Thomas Henry Williams (1840 - 1923)

Born 6 Nov 1840 in Leatherwood Creek, Hickman County, TN

Ancestors

Husband of Azalee (Nichols) Williams — married about 1857 in Hickman County, TN

Descendants

Died 19 Feb 1923 at age 82 in Okemah, OK

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Barry Williams [send private message]

Thomas Henry was born in Hickman County, Tennessee, the son of Thomas M. Williams and Mary O. Barnhill. Mary died in 1859 and Thomas Sr moved to Randolph County, Arkansas. Thomas Sr married Catherine Shockley, and he died in 1863 in Arkansas. Thomas Henry had 11 siblings: Eliza, James, Pheriba, Roland, Winney, Stephen, Martha Clair, Felix, Byrd, Allen, and one child of unknown name and sex.

Thomas married Azalee Nichols in 1857 in Hickman County. They had 13 children: Christopher (Kit), Thomas Henry Jr, Ida, Sarah Martha (Mollie), Cora, Griff, Arthur, Louella, Jenny, Isaac, Laura, Bosie, and Major Franklin. Between 1880 and 1889, Thomas and Mary packed up their belongings and their unmarried children in wagons, took their livestock with them, and headed for north Texas. While crossing a swollen river along the way, one of their wagons overturned, dumping Kit and one of his brothers (possibly Griff) into the river. They were able to save Kit, but after two or three days of searching, the family continued their journey without finding the other child's body.

Their destination was the Montague and Cooke County area where at least one of Thomas's brothers had already settled. Thomas and his family picked cotton for a while, and Thomas bought a farm in Cooke County. A few years later, Thomas, Azalee, and their daughter Mollie moved to Okfuskee County in Indian Territory. Thomas purchased another farm, but by 1920 he, Azalee and Mollie had moved to the town of Okemah to live with his daughter Cora.

Thomas's death certificate is a bit of an oddity. Under "cause of death", the doctor was singularly unhelpful. It actually says "dont know was not present when dec'd." The doctor had seen Thomas four days before his death and still couldn't make an educated guess?!