January 17, 2002

She was from a family of three sisters that lived here with their mother before the Civil War. They settled here after making several trips back and forth to Alabama and Georgia. Their moving back and forth is evident in the Civil War letters written by John C. Williams, because he mentions his family in the addresses as in Alabama and other times he mentions the Nancy Williams Slayton in other letters.

The three sisters are Eliza Wood Williams, Sophia Williams and Nancy Williams. Their brothers are George W. and John Cebe Williams. They were all born in Millageville, Georgia. Thier father John Williams was born September 15, 1805, and passed away before the Civil War. His name is not mentioned in any of the letters from the battle front that were received in Arlington, Texas from John C. Williams.

He describes the conditions of the Civil War and the battles that were taking place at Vicksburg, Fredericksburg and other locations of battle in the Virginia battlefields.

John C. wrote many letters that I have in my collections about the fighting conditions and addressed them all to his sisters and his mother.

The burial location of the father John Williams is not known, but the mother Eliza Williams was buried in the Masonic Cemetery at Arlington along with two grandchildren that died some forty years before her death in 1909.

The grandchildren were orphans that were taken care of by Eliza Williams.

Eliza Williams lived to be over one-hundred-two years of age. She was born on January 17, 1807.

This family was of the Native American descendants that were involved with the trail of tears along with numerous other families in this area.

These people wore Indian jewelry, even though they were trying to change their identity, and they enjoyed the exhibition of their native jewelry as they made numerous trips back to their Alabama and Georgia homes.

The Grandmother Eliza Wood Williams was blind and the soldier, John Williams, her son, sent an eye prescription home to help heal her eyesight.

My cousin, Billie McCauley from the Galveston Island called me this morning, and as usual she can spend an hour on the phone as well as on e-mail. She is working on some family history and is putting together a couple of small books that she will pass around at my house this week-end as Jackie and I celebrate our 51^st wedding anniversary.

Billie has researched the Civil War letters and has reached the conclusion that John C. was more like the character of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church. His character is almost without blemish.

She told me that she was going to put fifty of these little brochures together and I told her that twenty-five would be enough, but she insisted that there were fifty different families now days.

On another note I want to tell you about our upcoming trip to Mexico, that the local Native Americans of the Cherokee tribe are taking the first of February.

During the last meeting, the Cherokee tribes of the Northern Towns District decided that while on the bus going from the Texas border into Mexico we would be able to sing hymns in the Native Cherokee language. I am looking forward to the fun we will have on the bus singing our way into Mexico.

Mexico has declared February 1^st as Cherokee day in the state of Coahuila, and a massive celebration is taking place there for two days. We will be special guests of the Mexicans by invitation from the Mexican Cherokees.

The State of Texas does not recognize the Texas tribe of Cherokees.

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