Joseph Read Williams Biography


	This biography appears on pages 445-446 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				JOSEPH READ WILLIAMS. 

	Joseph Read Williams is a member of the real-estate firm of 
Charnock & Williams of Sioux Falls. He was born in Rockford, Illinois, 
June 23, 1857, a son of William and Mary (Read) Williams. The father's 
family came from Wales and the mother's from England and the parents 
were married in the latter country. On coming to America they settled 
first on a farm in Illinois and afterward removed to Crawford county, 
Wisconsin, where they lived until 1879. In that year they arrived in 
Dakota territory and took up land in Clear Lake township, Minnehaha 
county, securing eight hundred acres in a body. With characteristic 
energy William Williams began to develop and improve that tract and 
devoted his remaining days to general agricultural pursuits, remaining 
upon his farm until 1907, when death called him at the age of seventy-
six years. He was a veterinary surgeon of the old Welsh school and 
practiced his profession to some extent in connection with farming. In 
the family of Mr. and Mrs. William Williams were ten children: Jennie, 
who is the wife of George Finney, of Crawford county, Wisconsin; Clara, 
the wife of Albert Lawson, of Clear Lake township, Minnehaha county; 
Joseph R., of this review; Annie, who gave her hand in marriage to L. 
E. Gage, of Sioux Falls; William, living in Clear Lake township, 
Minnehaha county; Arthur, a resident of California; John F., a druggist 
of Chinook, Montana; Henry, a veterinary surgeon of Humboldt, South 
Dakota; Lillie E., who is the wife of Winslow Braley, of Sioux Falls; 
and Emma, the wife of Frank Shrader, of Sioux Falls. The mother still 
resides at the old home at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. For 
twenty-two years it has been the custom to celebrate her birthday at 
the home of some of her children. The twenty-second celebration took 
place on the 25th of May, 1915, at the home of her son, William, on 
which occasion there were fifty of her descendants present. She has, 
however, one hundred and thirteen direct descendants, of whom there are 
fifty-one grandchildren and thirty-six great-grandchildren. 

	Joseph Read Williams attended the common schools of Wisconsin and 
was a young man of twenty-two years when he accompanied his parents to 
South Dakota, where he, too, took up a homestead and has since followed 
farming to the present time. In addition he is engaged in dealing in 
real estate, to which business he has given his attention since 1902, 
when he began handling lands in Colorado, Montana and South Dakota, 
with headquarters in Sioux Falls. In 1910 the now well known firm of 
Charnock & Williams was formed and business is conducted under the firm 
style of the Charnock & Williams Land & Investment Company. They handle 
farm lands, city property and insurance and have been accorded a large 
and distinctively representative clientage. Their operations along 
those lines are extensive and the business has placed them among the 
representative and successful men of their part of the state. 

	On the 23d of May, 1884, Mr. Williams was united in marriage to 
Miss Anna Coats, of Wisconsin, who is a daughter of James Coats and a 
representative of a family that emigrated from England to Wisconsin at 
an early date. To Mr. and Mrs. Williams have been born seven children, 
as follows: Guy, a general merchant of Toston, Montana; Mabel, who is 
the wife of Captain D. Jones, of Sioux Falls; Clifford, a resident 
farmer of Clear Lake township, Minnehaha county; Ray, also an 
agriculturist of Clear Lake township; Laura, who resides with her 
brothers on the farm; Arthur, who follows farming in association with 
his father in Sioux Falls township; and Myrtle, at home. 

	In politics Mr. Williams is a republican and served as justice of 
the peace ill Clear Lake township, Minnehaha county, in the territorial 
days. At that period no "code" governed and no marriage license was 
required and many marriage ceremonies were performed by Mr. Williams. 
He has lived to witness great changes in the state in its material 
development, in its political methods, in its social conditions and in 
its moral progress and his influence has always been on the side of 
improvement and advancement. While maintaining his office in Sioux 
Falls, his home is situated about two and one-half miles east of the 
city, in Sioux Falls township. He is a popular, progressive and 
resourceful business man and through business, social and other 
connections has won many friends.