John McCurdy Williamson

"A word of note: This is old data, currently being reconstructed into a new site format. This data is just here as a placeholder, please be patient as I begin to rebuild from the ashes"

Jim Williamson - Meadowbrook, IL

John McCurdy Williamson still eludes me in most ways, but thanks to my cousin Cheryl and her recent finding of the family tree page out of an old family bible, we now know the names of John M's parents.

John Williamson - who John M indicates as being born in Ireland

Harriet McCurdy who was born in South Carolina according to John M

John, the elder, is just as elusive as his son at this point, and Harriet is proving difficult as well.... so I traded one brick wall for 3.

Depending on the version of the story passed down, the elder John was either a politician, or a Mason of high degree who committed some crime that warranted his being asked to leave the country, possibly a crime that had he not had some pull, or perhaps friends in high places, would have meant a death penalty or worse, life in prison. The facts are not known, yet, but the first version of the story I had heard had to do with a murder.

So, off John went to America, where he met Harriet, got married, had a son who they named John McCurdy Williamson, and vanished... at least from my prying eyes.

From there I have no information whatsoever until John M. shows up in the US Army, enlisted for the Mexican War.

According to a document signed in 1898 by a Colonel F. Aimsworth, John M. William(scrawl) Pvt. Co. G, 3rd Reg. Tenn. Inf was enrolled Sept. 20, 1847 and mustered in Oct 6(to date Oct 4)1847 at Nashville Tenn and Mustered Out as John M. Williamson with Co, a privt. July 24 1848 at Memphis, Tenn.

The above is copied as best as I can read the writing on the copy I have that is stamped Oct 10, 1898. It also states that there was no other soldier in the 3rd regiment, Tenn. Inf named John or John M. Williamson, so this must have been him.

I then lose track of John again (elusive man, never shows up on any census I can find) until he marries Sarah 'Fox' Lee in March of 1863. Sarah was a widow, her first husband having died of pneumonia in Bolivar, TN in early Nov 1862 while serving in the Union Army during the War of Northern Aggression. Sarah was the mother of two daughters, having lost two more as infants it seems. Descendants of Sarah's daughters are listed in these pages also, since the families tie in and out more than once. Click here for the Fox-Strader Pages. The Fox-Strader information, except where it ties back into Clara Williamson is all compliments of Barbara Rhymer Mester, a distant cousin of mine and a wonderful woman.

More to come soon.....

Here is a picture of the Olive Branch Grade School Class of @1933-1934 It has pictures of Louis Elijah Williamson, my grandfather, and Violet Williamson, along with a lot of the Strader's as well.

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