About two miles southeast from Fairburn is to be found the home of the subject of this article. He secured his place, one hundred and sixty acres of fine timber land, under homestead right and although he has met with reverses in his labors since coming here he has gone forward with the work of improvement and will in time have one of the excellent farms of the section.
He was born in Surry County, North Carolina, on February 9, 1868, being the son of Joel W. and Myrtle Lane, natives of the same County. The father was a school teacher, born in 1832 and married in 1861. The brothers and sisters of our subject are named as follows, Sarah J., wife of Frank Day and born August 5, 1864; Nannie Bush, born February 28, 1866; Mary E. McKee, born in April, 1870; Jonah, born August 12, 1874; William, born in September, 1876; Fannie, wife of Frank Randles, born in 1876, a twin of William.
Our subject was left an orphan at the age of eleven, worked for strangers for a living and in the spring of 1899 came to Colfax and gained a start in working out. Then he came to Nez Perces County and settled on his present place, where he has labored since. Politically, he is a Republican.
On February 10, 1895, Mr. Williams married Miss Salina, daughter of William and Salina E. White, natives of Pennsylvania. The father served in the Rebellion. Two children have been born to this marriage, Anna G., born in Nez Perces County, November 17, 1900; William J., born July 4, 1902.
Back to: Nez Perce Biographies
Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903