Willis Ward Watson (1886 - 1952)

Born 14 Aug 1886 in Kerrville, Texas

Ancestors

Husband of Altha Belle Hartley — married 19 Jun 1907 in Cherokee, San Saba Co., TX

Descendants

Died 25 Dec 1952 at age 66 in Clyde, Texas

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Biography

This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import.^[1] It's a rough draft and needs to be edited.

Birth

Birth:

Date: 14 AUG 1886

Place: Kerrville, Texas^[2][3]

Death

Death:

Date: 25 DEC 1952

Place: Clyde, Texas^[4]

Cause: Heart failure

Burial

Burial:

Place: San Saba Cemetery, San Saba, Texas

Religion

Religion: Methodist Church^[5]

Residence

Residence:

Date: 1920

Place: San Saba, San Saba, Texas^[6]

Residence:

Date: 1930

Place: San Saba, San Saba, Texas^[7]

Event

Event:

Type: Other-Begin

Place: San Saba County^[8]

Note

Note: #H107

Marriage

Child: Lloyd Beverly Watson

Relationship to Father: Natural

Relationship to Mother: Natural

Child: Willis Ward Watson

Relationship to Father: Natural

Relationship to Mother: Natural

Marriage:

Date: 02 MAY 1878

Place: Blanco, Texas^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Watson-9738 was created by Scott Ledbetter through the import of trail-lassus-Rhoda Elizabeth Gustavus-desc.ged on Apr 7, 2015. This comment and citation can be deleted after the biography has been edited and primary sources are included.
2. ↑ Source: #S331 Page: My grandmother
3. ↑ Source: #S331 Page: My grandfather
4. ↑ Source: #S331 Page: My grandfather
5. ↑ Source: #S32
6. ↑ Source: #S23 Data: Text: San Saba, San Saba, Texas, ED , roll , page , image 620. FOOT 1920 United States Federal Census; San Saba, San Saba, Texas, ED , roll , page , image 620.
7. ↑ Source: #S25 Data: Text: San Saba, San Saba, Texas, ED 1, roll 2389, page 8B, image 241.0.
8. ↑ Source: #S313 Data: Text: World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-18 [database online] Provo, UT: Roll 1983666, DraftBoard 0. FOOT World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-18 [database online] Provo, UT: Roll 1983666, DraftBoard 0.
9. ↑ Source: #S145 Page: Blanco County, Book A, pg. 25 Data: Text: May 1, 1878

• Source: S23 Author: Ancestry.com Title: 1920 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009; Repository: #R1 NOTESource Medium: Ancestry.com CONT
• Repository: R1 Name: www.ancestry.com Address: E-Mail Address: Phone Number:
• Source: S25 Author: Ancestry.com Title: 1930 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002; Repository: #R1 NOTESource Medium: Ancestry.com CONT CONT United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930 CONT
• Source: S313 Title: World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Repository: #R1 Note: Continues: CONT
• Source: S32 Title: Altha Belle Hartley Watson NOTESource Medium: Interview CONT
• Source: S331 Title: Laura Lee Trail Lassus

Notes

Note H107Willis Ward Watson was born in Kerrville, Texas. After his mother, Saphronia Brown Watson, died the family moved around and finally settled in San Saba where he grew up. He met and married Altha Belle Hartley and they settled in San Saba. He managed a meat market in San Saba that eventually burned. The family was very musically inclined and while they lived in San Saba Willis and Altha had a band with their older children. All the children could play a variety of musical instruments and played at churches and other local venues. The couple lived in San Saba where all their children were born and reared.

Willis Watson was an outgoing, gregarious person that attracted people to him. All the stories I hear about him show that he was quite a story teller and very much a person who liked being the center of attention. He was very a strict disciplinarian with his children but they all adored him.

When World War II came, Willis and Altha moved to Austin (about 1942) where he was offered a job to manage a meat market. Eventually they moved to College Station where in 1945 he again managed a market. Their daughter Madge, and her husband, Cliff joined them where Cliff attended Texas A & M. Their son Jack joined them after the war and also enrolled in Texas A & M. After college in 1949, Cliff got a job with Binswanger Company and settled in Clyde, Texas where Papa Willis and Mommy Belle joined them. Papa Willis opened a small store off the highway in Clyde that sold candies, bread, milk, soft drinks, etc. At this store he also sold the best apple cider and cherry cider, I still remember how good the cherry cider was. He sold it by the glass, by the pint, or quart from an old ice chest. They also had an orchard, and kept chickens and horses. They lived there until Papa Willis died on Christmas Day in 1952 of a heart attack.

Willis called "Papa Willis" by his grandchildren, died in Clyde, Texas and was buried there for several years. Eventually his family had him reburied in San Saba, Texas where he had lived and where his wife Altha Belle Hartley Watson was eventually buried too.