Individual Details
Elijah Alexander WILLIAMS
(25 Jul 1871 - 17 Jan 1942)
Elijah Alexander "Alex" Williams managed the first federally licensed whiskey distillery North Carolina, which his father, Lewis David Hampton Williams, owned. Following the death of L.D.H. Williams in 1897, Elijah Alexander decided to move. Farming the worn out soil of North Carolina was a losing battle. Friends sent word that work was plentiful in Arkansas where the railroads had opened up the land west of the Mississippi River. The family sold their farm and moved by rail to Nashville in Howard County, in southwest Arkansas. Alex found employment with James S. Bateman, a prominent builder in the Nashville area. Alex soon became a master carpenter and had a big hand in building many homes, business buildings, and such churches as the First Presbyterian Church (now owned by the Howard County Heritage Club) and the First Christian Church, both still standing and in use today.
Uncle Charlie Simpson, in North Carolina, lent Hester and Alex the money (10% interest) for the lot they bought for their home; as soon as they could get a loan at less interest in Nashville, they paid off Uncle Charlie. Evidently the family in North Carolina made a lot of loans at 10% interest.
Pa Alex talked with a thick North Carolina brogue. One of my favorite stories about him involved a bank he was building on Main Street. The brickwork had started that morning on the front of the building and was up about four feet. The owner arrived to see how construction was proceeding and said, "Mr. Williams, I thought our plans called for red mortar between those bricks." Whereupon Pa Alex took his foot and pushed the whole wall over onto the sidewalk, bricks and still wet mortar falling everywhere. "It gwine to be red," was all he said. If you walk by that building today across from the Nashville Drug Store, you will see that the mortar is indeed red.
During Pa Alex's early years, he had grown up working in the family's whisky distillery. One of his jobs was to tap the kegs, testing the aging whiskey to determine its readiness for bottling. This unfortunately led to a lifelong love of alcohol, a weakness in this family of mostly boys which also plagued several of his sons. While never seen drunk, it was said that he nipped out in the well house, a favorite haunt of his, probably because Hester Lucinda would not allow him to bring drink into the family home. Pa Alex also loved to play solitaire, and although I never knew him personally, I've always envisioned him sitting in the cool well house with a deck of cards, enjoying a little nip away from the hustle and bustle of the busy kitchen.
Alex only returned to North Carolina one time, in August of 1930, to attend a large Williams Family reunion. He did keep in touch with his family in North Carolina until his death in 1942.
Uncle Charlie Simpson, in North Carolina, lent Hester and Alex the money (10% interest) for the lot they bought for their home; as soon as they could get a loan at less interest in Nashville, they paid off Uncle Charlie. Evidently the family in North Carolina made a lot of loans at 10% interest.
Pa Alex talked with a thick North Carolina brogue. One of my favorite stories about him involved a bank he was building on Main Street. The brickwork had started that morning on the front of the building and was up about four feet. The owner arrived to see how construction was proceeding and said, "Mr. Williams, I thought our plans called for red mortar between those bricks." Whereupon Pa Alex took his foot and pushed the whole wall over onto the sidewalk, bricks and still wet mortar falling everywhere. "It gwine to be red," was all he said. If you walk by that building today across from the Nashville Drug Store, you will see that the mortar is indeed red.
During Pa Alex's early years, he had grown up working in the family's whisky distillery. One of his jobs was to tap the kegs, testing the aging whiskey to determine its readiness for bottling. This unfortunately led to a lifelong love of alcohol, a weakness in this family of mostly boys which also plagued several of his sons. While never seen drunk, it was said that he nipped out in the well house, a favorite haunt of his, probably because Hester Lucinda would not allow him to bring drink into the family home. Pa Alex also loved to play solitaire, and although I never knew him personally, I've always envisioned him sitting in the cool well house with a deck of cards, enjoying a little nip away from the hustle and bustle of the busy kitchen.
Alex only returned to North Carolina one time, in August of 1930, to attend a large Williams Family reunion. He did keep in touch with his family in North Carolina until his death in 1942.
Events
| Birth | 25 Jul 1871 | Union County, NC | |||
| Marriage | 12 Nov 1891 | Union County, NC - Hester Lucinda HELMS | |||
| Death | 17 Jan 1942 | Nashville, Howard County, AR |
Families
| Spouse | Hester Lucinda HELMS (1871 - 1956) |
| Child | Ella Jane WILLIAMS (1892 - 1970) |
| Child | Harvey Alexander WILLIAMS (1894 - 1975) |
| Child | Lewis Matt Ransom WILLIAMS (1897 - 1983) |
| Child | Clayton C. WILLIAMS (1898 - 1899) |
| Child | Pearl I. WILLIAMS (1902 - 1908) |
| Child | James Henry WILLIAMS (1905 - 1978) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | John Allen WILLIAMS (1912 - 1983) |