Venosa1959

Rosaria now lives the good life in Port Orford Oregon enjoying the fruits (above) of her garden.

In 2011 our family lost Brian my little brother. I miss you terribly little brother. I wish we could meet for a beer and dinner and chat about your work, and your life.  

I am not the writer my mother is. She can tell a story like no one else.  When she gave up writing after Brian's death I am sure you will notice my dyslexia.   DYSLEXICS  UNTIE !  (Heh)

In 2023 on January 6 we lost my father. Kendrick Williams who along with my Mother Rosaria built up a family and a home and a life in California and Oregon.  This Memoir will continue under my badly spelled caretaking in order to include the lives of My family, my daughter , my wife and her family, and my sister and hers. 

Our memories with Dad ( Photo Album )

The origins of my Fathers family and the Williams family experience in the colonies and later in the United States.

This history is a bit long it covers over 400 years of history of our Williams family in the New World.

Our first family member on my fathers line in the colonies was John Williams. He was born 1612 in Queens Creek , York, Colony of Virginia (mother and father not recorded on gravestone). This town is in the same general location as Jamestown and John was probably a survivor of the starvation there in 1608 -09.  A laborer named Williams is listed among the second supply of indentured and probably a "TRANSPORTED" or indentured servant forced to work in the colonies for 7 years as a "servant" for crimes such as theft.  Since John later returned to Great Britain he was either a lesser criminal such as a thief.

John was married to Ann (Whitley)  Williams (grave unknown)  . They were parents to Lewis Williams 1648 - 1717 (total age about 69 years) . Lewis married Mary (Walburton) Williams . Mary and  Lewis were parents to a surviving child Anthony Williams.  Lewis signed the "Grievances" in support of Bacons Rebellion  1677.  Ge had large landholdings in the Carlolina's and Virginia and was a slaveholder.

My father said many times that we had some despicable people on his side of the family. I agree.

Anthony Williams born 1670 and married to Martha (bush) Williams.  Anthony died in 1718 a year after his father in Chowan Province of North Carolina. 

Anthony Williams Jr. 1700 - 1752. Anthony Williams Jr was born in 1700 in Chowan Province of North Carolina.  Anthony married Mary (Willis) Williams Together mary and Anthony Jr. had several children including Stephan Williams and Mary (Williams) Powell.  Anthony Jr. and his brother John fought in the Anglo - Spanish war (1727-1729) . 

Stephan Williams was  born 1720 in Duplin County Province of North Carolina. He was a slaveholder as were all of the WIlliam's family in the Americas above. He is notable for being the LAST SLAVEHOLDER in our family. He was buried on his plantation in Burke county Province of Georgia in 1770. 

Stephen had a son Roland Williams. Roland seems to be illegitimate and born to a slave mother.  Roland was born in 1751 Province of Georgia , Great Britain  and died 1817 in Wilkes Georgia , United Sates of America. Roland was the first non slave owner in my family and fought in the American Revolution.  Further research is needed in the particulars of Roland's service.  Roland seems to have fought in the southern theater of the revolution.  At the end of the war he is one of the few children of slaves that was freed.  The vast majority of slaves who fought on both sides of the American Revolution ended up back in slavery.

Stephen Williams Jr. was born in 1779 during the war. His Father was Roland Williams.  Stephen Jr. married Elizabeth Williams and had the children Sally Gill, Alexander Williams , Mary Jones, Seth Williams and 2 more.  Stephen Jr. Died in 1822 in Georgia , United States of America. 

Alexander Williams was another one of the despicable people in our family. He was born in 1803. He became important in the Mormon movement and had multiple wives. He was born in Putnam Co. Georgia USA and died in Alba Mo in 1876.

He served in the Brigham Young company and also was a HIGH PRIEST of the Nauvoo colony in Illinois. He was also a distiller and considered a Mormon Pioneer. 

Clinton Williams son of Alexander Williams broke from the Mormons . He was born in 1833 . In 1860 He took up arms for the Union and United States and served in the Illinois Regiments at the second battle of Bull Run. He retired at the end of the war and the United States gave him a land grant in Montana. He died in 1920 and is buried in the Williams Family Cemetery   in Jefferson County Montana. 

Clinton's son Hiram Williams was born after reconstruction  in 1876 in Willow Creek Montana.  His older brother Thomas Williams (b1868) was a co discoverer of the majestic Lewis and Clark caverns  located in near their ranches in Jefferson County Montana. Hiram died on his ranch in Willow Creek in 1950 in Gallatin County Montana.

My Grandfather Roland Williams is named after the first non slave owner in our family.  Roland Neil Williams  was born in 1910 on the Ranch in Willow Creek Montana .  Roland was an electrical power worker on the dams on the mighty Columbia river. Roland Served guarding the coasts and forest from Japanese subs and bomb balloons or FU-GO Balloons during the second world war. It is told by my father Kendrick that Roland, during a nuclear reactor attempted shutdown, was sent into the ducts above the reactor the reconnect electric lines that had disconnected. Dad said that if my grandfather Roland had not connected the line the reactor would not be able to scram and emergency shutdown.  Roland died in 1978 (age 68) in Kennewick Washington.  He is buried in the Willow Creek Cemetery near the former Williams ranch in Willow Creek Montana. 

Kendrick Williams. 

My Father Kendrick Williams

Beloved Father, Husband, Friend

July 9, 1941 – January 6, 2023

Ken was born in Portland Oregon. He was the oldest in a large family of Williams’. Dad went on to serve in the Navy and where he worked as a fire control technician.

Dad eventually settled in Los Angeles after the service working as a field engineer for IBM. He then started his studies at Cal State LA with a double major in neuroscience and biology. Dad went on to study for his doctorate at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Dad finished his post doc as a behavioral biology lab at Cal Tech. 

Ken Married Rosaria ( Owner of this memoir) in 1966 they had 3 children, Jon Scott,  Pia Nicole , and Brian Christian.