Doc Williams

Doc McWilliams (1844-1910)

Co. G, 1st Kansas Colored Infantry/79th USCI

“He always had a kind word for everybody and was loved by all who knew him.”¹

Born enslaved in Jackson (or Cass?) County, MO; his parents were born in KY. Came to Lawrence in 1862, possibly as a “contraband of war,” and obtained “a fair education”²

*Enlisted Feb. 7, 1863; Mustered in as a Private, Mar. 9, 1863; Mustered out Oct. 1, 1865³ (79th USCT, Dec. 1864); Cert. for lost discharge, Jun. 30, 1891; Pension, Nov. 18, 1908⁴

*Commander of G. W. Deitzler GAR post 365 (Jan. 1887) (renamed Samuel Walker post 1893)⁵

Married Malinda Hunter (1847-1901) on April 17, 1870; residence 1304-1306 New Jersey⁶

Elected constable (1881-82); school janitor (1886-94); statehouse janitor (1895)⁷ Opened employment agency with Allen Williams over Charles Anderson’s grocery store (1883)⁸

*Civil rights leader in local and state Republican politics, 3rd ward delegate (since 1873)⁹ Garfield Club (1880); President, Fred Douglass Club (1888-89, 1895-96)¹⁰

Far West Lodge No. 5 (various offices since 1880)¹¹ Grand Chancellor, Knights of Pythias, Grand Lodge of Kansas (1894-95)¹²

Delegate to Ex-Slave Home national convention, St. Joseph, MO (Aug. 24-27, 1898)¹³

Funeral at Warren (9th) Street Baptist Church; buried by GAR post 365 and Compact Masons¹⁴ Buried Section 1, Lot 4 (owned by Rev. Bedford Drisdom) w/26 persons in 8 subdivisions, inc.: Malinda McWilliams (1847-1901), wife¹⁵ Jane Hunter (1827-1883), mother-in-law¹⁶ (obelisk) Frank Hunter (1857-1934), brother-in-law¹⁷

10 (of 12-16) McWilliams children¹⁸ Clara E. (McWilliams) Gray (1869-1896)¹⁹ (buried w/her parents)

  • Laura A. McWilliams (1871-1945), cook & domestic²⁰

  • Sadie (McWilliams) Bell Anderson (1873-past 1965), evangelist²¹

  • Robert B. McWilliams (1875-1912), 1896 KU Law grad; attorney w/John W. Clark²²

  • Thomas R. McWilliams (1876-1905), faculty U of Monrovia, Liberia (where he died)²³

  • Lillie McWilliams (1879-1958)²⁴

  • James G. McWilliams (1881-1930) & Josephine McWilliams (1878-1945)²⁵

  • Frances E. (McWilliams) Booth (1884-1966), R.N. Douglass Hospital, KCK (1906-56)²⁶

  • Gertrude M. (McWilliams) Lewis (1887-1934) & Herbert L. Lewis (1891-1972)²⁷

  • Pearl (McWilliams) Hayes (1889-1938) & Jacob “Jake” Hayes Sr. (1893-1973)²⁸

  • Sons Jacob Jr. (1916-1981), Rutherford (1919-1990), James (?), & 1 daughter: Frances G. (Hayes) Harden (1914-2006) & Henry Harden (?-1963)²⁹

  • Stanley E. Harden – Doc McWilliams’ great-grandson Clark H. Harden – great-grandson in Wichita Ramona (Harden) Mitchell (1956-2004)³⁰

Doc McWilliams, Orator

(excerpts from his public speeches)

1879 (Aug. 1) Emancipation Day celebration to 1,500 people: “He believed that the Republican party was right, and if need be, he was willing to proclaim its principles upon every square inch of soil.”³¹

1879 (Aug. 13) at Republican rally in Bloomington:

“It has been said in olden times that where two or three are assembled in My Name, I will be in the midst of them to bless. Fellow citizens, we have the number here. We have respect for legislative, executive, and judicial authority as a peculiar characteristic. Trained in the schools of loyalty . . . [and guided] by the stern principles of wise Christian morality, the fathers made this new country a grand consummation. The system of governance adopted by the United States is, in my judgment, the best system known to man [because] it rests upon labor [that] is created and controlled by the free and untrammeled will of the laborer. . . . In such a government, the laborers must not only be free, but they must be citizens, having rights which the government and all classes of citizens are bound to respect and defend. . . . [We] are not going back on the Republican party, for she admitted us into her fold without money and without price. Then let me say to you now, do not stand between the two parties, for that kind of a stand does not bring good, but shame. Yes, shame. We know that there is a club in Lawrence that knows neither party, but are sitting on the fence. May the right club hit them that they may remember their country, their home, and their neighbor.”³²

1879 (Oct. 28) at a large meeting of Black Republicans: He explained

“how the Democrats were trying to capture the colored vote by encouraging [John] Mitchell [a Black barber] as an independent candidate. He said Republicans were sometimes wrong; they sometimes failed in what they ought to do, but that was no excuse for going to the Democratic party, which was a great deal worse. . . . Mr. McWilliams made a number of first-rate points [about white candidates], which set the audience into roars of laughter.”³³

1883 (Oct.) He presided over a large courthouse meeting that condemned the US Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision allowing segregation in private businesses. Citizens telegraphed Justice John M. Harlan, the lone dissenter, for defending the civil rights of seven million Black people.³⁴

1885 (Oct.) meeting of Black male voters at courthouse:

“We have to live here [and] get our living from men of all parties. . . . What is the issue between the Democrats and the Republicans today? It is to beat each other, that is all. Upon one point they are agreed and that is that we are negroes. We must work and think for ourselves and assist the whites to work for good government without regard to politics. . . . . [We] will come to be regarded not as negroes only but as American citizens, but not until [we] look at . . . the issue and not the name of the party. . . . Let us associate with all the good men.” He also protested segregated seating at county Republican meetings and called on Black men to “rise up in the dignity of their manhood and condemn all such practices.”³⁵

1893 (July 26) to celebrate the 47th anniversary of Liberian independence, he addressed the African Colonization Club by explaining the reasons why American negroes should emigrate to Liberia.³⁶

1900 (Feb. 23): “Having been asked by many citizens of the 3rd ward . . ., I hereby announce myself a candidate for [city] councilman of the 3rd ward, subject to the decision of the Republican primaries at the coming spring election.”³⁷

  • ¹ Quoted in his obituary with 1844 birth year, Topeka Plaindealer, June 24, 1910.

    ² From his obituary, Topeka Plaindealer, June 24, 1910.

    ³ https://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/statewide/military/civilwar/adjutant/1col/g.html. This unit had been organized by US Senator James H. Lane, a controversial Jayhawker (buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Section 2), with six (A-F) companies at Fort Scott on August 4, 1862—without federal authorization. Most men had been enslaved and half came from Missouri. Men were promised $10 per month--$3 less than white soldiers who were not charged for their uniforms. This infantry was federally authorized on January 13, 1863.

    ⁴ See these records in familysearch.org.

    ⁵ “Geo. W. Deitzler Post, No. 365, G.A.R.,” Evening Tribune, January 20, 1887; Western Veteran, March 14, 1888. Hiram J. Johnson of North Lawrence reportedly “founded” this post in 1885, in Tribune, September 25, 1885 and Johnson’s obituary, Journal-Tribune, May 20, 1895. However, newspapers did not report the installation of the post’s first commander and officers in 1885 or 1886. See photograph of 19 unidentified men in the Samuel Walker post 365, https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/218628.

    ⁶ Marriage date in familysearch.org. See residences in 1879, 1883, 1888, 1896, 1900, 1902, 1905, and 1909 city directories, as well as family obituaries below.

    ⁷ “The Election,” Tribune, April 6, 1881; see “Board of Education,” Journal, July 20, 1886; Tribune, July 6, 1887; Journal, February 4 & July 8, 1890; Gazette, June 30, 1891; World, July 19, 1892 & July 5, 1894; Journal-Tribune, October 8, 1895.

    ⁸ See advertisement, Western Recorder, May 31, 1883.

    ⁹ Tribune, October 8, 1873 and many subsequent years; “Colored Men’s State Convention,” Topeka Tribune, September 23, 1880; State central committee, (Topeka) Colored Patriot, April 20, 1882.

    ¹⁰ Journal, July 16 & 22, August 20, 1880; Tribune, August 24, 1880; Journal, June 29, 1888, April 18, 1895; Journal-Tribune, February 22 & April 28, 1896.

    ¹¹ “Masonic Officers,” Journal, December 20, 1879; “King Solomon Lodge,” WHJ, October 11, 1883.

    ¹² “Grand Officers,” Gazette, July 20, 1894; World, June 16, 1896.

    ¹³ “Ex-Slave Home Convention,” (Topeka) Kansas Weekly Capital, August 9, 1898.

    ¹⁴ In his obituary, Topeka Plaindealer, June 24, 1910.

    ¹⁵ Obituaries, World, September 12, 1901; Journal, September 18, 1901.

    ¹⁶ Obituary, Journal, February 23, 1883.

    ¹⁷ Obituary, LDJW, June 7, 1934.

    ¹⁸ Estimated birth years vary in 1875, 1880, 1885, 1895, 1900, 1905, and 1910 censuses. Compare with obituaries. William T. McWilliams (d. 1874) and “Infant of Doc” (d. 1883) buried Section 4, grave 402, Oak Hill Cemetery.

    ¹⁹ World, November 3, 1896; married barber Thomas E. Gray on November 20, 1888 in Los Angeles, CA.

    ²⁰ Obituary, LDJW, January 12, 1945.

    ²¹ Despite extensive searches, no obituary has been found.

    ²² Gazette, June 10, 1902; “Hon. R. B. McWilliams Dead,” Topeka Plaindealer, June 17, 1912.

    ²³ In Topeka Plaindealer, May 19, 1904; see also May 25, 1903; “The Liberian Wilderness,” August 19, 1904; World, May 11, 1905.

    ²⁴ Obituary, LDJW, May 22, 1958.

    ²⁵ Respective obituaries in LDJW, September 17, 1930 and October 15, 1945.

    ²⁶ Although no obituary has been found, see Topeka Plaindealer, “Supervisor at Douglass 50 Years,” and “Friends Pay Tribute,” December 16 & 21, 1956. She was married to George A. Booth (1880-?) by 1920 KCK census.

    ²⁷ Respective obituaries in LDJW, May 9, 1934 and Hutchinson News, October 25, 1972.

    ²⁸ Respective obituaries in LDJW, December 6, 1938 and August 15, 1973.

    ²⁹ Respective obituaries in LJW, March 26, 2006 and December 26, 1963.

    ³⁰ Obituary, LJW, June 30, 2004.

    ³¹ As reported in “Emancipation Day,” Journal, August 2, 1879, 4.

    ³² Quoted in “Colored Men in Convention,” Journal, August 15, 1879.

    ³³ As reported in “Colored Men to the Front,” Journal, October 28, 1879.

    ³⁴ “Indignant,” Daily (Lawrence) Kansas Herald, October 23, 1883.

    ³⁵ Quoted in Gazette, “Colored Citizens,” October 16 and “The Color Line,” October 29, 1885.

    ³⁶ As reported in Gazette, June 8 & “The Independence of Liberia,” July 23, 1893; see son Thomas (note ²³).

    ³⁷ Quoted in “Announcements,” February 24, 1900. He lost the nomination to the Commander of the white Washington GAR post 12 (400-150 vote), “A Big Farce,” Jeffersonian Gazette, March 22, 1900.