My Genealogy Hound

Spruce E. Williams, an enterprising young merchant of Hall’s Station, Tenn., located on the Newport News & Mississippi Valley Railroad, thirteen miles northeast of Ripley, was born in Tipton County, Tenn., October 4, 1863, and is one of twin sons, in a family of ten children—five boys and five girls—born to Alexander and Gellaney (Rigby) Williams, and is of English descent. His father was born in Lincoln County, Tenn., and moved with his parents to Tipton County, when seven years of age, and was raised and educated in that county, and married there in 1847 and still lives there; the mother was a native of South Carolina. Our subject was raised on a farm, and received a common-school education, and commenced business for himself when sixteen years old, by accepting a clerkship in a store, and is now a member of the firm of S. E. Williams & Co., and is doing a good trade in the general merchandise business. He was first with Goodman & Bro., of Covington, Tenn., then for eight months with J. W. Huffman, of Union City, and was also in the employ for a while of N. H. Murphy, at Covington, Tenn., and was also in the photography business in Tipton and Lauderdale Counties. Mr. Williams is a young man of pluck and ability, and with his experience in business, and his energy, bids fair to be one of the leading business men of his county.