Shasta Co., CA - Obituaries

William Wallace Williams 1830-1909

The Searchlight
Redding, Shasta Co., California
Wed., Feb. 3, 1909

William Wallace Williams, pioneer of the county and State, died in the family home on North California street at 2 o'clock Tuesday morning. The funeral will be held from the residence a 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon.

The pioneer had been in failing health for a year or more. He lacked only a few days of being 79 years old. His illness was due wholly to his advanced age. For the past few months he had been a great care to the members of the household, requiring constant attention day and night.

W. W. Williams was born in New York State February 12, 1830. He came to California in 1852, engaging in mining at Hangtown, now called Placerville. After mining there a few years he went back to the East, but returned to California in 1859, coming from Iowa. He came to Shasta County in that year and from 1861 to 1862 conducted a store in Millville. The pioneer followed a mercantile career and made several moves. For five years he conducted a store at Forbestown for John B. Fall of Marysville. He opened a store for himself in Star City, Humboldt County, Nev., and from there went to Silver City, Idaho. He came to Redding 1872 and opened one of the first stores in the then young town. Marshall, Marshall, and Williams was the name of the firm and the business was located in a frame building on the present site of the Swasey block. After the "big fire" of the early days of Redding Mr. Williams had a store on what is now called the Menzel corner on Market street.

For the past several years Mr. Williams, now well advanced in age and retired from business, lived a retired life spending nearly all his time in the family home on California street. He seldom went abroad in the city. After a busy life he was resting--waiting patiently for the final summons that came Tuesday morning.

The pioneer was twice married. Thirty years ago September 10th last he married Mrs. Brackett, widowed mother of J. W. Brackett and Ed W. Brackett. She is now for the second time left a widow. Mr. Williams leaves three children--Horace Williams and Miss Jennie Williams of Redding and Clarence Williams, an employee in the Government printing office in Washington. He leaves also a sister, Mrs. L.S. Nichols of this city, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

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Transcribed by Robin Bills

Kennett--Perry Rufus Williams, a pioneer miner of this district, died here last evening at 11 o'clock. His acute sickness was of several weeks' duration, though he had been afflicted with Bright's disease for several months, if not years. He was uncle of James S. Smithson, with whom he had made his home for the last fourteen years.

Mr. Williams was born in Illinois and was past 66 years of age. He was an old soldier and was on the pension roll. He was a member of E. F. Winslow Post, G. A. R., of Redding, which will have the direction of the funeral tomorrow morning in Redding. The body was shipped this morning to Houston's undertaking parlors in Redding.

The pioneer leaves two sisters and a brother to mourn his death. W. W. Williams of Redding is his half-brothers. H. A. Williams, shipping clerk at Lamoine, is a newphew.

Mrs. Smithson, mother of J. S. Smithson the pioneer merchant, died last night at the home of her son. She was known lovingly by everyone in Kennett as "Grandma" Smithson. She was aged 73 years.

Mrs. Smithson was ill only two days, pneumonia being the ailment. She dropped off into a sleep yesterday morning and did not really awaken. The sleep was the beginning of the end.

Grandma Smithson left but one son, James A. Smithson, with whose family she had made her home in her declining years. She was half sister of W. W. Williams and J. A. Eaton of Redding. A daughter, now deceased, was the first wife of J. E. Reynolds of Redding.

The body was taken to Redding this morning in care of Undertaker Houston. The funeral will be held in Redding at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Leonard Willis Vinson, 28, of Redding, veteran of World War II, died at Oroville Curran hospital Sunday night of an internal infection. He entered the hospital on Thursday.

Vinson was born July 16, 1917 at Grants Pass, Ore. He was currently employed by the bureau of reclamation as an engineering aide at Oroville.

Surviving are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Vinson of north Redding, and four sisters, Mrs. Elsie Upham of Trinity Center, Mrs. Edith Herrick of Santa Cruz, and Mrs. Leila Phelps of Trinity Center.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at McDonald's Chapel, with the Rev. H. A. Luckenbach officiating. Interment will be in the family lot in Redding cemetery.

Martin Shelton, 57, of Redding, veteran of World War I, died at the Veterans Administration hospital at Livermore Sunday.

Born at Harrison Gulch, he served with the 91st aerial squadron in France during World War I.

Surviving are his son, Martin Shelton Jr., U.S. navy; four brothers, Edward Shelton of Ono, Arthur Shelton of Castella, F. B. Shelton of Sacramento, and A. J. Shelton of Battle Mountain, Nevada, and one sister, Mrs. C. R. Gossett of Red Bluff

Graveside services for Frank Martin Alves Sr. will be conducted in the Anderson District Cemetery at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

He leaves four daughters, Rose, Colleen, and Mary, all of Igo, and Lela, of Anderson; two sons, Frank M. Jr. and Joseph M., both of Anderson; an a brother, Joe, of Santa Cruz.

The Rev. Thomas O'Brien will officiate. The services are under the direction of McDonald's Anderson Chapel.

George Hillery Darrah, 68, a resident of Oak Run for the past 40 years, died Saturday in a Redding hospital.

Darrah was born Feb. 15, 1898, in Millville and had lived in Shasta County since birth. He leaves his widow, Edna, of Oak Run; a daughter, Mrs. Betty Atkins of Eureka; a son, John, of Redding; four sisters, Mrs. Gladys Carey of Dixon, Mrs. Anne Hunt of Redding, Mrs. Henrietta Farrell of Millville and Mrs. Pearl Seagren of Redding; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. tomorrow at McDonald's Redding Chapel by the Rev. Dave Sims. Burial will be in Millville District Cemetery.

George Weston, a farmer living near Millville, died last week from erysipelas superinduced by a felon on the hand.

The father of John Estes, of Redding, died at Douglas City last Sunday. He was an old resident of Trinity county, and an unflinching Democrat. His health had been very poor for a year or more.

Services for Charles Oliver Martinez of Redding will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Lawncrest Memorial Chapel.

Born May 12, 1903, in French Gulch, he lived his whole life in the Shasta-Trinity area. He was a retired salesman.

He is survived by a son, Charles Jr. of Redding; stepson, Gary Leon Jarvis of Redding; sister, Margaret Holmes of Redding; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.