William Coy Williams (1910 - 1989)

Born 19 May 1910 in Graves County, Kentucky

Ancestors

Died 19 Mar 1989 at age 78 in Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona

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Biography

William Coy Williams was born in 1910 in Graves County,Kentucky. He was the son of Harve Williams and Minnie Gent. He is listed as married on the 1930 census, but no wife listed. A family tree on familysearch.com gives his wife as Verbena Higgins, with a marriage date of 22 October 1933. She is listed on the 1930 census in the HH of her father Robert Higgins as a single female. Either Coy was married to someone else per the 1930 Census, or the marriage date is incorrect. Can find no other information to validate their wedding date. By 1935 Coy and Verbena were living in Ferndale, Michigan, as noted on the 1940 Census. They have a two year old son. In 1940, he was working on the assembly line at an automobile factory. He passed away in 1989 in Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona. Guy, his brother, also passed away in Bisbee. Coy, his wife Verbena, and Guy are all buried in the Memorial Gardens at Bisbee.

Sources

• *1920 U.S. Census, Graves County, Kentucky, Magisterial District 7 (part of) Precinct 1, Lowe's, enumerated 5th January, pg. 2A, Owens Chapel Road. Line 14, H/H 27/27- Harve Williams is head of the household. His farm is owned, but with a mortgage. Line 17 is Coy, his 9 year old son, a single white male. He was born in Kentucky and speaks English. He has attended school since 1 September 1919, and can read and write. Other family members of the household are Minnie (his mother), Nauva, 14 (his sister), Wayne, 21 (his brother), and Nana, 14, (Wayne's wife.)
• 1930 U.S Census, McCracken County, Kentucky, Paducah city (part), enumerated April 17, Sheet No. 18A, page 23, Broad Street, house number 2057. H/H 369/400 is William G. Hayden, head, and owner of the property, valued at $5000, which is a farm, but he is employed as a tobacco warehouse manager. Family 401 at the same address of 2057 is that of Harve S. Williams, who pays rent of $11.25 per month. He is engaged in truck farming. His wife is Minnie. Line 22 lists William C. as their son. He is 19 years old and marked as married,but no wife is given. He was married at age 19.. His occupation is given as "none,". but answers "yes" to question of whether at work the previous working day. Others in the household are Guy (Wm. Coy's brother), who is 34 years old. Guy's son Dwight L. , 10 years old, is listed as Harve's grandson. Guy's son Norman, 7 years old, is also listed as a grandson. Wayne, (Harve and Minnie's second son) is 31 years old. His wife,Nana, is listed as Harve's daughter-in-law. She is 24 years old. Wayne and Nana's son Howard is listed as Harve's grandson, and is three years old.

• 1940 U.S. Census, Oakland County, Michigan, Ferndale city, enumerated April 7th (?), Sheet No. 1B, Vector Avenue, Line No. 52, house number 1031, visit no. 19, non-farm home owned by household head Coy Williams. He is a married white male, aged 28. He was born in Kentucky and finished four years of high school. On April 1, 1935, he was living in the same house. He is an assembly line worker at an automobile factory. Line 53 is his wife, Verbina, who is a married white female, aged 30 years. She was born in Kentucky and finished the sixth grade. On April 1, 1935, she was living in this same house. She is not seeking work, but is occupied as a homemaker. She has no income. On line 54 is their son Billy Ray, who is two years old, and was born in Michigan. On Line 55 is enumerated Guy B. Williams, Coy's brother. Guy is a 44 year old married white male. (no wife is listed) He was born in Kentucky and was residing in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky, on April 1, 1935. On line 56 Guy's son Dwight L. Williams is listed as nephew to Coy Williams. Dwight is a single white male, 20 years old, and born in Kentucky. He works as a furnace installer for a furnace factory. (Ferndale is now a part of the metropolitan area of Detroit.)
• SS Death Index- W.C. Williams, age 79, b. 19 May 1910. Last residence: Cochise, AZ. Death 19 March 1989.
• Burial in Memory Gardens Cemetery, Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona. Gravestone "W. Coy Williams, 1910-1989." He is buried beside his wife Verbena, 1909-1998. Find A Grave: Memorial #31920530