Louis L Williams

Was born February 2, 1898 in Rector, Clay Co., AR and died July 10th , 1978 in Flint Mi. He married Mary Madden Williams September 19, 1921 in Merrill Michigan. Louis lived most of his married life at 612 Pettibone ave., Flint Mi. He was born in Rector, Arkansas, but moved to Campbell, Dunklin Co., Missouri before he was age two. His father died of pneumonia while he was a very small child, so he never knew his father. As a young man, he was the best baseball pitcher in Campbell, Mo. He was 5’11”, lean and quick, brlown eyes and dark brown hair. His hair was so curly during his youth that his nickname was “Burrhead”. One of his favorite games played with about twelve of his young friends was “Lay Low”. His personality was very outgoing and he loved to joke with people.

These are the words of Louis, himself, describing his life and written about 1970. “When I think back to the days of my youth, there are only two major regrets that I have. One that I didn’t get the education I should have. And, for that I blame no one but myself. The other I regret that I didn’t do enough for my mother. She was wonderful person and had a very hard time raising our family. She didn’t receive all the good things of life which she fully deserved. And, that I am sorry. My boyhood was during the “horse and buggy” days. Automobiles were as scarce as hens teeth. In fact the first car I ever rode in was a two-cylinder Brush owned by my cousin, Bland Rice. We used it later for fishing trips. I lived in a town called Campbell which had a population of about 3,000 people. The only transportation people had in those days was “ride a horse” or “drive a horse and buggy” so naturally they had to have some place to keep their horses. That is why there were many barns or sheds throughout the town just like you would see on a farm. Although we did not have a horse, we did have one of those barns on the back property. Mother used it for raising chickens and a pig or two now and then to fatten up for meat. But, being a boy, the hayloft is what took my eye, so I started raising pigeons. I kept them penned in for a few months then opened it up and let them come and go as they pleased. They multiplied very fast. At one time I counted over 150 pigeons. I used to go out in the back yard with some feed and call them just like chickens. They would swarm down on me and on my shoulders and head. They weren’t scared of me at all. One incident that I remember, There was a carnival in town and it had a side show of reptiles. They had snakes from six to twelve feet long. The manager sent word to see me. That made me feel pretty important, so I rushed over to see what he wanted. He asked me to sell him some pigeons to feed the snakes, so I agreed. I took quite a few in a gunny sack and went back to the carnival. He said, How would you like to see me feed the snakes? I said sure. This was before the show opened. He took me inside a tent. It wasn’t very light inside sort of like twilight. He took four or five of those big snakes and put them down on the ground and let them crawl around. He would take a pigeon, hold its wings down and hold it out to the snakes. They swallowed those pigeons whole and alive. To top it off, he picked up a snake about seven feet long and draped it over my shoulders. Well you can be sure that was enough for me, so I got lout of there as soon as possible.

We had a very good school. It went from first grade through twelve grades, but it had no kindergarten. Kids came from all around countryside to go to Campbell. I foolishly quit school in the eleventh grade to go to work so I didn’t get my high School diploma. I was very athletic in my school days and was in everything going on that included baseball, basketball and track. The school wouldn’t let us play football. I guess they were afraid their little darlings would get hurt. I was a pitcher in baseball and rated a very good one.

The first job I had as a child was a Porter in a barber shop. I shined shoes and kept the place cleaned. Money wise, I did pretty well for a kid. The next job was a brick mill where they made bricks. My job was to keep the furnace going and to supply all the dry sand the mill needed. For this they paid me the astronomical sum of ten cents per hour. The men received fifteen cents. I worked as a plumber’s helper off and on as he needed me. I also worked for the electric power Co. wiring houses when it was needed. Next, a man taught me the vulcanizing business, so I operated a vulcanizing machine for some time. However, this trade didn’t last long, so I went to work in a garage as a mechanic and vulcaniser under Mr. L.H. Hudkins. My next job was a shipping Clerk in a wholesale grocery store. I first came to Flint, Michigan in 1917 and went to work at the Imperial Wheel Works. I only worked a few months when I got homesick and went back home. I came back in 1919, met my wife raised a wonderful family of six children, and that brings me up to right now.

Louis Williams retired from Fisher Body Division of General Motors Corporation in 1957 where he had worked for over 30 years. He had carried his lunch and walked the 5-6 blocks back and forth from his home all those years. After this he started his second career as he called it. He was a Police Crossing Guard for the school board in Flint, Michigan. He wanted something to do.

At about age 40 he stopped playing ball on the teams because he didn’t want to jeopardize his family in case he was hurt. When his hearing began to fail, he stopped playing card games such as Pedro and Poker so he wouldn’t hold up the game. After age 50, he had several heart attacks. He was in the process of having a pace maker inserted when he died at the age 80.

The highlight of the week in the Louis Williams home was when he read the Sunday Funnies to his children. He also cooked breakfast every Sunday when he made his specialty pancakes. He loved to make candy called Penuche both for his family and as gifts for others. One of his favorite sports was boxing which he taught to his son, Bud. Bud won several boxing matches in the U.S. Navy with the left hook and some of his teachings. At age 60 Louis decided to play golf. He read several books, then spent a lot of time on the Golf Course with his sons and sons-in-law. He was a very good golfer.

In 1928 Louis built his permanent home at 612 Pettibone Ave., Flint Michigan. He paid workers by the hour instead of by the job. The cost was more, but he had a better house, and he lived in it for 50 years. The cost to build it in 1928 was $4,300. His children sold it in 1987 for $28,000. The family, as did most others in the United States, had a hard time during the depression years, but managed to survive and keep their home.

On October 22, 1975 Louis had a statement notarized for his daughter, Alice Lucille. It said, While I can’t remember ever seeing my father, I do remember his sister, Delephine E Jack, whom I knew well. It seems my father was adopted by a family named Williams. I have been told my father died in March 1903 in Rector, Arkansas.

Louis registered during the draft for World War 1 on September 12, 1918 in Kennett, Dunklin Co, Mo. He also registered for the draft of World War on June 25, 1942 at local board No. 5 of Genesee County, Mi. He was given the classification of III-A. He appeared to be one of the lucky men to young for World War 1 and too Old for World War 2. His registration at the time of World War 1 described him as being of medium height, medium build, brown eyes and black hair and no physical defects.

During the time of World War 2 Louis was an air Raid Warden for the Flint Council of defense.