Williams, John, 1840-1926

Fatima Massey Williams, daughter of Craton Massey and Harriet Horton Massey of Wake County, North Carolina, was born around 1840. She had one sister, Irene Massey, who never married, and two brothers, Thrush and Alpheus Massey, Confederate soldiers of the 31st North Carolina Regiment.

Fatima married William T. A. Williams, a wheelwright, in October 1859 and thereafter resided in Rolesville, North Carolina. The Williamses apparently had at least one son, Robert Bob S. Williams, who became the mayor of Rolesville in the 1940s. There are also references in the papers to J. H. Williams and J. L. Williams, who were perhaps brothers of William or sons of William and Fatima.

Little else is known concerning the Williamses. The poor spelling of the letters indicates that neither the Masseys nor the Williamses received much formal education.

William T. A. Williams died around 1912. Fatima Massey Williams apparently died in December 1926.

From the guide to the Fatima Massey Williams Papers, 1857-1929, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)