NOT climbing the wrong tree: William Turner Williams

William Turner Williams, 1858-1954

from the personal collection of Sandra Williams Bush,

obtained 2011 (Willis B. Williams collection)

William Turner Williams is my paternal great-grandfather. To learn about his life, I initially looked at U.S. census records -- records that are easily accessible though sites such as the National Archives, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com.

As I worked backward from the 1940 census, which was the latest one available at the time, I saw a slight variation on how his name was recorded. In 1940, he was Turner Williams; in 1930 and 1920, he was W. T. Williams; in 1910, 1900, and 1870 he was Turner Williams. His county and state of residence was consistently listed as Jones County, Georgia in the 1870 census and then from 1900-1930 -- even when the specific town may have been different. The first county change was in 1940, when he, his wife, Mary Jane and other family members were living in Howard, Bibb County, Georgia. When the 1950 census was released, my great-grandfather was one of the first Ancestors I looked for -- he was listed as William T. Williams, widowed, living in Howard, Bibb County. Georgia with his married daughter, Daisy, and her husband, Steven Hudson.

1880 U. S. Census

Where is William Turner Williams? Who is he living with? What is he doing?

1870 U.S. Census

The 1870 census was the first census that formally enslaved persons were named with both first and last names. 

The form did not ask for a person's relationship to the head of the household (such as "wife" or "son"). That column did not start until 1880. The head of the household was listed first, typically followed by the spouse, and then children in order of their age (oldest to youngest), followed by any boarders, lodgers, or servants. This instruction was given in the 1850 census and carried forward.

Of course, I analyzed every census record, but the 1870 gave me pause. Dwelling 868, Family 870 lists in order: Jackson Williams, 35; Lucy Williams. 30; William, 13; Thomas, 11; Jackson, 9; Oliver, 7; Peter, 3; Turner Williams, 13; and Hannah Clemens, 65. 

Every family tree "hint" I get on Ancestry.com has Jackson Williams as Turner's father. I was not satisfied with that assumption. I had questions.

Why was Turner Williams, 13, listed after the age progression of the other children who were grouped together? Was Turner taken in as an orphan, a family member?  I also noted that there was a William Williams who was also 13 years old. Why was William a farm laborer and Turner "at home"? 

Yes, William Williams and William Turner Williams are two different people. I did a deep dive and fell down many rabbit holes.

1870; Census Place: Popes, Jones, Georgia; Roll: M593_160; Page: 240A; Image: 487; Family History Library Film: 545659

It is recommended that a person look at least five pages forward and five pages back when finding their family member on a census record. I went through several pages and found ten other families -- both Black and White -- with the Williams surname. 

1870 U.S census (surname: Williams)

Inhabitants in Popes District, Jones County, Georgia (pp 86-117)

Post Office: Clinton, Jones County, Georgia

Page	Dwelling	Family	Head of household		Color	Family members
101	794	800	Idam Williams, 46	Farm laborer	B	F: 53, 80
102	801	807	Agnes Williams, 18	Farm laborer	B	F: 16,14,12; M: 9, 1
107	840	846	Benjamin Williams, 63	Farm laborer	B	F:21, 2 mos; M 4
109	855	861	Joseph Williams, 34	Farm laborer	B	F: 36, 14,13,12,3 M:15,11,7
110	858	864	Eli Williams, 22	Farm laborer	B	F: 20,3 M: 1
	859	865	John W Williams, 60	Farmer, Landowner	W	F: 48, 90 Servants F: 37,15 M:13
	860	866	John Williams, 19	Farm laborer	W	F: 20 Servant M: 13
			Charles Williams, 40	Farm laborer	B	F: 35,14,11,9 M: 2
	868	870	Jackson Williams	Farm laborer	M
111	859	865	Thomas Williams, 52	Farmer	W	Includes: Catherine Williams, 12, farm laborer Mary Williams, 19, servant
	861	867	Stephen Williams, 24	Farm laborer	B	M: 22,11

It is also recommended that when you find a Black person on the 1870 census, look at nearby White people (1) who have the same surname; (2) have money and/or property. The reason for this is that the White person may have been a possible enslaver. I saw the possibility to research two families headed by White men that had land and money -- John W. Williams, age 60 and Thomas Williams, age 52. In my research I found that the two men were brothers who inherited their land and enslaved from their father.

Census records are just the tip of family history and genealogy research. The records are easily accessible at various sites and most often the information is free to view. They should be used as a jumping off point -- analyze and question EVERYTHING. I really enjoy the thrill of the discoveries and piecing stories together to get a fuller picture.

In a previous blog entry on William Turner Williams and Mary Jane Williams, I wrote about how I contacted a Georgia funeral home for information. Fortunately, they responded with the record they had from 1954 when they handled his funeral. The record is one of two that I have which gives his father's name as John Williams. The other record is his death certificate from the Georgia Department of Public Health, #14510. The informant was Mrs. Rufus Hudson, aka Fannie, one of his daughters.

The result of my research of my great-grandfather, William Turner Williams is that his father was John W. Williams, Jr. who was an enslaver. This was further verified by dna results that connect me to descendants of John and his family.

While I did climb Jackson Williams' tree, I am still unclear on his relationship to my great-grandfather. I can surmise that William Turner was in his household because he certainly couldn't live with his biological father, John. 

So, I join the chorus of other family researchers who plead with those searching for their roots, (1) DO THE RESEARCH, (2) DO NOT COPY information from the trees of others.

Copyright © 2026 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.