not heretofore perfected or abandoned an entry und this act.”[15] After paying an additional and final two dollars to the Receiver in the Gainesville office,[16] he received his Final Certificate #1236.[17] Notations in the file indicate however, that final approval was not until 11 May 1878 and the Patent was not recorded until 24 June 1878, in Land Record Book Volume 3, page 26.[18]

Alexander Gainer’s Final Homestead Certificate

Alex did not record the deed with the Suwannee County registrar right away. In June 1886, the Homestead claim was filed in Book J, page 288. However, in the very next entry, “Alexandre Gainer” sold to Justice of the Peace, M. M. Blackburn, the same property, for $500.[19] Alex appeared for the last time in the deed records in January 1887, when he and Frances sold property to her daughter Carry (“Corra”) Manker, widow of George Manker.[20]

My Great Grandmother, Ellin Wilson Wilkinson Williams (1854-1924)

Alex is assumed to have died sometime between 1887 and 1896, when his “widow,” Frances, sold property to James Moore and C. J. Manker, her grandson.[21] Frances is believed to have died between 1896 and 1900. She does not appear in the 1900 census. In 1901 and 1911, daughters, Carry Manker and Ellen Williams (my great grandmother) sold the property bought in 1868 by George Manker and Alex to Jesse Manker, Carry’s grandson,[22] and Mamie Edwards. [23] With that, the last of the wealth in property acquired by Alex and Frances was passed to a new generation along with the recognition of the importance of land ownership as a family value. Thus, despite the fact that none of this land was passed down to any of Ellin’s children or grandchildren, her descendants would become property owners in the communities to which they moved, creating wealth for new generations.

Eastside Memorial Cemetery, Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida, The old Black City Cemetery is beyond the tree-line

Alex and Frances were most likely buried in the inaccessible Old City Cemetery section of Eastside Memorial Cemetery in Live Oak, where most family members were buried.

References

[1] 1870 U. S. Federal Census, Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina; Simon Gainer, head; NARA Roll: M593-1485; Page: 40B. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4275948_00084?pId=9880735

[2] Pensacola and Georgia Railroad Company to Alexander Gainer and George Manker, Suwannee County, Florida, Deed Book B, page 131. Copy in possession of the author.

[3] “United States, Freedmen’s Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872,” database with images, FamilySearch, George Menker, Mar 1868; citing Residence, Live Oak, Suwannee, Florida, United States, NARA microfilm publications M1869. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1861 – 1880, RG 105. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1969-1978); roll 13; FHL microfilm 2,425,920 Retrieved from: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QP-FPL6 See also:  “United States, Freedmen’s Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872,” database with images, FamilySearch, George Menker, May 1868; citing Residence, Live Oak, Suwannee, Florida, United States, NARA microfilm publications M1869. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1861 – 1880, RG 105. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1969-1978); roll 13; FHL microfilm 2,425,920. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QP-FPB5

[4] Pensacola and George Railroad to Nathaniel Goodman, Samuel Sonesme, Lewis Fields, Alexander Oxham, and George Manker, Suwannee County Deed Book B, pages 134-135. Copy in the possession of the author.

[5] 1870 U. S. Federal Census, Subdivision 9, Suwannee County, Florida; Alex Gainer, Head. NARA Roll: M593-133; Page: 693B; Image: 522; Family History Library Film: 545632. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4263359_00522?pId=3484546

[6] Florida Marriages, 1830-1993, [Database with images], FamilySearch, Alex Gainer and Francis Gainer, 1874; FHL microfilm 1,940,234. Retrieved from: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:23HY-63R

[7] George Manker to Frances Gainer, Suwannee County, Florida Deed Book C, page 16. Copy in the possession of the author.

[8] Nathan H. Walker, by Sheriff, to Frances Gainer, Suwannee County, Florida Deed Book D, page 77. Copy in possession of the author.

[9] Alexander Gainer, Homestead Final Certificate 1236, 14 June 1877, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[10] Alexander Gainer, Homestead Application 5609, 11 May 1872, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[11] Alexander Gainer, Homestead Application Affidavit, 11 May 1872, Homestead Application 5609, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[12] Linc Wilson, Receiver, Receiver’s Receipt 5609, Alexander Gainer, Homestead Application 5609, 14 June 1872. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[13] Caleb Simpkins and Robert Allen, Witness affidavit, 1 June 1877.  Alexander Gainer, Homestead Application 5609, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Alexander Gainer, Homestead Final Affidavit, 14 June 1877, Homestead Applicati on 5609, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[16] John Varnum, Receiver, Final Receiver’s Receipt, 14 June 1877, Homestead Application 5609, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[17] Alexander Gainer, Homestead Final Certificate 1236, Homestead Application 5609, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[18] Land Office Card, Gainesville, Florida, Alexander Gainer, Homestead Application 5609, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA. Copy in the possession of the author.

[19], Alexander Gainer to M. M. Blackburn, Suwannee County, Florida, Deed Book J, pages 288-289. Copy in the possession of the author.

[20] Alex Gainer and Frances Gainer to Corra Manker, Suwannee County, Florida, Deed Book K, page 136. Copy in the possession of the author.

[21] Frances Gainer to James Moore and CJ Manker, Suwannee County, Florida, Deed Book S, page 436. Copy in the possession of the author.

[22] Ellen Williams and Carry Manker to Jesse Manker, Suwannee County, Florida, 10 April 1901. Copy in the possession of the author.

[23] Ellen Williams and Carry Manker to Mamie Edwards, Suwannee County, Florida, 27 March 1911. Copy in the possession of the author.

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#52Ancestors (Cousins) – Found! How cousin DNA matches helped me break through my most persistent brick wall

I’ve written about and lamented what seemed like an unsolvable ancestry brick wall, the identity of my great grandfather Joshua W. Williams’s paternal line. I had researched his life from the first time he showed up in public records on marrying my great grandmother, Ellin Wilson/Wilkinson in 1868.[1] I’d been told some information by my aunt, Lute Williams Mann, his granddaughter, however, he died in 1893,[2] a year before she was born, thus she never knew him personally. I was able to confirm most of what my aunt told me through research and learn even more. However, with a name like Williams, I could never determine which, if any, of the many other Williamses living in Live Oak, Florida, were related to my great grandfather, especially since his widow and children (including my grandfather, William Gainer Williams) left Florida for the New York/New Jersey area about 1899. [3] With no information about extended Williams family members, I turned to DNA.

photo (6)
William Gainer Williams, my grandfather

Because I was looking for a paternal line, I knew Y-DNA would be very important to helping me solve the puzzle, along with autosomal DNA. However, I’m a female. I don’t have Y-DNA. Unfortunately, my father and grandfather are both dead. My paternal uncles are both dead. My male paternal cousin is dead. Alas, both my half-brothers (my father’s sons from his first marriage) are also dead. Fortunately, I still had two options, my nephews Keith Williams (KW) and Christopher Williams (CW). I asked KW if he would take the Family Tree DNA (FtDNA) Y-DNA test. It showed that he had a European haplotype, R-M269, and one that is common in the United Kingdom. That was not a surprise, the family had always said Joshua’s father was of European descent.

The results didn’t seem to yield anything useful. His close matches had a variety of surnames, not just Williams. There was Jackson, Scott, and Hope. I tried to figure out their ancestral information, but in the absence of family trees, it wasn’t going anywhere. I was eventually contacted by two of the closest matches at the 67-marker level, one a Williams, the other a Hope. They were the two closest matches. The Hope contact was from the Clan Hope of Craighall Society. They invited us to join and offered help with the genealogy. Unfortunately, they were unable to make any more progress than I had.

The Williams contact was also a close match at the 111-marker level. The account manager, the niece of the match, provided family tree information. That family had roots in Arkansas and had also moved to Florida. Tracing the family back led to Tennessee and a Jeremiah Williams, but then the trail ran cold. Although my great grandfather had lived out his life from 1868 until his death in Florida, he and our family had maintained that his roots were in South Carolina – York, South Carolina, specifically. He had never lived in Tennessee as far as anyone knew or I could find through research. I figured that our connection went back additional generations, either to South Carolina or perhaps further to somewhere like Virginia or even the UK itself. However, we couldn’t figure it out. We just couldn’t find a link.

I followed another Y-DNA match from a lower marker match back through his line. It led from Arkansas to Tennessee to Virginia. There was no evidence that the family had a South Carolina connection. I concluded that we might be related back in Virginia, but clearly our closer ancestors had taken different paths. I needed to find a Williams family that went to South Carolina – York, South Carolina. It was time to turn back to my autosomal results.

York County, South Carolina
York County, South Carolina [Red inset]. Retrieved from Ancestry.com
I have tried to maximize my autosomal information by testing multiple family members. I have personally tested at AncestryDNA, 23 and also got Family Finder results for my nephew KW. I tested other family members, including CW at 23 and me (as well as myself); and my daughter Turquoise Williams (TW) and my niece Melody (MWM) at AncestryDNA. I uploaded my daughter’s and my niece’s results to Family Finder and Gedmatch. I uploaded KW’s results to My Heritage and Gedmatch. I knew that our mutual matches should help identify our Williams family line. There was also a grandniece, Monica (MTM), who had tested with AncestryDNA. That meant there were four of us in AncestryDNA from the Williams line, two of us in 23 and me, three of us in Family Finder, and two of us in My Heritage. There were also three of us in Gedmatch. I was fortunate enough to know also that there were other family members who had tested and that their tests could help me further narrow my results.

Keith in uniform
Keith V. Williams, Sr., my nephew

The most helpful person who had tested in Family Finder was a half first cousin, once removed, NT. She was the granddaughter of my father’s half-brother, Willard Leroy Williams (WLW). Since WLW had a different mother than my father, any matches with his daughter had to be Williams-line matches. That could help separate those who might match us because of my father’s mother’s family.

Leroy
Willard Leroy Williams, my father’s half-brother

[My father’s mother’s surname was Farnell. Several of those cousins have also tested with AncestryDNA, 23 and me, and Family Finder. Some of them have also uploaded to Gedmatch. Thus, I had a way to separate matches that are my Williams line from my father’s Farnell line. Sounds like it should have been easy to figure out, right? No, not at all.

I was able to sort my matches on AncestryDNA using the “Shared Matches” feature. As anyone knows who uses this database, many people do not have family trees linked to their results, or their trees are private, or the few people on their trees are living and therefore marked private. In other words, there was little to help figure out how these matches were related to my Williams family.

As it happens, most of my close cousin matches are from my mother’s family. I could quickly mark off my second cousin match and most of my third cousins, including those related to my paternal grandfather’s mother’s family (Ellin Wilson/Wilkinson). I found a few fourth cousin matches that were shared among our family test group, but none of the trees seemed to be helpful. I went back to look at the Y-DNA matches. I decided to drop back to look at the 12 marker matches. I found a couple of matches who hadn’t tested at higher markers but who listed a George Williams as their farthest back ancestor with dates of birth and death. This George was born in Wales and died in Virginia.[4] I followed his family forward, but it didn’t lead to South Carolina.

At the same time, I decided to look more closely at my Ancestry matches. I found a 4th-6th cousin match who had a tree with Williams names in it. In fact, this match had two different Williams lines. I needed to determine to which Williams line I was most likely related, including a George Williams also in Virginia.[5] George was turned out to be our common ancestor, but every indication was that we had a closer common ancestor. It appeared to be George’s son Fowler. George had lived in Virginia, but Fowler lived in South Carolina. However, he didn’t live in York County, but in neighboring Lancaster County.[6]

I had seven matches to descendants of Fowler that I had followed; four to his son Dr. James Jonathan Williams.[7] Thus, I thought it possible that I was descended from him. I attached him to my great grandfather to see how it might work out. However, I was still suspicious that I had the wrong son. My great grandfather, Joshua, had ended up in Florida. I noticed that none of Dr. Williams’s descendants went to Florida. Interestingly, the one whose tree I was following lived not far from me in Maryland. I decided I needed to look at my matches more carefully and the descendants of Fowler to see what else seemed plausible.

I had a third cousin match who didn’t have any tree. She was my closest shared match with my Williams test group and the other descendants of Fowler I was following. If I could figure out how she was related to the family, I might find the correct son who was my great-great grandfather. This effort was helped by using Ancestry’s Thru-Lines. Thru-Lines uses your matches’ family trees to suggest (it’s only a suggestion) how you are related to each other. This was going to be challenging, however, because my third cousin match, MH, had no family tree information listed, not even an unlinked tree.

While working through the descendants of one of Fowler’s other sons, George Washington Williams, brother of Dr. James Jonathan, I noted that many of George’s descendants had moved to Florida sometime around the end of the Civil War. They were not living in the same county as my great grandfather, but that wasn’t particularly surprising. I’m sure everyone was in search of opportunity wherever it led them. Perhaps more importantly, George, unlike his siblings, had moved to York County![8]

In following the descendants down to my match, EW, I noticed something else important, her mother’s first name was M; her married name was H! She was almost certainly my third cousin match, MH. To try to verify this information, I ran a background report on the website, “Been Verified.” What I find helpful about this site is that it gives you not only most recent contact information, but also address histories, relatives and associates. In looking up both MH and EW, it showed them as relatives of each other. I felt certain I had the right brother this time.

I tried to find probate information, hoping that an inventory would list those enslaved as well as having information about descendants. Unfortunately, George died in 1868, after the Civil War was ended. I decided to look at the 1850 slave schedule for York County. George was listed. He only had 8 enslaved people. All were marked “B” for Black, except one: a male infant marked “M” for Mulatto.[9] Could this be my great grandfather. Joshua? He was reportedly born in 1850. He was the only infant listed. It certainly seems likely.

1850 slave schedule George W Williams
1850 Slave Schedule, York County, SC, George W. Williams, owner

I’m still hoping to find a document associated with George that names Joshua, my great grandfather, Joshua. It would be the icing on the cake. Nevertheless, based on the many matches whom I have been able to add to my tree by researching the suggested links from Thru-lines, and even going back to my match list and picking out individuals whose trees provide a basis for further research, I can confidently say that I am a descendant of Fowler Williams’s son, George Washington Williams of York County, South Carolina. At long last, a 43-year quest for the answer to the question of who my great-great grandfather was, the father of Joshua W. Williams, my great grandfather, has come to an end.

References

[1] Florida, County Marriages, 1823-1982 [Database on-line]. Marriage of Joshua Williams and Ellin Wilson, 5 Nov 1868. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[2] Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974 [database on-line]. Probate of Joshua W. Williams, 26 Jun 1893, Live Oak, Florida. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[3] 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; William Williams, head; Ellen Williams, mother. NARA Roll: 1108; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0616; FHL microfilm: 1241108. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[4] George Williams Find A Grave Memorial, born circa 1727, Wales; died 5 April 1794, Fairfax County, Virginia. Retrieved from: Findagrave.com

[5] North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [Database on-line]. George Williams, 1732-1777, Virginia. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[6] North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [Database on-line]. Fowler Williams, born 1778, Virginia; died 1841, Lancaster District, South Carolina. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[7] U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [Database on-line]. Dr. James Jonathan Williams, born 21 Aug 1821, Lancaster District, South Carolina; died 15 Aug 1873, Union County, North Carolina. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[8] 1850; Census Place: York, York, South Carolina; George Washington Williams, head. NARA Roll: M432-860; Page: 267B; Image: 309. Retrieved from: Ancestry.com

[9] 1850; Census Place: York, York, South Carolina, Slave Schedule; George W Williams, owner: Male, Mulatto, age: 3/12 yrs. (3 months). Retrieved from: Familysearch.org

 

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#52Ancestors – Taxes:

Tax lists can help fill in information between census years. It can provide information on land ownership, a reference point for life events, how many of the household members are taxable, and what other personal property may exist because it was taxable. Tax lists have helped me clarify information on various ancestors.

Miles Lassiter

The old barn, Lassiter Family Farm, Lassiter Mill Road
Land owned by Miles Lassiter  inherited by his descendants

Miles Lassiter bought land in 1815 and subsequently sold it in 1826. That information seemed to indicate that he was aa free man of color. I had other information that corroborated that. One place I looked for confirmation was in the Randolph County tax lists. I looked for him in tax records and was disappointed at first. It did not seem that he was represented in the tax records. I thought that odd since, as I said, he had bought property in 1815. In looking at the 1820 tax list, I didn’t see it right away. It required learning additional information before recognizing his presence in the tax list. He was actually a slave married to a free woman of color, Healy Phillips. When looking through the list I realized he was not listed as Miles Lassiter. He was listed as Miles Phillip, a free man of color.[1] The tax registrar had used Healy’s surname. This was a singular name. There was no other Miles Phillip(s) in the county at that time, either white or of color.

 

Properties belonging to Miles and Healy have come down to descendants to the present day. Information in the various deeds and court cases which I discovered while researching my first book about my discovery of Miles Lassiter as my ancestor have provided valuable information to help sort out proper land boundaries.[2]

Lela Virginia Farnell Williams

Lela Virginia Farnell
Lela Virginia Farnell Williams, 1876-1914

My grandmother, Lela Virginia Farnell Williams, wrote in her autograph book, bible, and the inside flap of a book on the life of Queen Victoria, that she was born 28 September 1876, in Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida.[3] I had found her in the 1880 census with her parents, Randel and Sallie (Jacobs) Farnell. I tried to confirm that she was born in Live Oak by locating her father in the tax records. However, there was no evidence of her father in Suwannee County in 1876. The earliest that he could be found was 1877. I began to believe that she was possibly born in 1877 rather than 1876. I had found Randel in neighboring Columbia County in the 1870 census. I turned to the tax records for Columbia County. They revealed that Randel had not left Columbia County when the 1876 tax list was compiled. Once leaving Columbia County for Suwannee County, where his wife’s (Sallie) parents lived, there is no evidence that the family ever returned to Columbia County.[4] Assuming the 1876 date was accurate for Lela’s birth, she was born in Columbia County, but since she lived in Live Oak her entire childhood, from infancy, she may not have known that she was actually born in Lake City.

Joshua W. Williams

Ellin Wilson
Ellin Wilson Williams, 1854-1920

When “Aunt Lutie” was passing on stories of our Williams family, she stated that Josh owned a lot of property in Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida. I set about locating information that would corroborate that story. I looked in the deeds but only found one deed for property to be used for a school. That agreed with information that he had been a teacher. I looked in the tax records but only found one entry in 1877. However, that entry indicated that it was really his wife Ellen’s (Wilson) property. Upon further research, I was able to determine that the land to which my aunt was referring was land belonging to Joshua’s wife’s family, including her mother and step-father, Frances and Alex Gainer.[5]

Thus, taxes can be a very useful tool in resolving our genealogical questions.

References

[1] Randolph County Genealogical Society. 1820 Tax List. Randolph County, North Carolina: Miles Phillip. Asheboro, NC: Randolph County Genealogical society.

[2] See, Williams, M. (2011). Miles Lassiter (circa 1777-1850) An Early African American Quaker from Lassiter Mill, Randolph County, North Carolina: My research journey to home (Palm Coast, FL & Crofton, KY: Backintyme Publishing, Inc.)

[3] Williams, M. L. (1998). The Autograph Book of Lela Virginia Farnell. Journal of the Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society, Volume 17, Number 1.

[4] Williams, M. L. (1990). Lela Virginia Farnell Williams (1876-1914), An Early Student at the State Normal College for Colored Students, Tallahassee, Florida.  Journal of the Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society, Volume 11, Number 4.

[5] Williams, M. (2006). The Herbert Randell Williams Family. Available from the Author.

 

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#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Start: Lute Odette Williams Mann, 1894-1985

Lute Williams
Lute Odette Williams Mann, 1894-1985

Aunt Lutie, as we called her, was my father’s sister.  She was ten years older than he.  I adored her. It really made her happy that I was interested in the family history.  She said she was just like me, asking her (paternal) grandmother questions all the time. When I was still very young, maybe nine or ten years old, she wrote out much of the family history, complete with biblical “begats.” Much of what she told me I have been able to verify. It’s safe to say that I got the genealogy bug from her.

Aunt Lutie, herself, was born on 25 August 1894, in Live Oak, Suwannee, Florida.[1] She was the first-born child of William Gainer Williams and his wife Lela Virginia Farnell Williams. They had married on 12 February 1893, in Live Oak.[2]  Live Oak is the county seat of Suwannee County and in the early 1900s was being considered for the state capital. Although in the northern part of the state, it is halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee, but more importantly, it was a railroad hub with rail lines from throughout the state all converging there, in Live Oak.  Live Oak was also on the Suwannee river, with so many sulfur springs nearby that tourists flocked to the many hotels and resorts erected specifically to accommodate them. Alas, political machinations outmaneuvered those in support of Live Oak, thus making Tallahassee the final choice. Live Oak was also the original home of a state legislated normal school for students of color, that later moved to Miami and is now Florida Memorial University,[3] and the original home of the AME Church sponsored school that would become Edward Waters College, now in Jacksonville.[4]

Live Oak would become notorious for two dark events. One was the trial of Ruby McCollum for the murder of a white doctor. Her trial was covered by Zora Neale Hurston for the Pittsburgh Courier, a nationally distributed and heralded African American newspaper. Her story has been the subject of boks and documentaries, including a PBS special. The second event had a more immediate family impact.  In 1944, a 15-year-old, African American boy, Willie James Howard was lynched for sending a Christmas card to a white girl.[5] That event spurred our cousin and her husband, LouDavis Farnell Randolph and James Randolph to send their teenage son Clark away for his safety.

Aunt Lutie was surrounded by family in her early years. She lived near both her maternal and paternal grandparents. Her mother was the daughter of Randel Farnell and Sallie Jacobs Farnell. They had four children together: Maryland, William, Jack and Lela. Sallie had also had two other children: Anna (“Sis”) and Richard (“Dick”). Thus, there were aunts and uncles and cousins living nearby. Although a few had moved to Jacksonville, they came home often to visit. Lutie did not know her paternal grandfather, Joshua W. Williams. He had died 31 May 1893, a year before she was born, but her paternal grandmother, Ellin Wilson (aka Gainer) Williams, along with her father’s siblings all lived nearby. In addition, Ellin’s sister, Carry Manker and her family also lived close by. However, when Lutie was about 5 years old, family life changed.

She was never quite sure of the details, but apparently her father, my grandfather, William, got into some sort of altercation (possibly related to a woman, wouldn’t you know) and the entire family, Ellin, Williams, and all the siblings moved to New York City. They never returned to Florida to live, although Lutie at least, returned to visit her maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Once in New York, they settled into life in walk-up apartments instead of the single-family homes they had known in Florida. Still, they were near each other.  Lutie said that they lived in a small apartment, along with some cousins, “Tunk” and “Moore,” and as she put it, “they even had the nerve to have a boarder.” “Tunk” was possibly the “T. Davis,” nephew, living with Carry Manker, Ellin Williams’ sister on the 1885 Florida State census.[6] I’ve not been able to find him beyond that.  “Moore” was probably Walter Moore, the husband of Ellin’s niece, Christina Manker.[7]

In 1900, according to the census, William, Lela, Lutie, and younger brothers Charleton (“Jimmy”), and William Jr. lived on West 134th St., in New York City.[8] My father wasn’t born yet. However, a Joshua Jackson, “cousin,” was living in the home. According to the census he was born in Arkansas, but his parents were born in “SC” as were William’s. I remember telling Aunt Lutie about this and asking her about him. She said she had no idea because, in fact, he was not living there. I tried to insist, but she said the apartment was tiny and cramped and she knew perfectly well who was, and who was not, living there, and he was not living there. She was adamant, and I did not pursue it further. I did ask if she remembered him at all, but she said no. I would find information after many years searching that potentially identified him, but his exact relationship to the family is still unclear.

In the 1905 New Jersey state census, Lutie is found living with her grandmother, Ellin, and aunts and uncles: Calvin, Joshua, Edward, Jessie (called “Missy”), and May (Iva Mae, or “Babe”), and a boarder, Thomas Manns, on Woodward Street. in Jersey City.[9] Noticeable was the absence of her mother, father, brother Charleton (“Jimmy”), and baby brother, Herbert (“Herbie”), my father. Her brother William Jr. had died in 1902, while still a baby. So where might they have been?

My grandfather, William, was a waiter on the railroad, primarily the New York Central and New Haven lines.[10] His absence does not seem unusual. He could easily have been “on the road” when the census taker came around, but where were the others? It seemed logical that wherever Lela was, “Jimmy” and “Herbie” were because they were still young. Jimmy would have been eight years old, but Herbie would have been a baby, only about a year old.   Why was Lutie left behind? No idea. She was school age, maybe Lela felt she needed to stay and attend school. Then why wasn’t Jimmy left behind to attend school? Again, no idea. In fact, I have yet to locate them in a document, but I do have an idea where they may have been.

Aunt Lutie told me that her maternal grandmother, Sallie Jacobs Farnell, died from tuberculosis when my father, Herbie, was still in arms, in other words, less than two years old. I also knew that her maternal grandfather, Sallie’s husband, Randel Farnell, remarried 26 December1907 (Priscilla Vickers). Thus, I believe that Lela, Jimmy, and Herbie had gone to Florida because Lela’s mother was dying or had died. For whatever reason, Lutie was left behind with her paternal grandmother, aunts and uncles.

Lutie and her brother Jimmy would be sent to attend Joseph Keasbey Brick Agricultural, Industrial, and Normal School, a two-year college run by the American Missionary Association in Enfield, North Carolina. Today it is known as the Franklinton Center.[11] Lela was a strong proponent of education. She had attended Florida Normal and Industrial School, in Tallahassee, Florida, today known as Florida A&M University.[12] Their father, William, attended Edward Waters College, associated with the AME Church.[13] Lutie was not happy. She said she couldn’t relate to southern culture and did not get along with her classmates who were from the South primarily. On the other hand, her brother, Jimmy, was comfortable and stayed longer, although I have not determined whether he graduated. Back home in New Jersey, Lutie worked in her mother’s dressmaking business, but decided what she really wanted was to become a nurse. She was planning to attend the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing when, sadly, her mother, Lela died on Palm Sunday, 28 March 1914. According to Lela’s death certificate she had polycystic kidneys.[14] Lutie remembered that her mother was in excruciating pain before her death. Lela was buried in New York Bay Cemetery, in Jersey City.[15] Lutie’s nursing school plans were finished. She was now the de facto head of the family.  Her father moved to Manhattan where he pursued his own interests.

Lutie went to work as a waitress to help support her younger brothers.  Soon Jimmy joined his father in the railroad dining cars, leaving just Lutie and Herbie. Herbie remembered her being a tough taskmaster, using a souvenir circus whip to “spank” him when he was defiant. He said that one day when he had had enough, so while she was at work, he took the whip and buried it where she was not likely to find it. As she recounted to me that she had on one occasion reached for the whip in its usual place to discipline my father, but found it missing, my father suddenly began chuckling. Then, he said, “I buried it.” She was shocked. Then laughing she said she always wondered what happened to it. He retorted that he was sick of her hitting him, so he buried it. She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

Aunt Lutie would say that she had to be tough since she grew up with two brothers and their friends. She loved playing baseball with them, hiking up her long skirts so that she could run the bases efficiently. My father admitted also that she was the one person he had never been able to beat in a fight. Even as an older woman, getting off the bus wearing her high heels, she was not afraid to face down anyone who attempted to accost her. In fact, she kept a small knife in a special pocket she had sewn into the lining of each of her coats. She was in her eighties the last time someone attempted to take her purse as she got off the bus. “Come on,” she taunted. “Come on, I got something for ya,” she said as she planted her feet in a wide, but clearly solid stance.  Apparently, her would-be assailant was stunned by her brazen confrontation and he took off. Disaster averted. She was just as prepared for intruders at home as assailants on the street. She slept with a machete, given to her by a friend who brought it back from the Philippines. When reflecting on the law that said one couldn’t kill a potential intruder unless they were inside your home and posing an imminent threat, she announced, “Don’t worry, he’ll be inside the house by the time the police get here,” … and “if anyone tries to come through my (bedroom) window, I’ve got something for him,” referring to the machete.

After the death of their mother, Lutie and her brothers had continued to live in the home at 246 Van Horne St. However, she couldn’t keep up the expenses of home ownership alone, on a waitress’ salary. Lutie said that the family that bought the home soon left themselves. She said that the new owners complained that there was a woman who appeared on the stairs and kept reaching for their (the new owners’) son. Lutie surmised that it was Lela, trying to reach for Herbie, her favorite and youngest child. The owners decided they could not stay and thus sold the house, moving elsewhere, away from the ghostly woman.

Lutie was invited to work at a clothing Factory, in New York. However, she did not like the working conditions and she refused to return. Instead, she worked in restaurants and finally landed a very good job working for a private family. Eventually, she would become the head housekeeper and companion to a “spinster lady,” Helen Graff. Miss Graff, or “Miss Helen” as we called her, was independently wealthy. Typical of many wealthy women of her time, she had no career, but spent her time involved with volunteer work or traveling. Aunt Lutie ran the household that included about three in regular staff, including a chauffeur, but also hired additional personnel when needed. She had her own bedroom there, which she used primarily for her scheduled afternoon naps (I suspect those didn’t come about until later years), but stayed over if holiday or other entertaining lasted too late in the evening to travel across town to her own home. As her companion, she traveled with “Miss Helen” on her many motor trips in the US and Canada. On the other hand, Aunt Lutie didn’t like boats, so no cruises, nor would she fly, so no trips to Europe.  If Miss Helen took any of those trips, Aunt Lutie stayed behind taking this vacation time to travel to Florida to visit family. Miss Helen was kind to me as well. She often invited my parents and me to special events, and even to come visit when there were no events. I liked her. She and Aunt Lutie remained together until Miss Helen died in August of 1969.[16] At that time, Aunt Lutie retired to baseball games and cooking the fresh fish caught by her friend Bill on his fishing trips.

Lutie married Guy Mann on 22 Oct 1919, in New York.[17] They were compatible in the beginning, or so she thought, but slowly there was a wedge between them. Guy became controlling and jealous. He insisted all her money should be turned over to him. She disagreed. Ever resourceful, she had hidden some of her earnings in a separate bank account – and a gun under the stairway runner.  So, when he became abusive and threatening, she reached for that gun and dared him to stop her. She told him she had had enough, and he needed to go. This time, he did. She never married again. I knew she had a long-time companion, Jimmy Tate. Jimmy wanted to marry her, and he maintained hope right to his death, but she never relented. I believe he died in the 60s or possibly 70s, but I haven’t been able to identify with certainty his date of death.   I asked her one time why she never married Jimmy. She said that she prayed to God to rescue her from her marriage to Guy Mann, promising that if he did, she would never marry again. She said she planned to keep that vow. She did. Some years after Jimmy was dead, her friend Bill found himself without family or assistance as he recovered from a hospitalization.  She offered for him to come stay at her house where she could help him with some every day tasks and home health aides and visiting nurses would help with his medical needs. They were good friends and even after he regained his health, she allowed him to stay on, giving each of them the gift of companionship so many elders miss.

Aunt Lutie outlived both of her brothers. Jimmy died in 1977,[18] and Herbie died in 1982.[19] In late 1984, early 1985, now 90 years of age, Aunt Lutie began to have increased problems with her health. By mid-May she was hospitalized. The doctors determined that she had major vascular blockages in one of her legs and recommended amputation. True to her spunky style she began talking about learning to walk again with a prosthesis with enthusiasm. Then the doctors decided that the other leg was also a problem. Perhaps they would need to amputate that one as well. She was less enthusiastic about that prospect, but still optimistic. However, by early June, the doctors came back to say they would not be amputating the other leg because her overall cardiovascular health was so bad they did not feel there was anything they really could do to help her. This was a terrible blow. I made my regular bi-weekly visit, but did not find her to be despondent. I believe she may have had more candid conversations with my mother on her private visits. Still, I believe we both knew my visit around 8th or 9th of June would be our last.  I wanted to hold on to a slim hope that I would see her again, but on the morning of the 14th, my mother called me at my home in Maryland to tell me Aunt Lutie was gone and that I should come home immediately. My mother told me that a neighbor and good friend had been with her all day the day before (the 13th) and that Aunt Lutie seemed to be praying earnestly for God to take her home. Sometime in the early to mid-evening he did just that. A few days later we had a simple funeral, presided over by the minister at Salem Baptist Church, the church her mother had considered her home congregation. She was buried with her parents, William G. William and Lela V. Farnell Williams in New York Bay Cemetery, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, in Jersey City.[20] Bill continued to live in the home until he died two years later. He was buried in New York Bay Cemetery as well.

There has not been a day that I have not missed Aunt Lutie. Her spunk and independence provided great examples for me. She was my buddy. She was window into the past. I miss her. I wish she was here to share my genealogy discoveries and to hear her insights. I know she is looking down, but I surely would love to talk with her.

Endnotes

[1] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current [Database on-line]. Lute Mann, Born 25 Aug 1895, Died Jun 1985. Last Residence, Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey. Retrieved from:  https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36245888562/facts

[2] Florida, County Marriages, 1823-1982 [Database on-line]. Willie Williams and Lela V Farnell. Marriage Date: 12 Feb 1893, Suwannee County, Florida. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61369/TH-1961-33750-2996-56/1334168?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36156387155/facts/citation/960388118406/edit/record

[3] Live Oak, Florida: History. (10 December 2017). Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Oak,_Florida

[4] The History of Edward Waters College. EWC: Preserving History, Promising Futures. Retrieved from: http://www.ewc.edu/about/our-history/

[5] Live Oak, Florida: History. (10 December 2017). Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Oak,_Florida

[6] Florida, State Census, 1867-1945 [Database on-line]. Dwelling #343, Family #352, Carry Manker, head; T. Davis, nephew. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1506/FLM845_12-0448/75650?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36252694382/facts/citation/221890883362/edit/record

[7] Florida, County Marriages, 1823-1982 [Database on-line]. Walter Moore and Christina Manker, 19 April 1904. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61369/TH-1942-33744-17976-45/901610335?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36252699085/facts/citation/960369277168/edit/record

[8] 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; NARA Roll: 1108; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0616; FHL microfilm: 1241108. William Williams, head; Lute Williams, age 5. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36245888562/facts

[9] New Jersey, State Census, 1905 [Database on-line]. Ellen Williams, head; Lute Williams, age 11. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61557/48181_548696-00696/1210430?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36245888562/facts/citation/960387245438/edit/record

[10] 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 6, Hudson, New Jersey. William G. Williams, head. NARA Roll: T624_890; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0127; FHL microfilm: 1374903. https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7884/31111_4330912-00927/16404384?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36156387155/facts/citation/221436632424/edit/record

[11] Cross, J. (1979). Joseph Keasbey Brick Agricultural, Industrial, and Normal School (Brick School): 1895-1933. NCpedia. Retrieved from: https://www.ncpedia.org/brick-school

[12] Williams, M. (1990). Lela Virginia Farnell Williams (1876-1914): An Early Student at the State Normal College for Colored Students, Tallahassee, Florida, Journal of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, volume 11, number 4.

[13] The History of Edward Waters College. EWC: Preserving History, Promising Futures. Retrieved from: http://www.ewc.edu/about/our-history/

[14] New Jersey Death Certificate of Lela Williams, 28 March 1914. Copy in possession of the author.

[15] New Jersey Death Certificate of Lela Williams, 28 March 1914. Copy in possession of the author.

[16] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Helen Graff, Died: Aug 1969. Retrieved from  https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=3693&h=23264556&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=mVb2035&_phstart=successSource

[17] New York City, Marriage Indexes, 1907-1995 [Database on-line]. Guy Mann and Lute O. Williams, 22 October 1919. Retrieved from: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61406/47512_546399-01934/8581990?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/66453873/person/36245888562/facts/citation/960387246431/edit/record

[18] Death of Charleton Joshua “Jimmy” Williams, April 1977. Personal Knowledge.

[19] New York City Death Certificate. Herbert Randell Williams, 2 April 1982. Copy in the possession of the author.

[20] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [Database on-line]. Lute Mann, Died: June 1985. Retrieved from: https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=3693&h=38748092&ssrc=pt&tid=66453873&pid=36245888562&usePUB=true