Joseph H. Williams    

JOSEPH H. WILLIAMS, a well known contractor in Erie, was born in Burlington, New Jersey, October 29, 1839, a son of Samuel S. and Sarah (Hutchinson) Williams, the father a native of Burlington New Jersey, and the mother of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. The Williams family is an old and highly established one in New Jersey, and John N. Williams, the paternal great-grandfather of the Erie contractor, served in the Revolutionary war in a New Jersey regiment. He met his death at tile battle of Monmouth, and his son Daniel, the grandfather of Joseph H., was born near that battle ground in Monmouth county, and died in Burlington, New Jersey, and the maternal grandfather of Mr. Williams died in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. The latter was an Englishman by birth.

Joseph H. Williams spent the early years of his life in his native city of Burlington, and in 1861, from Burlington, he volunteered in three months’ service in the Civil war, but being refused on account of the company being full, he again volunteered in February, 1864, in Company F., One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and served until the close of the struggle. Four of his brothers were also in the war, two serving in the One Hundred and Twelfth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, one in the Third New Jersey Regiment and one was in the Construction Corps. Previous to joining the army Joseph H. Williams had learned the brick layer’s trade, and coming to the city of Erie in 1872 he began contracting and building and has since continued along that line of work. During the past years in company with Robert T. Shank, they have been one of the largest contracting firms in their line in Erie county, and among some of the buildings for which he has given the brick may be mentioned the public library, the central school, also school buildings, Nos. 4, 5, 9, 12 and 14, many business houses and some of the finest residences in the city, including those of Dr. Brandis on East Eighth street, now the Zem Zem Club, and Mrs. C. W. Strong on West Sixth street and Central Park. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Masonic fraternity, and from 1891 to 1902 he served as a member of the school board.

Mr. Williams married in Erie, Nancy B., a daughter of James Crane and granddaughter of Abiatha Crane, one of the pioneers of Erie and a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have six children: Charles H., Joseph C., Max C., Robert K., Sarah and Laura.

A twentieth century history of Erie County, Pennsylvania : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1909, pages 455-456. More Erie County History Books   Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.