My grandfather and his brother

I never knew my maternal grandfather, Clarence Williams. He died when I was two or three years old.

But my mother didn’t really know her father as well as she ought to have, either. Apparently, my grandmother’s mother Lillian had a whole lot more control on her kids, even as adults, than she should have, and somehow essentially caused the breakup of Clarence with my grandmother Gertrude, though my mom knew her dad to some degree. My mother was primarily raised by Lillian, Gertrude and Gert’s siblings, my great uncle Ed and my great aunt Deana.

My sister was going through some photos and came across these:

Top row-4th from left is Clarence Williams
Seated on right end is his brother, Charles Williams

I had heard vague stories of my grandfather and his brother playing in the Negro Leagues, but I never got any sense of the time frame. And, as this article notes, there were LOTS of teams named the Giants.


Top row 2nd from Left is Clarence Williams
Top Row 4th from left is Charles Williams

This is Charles. He has a daughter, Barbara, who my mom has befriended only relatively recently.

If, by chance, someone knows more about these guys, I would love to hear about it.

ROG

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto.

3 thoughts on “My grandfather and his brother”

  1. Hey Rog,, Barbara is Charles granddaughter and her father was Stewart making Barbara and Gertrude second cousins..Just for the record

  2. I came across your website by accident looking for information about Clarence “Waxey” Williams. We are in the process of raising funds to put a headstone on his unmarked pauper’s grave in Atlantic City, NJ.

    We show him born on January 27, 1866 in Harrisburg, PA and died on September 23, 1934 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

    Bob Mayer at springfvr9@aol.com of 22 Stephen Smith Drive, Putnam Valley, New York, is our lead person on this project.

    More information can be found at our Grave Marker Project at: http://www.larrylester42.com/grave-markers.html

  3. If the above is my relative too Charles Williams is my maternal grandfather. Barbara is my cousin and Uncle Stewart my mother’s brother. My grandfather passed when my mom was eight years old he was 35 years old died from pnuemonia. He and Uncle Clarence played on the same team My grandfather was good looking had hazel eyes. I believe he was a pitcher. My mom was born in Owego NY 1914. His birth was possibly 1887. My grandfather lived in Syracuse NY We had a picture of them both in uniform with their team I don’t know who has it. My Aunt Dorothy gave her’s to Barbara to make a copy and return. That was never done

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