Three-Legged Willie

History and Genealogy of Williamson County, Texas

The year is 1848 and 107 citizens of western Milam County petition the, "Honorable Legislature of the State of Texas" to form a new county. They explain that, "in their present situation it is very inconvenient for them to attend the courts of Milam County, most of them having to go from 40 to 50 miles."   Both copies of the petition originally propose the new county be named San Gabriel, however this name is crossed out; one copy substitutes the name Clear Water.  But lawmakers in Austin chose instead to honor one of their own.   In so doing, they named this county for a spirited man -- he was an editor, a patriot, a country school teacher, a lawmaker, and a Major of the first Texas Rangers. "To Judge Williamson nature had indeed been lavish of her mental gifts, but as if repenting of her prodigality in that line, she later afflicted him with a grievous physical burden; his right leg being drawn up at a right angle at the knee, necessitating the substitution of a wooden leg, which circumstances gave rise to the name by which he was familiarly known --"Three-Legged-Willie". . . . he could leave a court room over which he had just presided with all the grace and dignity of a lord chief justice, and within an hour be patting Juba for some nibble footed scapegrace to dance." (Smithwick,p.44)  The colorful history of this county is matched by the colorful life of it's namesake, Judge Robert McAlpin Williamson (see picture of full length portrait that hangs in the State Capitol ).

My mission is to help visitors learn about Williamson  County, her history and her people.  Let me know what you find most interesting or useful about this website !    If you have specific questions, the  Look Up section and information on how to join the Discussion List may prove very valuable. 


Cemeteries
Review a working list of  cemeteries in Williamson County.  These cemeteries, and those interred, appear in a four volume set of unpublished books produced by the Williamson County Historical Commission.   On May 6, 1999, the Commission granted me permission to put them online at this web site.  This will be a major data entry project.  As information from each cemetery is completed it will be posted.  (currently contains 14,141 burials in 43 cemeteries)


Census Data
The Free Inhabitants and Slave Schedules for the 1850 Census for Williamson County are available here.  Four different files provide data: in order of enumeration; alphabetically; by place of birth; for Slave Schedules.

Death Records - the "Green Book"
These records were kept by a Taylor area doctor and transcribed by seventeen McNeil High School students (see photos), with the assistance of their teacher Margaret Blanton.. If these records prove helpful in your research, let the students of McNeil High School hear from you! .... (More information about records.)

Use these alpha files to search the 2,663 names listed in the pages below.

 

 


Education

Southwestern University, in Georgetown, was the solution of the Texas Methodist Conference to sustain an influence in Texas.  Four previous attempts to maintain Methodist colleges in Texas included: Rutersville College (1840), Rutersville, Fayette County; Wesleyan College (1844), San Augustine; Soule University (1856), Chappell Hill, Washington County; and McKenzie College (1848), Clarksville, Red River County.  Students were first  accepted at Southwestern University, then known as Texas University,  in 1873.

  • 1911 Yearbook - This is an index of names and photographs for  729 students, professors and staff.  The list includes names and photographs from the Southwestern's Medical and Pharmacy colleges; these were located in Dallas.

Surnames    A  - D      E - L     M  - R    S - Z
 
 

in the 1927 yearbook.  498 names appear on this list.  If you find a name you recognize, and want a photocopy of the picture, contact Don Brownlee .  He will be happy to make a photocopy of the picture!

Maps

  • Boundary changes to Williamson County


View a Works Projects Administration map of Williamson County and neighboring counties.  This map shows boundary changes to the county since March 13, 1848.
 

  • Current, adjustable county map


This map is a present day adjustable map of Williamson County that will allow you to zoom into any area of the county for more detail.  It is provided by The TIGER Map Service, a project sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.


Naturalization Records
For an explanation of this index and it's contents, please read this information page.  To learn more about the naturalization process and under what circumstances women filed papers, visit this National Archives page.

Surnames that appear in the Index to the Naturalization Records for Williamson County, Texas appear here in alphabetical order.  Please take a moment to send a note to Julie and Jennifer, the two McNeil High School students, who helped me type these records.
 

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

The following countries and continents were listed in the index as  "Country of Birth or Allegiance" for at least one person.  After locating a name that is of interest to you, consult the alphabetical listing above for complete information on that individual.  Many individuals have more than one country listed by their name in the index.  In the list that follows, each person is sorted only by the first country listed. Several alphabetical listings may occur within each list  -- be sure to check the entire list.
 

Argentina

Austria

Bohemia

Brazil

Canada

China

Czechoslovakia

Denmark

England (Britain)

Europe

France

Germany

Great Britain

Greece

Holland

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Liechtenstein

Mexico

Moravia

Norway

Poland

Prussia

Russia

Saxony

Scotland

South America

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Texas

 

 

 


People

  • People who have lived in and passed through Williamson County

Individuals, as well as groups, such as the Tonkawas, are included in this collection of information on more than 300 people who have a link to Williamson County, Texas.  Major sources of information include the online Handbook of Texas, the WPA's oral history project, and county historical markers. Valuable links to personal web pages are included as well.


Places and Events

  • Collection of places, events and things

This page is a collection of over 200 links to towns and communities, churches, creeks, lakes, forts, geographic locations, railroads, print media sources, events such as battles, and prehistory   The Online Handbook of Texas   is the major source of this information.

  • Postmasters and Post Offices

Jim Wheat's valuable listing of Postmasters and Post Offices in Williamson County, Texas provides detail on 65 Post Offices in the county's history beginning in 1849 and continuing through 1930.

Print Resources and Look Ups
Volunteers with the Williamson County Genealogical Society very generously offer look-ups.  If you need extensive use of a source, consider either an interlibrary loan request or purchasing it from the publisher.  Also, remember the query board and joining the discussion list can be very valuable sources of information.  


Probate Records for 11 Texas Counties !
Thanks to many students at McNeil High School, probate records for 11 Texas counties are now online !
This index contains the probate records from 11 Texas counties, including Williamson County.

To learn how to get copies of the Williamson County records, please read the information page.


Queries

 The fastest way to get an answer to your question is to join the Williamson County discussion group. See the instructions below. If, however, you'd prefer to post a query, you can do that as well.


Resources for Williamson County, Texas

  • Discussion list for Williamson County


Join this discussion group if you want to be in touch with others who have an historical and genealogical interest in Williamson County, Texas. There is no cost to join this discussion list. To subscribe to the list, read the following 3 steps, click below, and follow steps.

1. Leave the Subject line blank.
2. Include only the word   subscribe   in the body of your message.
3. If you have a signature file, turn it OFF, before you send your message.

Click here  to subscribe.

  • Libraries in Williamson County Area

1. Round Rock Public Library - Thanks to many dedicated members of the Williamson County Genealogical Society, Williamson County as an outstanding collection of materials for research your family's past.  This collection is housed at the Round Rock Public Library.  Anyone making a trip to Williamson County to research ancestors should plan time at this library.  Be sure to search the notebooks of ancestor files that members of the WCGS have collected over the years.   Georgetown  has a small library collection.  If Mr. Love is available when you stop by, you are in for a real treat -- he is an incredible resource.

2.  Southwestern University - is located in Georgetown.  The   A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library  also has Special Collections that are a must see for serious researchers.

3. University of Texas at Austin - maintains an online catalog called   UT Library Online .  As you search, be aware that UT Austin has eighteen libraries located on the Austin campus.  Perry-Castaņeda Library, known as PCL, is the main graduate level library.  The stacks are open, which means you can just go in and wander around. PCL also houses a wonderful map room; part of the PCL Map Collection is available online The Center for American History is one of the more secured libraries on campus.  It houses the Research and Collections Division that includes several history collections.  These valuable collections contain books, maps, newspapers, manuscripts, photographs and recorded sound.   The newspaper collection has a search engine that allows the user to generate a list of Williamson County newspapers.

4. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is located in Austin.  One important Division at the TSLAC is the Genealogy Collection .  Included in this collection is the Index to Confederate Pension Applications.  This is a marvelous resource that provides "the names, county of residence, and pension number for some 54,634 approved, rejected, and home pensions issued by the Texas government between1899 and 1975."

  • Williamson County Genealogical Society

Visit the Williamson County Genealogical Society to purchase reasonably priced census and  marriage records.  Learn when the Society meets and how you can become a member. The single most valuable source of information is the WCGS's quarterly publication,  The Chisholm Trail.    Linda Emry is the Editor of this publication and the person I recommend when asked, "Who does genealogy for hire?"

  • Williamson County Clerk's Office

Contact the Records Division of the County Clerk's Office to request copies of birth, death, marriage, naturalization, probate and real estate records.


Surrounding Counties

  • Bastrop County - (Only touches a southeast corner of Williamson)

This TXGenWeb  page for Bastrop County features part of the 1850, a query page, and  offers look ups for 1850 and 1860 census.  A link to a great site  for CD look ups can also be found here.

  • Bell County - (North of Williamson County)

Bell County's TXGenWeb  site is hosted by Joe Deaver.  This site has many nice features including Nannie's Scrapbooks. Great historical and genealogical value can be reaped from this collection of six scrapbooks.  Other resources at this link include "Original Landowners of Bell County, Texas," a forum for queries,  volunteers willing to do look ups, and a discussion group for Bell County  (TxBell-L).

  • Burnet County - (Northwest of Williamson County)

The TXGenWeb Page for Burnet County is hosted by Jo Ann Myers.  Resources available at this site include the  1860  Census and marriage records for Burnet County and other great sources  such a large number of obits. Jo Ann also hosts an email discussion group, for those interested in exchanging information about Burnet County.

  • Lee County - (South of Williamson County)

Lee County's TXGenWeb Page   

  • Milam County - (Northeast of Williamson County)

Clarissa Loyd maintains the Milam County TXGenWeb page where visitors will find many links to information.  She is currently working on a project to add tombstone photos to the web page.

 

Lynna Kay Shuffield has a great deal of informative information on her Milam County site including: the 1850 Census presented in alpha order; a query forum; and a bibliography of historically useful publications about Milam County.  Also, nice links to sites of Milam County's War Dead and Historical Markers for Milam County can be found. (Lynna Kay has given me special permission to link to her Milam county site. Thanks Lynna Kay!)

 

James Walker also maintains an informative site about Milam County . Featured at his site are pages related to people buried in the Pin Oak and Milano City Cemeteries.  Visitors will also find a 1889 news article and petitions signed by local citizens in 1891 and 1892.

  • Travis County - (South of Williamson County)

The Austin Genealogical Society sponsors the Travis County TXGenWeb Page.  A query page and look ups are provided.


State and National Level Links

  • TXGenWeb          

Visit the TXGenWeb site .   This is the official state level web site from which all official GenWeb pages in Texas link. 

            

  • USGenWeb                          

Get the big picture when you visit the  USGenWeb Project site.   All of the state level GenWeb sites link into this page. You will also find information on Special Projects sponsored by the USGenWeb Project and learn about the WorldGenWeb Project.

Copyright 1998 - 2007   by Rebecca Osborne, Ph.D.   All rights reserved.
Send requests for permission to use and other comments to:  Rebecca  Osborne