Adda Barnes Williams was Regent of the Le Ray de Chaumont Chapter DAR from May 1908 to May 1910.
Mrs. Adda Barnes Williams, 240 Rexford Place, observed her 95th birthday on Monday at a small family part given by her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Dexter B. Williams, with whom she lives. Among the guests was Mrs. William’s younger sister, Mrs. Francis B. Buskirk, 262 Ten Eyck street, widow of Edwin R. Van Buskirk.
A tribute to Mrs. Williams was received in a letter to the editor of The Times from Mrs. Chester B. Pond, chairman of the State Commission to Commemorate the War of 1812 and the Composition of the Star-Spangled Banner. The letter expressed best wishes from many friends for a happy birthday.
The letter, mentioning Mrs. William’s contributions to preserving heritage, read in part: “As a charter member of the Northern Frontier chapter of the National of the United States Daughters of 182, she has maintained a constant interest in in the Organization for 56 years, serving as Chapter President and State Registrar. One of her most important contributions to the study of history was the accumulation of genealogical records which she has placed in Flower Memorial Library.
Although not a professional genealogist, Mrs. Williams has helped countless people in tracing family histories. She belongs to an imposing group of patriotic organizations and has held national office in two, New England Women and Colonial Dames. One outstanding she began alone and did the bulk of the work coping information on all headstones in the 152 cemeteries in Jefferson county of persons who died before 1885 when vial statistics records were started.
Mrs. Williams was born Oct. 28, 1873 in Astoria, L.I., one of four children of Ernes A. and Mary Spear Barnes. A brother, Eugene L. Barnes, died in Buffalo a few years ago. An older sister, Mrs. Oscar E. (Florence E.) Hellwig, died in Watertown Nov. 27, 1964, aged 93.
Spending her early life on a farm near Lockport, where her father had retired from the post of New York Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Williams was married in Lockport Dec. 29, 1898, to Frank Marion Williams, then a professor of chemistry at Clarkson Collage of Technology.
Mr. and Mrs. Williams lived in Canton ten years before coming to Watertown in 1909. Mr. Williams opened a laboratory here and was a consulting chemical engineer. He died Sept. 20, 1946,aged 72.{
Mrs. Williams has two daughters, Dorothy G., wife of Brig. Harrison Shaler, retired, Laguna Beach, Calif., and Mrs. Parker (Mildred D.) Harrison, Weston, Mass. She has five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Mentally keen, Mrs. Williams is generally in good health, but does not get out much now. After her husband’s death, for years she sent winters with the Shalers wherever they were stationed, but did not accompany them to Austria or Japan.
Mrs. Adda Barnes Williams, 97, formerly of 240 Rexford Place, widow of Frank M. Williams, died at 9:25 this morning at the Madonna Home where she had lived since Nov. 2, 1969. Arraignments re with the Cleveland Funeral Home.
Surviving are a son, Dexter B., 240 Rexford Place; two daughters Dorothy G., wife of Brig. Gen. Harrison Shaler, retired, Laguna Beach, Calif.; and Mrs. Parker (Mildred D.) Harrison, Weston, Mass.; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Williams was born Oct. 28, 1873 in Astoria, L.I., one of four children of Ernest and Mary Spear Barnes. She spent her early years in Lockport, after her father retired as New York superintendent of schools .
She married there Dec. 29, 1898, to Frank Marion Williams, then a professor of chemistry a Clarkson College of Technology. They lived in Canton ten years before coming to Waretown in 1909.
Mr. Williams, a native of Lockport, opened a laboratory here and was a consulting chemical engineer. He founded William Apparatus Company, which his son has continued to operate. Frank Williams had a number of inventions to his credit and did considerable research. The family lived for yar at 171 Mullin St., but Mr. and Mrs. Williams sere living at 20 Rexford Place when he died at the age of 72 on Sept. 20, 1946.
Although not professional genealogist, Mrs. Williams had done much work in that field and with her remarkable memory had helped many visitors to the genealogy room of the Flower Library in tracing families. She was cited for her contributions to preserving historical heritage by the National Society of the United States Daughters of 1812 in a letter in October, 1968, from the chairman of the State Commission to Commemorate he War of 1812.
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