Biography of William E Williams, St Francis County, Arkansas

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 14 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
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WILLIAM E. WILLIAMS, loyal in citizenship, is one of the distinguished citizens
of Arkansas, whose life record forms an integral part of the history of St.
Francis county, and whose energy and genius have left an impress upon its
rapidly developing civilization. He stands as a high type of American manhood,
having attained success in the various lines of enterprise in which he has been
interested, the same being indicative of close application and superior ability,
while at the same time he has found opportunity to devote time and attention to
the public welfare, to thoroughly inform himself concerning the vital questions
and issues of the day and to spread in effective manner those principles which
he believes contain the best elements of good government.

Mr. Williams was born in Murray county, Tennessee, on the 16th of May, 1850, a
son of Basil Duke and Nannie (Williams) Williams. The father was a native of
Kentucky and when a child he accompanied his parents on their removal to
Tennessee. In 1850. shortly after the birth of William E., he came with his
family to Arkansas, locating in the northern part of St. Francis county, on what
now marks the site of the town of Colt. He was summoned to the life eternal in
1862, at which time the subject of this review was a lad of but twelve years of
age. Mrs. Williams died in 1852. William E. was reared and educated in this
state and although his preliminary educational training was not of a very
thorough nature, he has since effectively supplemented it with extensive reading
and close association with men of affairs. In 1871 he came to Forrest City and
prior to that year he was for a time a resident of Poinsett county, where, in
1870, at the age of twenty years, he served as deputy sheriff. Mr. Williams has
always manifested a deep interest in political affairs, endorsing the cause of
the Democratic party, and in 1892 he was elected to the office of sheriff of St.
Francis county, remaining incumbent of that office for sixteen years, the record
for that position. He retired voluntarily in 1908, although he could have had
the office as long as he cared for it. During his entire political career he
never encountered any serious opposition and he was one of the most popular men
aho ever held office in St. Francis county.

Aside from his public offices, Mr. Williams has a fine plantation on the St.
Francis river and he has a spacious and beautiful home in Forrest City, where he
and his family are active participants in the best social activities of the
community. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with various organizations of
representative character and his religious faith is in har-mony with the tenets
of the Methodist Episcopal church, to whose charities and benevolences he has
ever been a most liberal contributor.

Mr. Williams has been twice married. He was first united in wedlock to Miss
Bettie Haskin, the ceremony having been performed on the 5th of October, 1871.
She lived but a short time after her marriage, having passed to the great beyond
on the 11th of November, 1871. Subsequently Mr. Williams married Miss Eddie
Chambliss Mallory, a native of St. Francis county and a sister of George B.
3fallory. To this union have been born fifteen children, twelve living, namely,
Mrs. Beulah Winship, Eugene Williams, Mrs. Mabel Adkins, Mrs. Hortense Parker,
Edwin, William, Robin, Bessie May, Russell, Mallory, Evelyn and a little
daughter, aged five years, unnamed.