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Below is a family biography included in The History of Sebastian County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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John F. Williams, sheriff of Sebastian County, Ark., was born in Ste. Genevieve County, Mo., in 1847. His father, I. O. Williams, was born in Terre Haute, Ind., in 1827, a mechanic by trade, and moved to Missouri soon after his marriage to Miss Sarah Lee. He located in Ste. Genevieve County, where he was engaged in farming, and in 1850 came to Arkansas, dying in Sebastian County, in April, 1887. His wife was born in Illinois in 1829, and died in Arkansas April 1, 1888, their union resulting in the birth of seven children, four living. The paternal and maternal grandparents were of Scotch and German descent, respectively. John F. Williams was reared in Sebastian County, Ark., and worked at the mechanic’s trade until he was elected to the office of sheriff in 1884, and is now filling his third term. He was married to Miss Alice Jones, of Tennessee, a daughter of Henry Jones, who died in 1861, and was an extensive planter in Weakley County, Tenn. Mrs. Williams became the mother of the following children: Beulah, Minnie, Hervey, Jim and Effie. The family attend the Methodist Church, and Mr. Williams is a member of the A. F. & A. M., the K. of H., and is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party. He is one of the best informed men of the county relating to the agricultural condition of the country, and has one of the finest stock farms in the county, and is preparing to engage in the stock business on a large scale in a short time. Mrs. Williams belongs to the Eastern Star Lodge, and is a member of the Ladies’ Christian Association.

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This family biography is one of 217 biographies included in The History of Sebastian County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Sebastian County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Sebastian County, Arkansas family biographies here: Sebastian County, Arkansas

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