WI BIO - Kenosha Co - WILLIAMS, Clarence E. & Cornelius

Biography of Clarence E. WILLIAMS (son of Cornelius)

History of Kenosha and Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Lyman. Chicago: S. C. 
Clarke Publishing, 1916, vol II, pp 676-678

Clarence E. WILLIAMS, resident farmer, Section 18, Bristol Township, Kenosha 
County, Wisconsin, who has spent his entire life in this locality, and who 
through diligence and determination has achieved a gratifying measure of 
success, was born 25 of June 1860 in Bristol, a son of Cornelius and 
Catherine S. (TRAFFORD) WILLIAMS, who were natives of New York, and who upon 
leaving New York came to Kenosha County.

The history of the WILLIAMS family has been traced back to William WILLIAMS, 
who was born in Wales, but came to America before the breaking out of the 
last French and Indian War in 1755. He enlisted in the colonial army and 
marched with Braddock's ill-starred troops to attack Fort Duquesne [now 
Pittsburgh, County, Pennsylvania]. He never returned and is supposed to have 
been killed in the bloody defeat suffered by Braddock's forces. [Thus the 
presumed death date of William WILLIAMS would be about 09 July 1755.] He was 
accompanied to this country by his two sons, Aaron and William, then young 
men. Aaron WILLIAMS settled in Schohaire County, New York. William [son of 
William] married a sister of Peter LAMPMAN and leased and cleared a farm east 
of Copake Lake, Columbia County, New York. There he built a log house with 
one room and loft and with no floor save the ground. He and his wife reared 
twelve children, as follows: William, Elizabeth, Casparus, David, Peter, 
Nelly, Cornelius, Henry, Lanah, Clara, Hannah and John. The sons all lived 
near Copake, Cornelius WILLIAMS residing upon a farm in the eastern part of 
the town. His children were: Elizabeth, John C., Aaron, Mary, Rhoda, 
Calvin, Lewis, Moncrief, Seymour, and [p 677] Clara.

John C., who was born 16 October 1791, passed his entire life in Columbia 
County, New York, dying there on 28 January 1876. He married Charity SMITH, 
who was born on 05 April 1797, and was the only child of John SMITH. Her 
demise occurred on 26 April 1864. She was the mother of the following 
children: (1) Sylvester, lived and died in Copake [Columbia County], New 
York. (2) Sally was married on 25 May 1833 to Abraham SNYDER, and in 1867 
they removed to Illinois, where Mr. SNYDER passed away 28 January 1882. Mrs. 
SNYDER, however, survived for many years, dying on 08 November 1900, when 
eighty-five years old. (3) Clara married Ira WILLIAMS [and thus was Clara 
(WILLIAMS) WILLIAMS], and died 24 March 1883. (4) Cornelius, the father of 
our subject, was the next in order of birth. The two youngest children were 
(5) Eliza and (6) John.

Cornelius WILLIAMS was born 16 September 1819 in Columbia County, New York, 
and in early manhood took up the profession of teaching, but subsequently 
turned his attention to farming. In 1842 he wedded Catherine S. TRAFFORD, a 
native of Columbia County and a daughter of Robert TRAFFORD. The year 1854 
witnessed their arrival in Kenosha County, and the father invested in the 
farm that constitutes the home place of their son Clarence. He made many 
improvements, converting the place into one of the valuable farm properties 
of Bristol Township, and from time to time he extended the boundaries of his 
land until he owned 350, all highly cultivated. The farm, too, was 
splendidly improved with a commodious residence and substantial barns and 
outbuildings, while the best farm machinery was used to promote the work of 
the fields.

Mr. WILLIAMS did not concentrate his energies upon his farm work to the 
extent of leaving him no time for public duties. He always recognized and 
met his obligations in public affairs and rendered faithful service when his 
fellow townsmen called upon him to fill a number of offices. For several 
years he was a member of the Board of Supervisors, and in 1880 the Republican 
party nominated and elected him to represent Kenosha County in the 
thirty-third Wisconsin General Assembly, where he did splendid work in behalf 
of many projects having to do with the welfare of the state. He was equally 
loyal as a champion of the cause of education while serving for a number of 
years on the school board. He and his wife were devoted members of the 
Methodist church and their lives were in harmony with its teachings. The 
death of Mr. WILLIAMS occurred 27 March 1891, while his wife passed away 26 
January 1889. They had a daughter, Etta, who became the wife of Milton R. 
HUBBARD, a Kenosha County farmer, and passed away 18 April 1877. Another 
daughter, Esther, died 26 September 1849, when but two years of age, and a 
son, Franklin, [died] on 30 September 1849, at the age of five years. The 
only surviving member of the family is Clarence E. WILLIAMS, who is now 
classed with the representative farmers and valued citizens of Bristol 
Township.

Liberal educational opportunities were accorded Clarence E. WILLIAMS. He 
supplemented his district school training by a year of study in the Kenosha 
High School, and for two years was a student in Lawrence University at 
Appleton [Outagamie County], Wisconsin. He then resumed the occupation of 
farming upon the old homestead, where he had been previously trained in all 
branches of farm work, and he is today the owner of a valuable property, 
having assumed entire management of the place [p 68] upon his father's death. 
He has carried on both general farming and dairying with success.

On 19 October 1882 in Kenosha, Mr. [Clarence E.] WILLIAMS was joined in 
wedlock to Miss Mary R. LANE, a daughter of John P. and Mary (BOVEE-EDISON) 
LANE, who were natives of New Hampshire and Canada, respectively. They [John 
P. and Mary (BOVEE)-EDISON) LANE] had eight children, five sons and three 
daughters, namely: (1) Stephen B., born 15 January 1847 and died 26 
November 1868; (2) Frank H., born 24 November 1848 and died 31 March 1909; 
(3) David E., born 22 June 1850 and died 02 November 1861; (4) John F., 
born 24 November 1856; (5) Carlton J., born 22 May 1857; (6) Bertha F., 
born 24 August 1859 and died 27 October 1896; (7) Mary R., born 31 January 
1861; and (8) Daisy A., born 23 November 1867.

Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAMS [Clarence E. and Mary R. (LANE) WILLIAMS] have become 
the parents of four children of whom (1) Frankie E., died 05 November 1855, 
and (2) Arthur [died] 13 May 1893. (3) Brosia Mary became the wife of 
Frederick W. MURDOCH of Kenosha on 21 March 1907, and she has two children: 
Clarence Frederick, born 27 October 1910, and Mary Edith, born 29 December 
1912. (4) Wesley Trafford was married 02 December 1914 to Miss Olive Emily 
PARKIN and they live upon the home place.

Mr. [Clarence E.] WILLIAMS is identified with the Modern Woodmen camp at 
Bristol and with the Elks lodge at Kenosha. When age conferred upon him the 
right of franchise he espoused the cause of the Republican party and has 
since been one of its stalwart champions. For three years he served as 
Chairman of the town board, and for a quarter of a century has been Treasurer 
of the School Board. He and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal 
church, and its teachings have been the guiding force of their lives. He has 
never deviated from a course which he believed to be right between himself 
and his fellowmen and his entire record is in harmony with the history of the 
WILLIAMS family, a family that for more than six decades has occupied an 
enviable position in public regard in Kenosha County. 

Biography of Cornelius WILLIAMS (father of Clarence E.)

History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western 
Historical Company, 1879, p 718 

Cornelius WILLIAMS, farmer, Section 18, Bristol Township, Kenosha County, 
Wisconsin, P. O. Bristol, was born 16 September 1819 in Columbia County, New 
York, where he was a farmer on leased land; in the spring of 1854 he sold his 
lease and came to Wisconsin; located in Bristol Township, and bought his 
farm, which consists of 331 acres in Section 18, of cultivated land, and 
twenty-one acres of woodland in Section 8; he has been raising all kinds of 
grain and stock, but is now giving special attention to cattle, with the idea 
of enlarging his butter dairy, which he started in the spring of 1878, and 
for that purpose keeps fifty cows.

On 14 June 1843 Cornelius WILLIAMS married Miss Kate S. TRAFFORD of Columbia 
County, New York and has one child living: Clarence E., born 24 June 1860. 
He was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors six years; Assessor one year; is 
Treasurer of School District, and has been for twelve years previous. Mr. 
WILLIAMS and his wife are members of the Methodist Church. 

Submitted by Cathy Kubly