The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-28
Captain John Reid Williams, Veteran
River Man, Is Celebrating His
Century Anniversary
Today.
AN INTERESTING CAREER
He Was Born In Kentucky and Came
to Warsaw When Young Boy
Remembers Old Fort
Edwards.
ESPECIAL to The Gate Ctty.l


WARSAW, ILL.,, March 2S.-Cartain
John Reid Williams is 100 years old
today, and he Is celebrating the day
at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J.
Eaton Johnston. Captain Williams
was prominent resident of this COM
munity, and was one of the pioneer
river captains on the Mississippi.
The celebration of Captain Williams
birthday has taken on quite civic
atmosphere, and business interests as
well as personal friends are wishing
Captain Williams many returns Of the
day.
Capt. John Reid Williams was born
near Richmond, Madison county, Ken
lucky, March %, 1916. He was d son
of Col Levi Williams who emigrated
to this county with his family con-
s1sting of his wife, five sons and one
daughter, in 1881, coming as far as
Quincy by boat, and from Quincy to
Warsaw by wagon; this city was not
laid out at that time. Their first
home was on a farm owned by Major
Marston, former commandant Of Fort
Edwards, and Of later years known as
the Julien Lamet farm, about two
miles south of town. Here they re-
manned one year, but the family fall
ing i'll with chills and fever, so preva-
lent in those days, Wesley Williams
who lived in Montebello township, a
cousin of Col. Levi Williams, insisted
upon the family coming to his home
until they recovered-a sample Of old
Kentucky hospitality. From there
they located on the farm now rented
by Preston Williams, Of Captain Will
! liams, which was then congress land,
and log cabin was built thereon, and
as soon as the land was for sale,
which was a few years later, Capt.
Williams bought the farm and his
father made it his home during his
lifetime. Colonel Williams bought the
farm adjoining which was afterwards
the home of Clay Williams, the cap
tain's brother, now deceased. While
! living here it was common expert
ence on rising in the morning to see
deer near the house, often as many
as thirty In herd. Captain Williams
often hunted them, and speaks of
having buck ague" at times. Wild
game was plentiful in those days,
deer and turkeys being common food
on the tables Of the farmers. Indians
| were often here, most Of them from
Iowa, near Keokuk, almost always
begging. The captain has seen both
Keokuk and Black Hawk, the former,
he said, being a fine looking man.
but the latter being dark and swarthy
was most forbidding.
Remembers Fort Edwards.
When. Captain Williams was
IT years Of age he made
a business trip to Kentucky
for his father, going thence
from here by boat When ready to
return the Ohio river was SO full o,
ice, passage by boat was impossible.
so finding that a fellow-traveler de-
sired to make the same trip, they
each bought a horse and rode to War
saw horseback.
Fort Edwards was abandoned by
the government a few years previous
to the captains arrival here, but all
Of the buildings remained. of which
he has a vivid remembrance, and
when he saw the copy OF the fort
built by Richard Marsh he instantly
recognized it.
Though at one time he owned up
wards of 900 acres Of land, most Of it
adjoining the home farm in the town
ships contiguous to Warsaw, he did
not farm all of the time himself, but
rented the land and engaged in other
pursuits. To show the advance in
land in early days, ne showed lTlenu
a few years ago, a farm that cost him
s1.25 an acre when a young man,
which he said he sold few years
later for $3.50 per acre. He said he
felt rich, but the same farm today is
perhaps worth $4,000 per acre.
First Experience as Boatnnan.
Before his marriage, Captain VIII
ltams had his first experience as boat
man, he and a friend buying a fiat
boat, loading 1t with grain and TAX
ing it to New Orleans, and after dis
posing OF the cargo they sold the boat
and returned to Warsaw by steam
boat. This, at that time, was a quite
common way of shipping grain. In
| 1852 he went with party overland