The Williams Family

My direct descendants are in bold type. This is a work in progress. Much of my direct line is documented, but some may not be. If there is a question, I usually include words like "seems likely" or "possibly" in hopes that it may help someone else or eventually get me closer to documentation. Also, I do make errors when transferring info to my files or to the site. If you find errors that you can correct, please e-mail me and I'll gladly make the changes or if you have more information on anyone mentioned here and can share it, I would be really appreciative.

Although George S. Williams (1797-1852), my 4th great-grandfather, is as far back as I can currently prove my Williams ancestry, there are some clues that indicate his ancestry.

One set of clues can be found in the anecdotal and recorded connections between the Williams and Castellaw families in Bertie County, N.C.

The earliest Williams/Castellaw connection from my own line can be found in the marriage of my 6th great-grandparents James Castellaw  (1685-1749) and Sarah Williams (1698-1770). James was born in Scotland and migrated to America when he was in his thirties. It appears he was wealthy, settled on land in Chowan and Bertie Counties and became very active in local politics. James married Sarah Williams no later than 1724.

She was a daughter of John Williams and Ann Moore (Moor) Williams. 

In extensive research by Ben Williams, John is referred to as “John Williams the Younger” as his father was also John Williams.

About John Williams the Younger
Possibly my 7th Great-grandfather, 1672–1757

John Williams the Younger was born around 1672, likely in Surry County, Virginia, one of the first settled American colonies, to John Williams and possibly Anne Vasser. John came to the new world as an indentured servant to Captain William Butler in 1666 from the port of Bristol, England with his good friend John Moor. He eventually worked off his debt and acquired large tracts of land in Virginia. John Williams the Younger grew up in an area called Jenkin’s Pond in the Kingsdale area of Isle of Wight, Virginia in the same community as his father’s friend John Moor who had become a shoemaker. John Williams the Younger married John Moor’s daughter Ann and they were the parents of seven confirmed children born from 1692 to 1706: John III, Theophilus, Ann (Herring), James, Isaac, Sarah (Castellaw), Mary (Herring) and Arthur. In the summer of 1713, John the Younger and his family migrated to North Carolina where they settled near what would become Edenton on 360 acres on the Cashie River in Albemarle County. At some point in the 1720s, John’s daughter Sara married James Castellaw. Through the decades, John shows up on many land transactions and other legal documents for the area and becamce very propersous. Eventually, he had many children and grandchildren farming on both sides of the Cashie River. He made out his will in Bertie County on March 13, 1746 but did not die until around October 1757 when he was 85 years old. Source

There is no proof that my ancestor George Williams was a descendant of John the Younger, but there is an interesting connection from the Williams/Castellaw families of Bertie County during John the Younger’s time and my ancestors in Haywood County. 

James Castellaw and and Sara Williams Castellaw (John the Younger’s daughter) had two sons at the time of James’ death in 1749. Their son Thomas settled on his father’s land in Duplin County, while their son John settled on the family land in Bertie County.

This John Castellaw was the grandfather of my 4th great-grandfather John Dawson Castellaw. 

According to stories passed down through the generations, John Dawson Castellaw led a large group of families from Bertie County, North Carolina to Haywood County, Tennessee in the early 1830s to settle on some of the land made available by North Carolina to those who served in the Revolutionary War. Many of the families led by John Dawson Castellaw in that wagon train were members of Capeharts Baptist Church back in Bertie County, and one of the first things Castellaw and the others did when they arrived to their new home was to build Zion Baptist Church. To fill the pulpit of that church, they sent back to Bertie for a minister named George S. Williams. 

George S. Williams
My 4th Great-grandfather, 1797–1852

George S. Williams was born in 1797 likely in Bertie County, North Carolina. He was married to Nancy F. who was born in 1810.

He was first mentioned in the minutes of Bertie County’s Holly Grove Baptist Church on December 13, 1828 as “Brother” George Williams.

Holly Grove Baptist Church in Bertie County, North Carolina was originally organized as Outlaw’s Chapel in 1804 with 99 members. Around 1825 Outlaw’s Chapel officially became Holly Grove Baptist Church. A few years later, a group of those church members started a new church in Haywood County, Tennessee and named it Holly Grove Baptist Church, possibly as a nod to their friends and family back in Bertie County.

In the January 1829 Holly Grove minutes, George Williams was referred to as an elder. He was unanimously chosen to pastor the church for one year on March 9, 1833. On March 28, 1833, he accepted the call of the church to serve them as pastor for one year provided the church would change their meeting times from the second to the first Sunday each month.

In the April 12, 1834 minutes, 24 dollars for his services during the previous year was mentioned. On May 3 of the same year, he agreed to serve “as long as convenient.” In May 1835, he and Henry White agreed to serve the church together. In March 1836, the church wanted Mr. Williams and Mr. White to serve again, but only Henry White served. Nothing further was mentioned in the minutes of Holly Grove Baptist Church about George Williams. Source: Lynn from Bertie Co., North Carolina

Meanwhile, Bertie County had become crowded and the farmers and plantation owners needed more land. One group of the families found the answer to this challenge 800 miles east in Haywood County, Tennessee.

By the early 1800s, the exploding population of the farms and plantations along the east coast resulted in a serious deficit of farm and timberland. If you wanted to expand your family’s wealth, there was nowhere to grow but west.

And there was really only one thing standing between white settlers and what they considered their “manifest destiny” to conquer and settle the wilderness—the Native Americans.

In 1817, President James Monroe appointed Andrew Jackson, representing Tennessee, and Isaac Shelby, representing Kentucky, to negotiate a treaty with the Chickasaw who were making it very difficult for settlers wanting to occupy what was called the “Land Between the Rivers.”

For 8,500 square miles, Jackson and Shelby agreed on behalf of the United States to the Treaty of Tecumseh in which the Chickasaws were paid $300,000, at the rate of $20,000 annually for 15 years, in return for the right to all Chickasaw land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Mississippi state line. You can read more about that in this blog entry.

As those from Bertie County joined others in claiming land in West Tennessee and wagon trains poured into the area, one of the first things they did was set up churches that would be centers for both their religious needs but also as a place to make community connections.

A group of families in my family line began one of those churches and called it Zion Baptist Church. According to “A History of Zion Church,” in mid-November, 1836 the new church convened in their new building and elected a pastor. “Brother Leggit moved that an offer be extended to George Williams (my 4th great-grandfather) for $60 per year:

1836 — Saturday before the 3rd Lords day in November, 1836, the church convened in their new building and conference was opened by prayer. The church then proceeded to elect a pastor. It was moved by brother Leggett and seconded by Brother Rooks that Brother George Williams be our pastor for the ensuing year. Brother Outlaw was instructed to write Brother Williams informing him that he was chosen pastor of Zion Baptist Church and requesting him to attend the next meeting.

1838 – George Williams elected pastor – salary $60.00 per year

1846 – Salary of pastor $75.00 paid in installments April 1849 – Brother George Williams wrote an epistle of three pages reminding church of preaching under the oak trees and reminding them to pray for the young people, that God would convert, prosper and keep them in heavenly places.

Cobb, Bernie. A History of Zion Baptist Church. Brownsville: Self-published, 23.

In the 1850 United States Federal Census, George Williams and his wife Nancy were living in District 11 in Madison County, Tennessee which borders Haywood County. He was 53, Nancy was 40 and their daughter Harriet A. was 17. His occupation was listed as “Baptist minister.” The value of his real estate was $3,700.

He was living next door to his son, George Solomon Williams, and his young family.

Living on the other side of the George Williams family was the family of Hugh A. Montgomery. Montgomery was the husband of George’s daughter, Mariah Williams. She died before the 1850 census but likely after 1848 because in 1850 Hugh was the father of:

• a 20-year old daughter, Elizabeth T.
• a 5-year-old son, James Alexander
• a 2-year old daughter, Elenora

On Aug. 12, 1861, James Alexander Williams enlisted in the Civil War at Camp Blythe in the Sixth Infantry.  

George Williams died on Oct. 3, 1852. Although it’s not known for certain, he was possibly buried in the Montgomery Family Cemetery alongside his daughter.

After his death, George Williams’ property and proceeds from the sale of his slaves were divided between his son Solomon, his wife, Nancy F. (who remarried a man named Edward Williams – possibly a brother of George), and his grandson James Alexander Montgomery, who was still a minor.

At the time of his death, Williams was the owner of four slaves: Milly, a woman who was young enough to be the mother of small children; Ned, Millie’s son who was around three years old in 1853 during the probate of the estate; Winnie, Millie’s daughter who was around 19 months old; and Henrietta, a young girl who was 15 years old.

The children of George and Nancy Williams were:

George Solomon “Sol” Williams
My 3rd Great-grandfather, 1820—1864

George Solomon “Sol” Williams was born March, 1820. On Feb. 6, 1844 he married Catherion Arthur Nowell when she was 16 and he was 24.

Catherion was the daughter of Dempsy Nowell and Elizabeth Rawls.

Dempsy left Bertie County, North Carolina around 1832 to settle in Haywood County and in 1839 was ordained a deacon at Zion Baptist Church. From the activities in which Dempsey participated, it’s evident he was educated. He could read and write and there were several “lots of books” in the inventory of his estate.

According to his will, at the time of his death in 1852 he owned over 600 acres of land and many slaves. (source). At age 13, in 1841, Catherion “professed faith in Christ” and was baptized into the fellowship of Zion Baptist Church by Elder Hugh Coffen (“A History of Zion Baptist Church,” Cobb). Solomon’s father had, only a year before, been the pastor of Zion so they likely met at church. In the 1850 US Federal Census, he used the name Solomon and was then 30, living in District 11, Madison County, Tennessee. Catherion was 23 and they had two children, Elizabeth who was 6 and George who was 4. Solomon listed his occupation as “farmer.”

By the time of the 1860 census, the Solomon Williams family had moved to District 5 in Haywood County. Elizabeth and George were then 15 and 13 and had been joined by siblings John, Edward and William E.

Solomon died 14 years later at the age of 44. His widow Catherion would live another 31 years.

Catherion Williams died in 1895:

Obituary of Catherion Arthur Williams
Sister C.A. Williams is gone. She was born in North Carolina Bertie County Feb 6, 1828. Her parents moved to Tennessee Haywood County when she was quite young. She professed faith in Christ and was baptized into the fellowship of Zion Church by Elder Hugh Coffen at the age of 13 years which she lived a consistent member til her death. She was married February 6, 1844, and was the mother of eleven children of whom 5 are living and members of the Baptist church. She departed this life the 3rd day of August 1895 being 67 years 5 months old. Our loss is her gain and we say to her relations and friends to strive to meet her in Heaven where the wicked cease from broubing and the weary are at rest. September 14, 1895.

Written by JCW Cobb and W.T. Morris Zion Baptist Church Book of Obituaries

Catherion’s lands are divided among her heirs. “…said commissioners allotted and set apart Lot No.6, and during the natural life of Catherion A. Williams with remainder after her death to said Jno. N. Williams…”
Haywood County Court Minute Bk 6:608-618 March 19, 1894

The children of Sol and Catherion Williams were:

Last	First	Born	Location Born	Died	Location Died	Spouse
Williams	Mary Elizabeth	March 1845	Haywood Co., TN	17 May 1924	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Holly Grove Bap Church Cem	John Ambrose Thomas b. Jan 1844 m. 1865 d. 1922
The children of Elizabeth and John A. Thomas were: Lavena, George S. Albert E., Frances “Fanny” Marian, Victoria and Grover C. J.A. Thomas was the leader at Zion Baptist Church who presented the “letters of demission” for those who were leaving to start Holly Grove Baptist Church on Sept. 27, 1885.
Williams	George D. (Dempsey?)	6 Nov 1847	Haywood Co., TN	2 Apr 1919	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Possibly Haywood Co. Cotton Field	Martha Jane Watridge b. 27 Aug 1852 m. 15 Dec 1868 d. 22 Dec 1888 . Mollie Collier b. m. 24 Nov 1889 d. . Virginia Estelle Cobb b. 21 April 1861 m. 4 March 1900 d. 18 Dec 1919 Grave: Cobb Family Cemetery
Williams	John Nowell	25 June 1851	Haywood Co., TN	29 Aug 1928	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Holly Grove Baptist Church Cemetery	Mary Katherine “Molly” Cobb b. 8 April 1857 m. 1881 d. 13 Nov 1938
John Williams married Molly Cobb in 1881. She was a daughter of Leonard Decatur and Mary Amanda Rooks Cobb. Their daughter was Zelma Aurene (1895-1991) who married Roy Earl Simpson (1894-1978). Zelma and Roy Simpson were the parents of J. B. Simpson, Emma Lee Simpson Stewart, Leland Earl Simpson, May Belle Simpson Duffy and Roy Earl Simpson Jr. You can read more about the Cobb family here. In the 1900 census, John and Mollie Williams were living next door to my second great-grandfather George D. Williams and his third wife, Virginia Estelle “Essie” Cobb Williams, and their 15-year-old daughter Elberta. Essie was a daughter of John Charles Warren Cobb and Penelope Trottman White.   Also living close by was George’s son (and my great-grandfather) Will whop was 12 years old and living with his maternal aunt and uncle, George W. Castellaw and Mary E. Watridge Castellaw (his mother and Mary E. Watridge Castellaw were sisters). It’s certainly possibly they helped raise Will. When he was a baby, his mother died at the age of 36 leaving her husband a widower with five children to raise. George and Mary Castellaw had no other children. You can read more about the Castellaw family here and the Watridge family here.
Williams	Edward W.	1853	Haywood Co., TN	1893	Haywood Co., TN	Amanda Crowder b. Jan 1853 m. 23 Dec 1873 d. 05 June 1921 Grave: Unknown
Note: Edward and Amanda had six children: Mark K, Edward, Foster, Maggie, Nellie Mae and Lem E. Their daughter, Maggie, shot her husband Ellis on July 4, 1917. You can read more about her here.
Williams	William E.	1856	Haywood Co., TN	Unknown	Unknown	Eliza A. Chandler
The children of Will and Eliza were: Nellie Kate, Lizzie W., Mable L., and Dan B.  On 27 Sept 1885, W.E. Williams was among the men and women who petitioned for a “letter of dissmision” from Zion Baptist Church so they could form Holly Grove Baptist Church. You can read more about them here.
Williams	Catherine E. “Katie”	1860	Haywood Co., TN	Unknown	Unknown	William L. Booth
Williams	Rebecca Marie	1863	Haywood Co., TN	1 Oct 1890 Age: 27	Haywood Co., TN	Cicero Booth b. 25 Oct 1859 m. 1896 d. 17 Apr 1924
The daughter of Rebecca and Cicero was Blanche.

George D. Williams
My 2nd Great-grandfather, 1846—1919

George D. Williams was born Nov. 27, 1846. In 1862, at the age of 15 he “professed religion” at Zion Baptist Church and was baptized by Rev. G.E. Thomas. On Dec. 15, 1868 he married Martha Jane Watridge and they soon began what would become a large family.

Martha Jane had been born August 27, 1852 and was the daughter of James F. Watridge and and the granddaughter of William and Millie Watridge who moved to Haywood County, Tennessee from Bertie County, North Carolina in the early 1830s and were among the founding settlers of the community.

You can read more about the Watridge family here.

Martha died in 1888 at the age of 36 leaving George a widow with five children. Her youngest son Will, my great-grandfather, was less than a year old at the time.

Martha Jane Watridge Williams Obituary

Martha J. Williams died 22 Dec 1888 wife of G.D. Williams and daughter of James Watridge and granddaughter of Bro. Deacon W. Watridge. Married George D. Williams 17 Dec 1868. She was born 27 Aug 1852. Leaves husband and 4 Children, one an infant babe.

Zion Baptist Church Book of Obituaries, 5.

It’s possibly that at some point, young Will began living with with his maternal aunt and uncle, George W. Castellaw and Mary E. Watridge Castellaw (his mother and Mary E. Watridge Castellaw were sisters) because in the 1900 census he was 12 years old and recorded as living in their home. Will’s father, George, and his third wife, Essie Cobb Williams, were living close by.

George and Mary Castellaw had no other children.

On Nov. 24, 1887, about a year after his first wife’s death, George married Mollie Collier. It is unknown if she died or they divorced, but on March 4, 1900, he married Virginia Estelle “Essie” Cobb. Together, they had a daughter, Lorene, who married Henry Brantley. Henry was a son of Walter Earl Brantley, the brother of my 3rd great-grandfather Henry Preston Brantley.

In 1910, George and Essie lived next door to Champ and Maggie Watridge.

George died at the age of 72 on April 2, 1919 and was buried in the Williams family cemetery in Haywood County, Tennessee. The undertakers were listed as “Castellaw and Watridge.”

George D. Williams Obituary

“G.D. Williams died 2 April 1919, born 6 Nov 1847. Professed religion 1862 at Zion Church. Baptized by Rev. G.E. Thomas.”

Zion Baptist Church Obituary Book, 88.

My father mentioned to me that when he and his father, Lloyd “Bo” Williams, would go hunting, Bo would point over to a section of a cotton field and tell him that his grandfather, George Williams was buried there. My father and one of his childhood friends Milton Booth both remembered the cemetery and that there were several headstones that were located within an iron fence. Milton took me back through the cotton field to check it out. While no headstones remained, the remnants of an iron fence were still visible. I returned with my father in the winter when the surrounding brush had died back in hopes of finding some headstones but found none.

George Williams’ death certificate indicates that he was buried in the “Family Burial Ground” and a relative of the Williams family was recently able to confirm the location. Maggie Williams Sullivan, another relative,  was also likely buried there as well. Visit my blog for more details.

The children of George and Martha Jane Watridge Williams were:

Will Williams
Great-grandfather, 1888—1962

Will Williams was born Feb. 13, 1888. His mother died when he was less than a year old. In the 1900 census, Will was living with his maternal aunt and uncle. On Feb. 6, 1910, he married Janie Williamson who was the daughter of Joe and Mary Elizabeth Joyner Williamson.

Janie’s grandfather was a well known Methodist preacher named Beverly M. Williamson and her grandmother was Harriet Elinor Dougan, the offspring of a revolutionary war hero. Beverly M. Williamson donated the land on which Providence Methodist Church and cemetery in Madison County, Tennessee was built.

Janie’s mother Mary Elizabeth died when Janie was 11 years old.

Will and Janie had their first child, my grandfather Lloyd “Bo” Williams, ten months after getting married.

When Bo was just 4 years old, his mother Janie died after giving birth to a daughter who was named Ruth. Ruth only lived a few months. Years later, as a very old man, “Daddy Bo” as he was called by then, shared a few memories of his mother. He shared that his after his mother died, his father saw a schoolteacher riding by in a wagon and told friends he was going to marry her. Will married the teacher, Eva Iris Overton, on Feb 25, 1915, six months after the death of his first wife.

Eva Overton

My great-grandfather’s second wife, Eva Overton, was the daughter of Robert Hardy Overton (July 22, 1872 – July 3, 1931) and Ladonia Jones (Oct. 1, 1874 – Jan. 31, 1899). Her paternal grandparents were John M. Overton (Jan. 27, 1842 – March 8, 1905) and Parthenia Ann Chambers (Apr. 18, 1842 – Aug. 1, 1907), and her maternal grandparents were Joseph D. Jones (born 1850) and Zenobia Caroline Stanfield (Oct. 8, 1853 – July 10, 1891). Both parents and all four of her grandparents were born, lived and died in either Haywood or Madison County.

Daddy Bo remembered telling his father he would never call her mother and, in his nineties, said with pride, “and I never did.” He called her “Mizz Eva” growing up.

According to family history, when Will’s first wife and daughter died, he had a hard time taking care of his young son. Some of Janie’s family went to Will and strongly suggested that if he couldn’t get it together and take care of Bo, they would take him away and care for him themselves.

Photo Gallery of Will and Eva Williams and Family

[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”5″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails” override_thumbnail_settings=”0″ thumbnail_width=”240″ thumbnail_height=”160″ thumbnail_crop=”1″ images_per_page=”26″ number_of_columns=”0″ ajax_pagination=”0″ show_all_in_lightbox=”0″ use_imagebrowser_effect=”0″ show_slideshow_link=”1″ slideshow_link_text=”[Show slideshow]” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]Will and Eva Williams had eight children together. Will was a farmer and is remembered as being a tall man with a good sense of humor. From photos, it’s obvious he dressed well for the time and place. He farmed and raised his family in a house near the Providence exit off I-40. Eva, is remembered as being small and jolly, always smiling with a very pleasant disposition.

By all accounts, she considered Bo her own son and my father would remember her treating them no differently than she and Will’s other grandchildren. Will Williams died in 1962 and Eva lived another eight years, dying in 1970.

Will and Eva Williams are buried at Memorial Gardens in Haywood County. Will’s first wife, Janie is buried at Providence Methodist Church Cemetery in Madison County along with her parents, grandparents and siblings. 

The children of Will and Janie Williamson Williams were:

The children of Will and Eva Overton Williams were:

Last	First	Born	Location Born	Died	Location Died	Spouse
Williams	Martha Ladonia	01 June 1916	Haywood Co., TN	12 Nov 1979	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Memorial Gardens	Elmer Franklin “Billy” Chandler b. 5 May 1917 m. May 31, 1936 d. 13 Nov 1990
The children of Billy and Ladonia Chandler were Jean and Helen Jane.Obituary of Jean Chandler LaFrain, daughter of Billy and Ladonia Chandler Martha ” Jean” Chandler LaFrain, age 66 passed away at her residence in Bartlett, TN on Thursday, April 28, 2011. Graveside Funeral Services will be held at 10 AM, Monday, May 2, 2011 in Brownsville Memorial Gardens. A visitation for the LaFrain family will be Sunday, May 1, 2011 from 5-8 PM in the Lea & Simmons Funeral Home. She was preceded in death by her parents: Billy and Ladonia Williams Chandler. She is survived by two sons: Dylan LaFrain (Roselyn) Stanton, TN, Chandler LaFrain (Jo) Bells, TN, her sister Helen Lemmons, Bartlett, TN, three grandchildren: Kalyan, James and Harlea LaFrain. In lieu of flowers the family request memorials be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
William s	Mary Elizabeth “Blue Eyes”	04 Sept 1918	Haywood Co., TN	25 June 1999	Memphis, TN Buried: Hollywood Memorial Gardens Madison Co., TN	Thelma Frank Barden b. 9 May 1912 m. 29 Mar 1941 div. 1946 d. 16 Apr 1991.Sydney Edward Hudgings b. 9 Oct 1922 d.12 June 1977
Sydney worked for S&W Construction Company in Memphis (as did my father), and was killed when a crane that was not properly stabilized fell.
Williams	William Lafayette, Jr. “W.L.”	28 Oct 1921	Haywood Co., TN	07 June 1966	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Oakwood	Edna Mabel Barden b. 8 May 1823 m. 13 Mar 1942 d. 22 Jan 2012
W. L. and Mabel had five daughters: Frances Williams Kuykendall, Liz Williams Towater, Lanette Williams Pratt, Brenda Williams Weaver and Susan Williams Floyd.
Williams	Douglass Maxwell	06 May 1925	Haywood Co., TN	07 Nov 2015	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Memorial Gardens	Martha Ann Clarke b.1 Nov 1934 m. 30 Aug 1951 d.
Douglas M. Williams Obit Mr. Douglas M. Williams, age 90, born May 6, 1925 in Haywood County and married his wife: Martha Ann Williams on August 30, 1951. Mr. Williams passed away Saturday, November 7, 2015 at his home in Brownsville, TN. Funeral Services will be held Monday, November 9, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. in the Lea and Simmons Funeral Home with burial to follow in Brownsville Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Sunday, November 8, 2015 from 4:00-6:00 P.M.in the Lea and Simmons Funeral Home. Mr. Williams was preceded in death by his parents: W.L. Williams, Sr. and Eva Overton Williams, four brothers: J.L. Williams, Billy Williams, W.L. Williams, Jr., Dempsey Williams and two sisters: Ladonia Chandler and Mary E. Hudgins. Mr. Williams is survived by his wife of 64 years: Martha Ann Williams, Brownsville, TN, two sons: Max Williams (Debi) Brownsville, TN, David Williams (Lori) Bells, TN, one daughter: Lisa Powell (Chuck) Jackson, TN, one brother: Bobby Williams (Mary), Brownsville, TN, one sister: Betty Robinson, Memphis, TN, five grandchildren: Ashley Hodges (Cole), Anna Powell, Kara Roudabush (Barrett), Katie Williams, Jacob Williams and two great-grandchildren: Meg and Mary Clark Hodges.  Memorials are requested to Brownsville Baptist Church Women’s Ministry, P.O. Box 177, Brownsville, TN 38012.
Williams	Dempsey Hardie	15 Sept 1929	Haywood Co., TN	18 Sept 2014	Toone, Hardeman Co., TN  Buried: Dancyville United Methodist Church Cemetery More	Dorothy Rose Williams b. 1931 d. 1998 . Betty Jo Culbreath b. 21 Mar 1939 d. 16 Feb 2012
Dempsey Williams Obit Toone, TN – Mr. Dempsey Williams, age 85, passed away Thursday, September 18, 2014 at his home in Toone, TN. Graveside funeral services will be held Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 2 p.m., in the Dancyville United Methodist Church Cemetery. Mr. Williams was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Culbreath Williams; his parents, William Lafayette and Eva Overton Williams; three brothers, Bo Williams, W.L. Williams, Billy Williams; two sisters, Ladonia Chandler and Mary Hudgins. He is survived by his daughter, Rosemary Moss (Skip); two brothers, Douglas Williams (Martha Ann), Bobby Williams (Mary), all of Brownsville, TN; one sister, Betty Robinson, Bartlett, TN; one grandson, Will Moss and one great-grandchild, Makya Moss. Memorials are requested to: The Jo Williams Cancer Memorial Fund, c/o First Baptist Church of Toone, P.O. Box 96, Toone, TN 38381; or the National Bird Hunters Association, P.O. Box 774, 505 Hwy. 57, Grand Junction, TN 38309. You read an article about Dempsey in American Field magazine in this blog entry. Betty Joan (Jo) Culbreath Williams Obit Toone, TN – Betty Joan (Jo) Culbreath Williams, age 72, ended her brave battle with cancer on Thursday evening, February 16, 2012 at her home in Toone, TN. Funeral services will be Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 2 p.m., in the Lea & Simmons Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in the Dancyville United Methodist Church Cemetery. Mrs. Williams was a real estate broker and the owner of Williams Real Estate. In 2004, she received her auctioneer license for Tennessee and Mississippi. For 10 years, she worked with Lynn Jackson Auctioneers and Real Estate in Bolivar. Mrs. Jo was the chairman of the Haywood County Democratic Party for 5 years, and a member of the First Baptist Church in Toone. Mrs. Williams was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Grace Brashars Culbreath; two brothers, Bobby Edward Culbreath and Billy Gene Culbreath. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Dempsey Williams, Toone, TN; her daughter, Rosemary Williams Moss (Skip) Brownsville, TN; one grandson, Will Moss; one great-granddaughter, Makya Moss and a sister-in-law, Mary Alice Culbreath. Memorials may be made to the Jo Williams Cancer Memorial Fund, c/o First Baptist Church of Toone, P.O. Box 96, Toone, TN 38381. More about Betty Jo Williams
Williams	Betty Iris	26 May 1932	Haywood Co., TN	Living		Hubert Ray Robinson d. Sept. 11, 2006
Betty and Ray are the parents of Beverly Diane Robinson, Thomas Ray Robinson, Terry Lynn Beal and Kimberly Gail Robinson.
Williams	Billy Dean	13 June 1935	Haywood Co., TN	18 Nov 1995	Haywood Co., TN Buried: Memorial Gardens	Betty Joyce Finney b. 4 Dec 1933 m. 23 Jul 1960 d. 24 Aug 1916
Billy and Mary were the parents of Timothy Dean Williams, Steven Gene Williams died 7-28-91 and Daniel Lee Williams
Williams	Bobby Gene	13 June 1935	Haywood Co., TN			Mary Louise Shealy b. 1 July 1938 m. 14 May 1960

Jessie Lloyd “Bo” Williams
My Grandfather, 1910 – 1998

Jesse Lloyd “Bo” Williams was born in Haywood County, Tennesse on Nov. 27, 1910. He married Elizabeth Castellaw on Aug. 19, 1933. They lived in a small wooden house about a half mile from where Bo’s grandfather, George Dempsey lived and is thought to be buried. Like Bo, Elizabeth’s family had been living in Haywood County since the early 1830s so they likely met at school, a local community party or church event.Elizabeth remembered waking up on the morning of her wedding and her father, Bob Castellaw had come into her room during the night and put pots and pans in her bed as a wedding gift. You can read more about the Castellaw Family here.

Bo and Elizabeth farmed the land on which they lived as well as several other acres belonging to Elizabeth’s father, Bob Castellaw.

Photo Gallery of Bo and Elizabeth Williams and Family

[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”6″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails” override_thumbnail_settings=”0″ thumbnail_width=”240″ thumbnail_height=”160″ thumbnail_crop=”1″ images_per_page=”26″ number_of_columns=”0″ ajax_pagination=”0″ show_all_in_lightbox=”0″ use_imagebrowser_effect=”0″ show_slideshow_link=”1″ slideshow_link_text=”[Show slideshow]” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]In addition to farming, Bo also worked as a farmer and as a foreman in the construction business. His son remembers that the first thing Bo built was a set of steps for their house. Using mules and a large scoop, the family dug a pond on their property. 

Bo and Elizabeth had two sons, Jesse Earl and (my father) Robert Lafayette who was called Bobby.  Because Bo’s father, Will Williams, also had a son named Bobby Williams, my father was called “Little Bobby” by the family. Jesse Williams owned a computer business in the early days of computers, My father played basketball at the University of Tennessee, Martin, then transferred to the University of Memphis where he received a
BA in marketing. He later received his masters of divinity at Southwestern Baptist Seminary and pastored churches in Texas, Virginia and Tennessee. He is currently the pastor of Stanton Baptist Church in Stanton, Tennessee.

Bob married Shirley Lovelace and Jesse married Joline Mann Joyner, both from families who settled in Haywood County in the 1830s. More about the Lovelace and Joyner families.

Bob and Shirley are the parents of my sister, Heather Williams Durham and I, while Jesse and Joline were the parents of Pat Williams, Donna Williams Taylor and David Williams.

Jesse was well known for his sense of humor and passion for issues about which he felt strongly. He died at age 62 in 1997 following a tractor accident on his pond bank and was buried at Providence Methodist Church very close to the graves of his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Joline died May 21, 2015.

Bo and Elizabeth were called Granny and Daddy Bo by their grandchildren.

Bo spent much of his time after his retirement with horses, while Elizabeth continued to cook, sew and quilt. She loved to fish and always had a jar of “Catfish Charlie” on hand. They both loved to play the card game Rook. Bo lost multiple fingers to Skill saws through the years and, as a young man, lost his eye when a chip of wood flew up and hit it. 

I was fortunate enough to get to spend a lot of time with both sets of grandparents from childhood through the early years of adulthood, and all four contributed mightily to my life.

Elizabeth died of emphysema in 1999 at age 83, while Bo would lived nine more years in their home on Poplar Corner Road until he died in 2008 at age 97.

Do you have more facts, information or photos you would like shared here or do you see errors? Please let me know.

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