Biographical Sketch of J. M. & Cyrus Williams, Johnson County, Missouri, Jackson Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** J. M. Williams and Cyrus Williams, prosperous farmers and stockmen of Jackson township, are worthy representatives of a sterling pioneer family of Johnson county. They are widely known even far beyond the confines of this county as the "Williams boys." J. M. Williams was born in Johnson county in 1850, a son of Jesse and Anne Williams, both of whom were natives of Virginia, Mr. and Mrs. Williams came to Miss- ouri in 1837 and settled on a tract of land comprising two hundred forty-four acres located in Jackson township, a portion of which was purchased and the remainder entered from the government by the former. Those early days were the halcyon days of the stockman in Johnson coun- ty. Unlimited grazing land was at the disposal of the first settlers and it was duly appreciated and utilized. To Jesse and Anne Williams were born nine children, six of whom are now living: J. P., Jolly, Clay county, Texas; J. M., of this review; Mrs. Martha Wakeman, Odessa, Missouri; Mrs. Amanda J. Boisseau, Warrensburg, Missouri; Cyrus, of whom further mention will be made in this sketch; and Dr. George, a leading physician of Odessa, Missouri. The father died in 1897 and the mother departed this life in 1908. When Jesse Williams came to Johnson county, Missouri, the tract of land which he purchased and entered was chiefly of swampy nature and overgrown with brush and timber, but he diligently went to work to make the place habitable and almost entirely with his own hands wrought from the gloomy and rather forbidding for- ested land one of the best farms in Jackson township. In a great measure, he was "the architect of his own fortunes," and for many years the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Williams were closely interwoven with the rise and progress of Johnson county's industrial and financial interests. They reared and educated a large family, every member an industrious, successful, honorable citizen. In addition to work of his farm, Mr. Williams followed his trade, which was that of carpentering, in the new western home, and he was well known as a careful and skilful workman. The Williams boys attended school which was held at Washing- ton schoolhouse in Johnson county. J. M. Williams vividly recalls his first day at school and his first instructor, who was Mr. Roundtree. Miss Nannie Pitts afterward taught the Washington school during J. M. Williams' schoolboy days. He remembers many of the pioneer preachers, among whom he was personally acquainted with Reverends Warren Pitts and Minton. The young people of the early days had many pleasures and en- joyed attending church, parties, country dances, and "bees" of various kinds. The Williams brothers often drove yokes of oxen in the days gone by, especially when they were breaking sod. The first money earn- ed by J. M. Williams was well earned. He received it for cutting corn and invested it in a calf, which he later sold realizing a good profit. From this humble beginning, his interest in stock has grown and devel- oped and he is now recognized as one of the most progressive stockmen of the township. Cyrus Williams was born in 1854 and has been afflict- ed with blindness for many years. For a long time, he and his older brother, J. M., have together resided at the old homestead in Jackson township, in the home built by their father long ago. On their farm is still standing the log cabinin which all the children of the Williams family were born. This past season, the Williams brothers harvested fifteen hundred bushels of oats and they had thirty acres of the place in corn. They have planted, this autumn, sixty acres of wheat. The Williams farm is one of the best cultivated and most valuable tracts of land in Johnson county, consisting of one hundred forty-seven and forty four hundredths acres. The Williams brothers gave personal attention to their place until recently, when they determined to rent the land and retire from the active labors of the farm. They still look after their agricultural and stock interests, but perform no manual labor, contented with managing their business affairs and unostentatiously enjoying the fruitage of their former activities. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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