Barbour County, West Virginia Biography of Willie J. WILLIAMS This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 309-310 WILLIE J. WILLIAMS. With the coal mining that con- stitutes the principal industrial activity of the Junior local- ity in Barbour County Willie J. Williams has been identified nearly all the years since he attained his majority, first as a practical miner and later as an operator. He is president of the Mildred Coal Company there. Mr. Williams was born in Valley District of Barbour County, October 21, 1877. His father, Andrew Jackson Williams, was born in Bath County, Virginia, and as a young man accompanied his parents to West Virginia, the family locating near Laurel Hill Mountain, where his father spent the rest of his life as a farmer. Besides Andrew J. the other children were Robert S., George and Benjamin, all of whom went to the Western States; Mary, who mar- ried Milton Curtis and lives at Rich Mountain in Randolph County; Sarah, who became the wife of Mark Carter and died at Coalton, West Virginia; Celia, who married Bud Wright and both died near Belington; and Mrs. Noah Sluss, who lives in California, Andrew J. Williams had only a limited education during his boyhood, and his working energies were bestowed almost entirely upon the farm. He was a Union man during the Civil war, and some of his brothers were in the Union Army. He died at his old home in Valley District in 1898, at the age of sixty-three. His wife was Julia Row, daughter of Benjamin Row, and she died, the mother of the following children: Mary, wife of S. B. Elbon, of Junior; Sarah, who married John Shomo; Henrietta, who became Mrs. Peter F. Ware; Lillie, who married Charles Shomo; Grant, twin brother of Lillie, now deceased; Julia and Celia, twins, both deceased, Celia, having been the wife of Warren Corley and Julia, wife of I. D. Shomo; James M., who died at Junior; Lorenzo, also deceased; Dora, wife of Samuel Ball, of Kingsville, West Virginia; and Willie Jackson. Willie J. Williams spent his early life on the home farm in Valley District, and his education came from the old German school in that locality. As a school boy he became acquainted with systematic labor on the farm, and on reaching his majority began his career in the mines. His first employment was as a coal digger on the property of the Miller Coal & Coke Company, which subsequently was sold to the Gage Coal and Coke Com- pany and finally to the West Virginia Coal and Coke Company. He was in the employ of all these organizations. The Williams Coal Company was organized in 1917 by Willie J. and Grant L. Williams, Mittie Wiseman and Loma Lipscomb. These owners had in partnership some coal lands, and developed operations near those of the Gage Coal and Coke Company. During the World war the mine was operated first as a wagon mine and later under an arrangement with the Gage Coal and Coke Com- pany. Willie J. Williams was manager. In 1920 the Mildred Coal Company opened its mine, and since No- vember, 1921, Mr. Williams has been manager of the property and president of the company. This is one of the few coal mines in active production during the winter of 1921-22. Mr. Williams has been a regular republican since cast- ing his first vote for McKinley in 1900. He is a mem- ber and has served as steward of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At Junior, February 3, 1899, Mr. Williams married Mrs. Lillie Williams, widow of his deceased brother Grant, and daughter of Jacob Spotswood Thacker of Philippi. By her first marriage she had three children: Grant L., Mrs. Mittie Wiseman and Mrs. Loma Lipscomb. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have the following children: Pax, a miner of Junior; J. Hop, J. Spotswood and Phletus. Grant L. Williams, son of Mrs. Williams by her first marriage, wag a soldier in the World war, and was on the firing line ready to go over the top when the hour of the armistice arrived. After returning home he took up mining, and is now mine foreman of the Mildred Mine.