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William Banks Williams was born February 3, 1872, son of Thomas M. Williams and Nancy C. Wilson. It is not documented, but it was said that the Banks as a middle name was in honor of an officer in the Confederate Army under whom he had served. He married Mildred Agnes Egbert, daughter of James Leroy Egbert and Sarah Nall Egbert, October 5, 1902. At that time he was employed as bookkeeper on a ferry boat which ferried trains of the M & O railroad across the Mississippi River from Missouri to Kentucky. These ferries landed at the port in Hickman, KY, so they lived there until 1907.
Their first son Jefferson Egbert was born there June 10, 1903. Their second son William Edward was born in Clinton, KY on May 22, 1908. When he moved back to Clinton, Will (as he was known all his life) worked in Ward-Williams Hardware Store which had been established in 1894 by his brother Ed and brother-in-law Willie Ward. Later he purchased this store and changed the name to Williams Hardware and operated it until his death in 1929. His sons both worked with him in this store and continued to run it after his death it was sold in December 1981.
Agnes Egbert Williams was ahead of her time as a business woman. She was the first Avon representative in Hickman County, making her sales and deliveries by horse and buggy. In the 1960 she received a gift because she was the oldest living "Avon Lady" in the United States. Before Christmas each year she would open a special section of the hardware store for gifts and toys. She also raised flowers and sold them to florists in Fulton, KY and Cairo, IL, shipping them by train. Agnes died in 1965.
J. E. Williams was married to Lillian Kendal. They had no children. Besides helping operate Williams Hardware in Clinton he also had a John Deere Agency in Fulton, KY. He built the Rancho Motel in Clinton and at the time of his death in 1981, also owned a restaurant in Clinton as well as several other business buildings.
For biography of W. E. Williams see separate page on Williams-Jones.
