Williams, James -1907

WILLIAMS

Posted By: Michael Kearney (email)
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:29

The Clinton Herald Monday February 25, 1907 p e The funeral of the late James Williams was held Sunday afternoon from the Maple avenue residence. The Herald Saturday evening announce the death of the aged colored man, who had lived in Clinton sine the war, and who had attained an exceedingly great age, it is believed by his friends, though all records of his birth and early life had been lost, and the age of the colored man has been merely a matter of speculation. Friends of "Sunny Jim" Williams declare that he was at least a century old; some, among them his friend David Winfield, adhering that Jim was at least 110. It is asserted that he was well advanced in years, and that his hair was gray, when he came to Clinton in war times, more than 40 years ago. Jim Williams had a varied career. His youth was spent in the south, where he was born in slavery, and grew to manhood as a human chattel When the great emancipator whose birthday anniversary was celebrated a few weeks ago, rose from among the people and cut the bonds of the black man, Jim rejoiced in the new found freedom with thousands on thousands of his brothers, and came to the north, the land of promise and of opportunity. He had lived in Clinton since the close of the Civil war. Uncle Jim was known from one end of the town to the other. He followed the occupation of rag picker, and was always seen wheeling a cart of prodigious size about town, gathering paper and rags. There was always a laugh and a cherry greeting on Jim's lips, and his pleasant old face will be missed by his friends, many of whom followed his remains to their last resting place in the city of the dead Sunday afternoon.