henry “lewis” williams
1908-1980
Life Story
Early Life in Newton County (1908–1927)
Lewis Williams was born on February 22, 1908, in Newton County, Mississippi. He was the third son of Guss Garfield Williams and Lula Willis Williams and grew up in Beat 4, a rural farming community where large families relied on cooperation and hard work.
The 1910 Census lists him as Lewis, age two, living with his parents and siblings in Newton County. However, by the 1920 Census a child named Henry, age eleven, appears in the same birth order where Lewis would be expected. This suggests that his full name was likely Henry Lewis Williams, with Lewis being the name most commonly used in daily life.
By the age of eleven, Lewis was already contributing to the family’s survival as a laborer on his father’s farm. Despite these responsibilities, he continued attending school, demonstrating the Williams family’s commitment to education even within the restrictive social and economic realities of the Jim Crow South.
Young Adulthood and Marriage (1928–1939)
Around 1928, at the age of twenty, Lewis married Lenora Hardy. By 1930, the couple had established their own rented farm in Newton County and welcomed their first child, Maggie Lou.
Unlike many rural laborers of the period, Lewis had learned to read and write. These skills likely helped him move from being simply a farm laborer to a farmer working on his own account, managing his own agricultural work.
By 1940, the family had grown to include four children:
- Maggie Lou Williams
- Annie Pearl Williams
- Howard Williams
- Cecil Williams
Census records show that Lewis was a dedicated and steady worker. In 1939 he worked the entire year, averaging 48 hours per week for 52 weeks on the farm. Though he had completed only a fifth-grade education, he served as the primary provider for a household of six.
War Years and the Great Migration (1940–1980)
On October 16, 1940, Lewis registered for the World War II draft in Lawrence, Mississippi. His registration card provides the following physical description: he stood 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, and had a dark complexion, black hair, and brown eyes. At the time of his registration, he was employed by George Duncan.
Like many African American families during the mid-twentieth century, Lewis eventually joined the Great Migration, relocating his family north to Detroit, Michigan. This move represented a dramatic shift from the agricultural life of rural Mississippi to the industrial economy of the Motor City.
Although he obtained his Social Security number in Mississippi prior to 1951, later records show that he ultimately settled in Wayne County, Michigan, where many Southern migrants found employment in factories and other urban industries.
Final Years and Legacy
Lewis Williams passed away in December 1980 in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of seventy-two.
His life reflects the story of many Southern Black families of his generation — beginning in the world of sharecropping and small farming in Mississippi and eventually transitioning to the industrial cities of the North.
Through perseverance and hard work, he helped lay the foundation for a growing Williams family that would extend from Newton County, Mississippi, to Detroit, Michigan, ensuring that future generations would carry forward the family legacy.
Resting Place
Detroit, Michigan
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- 1940 Federal Census
- Michigan, U.S., Death Index, 1971-1996
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
- Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
- U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- The Newton Record, Guss Williams Obituary, Wed, Apr 03, 1968 ·Page 11
Leave a Reply