Robert Dodson Williams, born November 7, 1849, in Panola County, Texas moved with his parents, James A. and Sallie Rhodes Williams to Fredonia, Mason County, Texas, when he was a small boy. His father James A. Williams, built a house of native stone near Moss creek where the family resided. His father built a Mercantile store, Post Office, Cotton Gin and a Blacksmith shop, his father shod horses, sharpened plow shears and repaired oxen yokes. Oxen were used for farming in the early days. On the banks of Moss creek he built a grist mill, the water from the creek was used to turn the millwheel.Indians were still in the country, doing much damage to the Farmers and ranchers, stealing cattle and horses.
Robert was 16 years of age when the Civil war broke out. The war ended before he was old enough to be called into service. Several of his older brothers volunteered, but were not called to duty.
As a young man, father carried the mail from Fredonia to Voca and Brady by use of a gig. In rainy weather he carried the mail on horseback. At an early age he learned to play the fiddle, this he enjoyed throughout his lifetime.
Sallie C. Joiner, born September 27, 1862, in Fulton County, Mississippi, her parents being Lemuel and Margaret Hooper Joiner.
After the Civil War (her father served three years fighting before the war ended) the family sailed for Texas by way of the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with them their household possessions, cattle and oxen and a few horses. Landing at Galveston after a rough sea voyage, Sallie, age six years had been sea sick for several days. After landing she became very hungry, she recalls an old negro mammy offered her a corn pone. This, she said, was the best cornbread she had ever eaten.
The families who had arrived in Galveston from Mississippi set out for Mason County, driving the cattle an oxen. The wagon train stopped in Fort Worth, Texas for supplies. The town had one grocery store at that time. While the supplies were being loaded, a bull broke out from the herd and ran into the grocery store before any one could stop him.
The families settled at Fredonia, Mason County, and encountered many hardships. One, being the Indians who were still on the war path at times, raiding the settlers and taking their belongings. One night the Indians came to Sallies' father's house rode around it several times then rode off to the pasture where they killed a young colt, took out the ponch and drank the milk. She recalled her father finding the dead colt and the cause of its death.
Robert D. Williams and Sallie C. Joiner were married at Fredonia, Texas on February 3, 1880. They made their first home there. Six of their eight children were born in Mason County, Texas. They were: Elmer, William (Bud), Lucy, Mamie and Thomas (Tom) and Oma.
In 1896, father and other relatives formed a wagon train and moved to the Indian Territory. The Territory as it was called, is now a part of the State of Oklahoma. The colony spent four years there. Mother teaching school, doctoring the sick and delivering babies born in the colony and the surrounding neighborhood, since there were no doctors near by. One winter my Grandmother Margaret Joiner took pneumonia and died. Her grave has since been moved, it is thought to be about 15 miles west of Durant, Oklahoma. The graves were removed because of a survey that put the cemetery within the boundary lines of Lake Texhoma.
In 1900, the families, tired of fighting against drought, outlaws and Indians that preyed on the people of the colony, left the territory for Texas, settling in Clipper in Kent County. In traveling from the Territory they crossed the great Croton Breaks that had natural salt beds, the first they had ever seen.
Grandfather Joiner had several covered wagons in the train along with other families of relatives. One night it started to rain and rained for three days and nights, my mother cooked a dinner pot full of little navy beans, that is about all the food they had for the three days that it rained.
Our first home in Kent County was a three room dugout. When it rained the water flooded the floor, later in the spring my father built a dug-out that was comfortable and livable. The water supply came from Salt Fork River, where barrels were sunk in the river bed, the water rose in the barrels then it was dripped out into other barrels on a wagon, and hauled home for household use.
Father bought land in Dickens County in the fall of 1900, from the State of Texas at one dollar per acre. He and brother Bud came to Dickens, the County Seat, so father could sign the deeds for the land. Father was quiet late in finishing the business transactions, and since they had to drive 25 or 30 miles home, father bought their supper in Dickens and planned to drive until dark before camping for the night. He forgot to fill the water jug before leaving Dickens their supper consisted of sardines, crackers and cheese, since they found no water they could not eat their supper. The next morning when it was light enough to see, they found they had camped on the bank of a creek that had running water. This is one incident that brother Bud will never forget.
Part of the land father bought in the Red Top Community had several graves in the south part of a section, this is known today as the Red Mud Cemetery. There was never a deed issued to the Red Mud Cemetery Association for the amount of acres that is under fence for the cemetery. The records of Dickens County show that this land is still in the original deed issued from the State of Texas, and the number of acres are 119 and some records show 199.5 by meters and bounds. The tract of land has been sold numerous times, no one has ever objected to the cemetery being there or of buying the amount of land that the deed calls for.
Arriving in Dickens County on January 1, 1901, at Tap, and without having the house finished our family spent some time with the neighbors as was the custom, until the Rock Dugout was completed.
In March 1901 sister Effie was born, and four years later Ava was born. In the meantime the family, having hauled part of the lumber from Colorado City some 125 miles away.
The nearest neighbors at Tap were the Sam McKay's on the South and the A.M. Locket's on the West. It was not long before other families moved into the community to make their home.
As the community grew, there was a great need for a cotton gin to take care of the cotton that the farmers raised. Father gave permission for the gin to be built on his land at a surface tank that he and the boys had built.
The men of the community who organized, built and run the gin were: A.M. Locket, A.J. Airhart, Tandy Smith, Sam Smith and father, (R.D. Williams) all of tap.
One spring our windmill broke down, Mamie, Tom and Lucy were sent to the tank to get some water. There was a plum patch at the west end of the tank, the plums were ripe, the three decided to gather some plums before returning to the house with the water. Lucy being in the lead saw a large rattlesnake in the trail, she tried to stop the others but Mamie was too close behind her to stop, the snake bit Mamie below the knee. She almost lost her life from the bite.
When the neighbors heard what had happened, they all came and helped out, Elmer rode 18 miles on horseback to Dickens City to get a doctor, his name was Dr. Burnam. He was the only doctor within 50 miles. Three weeks went by before Mamie's fever broke. During her illness the weather was very hot, mother kept wet sheets hanging over the doors and windows to keep the room as cool as possible.
Mother was noted for her nursing and diagnoses of illness throughout the neighborhood. She had a set of Doctors books that helped her to diagnose Typhoid fever and other dread diseases.
The children of the community attended school at Tap. The school house was used by all denominations for church services, which every one attended.
Each Christmas a program was held in the schoolhouse with the entire community taking an active part.
Our house was open to any one who came our way. The ministers most always spend Saturday, Sunday and sometimes Monday with us. They had church services Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night. If the family came with the minister they traveled mostly by wagon, but if he came alone he came by buggy.
If has been said that father fed more "Comers and Stayers" than any other man in Dickens County.
Professor Walker as he was called, boarded with us, and taught school at Tap. Later Mr. R.S. Crawford boarded with us and taught school there.
The town of Spur was organized in 1909, a few years later the ladies of the Garden Club held their Annual Fall Festival. They had an Old Fiddler's Contest. Father being a fiddler entered the contest and won first prize. He won many first prizes, both in the Garden Club an at other contests held in Dickens County.
Some of the tunes he played were: Sheep Shelling Corn by the Wrinkle of his Horn, Durangue's Horn Pip, The Camels are Coming and of course, Sally Goodin.
After Father became partly blind he would play the fiddle for hours at a time never playing the same tune twice. He thought of his playing as an exercise that he needed, but we never tired of hearing him bring out the soft music from his violin. Thus he played until he took ill two weeks before he passed away on December 7, 1947, at the age of 98 years.
Sallie C. Williams celebrated her 100th birthday September 27, 1962, her children that were still living joined her in this celebration. They were William (Bud) Williams, Lucy Spears, Thomas (Tom) Williams, Effie Jones and Ava Johnson.
Also others present were her two sisters and one brother, who still survived. They were: Belle Atkinson, Salem, Oregon; Annie Hailey, Azusa, California and Sam Joiner, Coahoma, Texas and a host of relatives and friends. Mother's brother Sam passed away in 1963, the two sisters still survive at this writing. (Mother being the oldest child of a family of eight children).
This 100th Birthday celebration will never be forgotten since Mrs. Atkinson and Mrs. Hailey were celebrities themselves, having been on the Jack Bailey Television show "Queen for a Day" from Hollywood, California. They won a round trip to Texas by Golden Jet, from the "Queen for a Day" television show to be with Sallie on her 100 th birthday. Upon arrival at Lubbock Municipal Airport, Lubbock, Texas, they were met by both the Press and the television cameramen for an interview about their trip to Texas and the celebration that they had traveled so far to have a part in.
Both Mrs. Atkinson and Mrs. Hailey were natives of Dickens County, coming here with our family in 1901 settling farther north from our family. The sisters thought this might well be Sallie's last birthday but there were other birthdays, the sisters were unable to attend those.
Among the lovely gifts and flowers that Mother received on her 100th birthday was a vase of beautiful roses accompanied by a Book of Poems, assembled by Lona Dell Arthur Rogers with this inscription:
"Remembering Mrs. Sallie Williams and Family--1862 to 1962. With the sincerest wishes and thoughts from all of us to all of you."Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Hindman, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Arrington, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Bridge, Mr. and Mrs. Horace Hyatt, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Ward, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Clifton, Mr. and Mrs. John Warren, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil H. Meadors Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Billy Purcival, Mrs. Joy Smith, Mr. and Mrs. E.V. Arthur, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Rogers.
On September 27, 1963, Sallie C. Williams celebrated her 101st birthday. Although not as glamorous as the 100th birthday she enjoyed having her family and many friends with her for this occasion.
On September 27, 1964, Sallie C. Williams celebrated her 102nd birthday with good wishes from her family and friends, that she would have many more memorable birthdays.
On September 27, 1965, Sallie C. Williams celebrated her 103rd birthday party. She sat up quiet some time posing for pictures with her gifts that she had received, but she did not feel very well. Twelve days later on October 9, 1965, our mother was called to her home beyond this world of suffering, of which she had been a part for so long.
This biography would not be complete without mentioning Mrs. Ruby Bilberry, who was mother's nurse for seven years. She, without faltering stayed by mother's bedside rendering every possible service that is given to mortal hands, throughout the years she cared for her. Mother's love for Ruby was unsurpassed.
And, thus closes the life of Robert D. and Sallie C. Williams, who had the true Frontier Spirit, was not afraid to meet any problem that confronted them--never turning away any strangers. "Some have entertained strangers unaware." Hebrews 13-2.
Who is thy neighbor. St. Luke 10-29-36.
Written by Lucy Williams Spears
Source: History of Dickens County; Ranches and Rolling Plains, Fred Arrington, ©1971
In the year of 1901, the Williams family came to the Tap community and bought a piece of land between the Catfish River and the little creek of Red Mud. He was originally from Mason county but they had stopped and lived in other places before coming to Dickens county. They bought a piece of land from a Mr. Ben Shirley, north from there. The family consisted of eight children: Elmer, W.B. "Bud", J.T. "(Tom",) Lucy, Mamie, Oma, Effie, and Ava.They lived on this place until 1907, in a rock house built by Mr. Airhart, before selling out and moving to Clovis, New Mexico, where they filed on land and stayed there until they lived it out. The boys stayed out on the claim and took care of it while Mr. and Mrs. Williams lived in Clovis, and ran a hotel.
While they were residents at Red Mud, when the community decided that the cotton gin at Tap was not large enough, they organized the community into what would be called a Co-Op and Mr. E. Luce backed the project for a bigger and better gin than the first one that was down near the Tap store. Mr. Williams sold the group enough land, fifteen acres on which to build the gin just west of the school house on the hill. This was known as the Sam Smith gin and was used for a number of years.
Mr. Williams, "Uncle Bobbie" as he was known in the surrounding area, played the violin. He was among the best and was still taking first place at all the fiddling contests in the surrounding areas. On his 98th birthday he played, an 85 year old woman danced, a Mrs. Ida Peterson. She was an early day resident of the community. Aunt Sallie Williams lived to the ripe old age of 103 years.
Source: Dickens County History...its Land and People © Dickens Historical Commission; Printer: Craftsman Inc. Lubbock, Texas 1986
R.D. (Uncle Bob) Williams, 98, one of the first settlers of Dickens County, died at his home 10 miles West of Spur, Sunday night about 9 o'clock after an illness of about six weeks.Funeral services were held at Red Top Cemetery Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 9 at 2 o'clock, with Rev. Luther Bilberry officiating.
Uncle Bob, as he was commonly known, was born in Panola County, November 7, 1849 and was married to Sally Joiner, February 23, 1882 at Mason, Texas. They moved to Dickens County in 1901 and have made their home here since, with the exception of about three years, they have lived within a radius of 10 miles, during their 46 year resident here.
Pallbearers were: Leslie Estep, Alton Estep, Cecil Estep, Henry Slack, Jimmie Hahn and Donnie Pace.
Surviving him besides his wife, Mrs. Sally Williams, are three sons; Elmer Williams of Big Springs, Tom Williams and Bud Williams of Spur. Four daughters, Mrs.Lucy Young, Mrs. Effie Jones and Mrs. Ava Johnson of Spur; and Mrs. Mamie Greer of Brawley, Calif. Six brothers and sisters preceded him in death. 14 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren also survive.
©The Texas Spur, December 11, 1947
Transcribed February 21, 2005 by DCHC members
© Dickens County Historical Commission 1997-2022
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