Added Research

This page contains additional research information on the Williams Building, the Williams Family, Palacios and Matagorda County, TX. New facts are being discovered as we continue our research into this fascinating area of the Texas Gulf Coast and Matagorda County. Some of the earliest settlements in Texas occurred in this area including the well known expedition of the French Explorer La Salle in 1685.

Recent added information on the Williams Building
Information, pictures and newspaper references regarding activities over the years. Also contains information on the fire that destroyed Billy Williams’ home.

Palacios, early 1900s showing Williams Building in background
Palacios, early 1900s showing Williams Building in far background

W. C. Williams Building Narrative in PDF format
W. C. Williams Building Narrative excerpted from the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) application in PDF format for download. The PDF also contains clickable links on all references to aid researchers. All references are also in PDF format. If the reference was on-line, the last page of the reference PDF contains a clickable permalink to the original on-line material, or the link can be copied and pasted into a browser.

Copies of W. C. Williams, his wife, Martha Franz Williams and Son, W. A. Williams’ Obituaries, published in the Palacios Beacon. Excerpted from http://www.usgenwebsites.org/TXMatagorda/hmn_pa_williams_building.htm

Additional information about Billy Williams’ parents

Price Cash Hardware was also one of the tenants of the Williams Building in the 1940s. See bird’s eye view picture of Palacios taken in 1940s.

Additional information regarding the Williams Building from “Palacios Business Buildings” listings page on Rootsweb.
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Roostsweb)

History of Buildings in Palacios, from Visit Historic Matagorda County (Rootsweb)

W. C. Williams Tax Records 1977-1979

Information on the building of the W. C. Williams home on the South Bay by C. F. Emmons. From Palacios Beacon Palacios, Tex., Vol. 6, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, May 22, 1914 Page 4.

Brandon Building (K Wollens Department Store) Tax Records, 1977-1979

Thomas S. Brandon started work on enlarging the Brandon Building in January 1948, from the Palacios Beacon Early Years, January 24, 2018 issue.

Three Palacios Homes Totally Destroyed Wednesday Morning,” article from the Palacios Beacon, December 8, 1911. W. C. Williams home was among three homes destroyed just two years after he built the building at 5th and Commerce Streets.

John Aaron Williams Family History
Excerpted from In Historic Matagorda County, Volume II, Matagorda County Historical Commission, MCHS, PAHA, MCGS. (Houston: D. Armstrong Co., Inc., 1986)

Charlie Siringo
Charles Angelo Siringo (1855-1928)

John Aaron Williams Family
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Rootsweb)

Article on Charlie Siringo, Billy Williams’ childhood friend, Bay City Sentinel, May 7, 2015

Link to A Texas Cowboy or Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony, first published in 1886. The work was the first published book about cowboy life in the West. In the book Siringo recounts various stories about Billy Williams, Billy’s father, John Aaron Williams (1816 – 1865) and his future wife, Martha Alice Franz (Williams) (1860 – 1952). The stories include adventures during the Civil War involving Siringo, the Williams family and Yankee troops and naval forces on Matagorda Island, Texas.

Charlie Siringo in front of the Palacios Hotel (now the Luther Hotel)

Link to Charlie Siringo life story.
Charles Angelo Siringo

Link to Charlie Siringo’s second book, A Cowboy DetectiveA True Story of Twenty-two Years with a World-famous Detective Agency, published in 1912, about his years as a Pinkerton detective.

Bay City Sentinel Article on Charlie Siringo, May 7, 2015. This article contains several pictures as well as textual background on Charlie’s adventures.

Charlie Siringo postcard back in front of Palacios Hotel

Article on German Settlement (Dutch Settlement) on Matagorda Island, where Billy Williams was born and grew up with Charles Angelo Siringo (1855-1928) and his future wife, Martha Alice Franz (Williams) (1860 – 1952), Bay City Sentinel, January 22, 2015.

How Catherine Williams, Billy Williams’ Mother, lost the title to her Big Hill property
From Gulf (Big Hill) history (Rootsweb)

History of Big Hill Area (Gulf Company and Town) article in the Bay City Sentinel, September 8, 2016.

Billy Williams Sister, Nancy Jane Williams
From “Memories of Matagorda,” interview with Geraldyne R. Havard, Granddaughter

Ryman Family Bible Records

Charles Angelo Siringo (1855-1928) (Billy Williams’ Childhood friend)
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Roostsweb)

Hotel Palacios (Luther Hotel)
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Roostsweb)

Matagorda Peninsula (Island)
Where Billy Williams and Charlie Siringo were born and grew up
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Roostsweb)

Link to Palacios Historic Pictures on-line: (this also includes the 2 volume set, Historic Matagorda County.
https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/PAHA/

Link to contents of 2 volume set, Historic Matagorda County, published on Texas’ 150th anniversary.
https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/PAHA/browse/?fq=dc_type:text_book

Williams Building Renovation Project Dedication and Advertisement, 1987. City State Bank owned the building in the 80s and renovated portions of the building both downstairs and upstairs. The upstairs was renovated and leased to the Palacios School District to teach Vocational Education. The downstairs housed the Palacios Area Fund office as well as other tenants. See the ABOUT page for more history.

Price Hardware occupied the Williams Building sometime in the 1930s under Price/Cash Hardware
See Bird’s Eye view picture, back of Williams Building, Price Hardware sign

Price Hardware moved out of the Williams Building in July of 1940
Palacios Beacon Early Years, July 29, 2015 (from July 1940) article on move

More information on the W. C. Williams Building
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Roostsweb)

Business Buildings in Palacios, TX, History
From Visit Historic Matagorda County (Roostsweb)

Smith Building was across 5th Street and pre-dates the Williams Building.
Smith Building information.

Palacios Beacon 34 page Progress And Historical Edition, October 1939 (Original on-line documents)
A snapshot of the city in 1939, which chronicled the city’s history since its founding
(Link to original scanned on-line images from The Portal to Texas History, courtesy of the University of North Texas Libraries’ Digital Projects Unit)

Palacios Beacon 34 page Progress And Historical Edition, October 1939 (PDF of the original on-line documents) (Warning – this is a large file, 63 Mb)
A snapshot of the city in 1939, which chronicled the city’s history since its founding
(PDF of original on-line images from The Portal to Texas History, courtesy of the University of North Texas Libraries’ Digital Projects Unit)
(Sampled @ 3200 dpi to allow printing on 11″ x 17″ Tabloid format)

W. H. “Pete” Williams, Billy Williams son, was town Marshall
Palacios Beacon, April 1930

Article on Williams Building Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) designation and details regarding the program, Bay City Sentinel, February 12, 2015.

Palacios Christmas 1930
From a Palacios Beacon Christmas 1930 article on Rootsweb – Matagorda County