Violet Pierce Mattson in Photographs. 1918 to 1987

Violet Pierce around 1926.

She had blue black hair and white skin.
Luella says her eyes were coke bottle green

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
I've not given Grandma Mattson enough attention recently in this Blog, and knowing her dispostion, decided today would be a great day to let her come through and take a bow for her life's accomplishments.

I've arranged a series of not posted before photographs showing her from childhood to just before her death. One of my Bucket List goals is to post all the family pictures I have from our family history so you can select which pictures you like best to take from the Blog and place into your family's photo albums.

Some of the pictures will have commentary and some may not. That depends on Luella's memory. Shall we begin?

The Pierce family around 1926. Vesta was divorced. The family was living in either South Dakota or Montana. Walter, Vesta and Violet.

Violet Pierce was born in 1918. I'm guessing this photograph was taken sometime during her teen years - probably the early 1930's - at the height of the Great Depression. It looks like it was taken in the Black Hills. I believe it was taken just before the family moved from Montana to California. It may be her brother Walter standing next to her.

Violet as a teenager in California. Could this be her high school graduation picture?

Two pictures of Violet with her mother Vesta. It looks like they were taken in May, 1938 in a riverbed in Spradra, CA. Violet visited her mother in California while the family lived on the Montana Ranch. She took the bus. What a long journey in the 1930's, before the Interstate Highways were built. That's quite the hat Grandma has on. I would have loved to tease her about it if I'd seen these pictures before she died :)



Walter and Violet before they got married in California (around 1938). They look like they're in love don't they? I guess we can thank the Lord they saw something in each other or we'd all not be here.

Walter and Violet's first wedding anniversary on the Montana ranch. Walter is wearing his wedding suit and Violet her wedding dress for the occasion. Luella said that Violet had a 19 in waist back then. They both look wore out.

By the way, Luella still has Grandma Violet's wedding dress. Any of you nieces or cousins brave enough to come try it on and see if you can fit into it?


I really like this photograph. Luella say it was most likely taken by Great Grandpa Albert. Violet was 21 years old. Luella is on her lap. Notice that her hair receded above her forehead. Luella says that every time Violet had a baby her hairline receded, then grew back.
This picture was taken on the Montana ranch in the spring of 1939. World War Two was still several months from starting.



Another of Violet and Luella. The building in the background was the chicken coop. The horse tough is right behind them. This picture was taken next to the well. The Mattson well was the only well that never went dry during the drought. Everyone from miles around came to get water from the Mattson ranch.


Violet with Luella. Most of their dogs on the ranch were border collies. Again, a picture taken by Grandpa Albert - the family photographer. He loved photographs and wanted family pictures decorating the ranch house's walls. Violet disagreed. She preferred paintings.

Violet with Luella, Luella's first summer 1939.

Vesta, Luella and Violet taken around 1941. Luella thinks that Violet might have been pregnant with Walter or Linda at the time.

Grandma Violet with Cousin Diane's Step Mother, Elsie Kittrell, and her father, Jack Kittrell taken in front of Grandma Vesta's home in Arlington, CA.

This picture was taken in front of the Mattson home in Spearfish in the 1960's.

Violet in her green pants. Taken in the late 1960s early 70's. Location unknown. Luella believes it in California. And again, I wish I would have seen this picture before Violet died. Such great teasing ammunition. I'm no judge of fashion by any means but even I know those two colors don't go together. I guess we were all color blind in those days.

Kirk, Joseph and Angie Mattson with both their Grandmothers.

Violet with Aunt Beverly's mother. Children left to right - Gina, Kirk, Joseph and Angie Mattson.

Violet cooking in the Cafeteria at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. When Violet moved to South Dakota from California after Walter died she got a job working as a cook at Mr. Rushmore. She cooked at the Natl. Monument for a few years then got a job at the School of Mines. She cooked at the school of mines until she was 65 years old. Everyone loved her carmel rolls. Luella thought she'd lost the recipe but found it a few years ago written in Violet's own handwriting. Violet wrote the recipe twice. Luella says she forgot to include the cinnamon in both recipes. So, if you're going to try to reproduce these awesome rolls, include the cinnamon. (below. Click to Enlarge).


Violet's first job after moving to Spearfish from the ranch was at JC Penneys. After a few years she quit to work as a cook at Spearfish's Valley Cafe and she worked as a cooked from that day until she retired at 65 years old.


Violet with her brother Walter Pierce taken on Sept. 1, 1985 at the wedding of Walter's daughter Diane to Roger Hackett. Walter died on July 3, 1987 two months before Violet died.

Violet's headstone at the Belle Fourche, South Dakota Cemetery. She was 69 when she died in 1987.

Simply,
Victor

Williamson Family Link to Henry VIII's Two Beheaded Wives

Howard Family Coat of Arms
Display it Proudly for all the Grief our Cousins Gave Henry VIII

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
I'm watching the 4th and final season of Showtime's The Tudors on DVD and enjoying it very much. This season revolves around Henry VIII's last two wives. Catherine Howard starts the season as Henry's fifth wife. She's about to be beheaded for sleeping with one of her husband's servants - right under his nose and in common knowledge by many in the household. Stupid? Yes. Chalk it up to the indiscretions of youth. Catherine was only a teenager.

While watching I realized her last name (Howard) was also a last name on the Williamson family line and decided to spend the better part of this morning researching to see if we are indeed related by blood (I've already posted on an earlier occasion that our 14th Great Grandmother Agnes Tilney, was the Step Grandmother to Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn , the fact that her husband was their grandfather and great grandfather escaped me).

Today I tie up the research on our Tudor connection by connecting all the dots and presenting what I know.

14th Great Grandfather, Thomas Howard

Let's begins with our 14th Great Grandfather, Thomas Howard. Thomas was our ancestral link to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. His first married Elizabeth Tilney. That marriage produced several children, two of which were Lord Edmund Howard and Lady Elizabeth Howard. Catherine Howard was Lord Edmund's daughter. Anne Boleyn was Lady Elizabeth Howard's daughter. The Relationship Chart below will help (Click to Enlarge):

Catherine Howard. Henry VIII's Fifth Wife. Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's 2nd Wife

Our relationship is halved because our family line ties to Sir Thomas through his second wife Agnes Tilney and then through their daughter Dorothy. This makes our 13th Great Grandmother Dorothy the half sister to Lord Edmund and Lady Elizabeth. Please refer to the Relationship Chart Below:

14th Great Grandfather Sir Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk married 2nd Wife Agnes Tilney. to
Dorothy Howard married Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby
to
Jane Stanley married Edward Sutton, Baron of Dudley
to
Edward Sutton married Elizabeth Tomlinson
to
Ann Sutton married John Bagley
to
Edward Bagley married Ann Gregorie
to
Ann Bagley married William Brinton
to
John Willis married Ester Brinton
to
Henry Willis married Mary Rachel Underwood
to
John Willis married Phebe Bennett
to
Bennett Willis married Katherine Nosseman
to
Jonathan Willis married Anabella Phlegar
to
Margaret Ann Willis married George Matthew Williamson
to
William J. Williamson married Effie Helen Victor
to
their children, our parents, and grandparents
Vennie, Ima, Inez, Lillie, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles, Maurice.
to
US

Now our family has a connection to two of England's best known monarchs.

• Through marriage, Henry VIII husband and executioner to two of our half first cousins 14 times removed.
• By blood to Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn. Queen Elizabeth I is our half 2nd cousin, 13 times removed.

The last minutes of Anne's life




Simply,
Victor

Grandpa Charlie (Charles Williamson)

My Grandpa Charlie Williamson
Taken around 1920

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello,
Today I'm posting several pictures of my Grandpa Charlie. He was the 8th child of William Williamson and Effie Helen Victor. He was born on March 21, 1909.

Simply,
Victor

The Lost, Hoping to be Found. Can you Help on this Mission Person's Investigation?

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Tonight I'll post three pictures of unidentified persons. The dusty memories of the two ancients I have access to haven't a clue who they are. Of course, I'm not sure Luella paid much attention. I was interrupting her Oprah. Charles was more interested that I post his autographed picture of Gabrielle. I'm guessing she is a famous model from yesteryear. He's pretty proud of this photo and autograph, so be sure to mention it when you see him next. Say something like "You old dog, How did you get someone that HOT to pay any attention to you!"
You'll be in his good favor to the end.


Now, enough of the diversion. Let's get back to business.

I putting these out on the world wide web hoping someone out there in Familyland will know (or have an idea - even a hunch would be a start) of who they are - so, here we go....

Look closely at this photograph. You see a young blond girl with baby in carriage. Looks turn of the 20th century to me.

Another picture from the same era. Any ideas? The little one might be a midget (is that politically correct to say?) If she isn't a midget then that little girl is about the homeliest little girl I've ever seen (oops, let's hope it isn't someone's dearest dearest great great Grandmother. If so then I've really put my foot in it!).

Finally, this picture. This was taken in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Luella thinks the young lady on the left is Great Grandmother Vesta (Violet's mother). If so, then who are the other two? Vesta was raised by Charles and Nancy Roe and they didn't have a son. On the other hand, the little girl might be Vesta? If so, then the boy might be her older brother James but he doesn't look 8 years older than her, does he?

Well, there you have it. Three mysteries waiting for someone to comment. I'll leave them to you and move on to other things.

Simply,
Victor

Our Family and the Founding of Williamson, West Virginia

Williamson, West Virginia

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamson,
Today I'd like to shed new light on an age old family tradition concerning the founding of Williamson, West Virginia.

I've heard for years that our family founded Williamson, West Virginia. Finding that connection was a major goal when I started this family history blog nearly one year ago. Sadly, after much research I drew the conclusion that it was just a myth with no substance.

Today, I believe I can offer evidence that there is truth to the story. It is my opinion that Williamson West Virginia was founded by my 3rd cousin, 4 times removed. His name was Benjamin Williamson.

Now the evidence. We begin with the Relationship Chart (click to enlarge).

Please remember that I haven't rock solid proof that Matthew Williamson was the son of Cuthbert Williamson Jr. but all the facts point to this line as our line of descent (refer to the previous post on Matthew Williamson's line). The facts are so obvious that I'm 90% sure this is our correct Williamson Family Tree.

Given that point, then we see that our 2rd Great Grandfather George Matthew Williamson was
a 3rd cousin to Benjamin Williamson, the founder of Williamson West Virginia. This is something George Matthew would have known and it would have been a topic of conversation in the George Matthew Williamson home - hence the story being passed down to our generations.

Therefore, I believe the story of our family's tie to the founding of Williamson, West Virginia is another strong fact that proofs I've found our Williamson line and can now take our genealogy back further to the earliest days of colonial American and the old world and boy are there some interesting relatives on this line to tell you about. Watch for further posts.

Simply,
Victor

For Your Information, this is the History of Williamson, West Virginia taken from the town's web site.

History of Williamson, West Virginia In 1756, Major Andrew Lewis and his exposition were traveling through the area that is now Mingo County. The men ran out of food, but killed a buffalo between present-day Williamson and Kermit. The men cut the meat into small strips called "tugs". They ate the tugs while stopping by a river. Later, this river was referred to by Lewis as "the river where we ate the tugs". Therefore, the river was named the Tug River.
The first settlers arrived in the Williamson area sometime in the 1790's. Between 1800 and 1810, the area that is now downtown Williamson was acquired by a man named Anthony Lawson. The land was cleared in the early 1820's. The first white child to be born in Williamson was Amanda Lowe, my great-great-great-grandmother. This occurred in 1826. Lowe's father, Thomas Patrick Lowe, came to this area from North Carolina in 1825. He assisted in clearing the land and built the house later known as the Ben Williamson house. Thomas Lowe's father-in-law, Isaac Brewer, came to the area from the Church Valley of Virginia in 1800.
Thomas Lowe sold his land in 1839 and moved his family to Marrowbone Creek. After moving, Lowe granted his slaves their freedom. Around the same time, Anthony Lawson sold the land that is now downtown to his friend Benjamin Williamson, who was also an early inhabitant of the area. Lawson and his brother Harry lived in what is now East Williamson.
Benjamin Williamson divided the land up evenly among his children. His son, Benjamin, Jr., got the section that is now the business section of Williamson. Benjamin Williamson, Sr. died in 1854. His grave can be seen in the Williamson Cemetery on Reservation Hill.

And Now, Possible New Williamson Ancestors.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons,
I'm hoping you read my last post on the breakthrough in our family Williamson line.
If you didn't then please do not read this post until you have.

http://atropesend.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-theory-on-origin-of-our-williamson.html

Now, if we assume I'm correct in my reasoning, and I believe I am, (until I find evidence that I'm not) then we blast through the brick wall that has stopped us from getting past Matthew Williamson, our common grandfather and father of George Matthew Williamson.

I'm now prepared to introduce you to the following ancestors that I believe make up our Williamson line to England. Once again, this is not 100% certain. It is based entirely on my line of reasoning in my post of last Saturday.

So, without further fanfare, may I introduce you to our new 'possible' ancestors:

George Matthew Williamson married Margaret Ann Willis

George, son of Matthew

Matthew Williamson married Selena Dandridge Jeffries

Matthew, son of Cuthbert

WILLIAMSON, Cuthbert b 1739 d 1812 Charlotte County, Virginia married Obedience Price.

Children:

• Rebecca b 1754
• John
• Elizabeth m 12 Jun 1783, Charlotte County, Virginia Samuel Bland
  

married second wife Susannah White b 1754 d 1840 Charlotte County, Virginia, daughter of John and Mary White on 7 Sep 1772 Charlotte County, Virginia. Their children:

• Mary b 1773
• Matthew
• Martha ("Patsey") m 5 Dec 1796 Charlotte County, Virginia John Roach
• Nancy m Nathen Harraway
• Charles b 1781 m 11 Oct 1806 Charlotte County, Virginia Elizabeth Smith Brown
• Susannh Price b 14 Jan 1783 m 27 Mar 1804 Charlotte County, Virginia Achilles Jeffries
• Cuthbert b 7 Oct 1791
• Samuel
• Sallie b ca. 1778
• William Barrett b 1794
• Daniel White
• Frances White m 13 Dec 1822 Charlotte County, Virginia Jordan Taylor
• Catherine

Cuthbert, son of Cuthbert

WILLIAMSON, Cuthbert b ca. 1711 Henrico County, Virginia d 20 Apr 1786 Charlotte County, Virginia married ca. 1731 Elizabeth Allen

Their children:

• Cuthbert b 1739
• Susanna b 25 Aug 1735
• Mary Price b ca. 1738

Cuthbert, son of John

WILLIAMSON, John b 1687 England d 1757 Henrico County, Virginia married Rebecca Chamberlayne. Their children:

• John b 1708
• Thomas b 1708
• Cuthbert b ca. 1711

The only evidence for the John as the son or gandson of Sir Joseph is that John named his place opposite Jamestown, Cobham. There is another theory regarding John's ancestors that appears to be more realistic. John was elected vestryman for Curl's Church on 17 June 1735

John, possible son of Sir Joseph Williamson

WILLIAMSON, Sir Joseph b 1630 England married Catherine O'Brien Stewart.
Their child:

• John b 1687

Sir Joseph purchased the estate of the Duke of Richmond in Kent, England. Its seat was called Cobham Hall. He served as Secretary of State and was once imprisoned in the Tower of London for allegedly taking part in a plot to permit Catholics into England.

A New Theory on the Origin of our Williamson Family Name.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

I’ve been looking into the Willamson family line for several months now. Every time I do I run into the same problem. Our Williamson name begins and ends with George Matthew Williamson’s parents, Matthew and Selina Williamson.

We know that George Matthew Williamson was Born on the 15th of October, 1834 in Lynchburg VA. He was married to Margaret Ann Willis.

My dad (Charles) tells me that his searches for the parents of Matthew Williamson (George's dad) have proven fruitless. It seems we’ve drawn a blank. So, without a direct line to trace I start looking to secondary evidence to find the ancestors with our Williamson name.

I decided that if I can't find evidence of Matthew Williamson I needed to look elsewhere. Today I decided to trace his wife Selena Dandridge Jeffries Williamson.

Let's begin with a Relationship Chart:

Matthew Williamson married Selena Dandridge Jeffries
to Their Son
George Matthew Williamson who married Margaret Ann Willis
to Their Son
William J. Williamson who married Effie Helen Victor
to
Their Children, our parents and grandparents
Vennie, Ima Della, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles, Maurice.

I spent hours on the internet searching every document and census record available and today want to propose a working theory on the Williamsons of Virginia and the mystery of Matthew Williamson.

The Birth
Matthew Williamson was born sometime around 1810. We don't know exactly where but I assume Virginia.

We know that the Williamson family lived in Cambell County Virginia near Lynchburg where our Great Great Grandfather George Matthew Williamson was born.
The Following was taken from his obituary:

Mr. Williamson was born near Lynchburg, Virginia, October 15, 1834 and while yet a small boy his parents moved to Floyd County, in what is now West Virginia. There he grew to manhood and was married to Miss Margaret Anne Willis of that place on July 25, 1856.

There are no records of Matthew and Selena living near Lynchburg, but remember the US Census is taken every 10 years and George Matthew was born in 1834. I assume George was their oldest child and born shortly after their marriage. That would place their marriage sometime in the early 1830's.

The 1830 Census doesn't list members of household by name. Only the head of the household is recorded. Therefore, I believe that in 1830 Matthew was unmarried and living at home - hence no record of him by name. So, the next logical step would be to find the Matthew Williamson family in the 1840 Census. According to the obituary, I should be looking at Floyd County Virginia (there is no Floyd County in West Virginia).

My search of the 1840 Census proved fruitless. There was no Matthew Williamson anywhere. I was stopped dead in my tracks again. How could a married man with family not appear on the Census or the tax lists of Floyd County?

Perhaps they moved before the 1840 Census. No, according to the obituary the family was still living in Floyd County when George Matthew and Margaret Ann Willis married in 1856.

I went to bed last night wondering where our great grandfather and mother were in the pages of time. Perhaps consulting a physic would be prudent. Matthew and Selena could tell me their history themselves.

I woke up this morning and went right to task. I decided to try a new approach. I did a search of the 1850 Census of Floyd County looking for someone with the first name of Selena, bypassing Matthew completely. That's when something interesting appeared.

Surprised? I was. Notice that Selena's last name was Levis. This couldn't be her could it?
Notice the last name of the children in the household. That is G. Williamson. The letter "G" stood for George. What are the odds that a George Williamson, born in 1835 (the year difference in George's birthday isn't a concern. Another census later in his life records his birth in 1835) has a mother named Selena living in Floyd County, 1850? Slim. Very Slim indeed.

My Theory Takes Shape.

• Matthew and Selena married between the 1831 and 1833.
• Selena was 21 years old when their first child, George Matthew Williamson was born.
• The family moved to Floyd County.
• Our Great Great Great Grandfather Matthew died at a young age leaving Selena a widow with a young son. His death would be before the 1840 Census was taken or her would have been listed as a head of household.
• Selena married William Levis around 1845. Together they had four children.

What did the Widow Williamson and her young son George do after the death of Matthew? We are looking at a gap of five or six years in the record before she remarries.

A mother and son, taken in the early 1840's.

Let's look at the next piece of evidence:

This is a page taken from the 1840 US Census. There she is! The Census records a certain Salina (her name was spelled several different ways on many different census records) living in the Charlotte, Virginia area. Charlotte is near Lynchburg. Also notice her middle name starts with "D". Our Great Grandmother's name was Selena Dandridge Jeffries.

This is the same Census record in text. Selena was the head of household in this Census. Notice her household consisted of 2 people, Selena and a young son listed at 5 or younger (George Matthew was born in 1834/35).

The Theory is modified:

• Matthew Williamson died before 1840. His widow and young son moved to the Charlotte area. Why would they do that? To be close to family is my guess. Do I have evidence? Yes I do....

• This is the actual page from the 1840 Census. Look at the other names. Notice the following: John Williamson, Cutberth Williamson and Daniel Williamson also lived in the same community.
• I believe William Levis and Selena met each other in Charlotte and moved back to Floyd County where Matthew and Selena owned land. They farmed the land and raised a family. It was William and Selena that attended the wedding of George Matthew to Margaret Willis.
  

If my theory is correct, then we are related to the original Williamson settlers of Virginia.

The following information was taken from a post I wrote several months ago outlining a theory I had about Cuthbert Williamson. What I wrote then seems more credible now.

Cuthbert Williamson

There is history of a certain Cuthbert Williamson who lived and died in Charlotte County, Va., near Rough Creek.

Evidence 1:

Notice how close Rough Creek (A) is to Lynchburg VA.

As you can see, Rough Creek Virginia is very close to Lynchburg where our ancestor George Williamson was born in 1834. Given that people rarely travelled great distances in the early 1800’s, and knowing the name Williamson is not that common of a name (check your phone book and you’ll see) I’m thinking that this Cuthbert may be related in some way - although not directly but indirectly.

Cuthbert Williamson was born near Richmond VA about 1740 and in 1765 purchased land in Charlotte County, again near Lynchburg. Curthbert had 16 children 14 of whom married. His first wife is thought to have been Miss Price. He had three children by his first marriage, John, Rebecca and Elizabeth. His second wife was a Miss White, and by this wife he had the following children:- Charles, Mary, Martha, Nancy, Samuel, Cuthbert, Susan, Kate Francis, William B., Daniel M., Matthew and Sallie; Kate died young, unmarried; Sallie died when a child.
(Evidence 2: Cuthbert had a son named Matthew)

More on this Williamson Family History

John Williamson, a descendant of Sir Joseph Williamson, came to Virginia and settled opposite Jamestown. 1st. John Williamson, born 1687, married Rebecca Chamberlayne. They had three sons, Thomas, John and Cuthbert.

Now the Cuthbert born around 1740 was most likely the son of Cuthbert mentioned above. Again I’m going with reasoning (since there is nothing else to go on at the moment). Even if Cuthbert isn’t directly on our line, then surely the John Williamson who came to Virginia and settled near Jamestown must be considering this Willaimson line came to Virginia around 1630.
From the Jamestown area the many members of the family settled near Rough Creek, which we’ve already established as very close to Lynchburg, home of our Williamson line.

OK, what do you think of my reasoning so far? Would you agree?

I’m doing more research on this line of Williamson's and will continue to post new developments. Perhaps we have a breakthrough and can finally, although perhaps without ever finding absolute proof that this is our Williamson line, trace our family line back to England.

Fingers Crossed,

Simply,
Victor

Are Williamsons from Wales? A Quandry.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons,
Warm and cloudless at the Fortress this evening. I enjoyed my walk home from the Space Education Center. I’ll confess I did something which for me was daring. I wanted to leave the paved road and walk a section of the way home along the government canal, which is marked “No Trespassing” at regular intervals. Walking the canal wasn’t the daring thing. Everyone walks the canal, ignoring the warning not to trespass. I believe, along with so many other canal walkers, that the warning is for vehicles - not pedestrians. Besides, no one patrols the canal anyway.

Back to my story. To get onto the canal from where I was required a walk up someone’s very long private driveway. I walked up to the start of the drive and strained to see if anyone was lurking about, someone like the owner perhaps. The drive ends at a large, French Louis XIV style home. Now, if it were some aluminum sided bungalow then I wouldn’t have been so apprehensive, thinking common folk understand common folk. This chateau intimidated me. I had visions of me breaching the compound, triggering alarms, and moments later running for my life from a platoon of the French Foreign Legion.

I hesitated to move forward and hesitated to retreat and walk the rest of the way home on the public road. It was the school teacher in me that reminded me that rules are to be obeyed. Let’s face it, I’m well known in Pleasant Grove. My guilt ridden imagination gave me a vision of the headline the town’s local fish wrapper newspaper would print if I was apprehended: “Well Known, Yet Eccentric Pleasant Grove Teacher, Arrested for Trespassing onto Federal Government Property through a Neighborhood Driveway - Intentions Unknown!”

The debate raged internally for ten seconds or so before I decided to ‘Man Up‘ and live daring. I stepped forward into the breech and moved as quickly as I could (without breaking into what I perceived would be interrupted as a guilty jog) up the driveway - my eyes never veering from the chain link gate and the yellow triangle reading “No Trespassing - US Govt. Property”.

There was no horn or alarm. Not even a dog’s bark broke the still of the afternoon. A moment later I was safely onto the canal and freedom. I’d done it! I trespassed and felt so alive. I’ll confess I’m feeling pretty invincible right now and about thirty years younger. Wow, I need to do this more often. Come to think of it, there is a Army Reserve Compound near the high school. That might make for an interesting next challenging moment. I’ll keep you informed.

Tonight we take a moment to discuss one of the possibilities for the Williamson name in America. As many of you know that have been regular readers of this blog, the first Williamson ancestor of ours to cross the Atlantic pond for America still eludes me. The furthest back any of us have traced the family line is the father of George Matthew Williamson, my Great Great Grandfather. We know his father was Matthew Williamson and the family lived near Lynchburg Virginia around 1830. From the research I’ve done I’m settling on one of two theories for the orgin of our family. I’d like to take the next two posts and discuss them. Tonight I’ll start with the Wales Theory.

Are the Williamsons from Wales?

Well, are we? That I don’t know. I’ve heard it said that someone in the family remembers someone saying that they heard from someone else that our Williamson family originated from Wales. Is this true? Does anyone have information to shed on that? If so please share.

OK, If we are descended from a family of Williamsons that came from Wales then our Atlantic crossing Williamson Great Grandparent might be Hugh Williamson, who came from Wales about 1720's and first settled in New Kent County, Virginia., and then moved with the tide of emigration to Western Pennsylvania. Various deed books give Hugh’s descendants owning land in Pike, Floyd, Johnson, and Martin counties. Floyd County is where our family of Williamson’s seems to be at that time.

Hugh Williamson was born about 1710 in Wales and died around 1813. He immigrated to America around 1724. He had one son named Alden Williamson, born around 1750.

Once again, Does anyone in the family ever recall anyone mentioning a Welsh origin to our family name?

More to come.

Simply,
Victor

Early Photographs from Great Grandmother Ida Mattson's Photo Album

Relationship Chart for the People in the photographs below. Remember, Albert and Josephine were brother and sister, both immigrated from Sweden.



Ed Lidman, son of Josephine Mattson Lidman and Charles Lidman. Josephine was Great Grandpa Albert Mattson's sister, thus making her our Great Great Aunt, making her Walter's aunt. She came to America before Albert. Ed was Josephine's only child.

This is a picture of Charles Lidman, husband to Josephine Mattson Lidman. This picture was taken in Lead, South Dakota.

In this photo taken about 1913 we have Great Grandmother Ida holding her only child, Walter (Grandpa Mattson). Grandpa Mattson was born in 1912. We don't know who the other woman and child are.

This is another picture of Josephine Mattson Lidman sitting on the porch of her home in Lead.

This is a picture of Rose Lidman, the wife of Ed Lidman. Ed was a first cousin to Grandpa Walter.
This is a family picture of the Lidman's. From left to right. Josephine Mattson Lidman, Rose (her daughter in law), Charles Lidman - Josephine's husband, Albert Mattson, and seated - Ida Tornberg Mattson.
Josephine Mattson Lidman standing with her daughter in law, Rose.

Ida Tornberg Mattson came to the United States to work as a domestic in Michigan (see earlier posts on her crossing and dates). She came to the country with friends from Sweden. Great Grandmother Ida is on the right.

This is a picture of Josephine Lidman. She is the daughter of Ed and Rose Lidman. Luella knew Josephine. She was buried in Hermosa, South Dakota Cemetery. Little Josephine took care of her father Ed for years and years, remaining unmarried. When Ed died Josephine married in her later years having no children.

Josephine Mattson Lidman in her later years.
Josephine Mattson Lidman sitting with her husband Charles.